DUMP the LUMP SUM: HONOR YOUR PROMISES

For Immediate ReleaseContact: Jenah Yangwas, Student Action for Veterans Equity 415.505.0620Mark Cervantes, Student Action for Veterans Equity 415.713.4690

DUMP the LUMP SUM: HONOR YOUR PROMISES

Filipino World War II Veterans Deserve Equal Treatment
On Monday, September 22, 2008, the House approved HR 6897 which granted a one time lump sum to Filipino World War II Veterans for their service under the United States flag as follows: $15,000 to Filipino War II Veterans with U.S. citizenship and $9,000 to Filipino World War Veterans without U.S. citizenship. Thereafter legislators incorporated such lump sum provisions as part of the Continuing Resolution currently pending before the Senate. Community leaders, dedicated advocates, devout members of the faith community, concerned citizens, teachers, union members, various community groups, social and legal workers, youth, as well as many of the veterans themselves have been outraged by these latest developments given that the menial lump sum simply adds insult to injury. One veteran, Celestino Almeda, a 91 year old Filipino WWII veteran, recently explained to media that “accepting the payment without being recognized by the U.S. government as a valiant soldier who fought alongside American troops during World War II would make him a ‘mercenary’.” Mr. Almeda further explained “I cannot sell my soul.” This collective disdain has been echoed by many who believe in equal treatment for the Filipino WWII veterans including widower, Adela Cardenas, as she characterized this bill as being “so degrading”. 62 years of injustice cannot be rectified by granting one lump sum. As a united voice, we demand that THE SENATE DUMP THE LUMP SUM provided under the Continuing Resolution! HONOR Your Promise! RESTORE the promised benefits and status to the Filipino WWII veterans! RECOGNIZE the Filipino WWII Veterans’ valiant service under the U.S. Flag!

Why don't ya'll just chill?

Groovin'

By UB40

I get my kicks from watching people
Running to and fro
And if you ask them where they're going
Half of them don't know
They're the ones who think I'm crazy
But they don't realize
That I'm just groovin', groovin'
Grooving out on life
I'm just groovin' ooh groovin'
Groovin' till I die

I see a river flowing by me
Heading for the sea
I get a feeling deep inside me
It's so good to be free
I've got sunshine in the daytime
And moonlight every night
And I'm just groovin' ......

repeat verse and chorus


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mk1VdL6Xr4


Do you know anyone that keeps busy to simply keep busy. They don't really need to be doing all that, but they do cuz... well why don't you ask them?

"I see a river flowing by me
Heading for the sea
I get a feeling deep inside me
It's so good to be free
I've got sunshine in the daytime
And moonlight every night
And I'm just groovin' ......"

Can you remember the last time you felt like that? If not, may be you need a vacation.

Now I'm off to work. I'm gonna be groovin out at work! haha. Now best believe I will be teaching my students, but with a "groovin" attitude! Ya know what I mean?

free thinking

Thursday, September 25, 2008
7:53 AM

Individuals answer/submit to the dictates of society. Among friends, other Individuals they will express their opinion, but in a larger context they seem to suppress their personal views if it does not jive with what has been established in society. Quite often the Individual loses “it” self (he/she becomes an "it" if he/she does not speak for her/his self) loses itself to society, becomes part of the machine that perpetuates itself. The Individual behaves as an “it,” an automaton, fearful to stir the waters, though inside their waters are tidal waves, yet they act accordingly to the dictates of society, to keep face. Cowards. But may be we don’t know any better. This is the way it’s always been. This is the “real world.” That is what were are taught, by whom? By society.
I like those Individuals that go out on a limb and challenge the dictates of society. And in doing so, in some small way, they change society.
And maybe that is the way “this system” works. Sorry to get all biblical but, there are sheep (black, white and brown, maybe some that color their fleece hot pink and maybe that hot pink part isn't so biblical, haha), there are shepherds, there are wolves. And it goes on and on. So what function do you serve in this system? And maybe at different times you are each of these. Hmm. Dang-nabit, I gotta get ready for work now!

