BEFORE YOU SHOP!
Be aware which corporations helped re-elect Bush and which support Democrats. Vote with your pocketbook this holiday season. With the holidays upon us, some of us might wish to be mindful of who we patronize relative to their 2000 Election Cycle political donations, as reported by the Center for Responsive Politics. [Would be interesting to have the 2004 statistics, but they seem not to be available yet.]
Shopping?
Price Club/Costco donated $225K, of which 99% went to democrats;
WalMart, $467K, 97% to republicans;
K-Mart, $524K, 86% to republicans;
Home Depot, $298K, 89% to republicans;
Target, $226K, 70% to republicans;
Circuit City Stores, $261K, 95% to republicans;
Rite Aid, $517K, 60% to democrats;
Magla Products (Stanley tools, Mr. Clean), $22K, 100% to democrats;
3M Co., $281K, 87% to republicans;
Hallmark Cards, $319K, 92% to republicans;
Amway, $391K, 100% republican;
Kohler Co. (plumbing fixtures), $283K, 100% republicans;
Warnaco (undergarments), $55K, 73% to democrats;
B.F. Goodrich (tires), $215K, 97% to republicans;
Proctor & Gamble, $243K, 79% to republicans;
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, $153K, 99% to democrats;
Estee Lauder, $448K, 95% to democrats;
Guess ? Inc., $145K, 98% to democrats;
Calvin Klein, $78K, 100% to democrats;
Liz Claiborne, Inc., $34K, 97% to democrats;
Levi Straus, $26K, 97% to democrats;
Olan Mills, $175K, 99% to democrats.
Spirits?
Coors, $174K, 92% to republicans (and he is anti-Semitic); (also Budweiser - sd)
Gallo Winery, $337K, 95% to democrats;
Brown-Forman Corp. (Southern Comfort, Jack Daniels, Bushmills, Korbel wines - as well as Lennox China, Dansk, Gorham Silver), $644, 80% to republicans;
Southern Wine & Spirits, $213K, 73% to democrats;
Joseph E. Seagrams & Sons (includes beverage business, plus considerable media interests), $2M+, 67% democrats.
Hungry?
Pilgrim's Pride Corp. (chicken), $366K, 100% republican;
Outback Steakhouse, $641K, 95% republican;
Sonic Corporation, $83K, 98% democrat;
Tricon Global Restaurants (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell), $133K, 87% republican;
Brinker International (Maggiano's, Brinker Cafe, Chili's, On the Border, Macaroni Grill, Crazymel's, Corner Baker, EatZis), $242K, 83% republican;
Triarc Companies (Arby's, T.J. Cinnamon's, Pasta Connections), $112K, 96% democrats;
Waffle House, $279K, 100% republican;
McDonald's Corp., $197K, 86% republican;
Darden Restaurants (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Smokey Bones, Bahama Breeze), $121K, 89% republican;
Hyatt Corporation, $187K, 80% to democrats;
Marriott International, $323K, 81% to republicans;
Holiday Inns, $38K, 71% to republicans
Margi Dunlap
Executive Director
International Institute of San Francisco
(415) 538-8110 - phone
(415) 538-8111 - fax
mdunlap@iisf.org
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Saturday, December 04, 2004
The Great Peace March
I'm going to see Holly Near tonight! She is my all time favorite singer ever.
GREAT PEACE MARCH
Ancient eyes are watching in the night
The stars come out to guide the way
The sun still shines despite the clouds
And the dawn is dusk is dawn is dusk is day
Farmers rise and dream to feed the world
The world awakes to feed the heart
Hearts beat while a thousand flags are waving
And the farmer sees a dream has played a part
Chorus:
We will have peace, we will because we must
We must because we cherish life
And believe it or not, as daring as it may seem
It is not an empty dream
To walk in a powerful path
Neither the first nor the last great peace march
Life is a great and mighty march
Forever for love and for life on the great peace march
Are you black like night or red like clay
Are you gold like sun or brown like earth
Grey like mist or white like moon
My love for you is the reason for my birth
Peace can start with just one heart
From a small step to leaps and bounds
A walk becomes a race for time
And a brave child calls out from the crowd
GREAT PEACE MARCH
Ancient eyes are watching in the night
The stars come out to guide the way
The sun still shines despite the clouds
And the dawn is dusk is dawn is dusk is day
Farmers rise and dream to feed the world
The world awakes to feed the heart
Hearts beat while a thousand flags are waving
And the farmer sees a dream has played a part
Chorus:
We will have peace, we will because we must
We must because we cherish life
And believe it or not, as daring as it may seem
It is not an empty dream
To walk in a powerful path
Neither the first nor the last great peace march
Life is a great and mighty march
Forever for love and for life on the great peace march
Are you black like night or red like clay
Are you gold like sun or brown like earth
Grey like mist or white like moon
My love for you is the reason for my birth
Peace can start with just one heart
From a small step to leaps and bounds
A walk becomes a race for time
And a brave child calls out from the crowd
Monday, November 08, 2004
17 Reasons Not to Slit Your Wrists
11/5/04
Dear Friends,
Ok, it sucks. Really sucks. But before you go and cash it all in, let's, in the words of Monty Python, 'always look on the bright side of life!' There IS some good news from Tuesday's election.
