This picture reminds me of my bro. Ironically it also sheds light on my aunt's motto: "You are LIGHT."
Monday, March 31, 2008
You are Light!
This picture reminds me of my bro. Ironically it also sheds light on my aunt's motto: "You are LIGHT."
Sunday, March 30, 2008
With a Little Help from my Friends
I remember the first time I met Romeo. Like a scene straight out of Wonder Years, we each lent the other an ear, and "tried not to sing outta key." Our peculiar friendship began right smack in the middle of the UCLA Student Store while I perused a Salvador Dali art book after attending UCLA's AAP Scholar's Day.
His animated frame came bursting onto the scene to the right of me and we started talking art and politics from the get go. He seemed much smarter than me (but not cooler) and, as his name highlights, he had no problem taking center stage, subtly dramatic, somewhat virile, and highly complicated like a true Shakespearean character.
I was amused by how he drove home each of his talking points with his hands and head, a half-cocked smile nailing each issue with an academic and comedic flare that jerked to a beat only he knew. He's always been an academic. He's always danced to his own rhythm. Imagine our surprise when two months after our initial meeting at the UCLA store, some campus office had placed us to room together in the dorms. A mixture of chance and fate.
Fast forward nearly six years later and the guy's got a Masters and is beginning a PhD program this fall. Having received numerous offers at top universities, he's got some difficult decisions to make, but some very good options. The long hours spent simultaneously stressing and studying, hoping that no one could rightfully claim us to be fakes at the university, unworthy of being accepted into UCLA, are long gone. We studied harder. Pushed each other further. And even found ourselves at each other's throats throughout our undergraduate careers. We've owned different paths, taken different steps, and entered different worlds.
Yet we found each other sharing dinner the other night with mutual friends. We sat there eating ramen noodles in Little Tokyo (Japantown), while catching up--talking sports, relationships, future plans, etc. We talked race and class ... laughing, sharing, and analyzing the night away. We even shared a shot of Patron and some hearty smiles. Good times for old buddies and roommates, fellow students and lovers of life and Love.
Congratulations, bro! I'm proud of you! But don't let it get to your head. Ponte a estudir! (haha) and Don't Let me Down. 'Cause I'm sure you'll agree that Cocker had it right doggy, "I get by with a little help from my friends."
His animated frame came bursting onto the scene to the right of me and we started talking art and politics from the get go. He seemed much smarter than me (but not cooler) and, as his name highlights, he had no problem taking center stage, subtly dramatic, somewhat virile, and highly complicated like a true Shakespearean character.
I was amused by how he drove home each of his talking points with his hands and head, a half-cocked smile nailing each issue with an academic and comedic flare that jerked to a beat only he knew. He's always been an academic. He's always danced to his own rhythm. Imagine our surprise when two months after our initial meeting at the UCLA store, some campus office had placed us to room together in the dorms. A mixture of chance and fate.
Fast forward nearly six years later and the guy's got a Masters and is beginning a PhD program this fall. Having received numerous offers at top universities, he's got some difficult decisions to make, but some very good options. The long hours spent simultaneously stressing and studying, hoping that no one could rightfully claim us to be fakes at the university, unworthy of being accepted into UCLA, are long gone. We studied harder. Pushed each other further. And even found ourselves at each other's throats throughout our undergraduate careers. We've owned different paths, taken different steps, and entered different worlds.
Yet we found each other sharing dinner the other night with mutual friends. We sat there eating ramen noodles in Little Tokyo (Japantown), while catching up--talking sports, relationships, future plans, etc. We talked race and class ... laughing, sharing, and analyzing the night away. We even shared a shot of Patron and some hearty smiles. Good times for old buddies and roommates, fellow students and lovers of life and Love.
Congratulations, bro! I'm proud of you! But don't let it get to your head. Ponte a estudir! (haha) and Don't Let me Down. 'Cause I'm sure you'll agree that Cocker had it right doggy, "I get by with a little help from my friends."
Friday, March 21, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
To write or not to write ...
I've been really busy lately and haven't had an opportunity to post. Actually, there's a number of postings in my draft folder but I still can't seem to finish them. Funny the way 'block' occurs. While my ideas for some posts and my drafts increase, so too do my to-do lists and the things on them. Like all things, writing is a form that needs to be done regularly. But I'm still writing--just not posting. Still got ideas, still getting into treble, still writing, just not clicking 'post to blog.' Block never occurs in a vacuum, though. Time to take a couple of steps back, look at the situation with new eyes.
