Uncustomary Hiccups

With Vulcan as My Landscaper New York times article about Lava living in Hawaii. SOme lady was found living in a lave tube, which is kind of against the law and kind of disrespectful of Pele....hmmm but its interesting and there are some really great pictures of Lava.

.:'

So I was talking to Stephen last night about mirrors. ANd we were talking about dreams where we don't have a reflection in mirrors and how we don't really agree on our reactions and mirrors.

I really don't like mirrors. I think that the longer you stare in the mirror, the uglier you get. So when I walk by mirrors, I don't stop, I don't stare, it's a flicker and than I scurry off to where I can't see my reflection. Stephen was saying seeing your reflection is a confirmation that you are alive, that you are there. But is it really?

The mirror, it doesn't capture anything, it just reflects what it sees back. It is nothing with out objects around it. What if it was in a huge white room...it would just become part of the wall, the floor or the ceiling. And it depends on the mirror of how it reflects it back, sometimes it distorts and sometimes its just a shiny bit of something. I hate my room right now, cause the closet doors are all mirrors, I try and push them back to shari's side when we go to bed so i can't see myself.

I think part of the reason I don't like the mirror, is because when I don't look in the mirror, I forget what I look like. I don't think about it, don't think about hte moles, the scars...if my hair is sticking out at weird angles, if my clothes are on right. I just don't care cause I can't see it, but the mirror reminds me... to care about my looks...

.:'

Online Dating? Thin and Rich Works Here, Too
Speaking of looks, so I ran across this article and I'm like laaa....stupid. But some of the worst parts is the stats they give in the article. Here are some excerpts and my rants.

Having a lot of money is good for attracting e-mail messages, at least for men. Those men reporting incomes in excess of $250,000 received 156 percent more e-mail messages than those with incomes below $50,000. Women like men with a higher income than they have but men do not want to date women who earn more than they do.

Now see here. This is stupid, what the hell is your problem with your significant other making more that you and is female. These's stats say so much about our society and the place of women. Why is there this expectation and why can't guys deal with the fact that some females are going to make more money than them. Get over! Is the ego and pride so great that you have to expect something like this and pass up women who don't fit it. I wonder if guys don't date girls cause they make more money than them. Grrrrrrr...stupid...they aren't worth it or my time, but I have a feeling they make up a good majority

What about this one!

The worst thing a man can say is that he is "seeking a casual relationship," receiving 42 percent fewer e-mail messages than he would otherwise. A woman, by contrast, gets 17 percent more e-mail messages by reporting this goal.

Take it as you like. People could just say that its men and woman differences but what about what we teach our children. Oh girls have to wear pink, like floffy things, play with barbie dolls and have tea parties. Boys wear blues and greens, play with GI joes and war weapons, have to be stronger and not cry, mainly less emotional. Grrr you wanna die!? Cause I can arrange it for you, right here right now!

.:'

An Inexpensive Laser Printer Gives the Inkjets a Run for Their Money This Printer is so cute! just want to pick it up and take it home!

Bush sets up domestic spy service Ahhh we are going to all get arrested!

Taiwan ponders constitutional reform Issues Issues Issues. At least they aren't seriously considering a name change again. China did it way back and got disrecognized because of it. It's just hilarious sometimes. hopefully these issues will get solved soon, but its doubtful and there are so many corners to force oneself into. My uncle last year, left taiwan because of the election stuff. He was so fed up with Taiwan politics that he left for a couple of months ot visit people around the globe, I think he went to Italy to visit my great aunt, came to WA, seattle and spokane, Vancouver BC, and Cali. ANd probably much more...just don't know. Ahhh well...I wish I was retired to do that

Women gear up for gaming invasion oh yeah! ;p

Myco - Hibari *Right Click & Save* Another from my-collage. To be honest, when I first listened to this albumn, I didn't really like it. I came back after a year or so and for some reason it really clicked for me...just waiting for me ;D

Rainbow Parties

So I've been wanting to do this lately. Which is share the music that I'm listening or I think is interesting. So from now I'll be posting some music or providing links to music that can be dl easily...every once in awhile when I think to do so ;D But to be honest, I've been wanting to do this for like over....a couple of months but never got around to it...amazing since I have so much to do at work ;p

Mika Nakashima
This is her newest single: Hitori. It's being hosted on a nice person's site so leave a comment if you want, its nice and slow...soothing....*yawn* wannatakeanapsobadrightnow...booo

Yeah so....I was thinking last night I would end up typing about bush's speech last night. But since the apartment was glued to the BET awards, I didn't really watch it...and really did I really want to? I'm like my mom, I can only really watch for a few minutes before I becoming sick, disgusted, irritated, etc and have to switch the channels. And I doubt I would have really learned anyting earth shattering, which is confirmed by all the news articles that I read. So yeah, I'm so glad his ratings are going down!

Sweet picture of Downtown Seattle at night, with long exposure

An awesome pic, where someone took 9 pics, merged together and a really nice effect

One of my favorite flowers,Plumaria or you could just go to the group that just posts pics of plumaria. sweeeeeeeet.

Final part of entry.Da Capa by Myco *Right click, and Save* Albumn is my-collage. She's also known as Changin' my life, I don't really understand why she had two different names and different songs for each of them...but oh well...nothing ever makes sense to me. I like her a lot...her voice is distinctive but not high enough to be very whiney. She did almost all the songs in Full Moon wo Sagashite but the manga (book comic) is better than the anime (animated comic), its been full scanlated. The author TANEMURA Arina has done a lot of works that are quiet good...her style is pretty distinct. It's kind of close to HINO Matsuri But Matsuri.....well nevermind. Go look for yourself.

I'll post some chinese music soon. I only have japanese at work k ;D


OK OK!...so I came back to add to today's post. I found this on some random blog. It's hilarious...I mean...look at my battle cry...and doesn't that just fit me so well ;p Anyways. Just type in any name/username and click away! SHARE WITH US WHAT YOUR BATTLE CRY IS :D

What Is Your Battle Cry?

Who is that, stalking out of the plains! It is Steviek, hands clutching a bladed baseball bat! She roars gutterally: "You in some shit now, muhfuh! I bring annihilation and cheap beer!!"

Find out! Enter username: Are you a girl, or a guy ?

created by beatings : powered by monkeys

This is for stevie3vixen...which I also use a lot ;D
Zang! Who is that, rampaging through the candy store! It is Stevie3vixen, hands clutching gilded boxing gloves! And with a mighty cry, her voice cometh:
"Brace yourself, oh human speck of dust! I tear into the enemy until everything has croaked!!!"

Laaaaaaaaaaast thing ;D

Words with Flickr So Madhu on her site did this cool thing with her name in photos...and I wanted to to do it...but didn't know how she did. But I just found this site that lets you do it. Waaaaaay cool. Just go and type in a word and up it pops ;D like this



Waaaaay cool no? I spent minutes just sitting there clicking back and forth to see what other stuff would pop up ;D This has got to be like the 5th time I'm updating this post...must stop

Who Are Americans to Think That Freedom Is Theirs to Spread? It is long, but its really interesting. He really puts his finger on it and it totally makes sense...at least for me, but he's preaching to the choir for me...so what about people who are against it....who knows what the hell they are thinking.

Korea Wave Just talking about growing trends in asia

Inveiw GogglesWAY GOOL! If I was still competitively swimming and really worried about my times and stuff...that would be on my top priority list. Seriously though...this might change swimming a bit since the swimmer can pace themselves more accuratly and won't have to break their stroke to check out the clock

So today. Today is a day where I vent about People at my job. No No...sorry habits and the culture of my job.

Someone came up to me and was like "stephanie I don't understand what you put together" Fine, I can explain no problem. And then she continues and is like "It's not easy and I was thinking, why should I even have to try." What she really wanted was the whole set up to be how she wanted it. Seriously. Who taught people to be so inflexible that they can't look at a little summary chart without freaking out and wanting to have it exactly this way. Some days I come in to work and wonder...how did so many anal people get combined into one group....

I know that I'm not really one to point the finger, but honestly....people relax! If it doesn't go your way, what the hell, you deal with it...not stress so much you get angry and can't deal with it and try and make it go your way all the time. Where did these people learn these things... I'm sorry I'm just being cranky now.