Here are 17 reasons not to slit your wrists:
1. It is against the law for George W. Bush to run for president again.
2. Bush's victory was the NARROWEST win for a sitting president since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.
3. The only age group in which the majority voted for Kerry was young adults (Kerry: 54%, Bush: 44%), proving once again that your parents are always wrong and you should never listen to them.
4. In spite of Bush's win, the majority of Americans still think the country is headed in the wrong direction (56%), think the war wasn't worth fighting (51%), and don't approve of the job George W. Bush is doing (52%). (Note to foreigners: Don't try to figure this one out. It's an American thing, like Pop Tarts.)
5. The Republicans will not have a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate. If the Democrats do their job, Bush won't be able to pack the Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues. Did I say "if the Democrats do their job?" Um, maybe better to scratch this one.
6. Michigan voted for Kerry! So did the entire Northeast, the birthplace of our democracy. So did 6 of the 8 Great Lakes States. And the whole West Coast! Plus Hawaii. Ok, that's a start. We've got most of the fresh water, all of Broadway, and Mt. St. Helens. We can dehydrate them or bury them in lava. And no more show tunes!
7. Once again we are reminded that the buckeye is a nut, and not just any old nut -- a poisonous nut. A great nation was felled by a poisonous nut. May Ohio State pay dearly this Saturday when it faces Michigan.
8. 88% of Bush's support came from white voters. In 50 years, America will no longer have a white majority. Hey, 50 years isn't such a long time! If you're ten years old and reading this, your golden years will be truly golden and you will be well cared for in your old age.
9. Gays, thanks to the ballot measures passed on Tuesday, cannot get married in 11 new states. Thank God. Just think of all those wedding gifts we won't have to buy now.
10. Five more African Americans were elected as members of Congress, including the return of Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. It's always good to have more blacks in there fighting for us and doing the job our candidates can't.
11. The CEO of Coors was defeated for Senate in Colorado. Drink up!
12. Admit it: We like the Bush twins and we don't want them to go away.
13. At the state legislative level, Democrats picked up a net of at least 3 chambers in Tuesday's elections. Of the 98 partisan-controlled state legislative chambers (house/assembly and senate), Democrats went into the 2004 elections in control of 44 chambers, Republicans controlled 53 chambers, and 1 chamber was tied. After Tuesday, Democrats now control 47
chambers, Republicans control 49 chambers, 1 chamber is tied and 1 chamber (Montana House) is still undecided.
14. Bush is now a lame duck president. He will have no greater moment than the one he's having this week. It's all downhill for him from here on out -- and, more significantly, he's just not going to want to do all the hard work that will be expected of him. It'll be like everyone's last month in 12th grade -- you've already made it, so it's party time! Perhaps he'll treat the
next four years like a permanent Friday, spending even more time at the ranch or in Kennebunkport. And why shouldn't he? He's already proved his point, avenged his father and kicked our ass.
15. Should Bush decide to show up to work and take this country down a very dark road, it is also just as likely that either of the following two scenarios will happen: a) Now that he doesn't ever need to pander to the Christian conservatives again to get elected, someone may whisper in his ear that he should spend these last four years building "a legacy" so that history will render a kinder verdict on him and thus he will not push for too aggressive a right-wing agenda; or b) He will become so cocky and arrogant -- and thus, reckless -- that he will commit a blunder of such major proportions that even his own party will have to remove him from office.