I'll leave you with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2rcqXFrY8s

Some Socrates/Buddha type of sh*t

sOMEONE oNCE sAID:
"I came. I saw. I conquered."

i sAY:

tHE oNLY tHING tRULY wORTH cONQUERING iS oURSELVES:

oUR uNFOUNDED fEARS, oUR SELF-dOUBT, oUR lAZINESS, oUR iGNORANCE, oUR pREJIDUCE...

oUR sELVES;

tHE oNLY tHING tRULY wORTH cONQUERING iS oURSELVES.

cONQUERRING ANYTING ELSE: pEOPLES, lANDS, nATIONS . . .
iS

fOR sELFISH, mISGUIDED, pOWER-hUNGRY mEGALOMANIACS
wHO hAVE not cONQUERRED tHEMSELVES.

uNFORtUANELY tHESE coNQERERS aRE rEMEMBERED tHRU oUT oUR hISTORY aND thOSE THAT cOME clOSE tO cONQUERRING tHEMSELVES. . .

tHEy pASS oN rEMEMBERED mERELY aS thAT pERSON wHO sEEMED tO bE sMILING to tHEMsELF aS tHEY wALKED tHRU tHEIR lIFE wITH a sUBTLE cALM aND eASE, a pEACFULNESS iN eACH oF tHEIR sLOW, fLOWING sTEPS. . .



I have to admit this is a recycled piece fro mlike a year ago. But you know, after reading over it I don't think
"oUR uNFOUNDED fEARS, oUR SELF-dOUBT, oUR lAZINESS, oUR iGNORANCE, oUR pREJIDUCE..." should be "conquered", maybe just recognized and kept in check. hmm

"Through myself and back again..."

Saturday, September 13, 2008 morning

Character Idea:

In his personal quest for social justice, to change the world for the better and at the same time remain true to his ideas of self expression and individualism within community, the Optimistic Idealistic Charismatic (OIC) character faces social obstacles that would leave the “normal” person feeling destitute and hopeless, but OIC’s almost “divine” optimism carries him thru to yet more obstacles. His “followers” and admirers (maybe the reader get’s strung along routing for OIC) are eager for a “pay off” for OIC. They feel/believe he deserves some recognition or at least to see some of his "noble" visions turned to a reality.

OIC meets an untimely demise, never getting “the pay off.” His followers “feel” tragedy, but the wiser friends of OIC know that for OIC it was more about the journey than the destination. Life is struggle and struggle is ongoing, less you are a sheep, unaware and herded along. At some pointS in our lives most of us are sheep. And that is just life…

OIC is forgotten by most, remembered by a few inspired. These few manifest OIC‘s being/attitude towards life in their own daily lives.

OIC knows that flawed perfection is perfection. Perfection is flawed. OIC was, is and still…





Same day, but late into the night

Dr. Zhivago

Passion and principle. It does not end well, in terms of happy endings. But as a writer, I feel it ends very well. It ends as it should, honestly, realistically.


I think about my own life.

Sometimes I want to detach from everyone I know. Move somewhere far way and attempt to live a new life.

Sometimes I want to fully embrace those I love, those that I like and those of whom I care for.

But I think I am too much. I am too much for anyone to take. To really know me, all of me, even just most of me, might be too much... I feel I will be unintelligible in many ways. And I might confuse anyone trhat I "truly" let in, scare them away with my eccentricities. I wish someone would find me, and save me. No not really. That might work well for a character in a story, but that is not what I really feel about myself. I feel I could be/am happy living as I have thus far and it is because I know myself. I know myself. Someone remind me to explain that one of these days. Sometimes I think I may live alone and just write… write for myself and for anyone who will read me.

But I am just day dreaming in the late hours of the night. This is just talk. I am caught up in someone else’s story. I tend to that--take the role of characters, characters in others stories, characters in my stories...

Tomorrow I will be back to being happy-go-lucky on the outside, but on the inside, searching for something else, something deeper, just going with the day. Ah well.

"Through myself and back again..." is a line from a Counting Crows' song.

One of those mornings

THIS is one of those mornings...

one of those mornings when I wake up slow, not in a hurried panic to get to work on time.

A mild, pleasant, overcast day--perfect for staying home, mulling around the house in a pair of comfy pajama pants and a worn out T-shirt and...

in the mood to write!

One of those mornings when the mind moves slowly from one thought to another with a sense of expansion AND connection--creative. NOT like a mind juggling daggers sharpened to a sparkling, glinting edge/tip--if I drop just one of these "thought daggers", it may cut off some toes then I'll fall to the ground and then ALL the daggers will stab and hack all over my body.

Humph! So THAT is how I've been feeling lately, un/subconsciously being realized and surfacing. It's funny how I'm trying to write about this creative tranquil state of being, and end up writing about a feeling of trepidation and STRESS. Maybe I needed to get it out of my system, a purging process, maybe.

Well, it's one of those mornings!

And now I've just realized that I've lost track of time and...

NOW I ...

AM in a hurried panic to get to work on time.

Haha... Geez! I just can't win! I say that jokingly with a smirk on my face.

Onward to the rest of the day!

Insomnia

I can't sleep.

[mindlessy staring at the computer screem for about 5 minutes]

Ok I' sleepy now. goodnite.

wow. this was a pointless blog. hahaha

or was it?

you tell me.