Work is slowly killing me. I can feel myself getting more and more fed up. About to explode. Just shoot me now. I'm really glad that Shutdown is coming up in a week. I will be alone, somewhere new and maybe doing something new...or not.

And now I will take my grumpy self and slot myself in a dark corner to mutter and draw dark pictures on the ground

so I ususally don't post on the weekends cause I have things to do. Well no...I'm just not as bored at home as I am at work. But I had a great day yesterday so I wanted to post about it ;D OHMIGOD! BLogger let me upload a picture waaay cool ;D But I like the way my pic is displayed...they made mine smaller ;D


I stole this pic from mikey's site ;D

Anywaaaaaaays. So on friday, I went into ann arbor for shari's bday and to hang out with mike and everyone, cause mike's leaving this tuesd. It was lots of phun and we danced....except I hate those creepy guys on the dance floor that start trying to dance with you....UGGGGGG....my feelings just can't be expressed! Seriously....WHAT DID THEIR MOTHERS TEACH THEM!!?

Anyways, the next day since we went to bed so late, I didn't really get up till about 11am...and then we decided to watch saving face. but it was so hot and haning around in Steph and stephen's aprtment about killed steph, me, and christine so we went to sadako's for lunch cause it had AC and was cold food...we stayed for 1.5 hrs and didn't really want to leave. That's when I had the This is a great day feeling. It was just so much phun hanging around steph and christine...don't know why ;D Grin! big grin!

then steph and I hung around at the union for awhile doing emails, and I did the lsat studying and it was phun. We then were waiting aroudn for Madhu before we left for the movie. That was phun, parts of old board just hangning around...complaining, talking.

we went and saw the movie and then that's when it got kind of sad. Cause I had to say goodbye to mikey....not really goodbye cause we will still talk and you know suff like that...but....it's like it's really over. This year, and uaao board...is really over...John and chris left first....I actually don't know if anne marie is still on campus...and marcia's around flying the nation....you know...it's like it's ending and I don't want it to end so bad...and so I cried a little on shari....

We were so lucky. And that's really all there was to it. We were so lucky to have this time in our lives to spend time together, learn from each other, laugh at each other...and smile. And know that it will always stay with each other through our lives. On the way to the movies...I was thinking....man I can't wait to grow old with these people...and I know....I will.

It was a great day and the memories can't be replaced.


Sidenote: I would hate to have amnesia...to lose all these memeories that will be all that I have left in the end. I would never want to lose them...The thoughts, the happiness....never.

Unclear on American Campus: What the Foreign Teacher Said First of all...this article's title is misleading. It's trying to do a pun. But in actuality falls flat. It's really what students are saying about GSI from nonenglish speaking countries.

This article have students complaining about the fact that they can't communicate and that the majority of math and science are foreign. Well no DUH! The US doesn't really encourage students to go into sciences and math...and math and science abroad at the lower levels is much better, encouraging high levels...We get what we sow.

I just hate it when people complain about the language barrier. I'm like hell...why do you expect someone to learn english for you if you don't even try and learn another language. What are people thinking? yeah it can be hard to communicate, but english isn't the universal language as many people would hope ;0 imagine that!

And for those people who say everyone should be required to learn english before coming here...give me a break. Those people are only saying that cause they never will leave the US...which is a sad fate just within itself. I was so surprised in Jr. High that some people didn't have a passport...I thought everyone would have one.

Google Search engine tricks ;) Waaaaaaaay cool. Look at these and all the things that you can do!

Look...more money wasted by the government...still

That's basically it for me, pretty managable post to read neh? It's a friday and I'm off in TWO HOURS! whoo hoo! Life couldn't be more sweet...specially since I got a new CD Drive! To the weekend, Saving face, and Shari's Birthday!

Question of the Day!: Do you think any one has estimated the amount of time we waste sitting in front of the computer, waiting fot the pages of the internet to load? It has to be a hold load of time!

Some intresting articles:

Foreign Makers, Settled in South, Pace Car Industry : Talks about the great things toyota is doing for the US. in response to a post some while back where I vented about GM execs ;D
You should check out Toyota's Site and their future/concept cars Waaay sweet. Especially the CS&S...hybrid two seat roadster which has Toyota Space Touch," where the driver selects functions by "touching" holographic projections. SWEET!

U.S. Borders Vulnerable, Witnesses Say Even after spending so much money, we still suck at protecting ourselves. Surprise surprise. Think of all the other things that are in need of money...EDUCATION!? CHILD CARE?! ukk.

Ok now on to the main part of the post.
China In-Depth
This is a BBC indepth articleS about China. Let me emphasize the s...there are tons of articles, little blurbs about the society, economy, the ethnic make up, changing soc. econ. etc, articles. Its pretty cool actually.

To be honest, my knowledge of chinese history...mainland chinese history is pretty slim...its the same for taiwan history too now that I think about it. I started learning about mainland stuff in Jr. High, and further on. I learned more about taiwanese history in college...freshman year.

But in regards to China Mainland history, I have a really hard time sometimes, accepting it and celebrating it. Actually just the stuff from communism till now. They dynasties before are a bit more "Historical" to me and doesn't effect me as directly. Lots of people, praise communism in china, and Mao. And I understand their ideals and how they wanted to reduce the whole class system...I read marx and I wanted to get rid of capitalism too afterwards...that's a good piece of propaganda there... But the scars left on my family from the whole process is too much to ignore for me.

I started researching during junior high, and my mom recommended that I check in with my Grandma and Grandpa, Gaga and Gakon. My dad's side has been in Taiwan for awhile now. I remember the feeling I had when my grandparents told me their stories...I started crying.

For my Gakon, it is simpiler...well not simplier but easier said. He was in Navy school which supported the Democratic side and when he was 19, he left with the school when they moved to taiwan. He left all of his family there. His parents, whole host of siblings, aunts uncles...everyone. And he wasn't able to see them till about 7 years ago...when he was about 70. He hadn't seen his siblings in over 50 years...hadn't seen their children born, their grandchildren born. They had written letters, but there were issues because the governement goes through all the letters to make sure there isn't anything threatening...and who knows what that actual means...so there were pen marks and blacking out of letters. not only that. During certain parts of the communist takeover...there was a huge move around where they shifted families from one side of the country to another, so that they couldn't collaborate and bring down the governement. So you moved to an area you weren't familiar with, next to people who didn't speak your dialect.

My Gakon is from shechuen (what most americans think is just spicy food and the americaized version I can't pronounce) its a province in the south of china, but most of gakon's family is in the north of china now... When I meet the family, my great aunt...who spoke a different dialect cried over me and told me that she had forgotten the stamps that she had gotten for me and that next time she would get them for me. I think for me it was bewildering in Jr. high to have someone cry over you like that which you don't know. But I think for her, she had seen so much and to see me and be able to say next time I see you must have meant so much to her. Damn, I'm tearing. It means so much to me now. I hope I go back soon.

For my Gaga, its more complicated...sort of. Her family in china was much more well off. Her family is from norther china, north of beijing a bit I believe. Its that area that is suppose to be one of the most beautiful places in china, but its now covered by a dam....and doesn't that say it all? She had tailored clothes, a chaueffer and the house was huge enough to contain the whole extended family. And my Gaga also likes to brag about the fact that their house had one of the few natural springs in the front....yeah T_T...tell me about it. Her grandfather was the principal of a High School. My grandmother had 8/9 sisters and brothers. I know...my extended family is reallly huge and they pop out of the wood work all the time from my mom and dad's sides.

On top of destorying beautiful art and history throughout the country, the red army, in some cases tortured people. her grandfather was taken, beaten and thrown into jail, where he died for being the principle. His wife was forced to walk back and forth on a low narrow beam. it doesn't seem that painful, but her feet were bound. For those of you who don't know, that means when she broke her foot in half and then bounded it so that it grew back misshappen and that from then on she could not walk very well or fast. It was a big fad for awhile, like it was cute to break your bones and then shuffle around at a crawl for the rest of your life. Many times, they would do it when you hit your teens. She walked, and then after fainting from exhaustion and pain in her feet...she died.