16. There are nearly 300 million Americans -- 200 million of them of voting age. We only lost by three and a half million! That's not a landslide -- it means we're almost there. Imagine losing by 20 million. If you had 58 yards to go before you reached the goal line and then you barreled down 55 of those yards, would you stop on the three yard line, pick up the ball and go home crying -- especially when you get to start the next down on the three yard line? Of course not! Buck up! Have hope! More sports analogies are coming!!!
17. Finally and most importantly, over 55 million Americans voted for the candidate dubbed "The #1 Liberal in the Senate." That's more than the total number of voters who voted for either Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Gore. Again, more people voted for Kerry than Reagan. If the media are looking for a trend it should be this -- that so many Americans were, for the first time since Kennedy, willing to vote for an out-and-out liberal. The country has always been filled with evangelicals -- that is not news. What IS news is that so many people have shifted toward a Massachusetts liberal. In fact, that's BIG news. Which means, don't expect the mainstream media, the ones who brought you the Iraq War, to ever report the real truth about November 2, 2004. In fact, it's better that they don't. We'll need the element of surprise in 2008.
Feeling better? I hope so. As my friend Mort wrote me yesterday, "My Romanian grandfather used to say to me, 'Remember, Morton, this is such a wonderful country -- it doesn't even need a president!'"
But it needs us. Rest up, I'll write you again tomorrow.
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com
Dear Friends,
Ok, it sucks. Really sucks. But before you go and cash it all in, let's, in the words of Monty Python, 'always look on the bright side of life!' There IS some good news from Tuesday's election.
Here are 17 reasons not to slit your wrists:
1. It is against the law for George W. Bush to run for president again.
2. Bush's victory was the NARROWEST win for a sitting president since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.
3. The only age group in which the majority voted for Kerry was young adults (Kerry: 54%, Bush: 44%), proving once again that your parents are always wrong and you should never listen to them.
4. In spite of Bush's win, the majority of Americans still think the country is headed in the wrong direction (56%), think the war wasn't worth fighting (51%), and don't approve of the job George W. Bush is doing (52%). (Note to foreigners: Don't try to figure this one out. It's an American thing, like Pop Tarts.)
5. The Republicans will not have a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate. If the Democrats do their job, Bush won't be able to pack the Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues. Did I say "if the Democrats do their job?" Um, maybe better to scratch this one.
6. Michigan voted for Kerry! So did the entire Northeast, the birthplace of our democracy. So did 6 of the 8 Great Lakes States. And the whole West Coast! Plus Hawaii. Ok, that's a start. We've got most of the fresh water, all of Broadway, and Mt. St. Helens. We can dehydrate them or bury them in lava. And no more show tunes!
7. Once again we are reminded that the buckeye is a nut, and not just any old nut -- a poisonous nut. A great nation was felled by a poisonous nut. May Ohio State pay dearly this Saturday when it faces Michigan.
8. 88% of Bush's support came from white voters. In 50 years, America will no longer have a white majority. Hey, 50 years isn't such a long time! If you're ten years old and reading this, your golden years will be truly golden and you will be well cared for in your old age.
9. Gays, thanks to the ballot measures passed on Tuesday, cannot get married in 11 new states. Thank God. Just think of all those wedding gifts we won't have to buy now.
10. Five more African Americans were elected as members of Congress, including the return of Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. It's always good to have more blacks in there fighting for us and doing the job our candidates can't.
11. The CEO of Coors was defeated for Senate in Colorado. Drink up!
12. Admit it: We like the Bush twins and we don't want them to go away.
13. At the state legislative level, Democrats picked up a net of at least 3 chambers in Tuesday's elections. Of the 98 partisan-controlled state legislative chambers (house/assembly and senate), Democrats went into the 2004 elections in control of 44 chambers, Republicans controlled 53 chambers, and 1 chamber was tied. After Tuesday, Democrats now control 47
chambers, Republicans control 49 chambers, 1 chamber is tied and 1 chamber (Montana House) is still undecided.
14. Bush is now a lame duck president. He will have no greater moment than the one he's having this week. It's all downhill for him from here on out -- and, more significantly, he's just not going to want to do all the hard work that will be expected of him. It'll be like everyone's last month in 12th grade -- you've already made it, so it's party time! Perhaps he'll treat the
next four years like a permanent Friday, spending even more time at the ranch or in Kennebunkport. And why shouldn't he? He's already proved his point, avenged his father and kicked our ass.