First it's interesting that I say 'block' and not 'writer's block.' Maybe it's insecurity about my status as a valid writer. Or maybe it's because I'm completely secure with my writing ability--faith in development, faith in returns--and I understand that writing is a process, which includes not only the act of writing but also the act of living. And of course, self-reflective thought. So block occurs in one's life and 'writer's block' is only one manifestation of some larger 'block'.
Again, as I sit here and self-reflect, I realize there are a lot of things I'm obsessing about. And they're all very diverse issues. Sometimes my 'work' on these issues feels like a full-time job in itself, which is interesting because then the question becomes about, "who's paying me?" God is wild. This supreme being will take you somewhere and the faith is that it will guide you, comfort you, keep you sane, keep you whole. But the trip and the journey you sign up for and head out on, makes you different, changes you so much so that the reflection you see isn't yourself, but a mixture of the person that was called and the decaying flesh of a vessle we explore that calling with. The two are one ... and the two are seperate. Each are strangers to one another, to the world, and to themself.
But the pace at which this change occurs and the ways I'm changing often make it difficult to assess--to step back and see clearly--the impact of my moves and the force of previous steps. It's a little frightening. My faith is nurtured with 'signs', messages in a true sense, where communication is occuring on a give and take basis, and isn't a case of me seeing what I want to see. But few can grasp this power of true communication with a higher being. Even I find myself questioning the source--validity, sanctity, and saneness of it all. I can only hope that given the indescribable and other-wordly power of this dialogue between God and myself, that I move forth and reach all of my unknown destinations. That I can be a faithful steward in this journey. I'll click 'post to blog' in due time. Meanwhile ... Love.
First it's interesting that I say 'block' and not 'writer's block.' Maybe it's insecurity about my status as a valid writer. Or maybe it's because I'm completely secure with my writing ability--faith in development, faith in returns--and I understand that writing is a process, which includes not only the act of writing but also the act of living. And of course, self-reflective thought. So block occurs in one's life and 'writer's block' is only one manifestation of some larger 'block'.
Again, as I sit here and self-reflect, I realize there are a lot of things I'm obsessing about. And they're all very diverse issues. Sometimes my 'work' on these issues feels like a full-time job in itself, which is interesting because then the question becomes about, "who's paying me?" God is wild. This supreme being will take you somewhere and the faith is that it will guide you, comfort you, keep you sane, keep you whole. But the trip and the journey you sign up for and head out on, makes you different, changes you so much so that the reflection you see isn't yourself, but a mixture of the person that was called and the decaying flesh of a vessle we explore that calling with. The two are one ... and the two are seperate. Each are strangers to one another, to the world, and to themself.
But the pace at which this change occurs and the ways I'm changing often make it difficult to assess--to step back and see clearly--the impact of my moves and the force of previous steps. It's a little frightening. My faith is nurtured with 'signs', messages in a true sense, where communication is occuring on a give and take basis, and isn't a case of me seeing what I want to see. But few can grasp this power of true communication with a higher being. Even I find myself questioning the source--validity, sanctity, and saneness of it all. I can only hope that given the indescribable and other-wordly power of this dialogue between God and myself, that I move forth and reach all of my unknown destinations. That I can be a faithful steward in this journey. I'll click 'post to blog' in due time. Meanwhile ... Love.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Murals in Los Angeles: Jesus Christ and the Community
Jesus Christ--Memorial
There is another piece on the south facing wall of the Pico Union strip mall from an earlier post. This piece faces an alley and is dedicated to Jesus Christ and his Love and support for humanity. It has a lot of names strewn across the top of it (I'm assuming it's people that have passed in the community or some of the artists of the mural--maybe both).