Her dad decided they needed to move to tawian. It was a last minute run and the first three to go where her dad, and two of her brothers. They sent for the rest of the family later. I heard a rumor among my family that to escape, two other brothers had to pull a hay cart while the rest of the family huddled underneath in fear. But I don't know if that's really true, because gaga's family brought all the servants with them. So my mother's childhood and life has been filled with many visiting "uncles" and "aunts". The family at the time didn't have enough money to care for them, but they gave them places to stay and live for awhile.

My gaga and her siblings, grew up and built lives in Taipei but the scars will never leave them. Just last year, the family was finally able to get property rights of their house back from the government, but my great uncle: the one who gave my mom her first pair of jeans, refuses to go back and claim it. He has such horrible memories and can't stand the thought of going back and what could happen if he went back, like the chinese govt keeping him there. He's one of the oldest siblings. Eventually the house will revert back to the governement, but he still won't budge.

I interviewed gaga, gagon, and my great uncle last summer about their lives and what they have gone through. And all of them skimmed over their flight to taiwan and the whole communism takeover. My great uncle explained like this: "Life is so happy now, we should focus on those happy things. Not the unhappy periods of life". I agree...but at the sametime, will we let it pass? This great unhappiness and horror. Will we let the Holucoust pass? Will we let Tiennamen square pass?

sigh...it makes me incredible sad. And I haven't even gotten around to my dad's side of the family and history...and the Japanese Occupation. Another day, when I haven't typed as much or felt as much.

CUTE NO?! *HUGGLES!*

Sorry kiddos. I'm a day behind. This was suppose to be posted yesterday and forgot ;D

I Want My Hyphenated-Identity MTV Really cool article about upcoming MTV Desi, MTV Chinese, and MTV Korean...caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan't wait!

I reaaaaaally reaaaaaaally want to live near this university. Soooooo bad. Sooooooooo baaaaaaaaaad....*drool* Who wouldn't want to have a study course in anime/manga *Me mememem!*
Tokuyama University Opens Manga Room:

"Tokuyama University has opened a special manga section of it's library
consisting of 5,000 books. Title were said to have been chosen based on
character and title popularity. The purchase of the books was made for the cost
of about three million Yen via a second-hand bookshop in Tokyo according to a
Chinese newspaper. The school recently announced it's anime / manga production
study course."

yeah Madhu sent me this article, and she wanted me to post this with the article my response to the article: Why the FUCK do white people get to choose what minority lives in their frickin neighborhood?

Welcome to the Neighborhood
MINORITY REPORT-NY Post
By ADAM BUCKMAN

A new reality series in which three white, self-described "Christian" families get to pick their new neighbors from among a group of minority families is already drawing fire. And it hasn't even aired yet. The show is called "Welcome to the Neighborhood" and it's coming to ABC July 10. "I will not tolerate a homosexual couple coming into this neighborhood," one of the neighbors, Jim Stewart, says on the show about one of the candidate families - a gay couple with an adopted baby. "I want a family similar to what we are," asserts another neighbor, John Bellamy, in a statement that would seem to dismiss at least six out of the seven candidate families.

The diverse group includes African-American, Caucasian, Korean, Latino and gay families, plus one family in which husband and wife are heavily tattooed, and another in which mom and dad are devoted to the practice of Wicca, sometimes known as witchcraft or paganism. The show's first two episodes are filled with statements such as those above. Along with the show's premise, in which neighbors get to choose who will move into a vacant house on their cul-de-sac, the attitude reflected in the judging families' statements is raising hackles among fair-housing and gay anti-defamation activists - sometimes sight-unseen. "The show perpetuates the problems of housing discrimination, segregation and racism in America, and it undermines the fair-housing rights of a person's ability to go buy a house without any approval or judgment from a neighbor," says Shanna Smith, president of the Washington-based National Fair Housing Alliance. She hasn't seen the show yet, but is basing her conclusions mainly on reading ABC's press> materials promoting the show. She is already talking about launching an advertiser boycott.

Meanwhile, from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation comes this reaction: "Watching three privileged couples vote to get rid of disenfranchised families they don't like is really disturbing," says Damon Romine, Los Angeles-based entertainment media director for GLAAD. Romine watched the first two episodes of the show last week. "Welcome to the Neighborhood" was filmed over a four-week period last winter in a suburban housing development in Austin, Texas. The winning family gets a four-bedroom, three-bath home, plus furnishings, upgrades and two years' worth of property taxes paid for them - a prize worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $900,000, estimates two of the show's executive producers, Jay Blumenfield and Tony Marsh.

In an interview last week, they said the show does not violate fair-housing laws, according to what they were told by ABC's lawyers. "This isn't like [the judging families] were renting an apartment to somebody or actually the sellers of a home. This is a prize, so in that realm, those discrimination laws and all that stuff are not part of this process," Marsh said. They're aware of their show's potential for controversy, but they're also hopeful that some people's outrage over the show will soften as the series plays itself out and attitudes among the judging families evolve and change. "I think this was an incredibly ambitious project, and I respect ABC for giving us a chance to be honest and to show what people really say behind closed doors," said Marsh.

Vie Durant

a former mayor testified that the white-supremacist group, the KKK, was a ''peaceful organization.'' The title says it all, check it out. If it needs a password I'm willing to share *^^


Interesting article that I got in the email. One that I totally agree with. Shari and I were talking about it the other day. it's really stupid how the media highlights this girl and doesn't splash all over the place about others who dissapear. About girls in Mexico who disappear on their way home from work from the factories. About girls in asia who get sucked into sex trade. No, instead they talk about girls who get lost on vacation, this girl who is so innocent and pure, who would never had gone out with guys she didn't know and do all those bad things that we aren't suppose to talk about...Riiiiiiiiight.

(White) Women We Love
By Eugene Robinson

Someday historians will look back at America in the decade bracketing
the turn of the 21st century and identify the era's major themes:
Religious fundamentalism. Terrorism. War in Iraq. Economic dislocation.
Bioengineering. Information technology. Nuclear proliferation.
Globalization. The rise of superpower China.

And, of course, Damsels in Distress.

Every few weeks, this stressed-out nation with more problems to worry about than hours in the day finds time to become obsessed with the saga -- it's always a "saga," never just a story -- of a damsel in distress. Natalee Holloway, the student who disappeared while on a class trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba, is the latest in what seems an endless series.

Holloway assumed the mantle from her predecessor, the Runaway Bride, who turned out not to have been in distress at all -- not physical distress, at least, though it's obvious that the prospect of her impending 600-guest wedding caused Jennifer Wilbanks an understandable measure of mental trauma.

Before the Runaway Bride, there were too many damsels to provide a full list, but surely you remember the damsel elite: Laci Peterson. Elizabeth
Smart. Lori Hacking. Chandra Levy. JonBenet Ramsey. We even found, or
created, a damsel amid the chaos of war in Iraq: Jessica Lynch.

The specifics of the story line vary from damsel to damsel. In some cases, the saga begins with the discovery of a corpse. In other cases, the damsel simply vanishes into thin air. Often, there is a suspect from the beginning -- an intruder, a husband, a father, a congressman, a stranger glimpsed lurking nearby.

Sometimes the tale ends well, or well enough, as in the cases of Smart and Lynch. Let's hope it ends well for Holloway. But more often, it ends badly. Once in a great while, a case like Runaway Bride comes along to provide comic relief.

But of course the damsels have much in common besides being female. You
probably have some idea of where I'm headed here.

A damsel must be white. This requirement is nonnegotiable. It helps if
her frame is of dimensions that breathless cable television reporters can credibly describe as "petite," and it also helps if she's the kind of woman who wouldn't
really mind being called "petite," a woman with a good deal of princess in her personality. She must be attractive -- also nonnegotiable. Her economic status should be middle class or higher, but an exception can be made in the case of wartime (see: Lynch).

Put all this together, and you get 24-7 coverage. The disappearance of a man, or of a woman of color, can generate a brief flurry, but never the full damsel treatment. Since the Holloway story broke we've had more news reports from Aruba this past week, I'd wager, than in the preceding 10 years.