15. Should Bush decide to show up to work and take this country down a very dark road, it is also just as likely that either of the following two scenarios will happen: a) Now that he doesn't ever need to pander to the Christian conservatives again to get elected, someone may whisper in his ear that he should spend these last four years building "a legacy" so that history will render a kinder verdict on him and thus he will not push for too aggressive a right-wing agenda; or b) He will become so cocky and arrogant -- and thus, reckless -- that he will commit a blunder of such major proportions that even his own party will have to remove him from office.
16. There are nearly 300 million Americans -- 200 million of them of voting age. We only lost by three and a half million! That's not a landslide -- it means we're almost there. Imagine losing by 20 million. If you had 58 yards to go before you reached the goal line and then you barreled down 55 of those yards, would you stop on the three yard line, pick up the ball and go home crying -- especially when you get to start the next down on the three yard line? Of course not! Buck up! Have hope! More sports analogies are coming!!!
17. Finally and most importantly, over 55 million Americans voted for the candidate dubbed "The #1 Liberal in the Senate." That's more than the total number of voters who voted for either Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Gore. Again, more people voted for Kerry than Reagan. If the media are looking for a trend it should be this -- that so many Americans were, for the first time since Kennedy, willing to vote for an out-and-out liberal. The country has always been filled with evangelicals -- that is not news. What IS news is that so many people have shifted toward a Massachusetts liberal. In fact, that's BIG news. Which means, don't expect the mainstream media, the ones who brought you the Iraq War, to ever report the real truth about November 2, 2004. In fact, it's better that they don't. We'll need the element of surprise in 2008.
Feeling better? I hope so. As my friend Mort wrote me yesterday, "My Romanian grandfather used to say to me, 'Remember, Morton, this is such a wonderful country -- it doesn't even need a president!'"
But it needs us. Rest up, I'll write you again tomorrow.
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com
Friday, October 22, 2004
JACS, Fidel and Martha
I updated the JACS website last night!!!! www.jacsfund.org. First web update since January 2004. JACS is a small foundation that gives money to emerging API organizations and projects. We're embarking on a fundraising campaign so that we can continue to give to worthy organizations who are doing great work... I've been working with my friend Azusa to design a brochure, and we are going to be sending out fundraising letters in December.
On another note, a speedy recovery to Fidel as he heals from his trip and fall yesterday. This is not the fall of communism, or the decline of a dictatorship as the news twists it. It is a 78 year old leader of Cuba who tripped on a step and injured himself. That's it. Let's not turn it into something it isn't. All leaders eventually pass on, but this was just a little trip.
More exaggerated new in the news. Why is it that Martha picking crabapples illegally and making jam for her fellow inmates such a big news item? And why does her breaking the rules seem ok and such a big deal when there are others in prison who are put into solitary confinement or beaten or raped for speaking out or having certain political ideals.
Surely there's more important news. How about the lack of health care coverage for so many millions of Americans who don't have free medical care like Cubans, or the epidemic of below poverty and working poor Americans who can't afford to feed their families, much less have access to healthy, organic foods.
Ok, that's my rant for the day. I think i'm bolder on blogspot cause it's so easy to just type. Gotta get back to work.
On another note, a speedy recovery to Fidel as he heals from his trip and fall yesterday. This is not the fall of communism, or the decline of a dictatorship as the news twists it. It is a 78 year old leader of Cuba who tripped on a step and injured himself. That's it. Let's not turn it into something it isn't. All leaders eventually pass on, but this was just a little trip.
More exaggerated new in the news. Why is it that Martha picking crabapples illegally and making jam for her fellow inmates such a big news item? And why does her breaking the rules seem ok and such a big deal when there are others in prison who are put into solitary confinement or beaten or raped for speaking out or having certain political ideals.
Surely there's more important news. How about the lack of health care coverage for so many millions of Americans who don't have free medical care like Cubans, or the epidemic of below poverty and working poor Americans who can't afford to feed their families, much less have access to healthy, organic foods.
Ok, that's my rant for the day. I think i'm bolder on blogspot cause it's so easy to just type. Gotta get back to work.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Back to Blogger
My web server host is in the process of upgrading this week or next week, so that will affect kuidaosumi.com. So, I thought I'd reactivate this. You might see me posting even more often, since it's so much easier to update here on blogger. So check back in, esp. if you don't see changes on the main website.Ok, it's 6 am, I'm getting sleepy.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Riding the Peace Train
This is the guy we're deporting and putting on the no-fly list? Hmmmm. Something's wrong with this picture--he's a peace activist. You know who we should be worried about... the one who lies.