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
BET: Black HIstory Month Programming Inspires Me
I was watching the Black Entertainment Television network (BET) the other day and this show History Makers came on that highlighted how various activists and community leaders approach their life, faith, and their work in the community. The program was really inspiring because it showed how various folk attribute their lives' work, which often includes a desire to change the world and make it more just, is grounded in spiritual experiences they've had at key points in their lives. It made me wonder if there's a Spanish language or even Chicano equivalent of this type of programming. Some of the next programming includes:FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET
THE BET HONORS -- BET celebrates the lives and achievements of African American luminaries, in this 2-hour special hosted by Cedric "The Entertainer." Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Jill Scott, Wyclef Jean, Danny Glover, Kerry Washington, Vivica A. Fox and Hill Harper pay tribute to Alicia Keys (Entertainment Award), Tyra Banks (Media Award), Dr. Cornel West, University Professor in the Center for African American Studies (Award for Education), Richard Parsons (Corporate Citizen Award), The Honorable Maxine Waters (Public Service Award) and CEO Janice Bryant Howroyd (Entrepreneur Award).
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24 12:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET
HISTORY MAKERS: COURAGE -- Through the revealing personal stories of influential African Americans such as Nikki Giovanni, Vernon Jordan, Angela Davis, Harry Belafonte, and many others, viewers are shown the importance of following your own path and standing up for what you believe in despite the opposition or consequences.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on BETOPERA NOIRE -- Catch the ultimate theatrical performance, Black opera. BET J celebrates African Americans and their significant contributions to the Opera in this informative documentary examining the issue of race in Opera and Classical music. This special focuses on the outstanding careers of such great musicians like Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price, Jessye Norman and Robert McFerrin, the first African American to appear at the Met. In addition, it will encompass a red carpet concert gala performance of selections from celebrated composers including Gershwin and noted African American composers.
This information adapted from here.
Ya Basta!: Workers Protest in Los Angeles
"Fuck you! Pay me!"
Do you remember this line from Good Fellas? It kept ringing in my head as a proper heading to this post because the scene it comes from underscores the corruptibility of American Capitalism, and what some might legitimately call "Gangsterism"--the type of business where the importance given to and the transaction of money supersede human beings, business partnerships, and law. But I think the quote can be applied further--shined in another light--because it also serves as a reminder of the power of American Democracy, the "lil guy's right" to shout out when they've been wronged. And though it may seem vulgar, there are some things that are worse than offensive language. Read on.
The other day I catch a protest near Hollywood and Universal City (cinema and democracy, how poetic, huh?). Niemann Properties hired a contractor named Otoniel to assist in the completion of the housing units below. Otoniel turned around and subcontracted the work out, hiring a number of workers to accomplish the job. Fast forward $144,000 and a few months later, and the job is nearly complete. The problem is that a number of workers have yet to be paid for their work.
Beautiful homes just don't appear outta thin air:
Do you remember this line from Good Fellas? It kept ringing in my head as a proper heading to this post because the scene it comes from underscores the corruptibility of American Capitalism, and what some might legitimately call "Gangsterism"--the type of business where the importance given to and the transaction of money supersede human beings, business partnerships, and law. But I think the quote can be applied further--shined in another light--because it also serves as a reminder of the power of American Democracy, the "lil guy's right" to shout out when they've been wronged. And though it may seem vulgar, there are some things that are worse than offensive language. Read on.
The other day I catch a protest near Hollywood and Universal City (cinema and democracy, how poetic, huh?). Niemann Properties hired a contractor named Otoniel to assist in the completion of the housing units below. Otoniel turned around and subcontracted the work out, hiring a number of workers to accomplish the job. Fast forward $144,000 and a few months later, and the job is nearly complete. The problem is that a number of workers have yet to be paid for their work.Beautiful homes just don't appear outta thin air:
What's being said:
Niemann Properties representative, Robert Sandler, stated that he believes there are approximately 20 people who have not received compensation for work completed. He continued by stating that Otoniel did not keep accurate records, and Niemann has no clear idea of how many workers were involved. They are also unsure about who was payed and who was not, how workers were payed, the names of the workers involved, and no record exists of their hourly rates!
A representative for the workers stated that they met with Niemann in September 2007 to discuss timely and accurate compensation, and argue that Niemann was aware of the payment discrepancies since the beginning stages of the project. One of the organizers of the event stated that actions like these are part of an ever-growing national Wage Claim Campaign that denounces the exploitation of workers and seeks to recover accurate and timely payment for for the work that workers complete.
A strength of American Democracy is the ability to stand up for yourself when you've been wronged. It's the ability to fight for what is yours.
You may not always win, but at least you can argue, struggle, and say it loud when someone has wronged you. Maybe you'll make the culprit think twice before they screw someone over again. In the process, you'll even make some headway for change. Enough is Enough!!!
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