I have no idea whether the late French philosopher Jacques Derrida hung on every twist and turn of the Chandra Levy case; somehow, I doubt he did. But I suspect the apostle of "deconstructionism" would have analyzed the damsel-in-distress phenomenon by explaining that our society is imposing its own subconsciouslychosen narrative on all these cases.

It's the meta-narrative of something seen as precious and delicate being snatched away, defiled, destroyed by evil forces that lurk in the shadows, just outside the bedroom window. It's whiteness under siege. It's innocence and optimism crushed by cruel reality. It's a flower smashed by a rock.

Or maybe (since Derrida believed in multiple readings of a single text) the damsel thing is just a guaranteed cure for a slow news day. The cable news channels, after all, have lots of airtime to fill.

This is not to mock any one of these cases (except Runaway Bride) or to diminish the genuine tragedy experienced by family and friends. I can imagine the helplessness I'd feel if a child of mine disappeared from a remote beach in the Caribbean. But I can also be fairly confident that neither of my sons would provoke so many headlines.

Whatever our ultimate reason for singling out these few unfortunate victims, among the thousands of Americans who are murdered or who vanish each year, the pattern of choosing only young, white, middle-class women for the full damsel treatment says a lot about a nation that likes to believe it has consigned race and class to irrelevance.

What it says is that we haven't. What it says is that those stubborn issues are still
very much alive and that they remain at the heart of the nation's deepest fears.

Question
So some rap and hip hop and stuff has really derogatory wording towards women. Women are not peices of meat, ass, things to grab, etc, but people made up with more than what is outside. What bothers me is that people have no real problems listening to it, especially some women. It's so derogetory to one's self just to listen to music that redueces you down to a certain denominator. I don't know why people actually listen and accept it as it. Yeah I'll be the first to say, when I go out dancing, some times I end up dancing to the songs, but more often then not...I try and sit them out...which is hard because there are just so frickin' many.

So why do we listen and accept?


I commend you for reaching this far ;) especially if you have read the whole entry. Now for the amusement of the entry


Are you a Seme or Uke?

I couldn't help it. I'm sorry...dark secrets are coming out. I found it on someone else's blog and suddenly the arrow jumped and there it was clicking on it. It had a mind of it own. I wasn't going to do it, especially not at work...but I couldn't stop laughing! or at least deep hyperventilating breathing. HAHAHA. That's what I might be...but I thought the picture below was the best ;D so cute.



Are you a Seme or Uke?

I found this on the same site and added it on. It's so cute ;D Ok the "dirtiness" will dissapear after this post ;p

You're a Shounen-ai fangirl


Are you a yaoi fangirl?
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University of Washington Pricing Change

This is a link is to an article in the Seattle Times in regards to UW and their difficult with offering schooling to the students in WA state. UW has started to become similar to Berkeley in that students usually don't graduate till 5 yrs after because they can't get into the classes that they needed to get into. The number of freshman is huge and it overtakes everything. Including the dorm rooms: there were horror stories about how 3 -4 kids had to share a room only meant for 2. Its amazing and sad that the university doesn't have the ability to cover all the students who want to go the University. A big roll is the budget cuts and the diminishing support and money that they get from the state and federal government. The idea is to have a ladder system, with the richer students paying more while less well off students pay less. Its an interesting idea that has been put into place at the university of miami in Ohio (you know they were thinking abou the beach when they named the university, too bad they were in the middle of the nation -- jk I'm not sure)

But at the same time, it upsets me that our public university's have to fight for money like this. And that parents would rather send their kids to private schools because the public isn't supported enough and doesn't offer enough. What is wrong with us that we cannot see the indirect relationship of how we spend our tax money will support the education of our future? And I think its sad that once people have left college and are working that they are not willing to invest in education that made it possible to reach the stage they are at for others. And college students and younger are left to fight in a system they know very little about -> due to their public education no less. Why are americans so short termed in some ways? That's not very fair of me....cause I'm way too long termed

I didn't but...I did and now I'm *ashamed* ^^ or not. So most of you know of my recent obsession with no other than Howl's Moving Castle no? I watched it for the 3rd time last night since I got it...on Saturday? oh dear me my. Well lately I've been fantasizing bout.....earrings...these green earrings that howl wears. I really want them. yes Damn it I WANT THEM and I'm not ashamed to admit it. They have them for cosplay but I just want them. I found a review and an example in the link above. Yes, I searched on google for Howl's earrings. Sue me. And then buy me a pair ;D I don't like the ones in the link...but they are close enough to make me drool.

I ran across an interview ith Miyazaki. It's really great. I really love what he says. And they also talk about why most of his movies are woman leads...which is fantastic. I hope he makes more and more movies! Pictures of the Movie at the Seattle PI -> have to click on link on side of artical

So I meet my GM mentor for lunch today. She seems like a really nice person and stuff. But she kept saying something about this....its what you make of it. I felt like she was implying that if you want to be happy with what you are doing, then you will. And part of me agrees with her, but is it really that simple? Is it so simple that you yourself can make yourself happy or unhappy. It would definatlly put all the responsibility on me and I couldn't point fingers anymore. But it almost seems to extreme to me...claiming that nothing else effects you except yourself. I wonder....but it seems so simple, you can make yourself happy and satisfied. but if its so easy then why does everyone have such a hard time doing it?

Did you ever notice that in an article title...many times instead of saying a name or some of the describing characteristic they say...."Woman eyeing job..." "Chinese says China Gov't ...." I think they partly do it so that it will catch people's attention more because most people won't know the names mentioned. But honestly...can we not title it any other way. No class. No Style. And is that the only characteristic that is of significance

As you can see below. My boredom has overrun me.

Press Think Way cool blog that just won the reporters without boarders award for Americas

journalism.nyu.edu i'm going to NYU. I'm going I'm going!!

Guardian Unlimited another news source for me now

TELEPORTATIOn .....or no ;)

thememagazine.com Cool asian culture magazine that we ran across in borders ;D Maybe I'll get a subscription. If only I didn't move so damn much.

Video of violet riot in chinese village -> They are being forced to leave so a electric plant can be built
BLogs -> How bloggers are pressing the Downing street memo

Downing Street Memo -> info on the downing street memo ;)

So I looked over the statement issued to bond holders by rick wagnor for gm right and it was so so interesting. But I felt the really interesting part was at the bottom. only after rick had stopped talking. The warning label.

In the presentation above and in related comments by General Motors management, our use of the words “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “forecast”, “objective”, “plan”, “goal”, “project”, “outlook”, “priorities/targets” and similar expressions is intended to identify forward looking statements. While these statements represent our current judgment on what the future may hold, and we believe these judgments are reasonable, actual results may differ materially due to numerous important factors that are described in GM’s most recent report on SEC Form 10-K which may be revised or supplemented in subsequent reports on SEC Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Such factors include, among others, the following: changes in economic conditions, currency exchange rates or political stability; shortages of and price increases for fuel; labor strikes or work stoppages; health care costs; market acceptance of the corporation's new products; pace of product introductions; significant changes in the competitive environment; changes in laws, regulations and tax rates; and, the ability of the corporation to achieve reductions in cost and employment levels to realize production efficiencies and implement capital expenditures at levels and times planned by management.


It's almost like you are buying form a tv ad. It looks so so great but then there are all these strings and whistles on it. -_- The fact that they need to put such a qualifier on the end to cover their butt just startles me sometimes. like this line!

actual results may differ materially due
It's so phunny....its like diet pills or exersize....acutally results may differ due to your body ;p

Go diet pills Go!

Yeah so I LOVE CLOUDS. There's really nothing else to it. They are great and they filter the sunlight so its not to bright. And perfect for taking black and white photos.

I love the ones that are really close to the ground...almost like you can touch them. I love the ones where they are flat on the bottom and fluffly on the top. I love the ones that are thin and wispy and seem to be kites against the sky. Did you ever notice the clouds that take over the whole sky...its like one who fluffy blanket and you can't see the end and it hands so low. And the rays break through. I don't really like the clouds that are just blank...they take over the whole sky and there's not texture or feel.