PEACE TRAIN
by Cat Stevens
Now I've been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun
Oh I've been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be, some day it's going to come
Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again
Now I've been smiling lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun
Oh peace train sounding louder
Glide on the peace train
Come on now peace train
Yes, peace train holy roller
Everyone jump upon the peace train
Come on now peace train
Get your bags together, go bring your good friends too
Cause it's getting nearer, it soon will be with you
Now come and join the living, it's not so far from you
And it's getting nearer, soon it will all be true
Now I've been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating, why can't we live in bliss
Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again
PEACE TRAIN
by Cat Stevens
Now I've been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun
Oh I've been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be, some day it's going to come
Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again
Now I've been smiling lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun
Oh peace train sounding louder
Glide on the peace train
Come on now peace train
Yes, peace train holy roller
Everyone jump upon the peace train
Come on now peace train
Get your bags together, go bring your good friends too
Cause it's getting nearer, it soon will be with you
Now come and join the living, it's not so far from you
And it's getting nearer, soon it will all be true
Now I've been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating, why can't we live in bliss
Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again
Sunday, May 30, 2004
Jaa mata
Ok, I've decided to leave blogger and go back to my website http://www.kuidaosumi.com. It's home for me, and even though this is easier to upload, I don't like it much. I know I can find better skins, but it's not just the skin, it's that I'm a visitor and I miss my own, dysfunctional manually-driven website. Jaa mata... see you later aligator.
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Voting Priorities
Did you know that 65 million people voted for the American Idol 2004 vs. 100 million people voted in the 2000 Presidential election? Unreal.
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Work/Dinner/TV/Lakers
So busy at work these days. We're gearing up for the culmination of our residency, "To All Relations: Sacred Moon Songs" in 2 months. I've taken back the producer role on this project. Tickets will go on sale soon. We're still finalizing the show, getting the production crew together and getting the PR done. We're also working on our big Courtyard FUN-raiser Auction in October, but there's a lot of work to be done now. If you are on the Great Leap mailing list, you should be getting our newsletter this week (E-mail me with your snail address if you want me to send you one.)
For dinner, we made burritos with Trader Joe's ingredients, tortillas, refried beans with jalapeno, organic cheddar cheese, organic sour cream, organic baby lettuce, tomatoes, cut white corn, Pico de Gallo and Salsa Verde, and turkey breast (not sure where the turkey came from). I thought it was delicious.
Tonight, I saw the last 20 minutes of"American Idol." Yes, I admit I was crying for Fantasia as she performed her final song. It was so emotional. That young woman has a beautiful voice. Tony was so excited he fell asleep.
I just caught a clip of Al Gore on the news giving a pretty rousing speech for moveon.org calling for the resignation of "all the president's men." I'm pretty surprised that he spoke for them because my sense of moveon is that they are a fairly progressive e-grassroots organization.
Game 4 is tomorrow. Unless I go to Mike & Laura's, I'll be listening to the game on the radio. I just hate that it's only on cable. Darn cable. Go Lakers!
For dinner, we made burritos with Trader Joe's ingredients, tortillas, refried beans with jalapeno, organic cheddar cheese, organic sour cream, organic baby lettuce, tomatoes, cut white corn, Pico de Gallo and Salsa Verde, and turkey breast (not sure where the turkey came from). I thought it was delicious.
Tonight, I saw the last 20 minutes of"American Idol." Yes, I admit I was crying for Fantasia as she performed her final song. It was so emotional. That young woman has a beautiful voice. Tony was so excited he fell asleep.
I just caught a clip of Al Gore on the news giving a pretty rousing speech for moveon.org calling for the resignation of "all the president's men." I'm pretty surprised that he spoke for them because my sense of moveon is that they are a fairly progressive e-grassroots organization.
Game 4 is tomorrow. Unless I go to Mike & Laura's, I'll be listening to the game on the radio. I just hate that it's only on cable. Darn cable. Go Lakers!
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Just can't cope, without my soap!
My Japanese morning soap with English subtitles "Watashi no Aozora" on NHK is finally gettin' interesting. Up till now it's been pretty frustrating, and I've been having a hard time liking the annoying and somewhat dumb heroine in this serial, but I've continued to watch every morning at 7:30 am in hopes that it would get better. Different from the other few shows where I was crushing big-time on the young female Japanese heros like Eri in "Churasan" or Konoha in "Honma Mon."