The greatest part I think is to look for shapes. I once saw a butt in the clouds...the other day I saw a flying squirral. hehehe. I miss clouds. I'm so glad its rainy and cloudy...cause I feel better when its dark.

Below is an article that I got in email that is in regards to statistics about medai portrayal of women. ANd of course being women just gives you less air time. But its so amazing to find out how much and how little it has actually changed. read away.

Multi-Media Tune-Out: Ignoring Female Expertise
Run Date: 05/25/05By Sheila Gibbons
WeNews commentator

We all know by now that women get overlooked and ignored as sources for news. What we didn't realize until this week's study, says Sheila Gibbons, is how consistent the problem is across all news media.

Editor's Note: The following is a commentary. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily the views of Women's eNews.


(WOMENSENEWS)--Women continue to be underrepresented as news sources.

No news there.

But a study released Monday tells us what we couldn't really be sure of before this: That when it comes to including women, there are no good guys. Whether in newspapers, on Web or TV, women as people with authoritative views on the world are neither seen nor heard.

The failure to include women's perspectives holds across all news media, according to "The Gender Gap: Women Are Still Missing as Sources for Journalists," released May 23 by the Project for Excellence in Journalism.

There are some circumstances under which women stand a better chance of being treated as though they have brains to be picked.

Women are most likely to be included as sources if the story being reported is a "lifestyle" piece, as opposed to hard news, business or sports, or if the reporter is female.

In newspapers, female sources are more likely if an article is longer than 1,000 words (increasingly rare given most newsrooms' strained resources) and if the newspaper is a large-circulation daily.

In television, female sources are more likely if it's a morning interview program devoted to light features and entertainment.
Treated as Non-Entities
Then there are the circumstances under which women are pretty much treated as non-entities.

A woman is least likely to be cited as a source if the news program is on a cable network or PBS' "NewsHour" or if the story is about sports.

Women are also least likely to be quoted in stories about foreign affairs, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a research institute affiliated with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.

Given that foreign policy and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have dominated news coverage in the last several years, it's easy to see that failing to include women as sources in that coverage would dramatically reduce their presence in the news, and block our perception of them as people with ideas and expertise.

The study, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, examined 16 newspapers from a range of circulation categories, four nightly newscasts (commercial networks and PBS), three network morning news shows, nine different cable programs, and nine Web sites at four different times during the day for nine months. Three quarters (76 percent of all stories studied contained at least one male source. Just a third (33 percent) contained a female source.

The sourcing gender gap worsens as the number of sources in a story goes up. Reporters were more than three times as likely to cite two or more males within a news story as to cite at least two females (55 percent vs. 15 percent).

"This suggests that the orientation towards males goes beyond the primary source in a story," the report said. "Finding a male as the best first source does not apparently lead a journalist to look for a female as the second or third source."

Yikes. Not even an also-ran.
Trend Lines Going Down
The trend lines in this study seem to be heading down.

Cable networks, which favor men as sources, are drawing off viewers from the commercial networks, which use female source somewhat more often.

Foreign affairs news, where women are nearly invisible as sources, is likely to remain important for years to come. And the number of female journalists, who are more likely to quote women as sources, is not increasing. Nor are female journalists staying in the profession as long as men.

What is disheartening, even outrageous, is how long this problem has persisted.

The warning signs of involving women and men differently in news coverage have been well documented for years.

Beginning in 1989, Women, Men and Media, headed by Betty Friedan and the late Gannett and Freedom Forum executive, Nancy Woodhull, initiated a series of studies that looked at a media coverage involving women. They consistently found women to be fewer than a fourth of mentions on the front pages of newspapers, and often of a lower socioeconomic status than male sources. In a 2000 study of news coverage of the military, Women, Men and Media found that civilian experts and politicians commenting on military stories almost never were women.

In 1989, the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles looked at television coverage of women in sports and found that men's sports received 92 percent of airtime, with female spectators often the target of male newscasters' jokes.

Studies by The White House Project, which has compared coverage of men and women running for political office, found that women's authority as leaders is often undermined by gender disparities in coverage of women, including the low numbers of women interviewed on political talk shows.

These and many others, along with task forces inside news organizations themselves, have audited sourcing of women and all have found it wanting.

Later this year, the Global Media Monitoring Project will release the results of its third worldwide survey conducted Feb. 16, in which volunteers from more than 70 countries took a "snapshot" of news media to study the representation of women and men. It would be a miracle if that report looks much different from the one just released this week.
Dozens of Discussions
Over the years I've sat in on dozens of discussions on why this is a problem. Often, the discussants are preaching to the choir. It has always been difficult to get the senior, male managers into the room and around the table to hear the context of the discussion.

Instead, they generally dispatch a "diversity" expert from their organizations, who usually is already well versed on the problem and, essentially, joins the ranks of the already convinced.

And then there are those who just don't believe this is a problem.

They insist that sources are chosen for their expertise and prominence, and that reporters will go for the most prestigious, authoritative source possible, regardless of that person's gender.

If that is always true, I would argue that even more women should be sourced than actually are being sourced.

Nancy Pelosi, minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, is a case in point. I don't see her quoted as often as many of the junior windbags with whom she works and not nearly as often as one would expect, given her senior leadership position.

Consider the density of journalism produced in the discussion of reproductive rights and abortion. Even though men aren't the ones to get pregnant, chances are that most of the stories that you read on this issue quote guys as primary sources. Now that reproductive rights are a political football, politicians, the majority of whom are male, are grabbing at it and trying to control how it gets handled.

Or take a gender-neutral subject, such as health or science or space exploration. There are many female senior scientists working in these areas. Why don't we see them more often or hear from them more often?

It can't be just that men are more prominent and authoritative on all subjects outside of home and Hollywood.

It can't be that all the newsroom coaching on diversity has fallen on deaf ears. It has to be something else.

It could be that to the people in charge of newsrooms, the majority of them men, it just doesn't matter.

Sheila Gibbons is editor of Media Report to Women, a quarterly news journal of news, research and commentary about women and media. She is also co-author of "Taking Their Place: A Documentary History of Women and Journalism," Strata Publishing, Inc., which received the "Texty" Textbook Excellence Award from the Text and Academic Authors Association, and of "Exploring Mass Media for A Changing World," Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.





---------------------------------
For more information:
Project for Excellence in Journalism--
The Gender Gap: Women Are Still Missing As Sources for Journalists
May 23, 2005:
http://www.journalism.org/resources/research/reports/gender/default.asp

Global Media Monitoring Project 2005:
http://www.globalmediamonitoring.org
The White House Project--
Research Overview:
http://www.thewhitehouseproject.org/research/index.html

SOmeone took some screen captures of Howl's Moving Castle and put together a little side story with subtitles on the pics. Its hilarious, for the people who have seen this movie.

And yes I know. I'm obsessed. I've crossed the line. And now I'm going to go out and dance in the land of Howl's Moving Castle. Tootaloo!


Lemon After Taste

Ok it's official. My brain has died. It started gradually with my eyes and then slowly expand backwards on the highways that extend between my eye sna dbrain. I've just sat infront of the computer for 5 min, just staring at the screen. 5 min of nothingness...how did I do it, usually I can't sit still really for what....3 min tops? And here I am starying at the flickering screen for 5. My eyes can't take it anymore. Any minute they are going to pop out and dribble all over my sweater and onto the key board.

So last night. I'm trying to fall asleep and nex thing I know, there is giggling and high pitch girl screens from the neighbors. I hear lower muttering of a man's voice. If I had really tried I probably could have heard their whole conversation. At first I thought they were just playing. But the girl kept screeching...I thought she was being tickled, but on closer listening...I didn't hear any giggling anymore. And I couldn't tell if it was actually domestic violence or not. I was like...well if it was, I was going to call the police. But I had such a hard time deciding if it really was that I actually feel asleep listening for so long. Finally I decided it wasn't, I'm not sure why, I think because I was so tired I was like...it just is and I was fed up with this girl screeching....so I rapped my knuckles against the wall and they stopped. Thank goodness...sleep. I swear everyone was out to make sure I got the least sleep as possible.

But you know, domestic violence is really a difficult issues. For bystanders...how is one to actually tell if it is dom. vio.? Are they just kidding? having a little fight? And if it actually is, could you really call the polic on it. I think the main issues is, does one hit, batter, or word count as domenstic violence? A lot of people when they hear about the issues, or the story of someone going through that kind of violence think, oh I would get out rght away, who would be stupid enough to stay?? But in the actual situation I think the real question is, can you say the same again?

Being the victim of such violence is such a difficult situation. When do you draw the line...when is it actually considered "domestic violence" or just punishment or phun? I'm not just talking about partners but I'm also talking about between family relatives, to your childern, from your aunts, uncles, grandparents etc. The first time it hits, its so unexpected and you're just amazed that the person acutally did it. Then you convince yourself that it won't happen again...so you stay. And the cycle continues. There are so many different reason that people stay, and they are all very valid reason to that person. And it is always that person's decision to stay or not. You might be one who would want to leave, but could you really say the same until you are in the situation?

In some ways I think many view domestic violence, since it occurs to women so much, as mainly the woman's fault. She can leave can't she? Or maybe she asked for it. It's in some ways very similar to how people view rape. She asked for it? She's a tease...it's almost like...what girl wouldn't want to be raped. You got to be kidding me. The fact that our government and society have a hard tim protecting children against convicted child molesters and believing women when they are raped or violence is committed against them makes me so angry. These are the people, especially children, need support and protection and its not offered and in so many ways it is hoarded.

When a woman walks in and says she's been raped, the first thing should be to make sure she's comforted, and be on a charge to find the person who inflicted. But I feel like the first feels many people have are....are you sure you were raped? Like geez I wouldn't know if I wasn't raped, if I had my body violated? I know people will point to how girls have misused the call of rape but honestly...does that mean we mistrust the rest of womenkind? It's like saying well....some men have raped, so all men are probably rapists underneath it all.

God damn it. If I get raped I expect to get the respect I deserve as another person who has been violated. And if not...you will definatlly feel my wrath.
Men can stop Rape
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

I'm obsessed. I don't get like this often but I'm obessesed.


Ok, so howl's moving castle's plot isn't put together as well as some of his others. There are some holes and some of the side characters flash in and out and could be more indepth, but the main characters are all there, including all their parts.

The movie has miyazaki's usually themes of anti-war, flying (my favorite), but they weren't as prominate as usual. The story was really centered around Sophie and Howl and how they each change and come to understand themselves. It's such a happy little story and there are so many great little characters! Like Michael...wanna take him home with me. Or the fat doggy...oh god, the fat doggy.

I watched parts of it again last night with Shari. It just makes me so happy and there are so many things that you see in there that you didn't notice the first time. The backgrounds and landscapes are honestly...just gorgeous. It makes want to live in there. He's so creative with his worlds, they are so facinating in that there's so much of what we live in, but so much more of things I've never thought of and how it seems to mix seamlessly together. I think that's one of the greatest things about his movies, any writers, is how they can make a world that would never be on this earth, seem real and possible. I've read very few who can do it: Anne McCaffery, Patricia Wrede, Piers Anthony. My heart is giddy with excitment....it's like I'm in love.
Howl's NY Times Article where I got the pic

As an Add on : I just discoverd that script when originally compiled was not meant for Miyazaki and that he wasn't intended for the director. He just joined pre-production. So it has the feel but maybe not the complexity or the depth that most are use to. But I have been reading some forums and it is good to point out that this movie shouldn't be compared to others as a rating of how good it is. It should be rated for itself. And based on itself it's great!

I think humans are one of the most akward things I've ever seen. How we stand. How we walk, our gait: The lift of the leg, the slide forward, the twist of the upper body, the pounding of the foot as it comes back down. When we talk, those pauses, those akward comments, the hand gestures. And then we add things like...hair accessories, hair gel, gunk, color, high heels, shoes, loose clothing that slows us down. We decorate ourselves with cars, roads, houses, unbrellas that don't seem to fit in with us or the enviornment around us. Why do we require the need to reshape things around us so that it fits us better?

I ran on friday, and my upper thighs are still sore today. ba-lah! my legs are really out of shape, my upper body is better cause I use it more when I swim....when I swim.

Ok off to search for more howl's moving castle links. Must find OST: top of list ;)

oh yeah. my brother is keeping track of some of his days in taiwan. Check it out. He's pretty phunny...considering he's my bro ;)
Michael's Site

Today we went into Detroit Festival ran around with madhu and Steph and erin and....jarad? is his name no? And it was phun phun. But we ran into this one music group with a ball of drum and two gutairs....and this long wire thing...its the silver thing in the pick and it has like 5 wires attached with weights at different points to give it different sounds. It was so cool looking. But I never got to see them play. But here's a pic and there's music samples below. Madhu thought the guy who played the gutair was hot...he was pretty cute ;D (Guy in pick) Also the drum globe, there were some drum with metal centers and when it was plugged in and you hit it,it would make a differnt sound, then that of a drum. Waaaaaaaay cool.
Mass Ensemble
Music Sample

And I accidentally pulled the chair out from underneath slchang. She got made at me cause wehn I could have said don't sit down, I just started laughing. I didn't mean to, the chair was wet and there were chairs that were dry, but I just couldn't talk quick enough. It was so phunny I laughed for like a....5 min....5 min.

Just wanted to throw in a pic of beth being silly. SHe has a similar picutre of me but fortunatly its not digital and can't be posted on the web like this ;D


So, I was looking at movies online and I ran across the fact that Howl's moving castle was being released in the US. So I was like...oh maybe I'll go watch it on the big screen. I clicked on the trailer and you know what....they were speaking english. I rolled my eyes. ANyways. I watched it today with my roommate and I LOVED IT. honestly....I love this guy, Hayao Miyazaki. His movies always hit the spot. This movie is simplier than his other movies and has more to do with love and stuff and the people themselves. There are other movies that I love of his, like Nausicaa, princess mononoke, Latupa. ahhh my heart. I'm on a high of this movie
Studio Ghibli Fan Site
Official Studio Ghibli

My roommate wants this pic up. So you may all smile as I ride off into the sunset with my donkey.


PS. If you see my brother wish him HAPPY BIRTHDAY. It's his bday today ;D

I'm on a blogging drive... look at me go, my boredom has prompted me to do so many things: watch more anime, read more manga, answer emails right when I get them, surf the net to: read mass amounts of news and articles, find sites of interest, and stare at the ceiling to make sure my eyes don't go bad. Reading chinese news, looking for radio sites which are blocked my gm's internet security systems.

Seriously. Would you still read if I just wrote about the daily adventures of little Steviek at the big bad GM world? HAHAH probably not, cause my day would probably put you to sleep and you wouldn't even finish it.

So here's the results of my surfing:

News Documents of interest:

China's intolerance of Tienanmen dissent: these people have been calling on Chinese gov't to apologize and acknowledge the incident which they still deny ever happened. Many of these people are mothers of students who died. And they are followed and harassed by the police, not allowed to leave their houses etc.

Changing your Muslim name: Yes, so all of you who say there is nothing to a name, check this article out. Gawin and I have had lots of talks about this and what our name says about us even before we meet the person.

Immigration population is getting younger and more diverse: do you need anything more than the title?

Bush aide 'edited climate papers': Yes, how unexpected. The bush admin edited papers to say that there isn't as strong of a link between global warming and emissions, papers that had been researched and compiled by leading scientists. They were edited by a lawyer of the bush admin who has a background of lobbying for oil interests and has no scientific teaching or learning. And why are we all not surprised.

Chinese Internet Security: Talks about how the Chinese gov't locks down on certain websites, blogs etc. And how it becomes easier and easier to do so even as millions start joining the internet. They show error pages or that the pages just don't exist. They even block bbc.com ;) Maybe they are blocking my blog ;o

Global internet security: This is more global about restricts in the internet. It also talks about how people in china have to register their blogs with the governement now.

Photoblogs:
I found these sites and some of the pictures are beautiful. They aren't just of their friends or their lives, they are real pictures...really like ;D

alwayscurious : a really great and humorous site of pictures

Photofriday : a main site for many other photoblogs, they also have contests each week for a certain theme

clk : Another great photo blog sites, i think she might be semi amaturish, but she's really good ;)

wideangle : great pics from all over the world. Lots from WA. I went through them all...so many places i would rather be right now ;)

mirrorproject : this one is really cool in that the whole point is pictures taken through the mirror, Check it out

Phew! done finally. Check it out ;)

NY Times Spread on Economic Class Divisions
Yeah so, NYtimes has been having this spread on Class divisions. Its not very scientific but it is very interesting. They talk about people how have risen through the classes, those who have fallen, different types of forming classes, how its less able to define, immigration (my favorite) class, hyper rich, and how how literature displays it. They add on articles every few days, and there are lots of interactive little things to do ;) Check it out.

As mentioned by Stephen in my GM vent, Toyota is thinking about price hikes to keep nationalism hate down. An article giving more detail is below.

And as we were walking through the plant, I remember the guide kept cautioning us to not get offended by the fact that some of the workers were glaring at us because of Rick wagoner's speech the day before. But honestly, I don't understand why people take their hate out on the small fries. They have no idea and they just use their hate to harm others.

I sometimes wonder how one can be so loyal to the point of being oblivious. I remember there was a girl who lived in my hall, who's dad works for GM. We were talking about ferraris and how yeah...one to own would be nice. But I cut in and say oh I rather have a honda/toyota hybrid. And she shoots back, well she wouldn't ever want to own a foriegn car.

yes....we sat in silence there for a minute and then slowly pointed out that ferraris were foreign cars.

She gasp, stuttered and turned, and then revealed that well...she only considers japanese cars foreign cars. Oh lets backtrack some more shall we.

It's sad that toyota has to come out about this in such a fashion. That they have to worry about a backlash against themselves. The US national pride will not stand up in the face of growing economy globalizm and to use it to stop it is like pounding nails into our feet. Its extremely painful and in the end makes it so that we can't move.


Toyota Fears Backlash Amid GM, Ford Woes
Financial Times
By James Mackintosh June 9, 2005
Toyota , Japan's biggest carmaker, fears a protectionist backlash from the US if financial troubles worsen at General Motors and Ford, the leading American vehicle manufacturers.
Hiroshi Okuda, chairman of Toyota and head of the Japan Business Federation, said "nationalistic sentiment" could be stoked by the problems at the two US industrial icons, both of which have been downgraded to junk bond status.
GM on Tuesday announced that 25,000 US jobs, one in five of its blue- collar workforce, would go in the next four years.
"Many people say the car industry wouldn't revisit the kind of trade friction we saw in the past because Japanese automakers are increasing local production in the US," Mr Okuda said. "But I don't think it's that simple.
"GM and Ford are symbols of US industry, and if they were to crumble it could fan nationalistic sentiment. I always have a fear that that in turn could manifest itself in policy decisions."
However, GM and Ford yesterday said they did not want trade restrictions. This stance contrasts with the anti-Japanese lobbying of the early 1980s that led to a voluntary agreement by Japanese carmakers to curb exports.
The US market share of GM and Ford collapsed from 65 per cent in 1982 to 47 per cent last year as Japanese carmakers, led by Toyota, sold better quality cars at lower prices.
Fred Bergsten, director of the Institute for International Economics, a Washington think-tank, said the focus of the car industry's lobbying was on the exchange rate of the yen to the dollar, not on imports.
"Most of the auto companies themselves are now so international it really does militate against their pushing in a protectionist direction," he said.
Toyota , Honda and Nissan, the leading Japanese manufacturers, all opened factories in the US in part to prevent a repeat of the 1980s arguments over imports.
Toyota has also been running patriotic US television campaigns since last summer to promote its credentials as an employer of 31,420 people in the country. DaimlerChrysler, the German owner of Chrysler, America's third-biggest carmaker, is running a promotion in Washington to stress its US roots.
Mr Okuda's comments came as Kirk Kerkorian, the billionaire investor, aged 88, received a lukewarm response from GM investors to his attempt to buy a big stake in the carmaker. He had hoped to increase his holding to 9 per cent, but his offer of $31 a share proved too low.
GM yesterday repeated its call for Japan to stop intervening in the yen/dollar exchange rate. "We are happy to compete with any automaker around the world but the issue of currency manipulation is still an important issue for us," it said.

I think breath is such a phunny thing. We don't think about it very often, we do it so naturally that we forget sometimes and maybe fall into bad habits. Like when you get stressed or angry and the breath stops...picks up....accelerates and gets shallower. Not many people actually think about taking deep breaths. I always forget to and so when I do its so weird and I feel light headed like I've just come off of a hard swim and tired.

Once, someone told me that he would just let his body deal with breathing...but its so important why don't we think about it once in awhile.

I think it's a scary thing, sometimes I will suddenly feel like I can't breath at all...I'll be sitting there and my throat will choke and the air stutters around between my cheeks....it doesn't happen very often...once in a movie theater when everyone laughed...I just felt hatrad and couldn't breath. Or when I'm stressed.

I think the fact that we don't think about breathing, even though its so important is like a methaphor of our lives and things that are important to us, we don't spend much time thinking about them. Is it too hard, or do we think there's something that's already taking care of it. Like our hearts? Our Emotions?

I think I hear the ice cream truck. Ran out and got some. Yum, not that it really makes a difference to me and the a/c in the house.

I miss home.我想我的家. View of Lake Sammamish


So how do people deal with stress. I've gotten better at controlling my brain to not think about it...but my body still carries it and it won't let go? How do you deal?

So today was......dum dum du dum: GM Intern Finance Day.

And yes, it was a great day to talk about how great, how wonderful, and how it will get out of the rut. Yeah and I had the same feeling when people get togther at Michigan to talk about how great it was. My eyes just rolled. I am always amazed by the number of people who get together to just talk about how great they are and the things that they work on are great and greater than anything else, ie number 1 carmaker blah blah blah. Just let me leave!

Anyways the best part was, Paul Smitt I think...some director of something or other gets up there to intro the "career fair". Which was not a far...but 10 min presentations and 5 min questions of r 6 different departments in finance. Woo hoo...let me contain my excitement and direct my undivided attention to...this letter I'm writting to Eileen. ye-ah. So he starts talking about how great GM actually is and how really...Toyota and Honda don't really compare that much to it. I took down stats I was so pissed.
So here are the stats:
**Amount invested in the US: GM - 20B, Toyota - 10.7B, Honda - 5.6B, Nissan - 2.8B
**Number of people employed per 100 cars: Big 3 - 23.4, Jap Big 3 - 13.3

So then this guy was like...look look. GM is obviously the better of the two. ok lets makes some points here:
1. No duh Gm invests more in the US, they started in the US. I think it should really be a comparison of home country investments. Lets see how GM compares to Japanese car companies in terms of investment in Japan huh?
2. Japanese Cars are built more efficiently: therefore they don't need to employ as many people. Seriously. They give the statistics but they try to view themselves int he best light and actually...in some ways really believe it.

One of my managers said also, that he didn't think the reasons that SUVs and Truck sales were decresing because of gas prices, but because of loyalty and waiting for the newest trucks about to roll out. *please* ugg.

But the best part of the day was when we went on a boat ride on the Detroit river and talked to a lot of directors and executives of finance and we just got to chill and mingle. It was just really cool talking to people about these things and just about their lives.

I kind of turned into Mini-Steph Chang and attacked the audit director who is Angie Chin, to talk about asian interest groups in GM and if they were working with capa and OCA about things like mcri. And she's like babble babble so...we will keep in touch and see what she can do for us. ALso, someone in CAPA works at gm too. I should email here. Perhaps I will ;D

Anyways I just wanted to vent my frustration with GM. bleh ;D

bzzzpeek.com
Before we bet started. This is a website that has imitation noises that childern/adults make in different countries for different kinds of things, ie cats, dogs, ambulances, ducks, bigs, mice, etc etc. It's so much phun and cute. It just totally makes me laugh. Go check it out. There's a country that really really sounds like a duck! honest!

WASL TEST
Now then, down to serious business. WASL stands for Wasington Assessment of Student Learning. It is a state wide test that is required to be taken by certain grades...10th. Now I took this test and deemed it pretty stupid. The sad part of this situation is that next year, students who take it in 10th grade will be required to pass it in order to graduate. Now, that doesn't seem so bad right? hahahaha.

But given the fact that over half of the 10th graders last year failed the test and 43% of African American's failed the test...I think we are at an issue here.

Now I remember taking the test and having no trouble. But I remembered many people who did, and failed not the whole test but portions of it. I think there's a math, writing, reading, and science sections. They had to retake the section to pass the test. The link above is about a group of students who decided to do some TV Ads about what they thought about the test etc etc. It will be released tomorrow at Rainier Beach High School, but pretty cool eh? About time they spoke up.

But this situation kind of pisses me off. Honestly, how can a test be used to qualify if the student should graduate or not? Just one test?! No way, it's unfair and what can you really learn from a student about their preparation for college from a multiple choice test. Nothing and not enough to evaluate if they are ready for collge.

But lets say, lets say that hypothetically, the test really does measure the apptitude for collegeness (I just made that saying up. I know. It doesn't make sense. But it sounds really snobby doesn't it?) Then the issue changes. OVER HALF OF HS STUDENTS IN WA ARE FAILING IT. I think its a big sign that our education system needs to be revamped. If we think students should know this information before they go to college, then why don't they? Where is the system failing.

But this test makes me angry, because it's trying to make sure that the students are prepared for college and are educated enough and think that if we test them, they will some how magically have the knowledge needed! They are treating a sympton, badly if I might added, when they should really be focued on making sure that the education infastructure is in place to provide education and make sure that the kids walk away with the education.

Because that's the key point. Its not the time during the education, but the time after education, what students, people, animals, that is important measure of how well you educated.

Blah. I'm going to listen to animal noises to make me feel better ;p

or take an anime test. Pulled if off of Madhu's site. I wonder if she's even seen Cowboy Bebop?



what's your cowboy bebop theme song?

So, shari and I drove back to Novi in the thunderstorm yesterday. It was phun. Well, phun for me and scary for shari. She can't drive in snow or rain, so it was a good thing that I was driving. it was really cool to see the wind blow the rain across the road and feel it hit the side of the car. I forgot how much I miss driving in the rain. Don' t do it much often now that I'm in Michigan. Can't wait to go home...even though it won't be rainy over there. Boo.

But man....tornado funnel clouds....kind of interesting. Shari and I realized that neither of knew what to do if there really were tornados, since we didn't come from tornado areas. The biggest thing we are worried about in the NW is earthquakes which I've been through a couple. one time I was in the shower and the glass panels of the shower started shaking back and forth really badly. My bro freaked out and yelled for me to get out. I guess if the glass had shattered, it would have been troublesome, me being naked and all. Does anyone know what to do if there's a tornado?

So I was thinking....why do we drool? specially when we lay on our stomachs and our heads are turned to the side. Or is that just me. How does the saliva collect in that corner of your mouth...why that specific corner and so far forward. Its such a phunny feeling when you drool too if you think about it. I mean...its like when they have numbed some area and you can feel something touching the area but you really cant't and you don't have control over your facilities in that area...its just werid. It just slides out and there's nothing you can do about it but whip the stuff away...or let it soak into to what every you are leaning on and get a face wash. If you ever catch me lying on something of yours on my stomach...most likely I've drooled on it and you have my condolences ;)

-----------------------
As we sit here,
watching time pass us by,
wrapping our faces in its cloth,
pulling its self by,
only the gentle pressure of the fabric, a reminder of the world we have been injected in
flaping in the wind of activity and we wonder...
is this the moment?
Should I be paying attention to this moment?
Will it be the one to change my mind, my path, my heart?
Will it mean so much that I can't forget, hope to forget,
suck the juices and color out until its just a dry carcase of a hulk and say...
it was a good moment?

Feel the slow decay
...as the skin starts to sag off the bone.
Becoming jiggly, doughy sacks of skin.
As it drops off in slow glomps of death,
and all that's left is the bare ivory of bone and few scarps of skin, feeble and only able to hold on for dear death.
The jaws fine line of definition that gives you such unigue features starts at the tip of white and slo~wly travels up the smooth jawlength of bone,...
turns and encounters the pit where your ear use to be before it too...
slowly slide down the side of your neck, your muscle, your blood, and into the trench of your white collar bone. and as you lift your fingers and listen to the clackle of bone hiting joints you have to wonder....

Why you can't breath,
why it seems that even as your breath has been clogged with cotton and seems to slow, and time calms its cloth,
that your rhythem is shallow and fast and why it seems to keep picking up with no deep breaths,
harder and faster till nothing else matters as you gasp for so called life,
even as you lethargically inhale the humid air, waiting for relief, wating for clarity and breath, and realize

....there just isn't any air

So this movie was just released in LA and NY. It's going to spread out soon, to the rest of the nation, dependent on how well it does in theaters. Waaaay exciting, it looks so cute. And its time we supported. Gina and I agree that it hits home. Saving Face
It went to sundance and stuff. And I heard rumors that one of the head guys at sony is chinese and he really liked the script and gave it to will smith, who took in home on friday and on monday called up and was like how much money do you need to do it. Sweet. Can't wait to go home and watch it neh? I think I will go with my mom, my aunt, and cousin. They will enjoy. Maybe my brother too.

So I was going to write more. About...something. But I think I can't remember ;D

Ahhh I remembered! After a shower, it helped relax my brain. SO I decided to wax my legs so I could wear shorts. But those little strips of stuff that goes with it...I seem to misplace. So I tested out a theory that I've had for a few years...dryer sheets. I say no more, except the wax leaked through and so I put a piece of paper on top and now my legs are hairless. Hehe. So my cousin and her mom (my aunt) just got their green cards and they will be coming over to Seattle and she's emailing me questions and stuff about you know, jobs, majors, adjusting and at the end of the email she asks about hair on legs andarms and stuff. Way great. what is it with hair.

So I was watching the disney channel and I came across this show title:
American Dragon Jake Long
In actuality I don't know what the show is...except that its about a little asian boy who is angry and when he's angry he turns into a dragon and shoots flames and I'm sure kills bad guys...maybe not kill, but humiliate the bad guys. Seriously...the title...the storyline. gah. gah. gah. ok bye by

I found these great sites today.

The first is a place where chinese mp3 can be dl.

The last two are independent media. I'm sure that many of my friends will scoff cause they found it many moons ago. But I'm proud of myself and its interesting. ANd it ironic that I found them as I was searching for corporate info. But one is for Seattle so i can keep up on what's going on over there. yeah!

http://www.baidu.com/

http://seattle.indymedia.org/

http://www.indymedia.org/en/index.shtml

Man...so the air conditioning is on at work and home now. Brrr. my nails turn such a nice shade of red purple and my skin is so dark with the blood flow underneath it against the cold over my skin. But the worse is going to the bathroom. Who the hell would want to pull down their pants in that kind of cold to go pee...Part of me just wants to hold it till I can't go to a place where its warmer. They probably don't heat it cause no one is in there the whole time and its a waste of energy but seriouslly...my thighs and butt need some protection when I'm doing a daily function of life. ANd I don't think is very fair for women cause we pull our pants down more often in the bathroom than guys. boo.

So my mom and I had a real serious talk about lsats, law school, and our game plan for the next couple of months. Its given me some piece of mind, but not. There's a set path, but I wonder if I'm just trying too hard to get off the bschool path and just getting onto any other path that I think is viable, mainly law. I'm trying to work out why I think it is viable and why I think its important. We shall see. But while we were talking, my mom was like "oh stephanie I know and think you will make a great lawyer." The wierd thing is that she's not the first to say this to me, and people actually say it all the time. Did I pick the wrong area of interest of business then because of this? -_- then I asked my mom why, cause so many people say it to me and she's like "its cause you are so anal" and I'm like...blaaaah

After the bschool and work, I realized that I'm not as anal as I thought I was. that's so phunny.

This is too hard to type. I quit. Its easier for some reason just to go through emails. scary.

phunny blog I found