Here's the storyline: Nazuna was left at the altar on her wedding day. The kicker was that she had found out she was pregnant, but had planned to surprise her husband-to-be (Kento) with the news at the reception. A woman in a red dress barges in to the ceremony and takes Kento away before the wedding was completed. Kento was an injured retired young boxer who took off to America to have eye surgery. (I think I may have mentioned all of this in my April blog - the show started on 4/27).
Nazuna decides that she is going to keep the baby. While Kento's eccentric karaoke bar singing father is sympathetic and supportive, she is disowned by her father, an old-fashioned tuna fisherman who thinks it's immoral to be an unwed mother. Nazuna has the baby, and decides she's going to go to Tokyo with the baby to find Kento. After much difficulty, she finds an apartment and a job. She befriends this anti-social wierdo, who is in love with her. Kento sees her with the weirdo and assumes that she has married the weirdo and had his baby. She finally finds Kento, learns that he is still with the woman in the red dress, and secretly watches him box his first big match. He loses miserably. She gets drunk and decides she never wants to see him again, that he abandoned her to selfishly become a boxer and that he is a loser. Nazuna's brother, a blond haired rebel dropout who wants to be a fish delivery guy, finds Kento and tells him he needs to speak with Nazuna.
In the meantime, Nazuna's father finally sees the baby after 1 1/2 years, and decides he is going to be the next fisherman to carry on the family line. He tells Nazuna that he and his wife will raise baby Taiyo and that she needs to talk to Kento, which she is against. The next day, her father takes Taiyo out to sea, without telling Nazuna. It really is a cute baby. She decides to go back to Tokyo... in the meantime, Kento has decided to go to Nazuna's father to find out where she lives and what she wants. The woman in the red dress tells her father (Kento's coach) that she will kill Nazuna if she steps in the way of her being with Kento.
They see each other on the dock... first time since their wedding day. She says, "Kento, this is your baby." - To be continued. (Episode 20 - yesterday)
Today's episode 21: Kento wants to meet his obligation to her and the baby and wants to live together. He doesn't say that he loves Nazuna, but he says he has a duty to be a father to the baby. She declines - she tells him that he is selfish, he abandoned her and put boxing first, and once he fulfills his obligation, he will leave again. She knows that he is using the other woman, and stringing her along to support him in his boxing. He seems genuinely sad, but she seems to have made up her mind that she and Taiyo are better off without him.
If you want to join me in watching the show... I'd love to have someone to talk to about it. It's M-F 7:30 am on channel 18 (International Channel - NHK) or channel 69, depending on your TV, in Southern Cal. It's VHF, not a cable station.
Here's the storyline: Nazuna was left at the altar on her wedding day. The kicker was that she had found out she was pregnant, but had planned to surprise her husband-to-be (Kento) with the news at the reception. A woman in a red dress barges in to the ceremony and takes Kento away before the wedding was completed. Kento was an injured retired young boxer who took off to America to have eye surgery. (I think I may have mentioned all of this in my April blog - the show started on 4/27).
Nazuna decides that she is going to keep the baby. While Kento's eccentric karaoke bar singing father is sympathetic and supportive, she is disowned by her father, an old-fashioned tuna fisherman who thinks it's immoral to be an unwed mother. Nazuna has the baby, and decides she's going to go to Tokyo with the baby to find Kento. After much difficulty, she finds an apartment and a job. She befriends this anti-social wierdo, who is in love with her. Kento sees her with the weirdo and assumes that she has married the weirdo and had his baby. She finally finds Kento, learns that he is still with the woman in the red dress, and secretly watches him box his first big match. He loses miserably. She gets drunk and decides she never wants to see him again, that he abandoned her to selfishly become a boxer and that he is a loser. Nazuna's brother, a blond haired rebel dropout who wants to be a fish delivery guy, finds Kento and tells him he needs to speak with Nazuna.
In the meantime, Nazuna's father finally sees the baby after 1 1/2 years, and decides he is going to be the next fisherman to carry on the family line. He tells Nazuna that he and his wife will raise baby Taiyo and that she needs to talk to Kento, which she is against. The next day, her father takes Taiyo out to sea, without telling Nazuna. It really is a cute baby. She decides to go back to Tokyo... in the meantime, Kento has decided to go to Nazuna's father to find out where she lives and what she wants. The woman in the red dress tells her father (Kento's coach) that she will kill Nazuna if she steps in the way of her being with Kento.
They see each other on the dock... first time since their wedding day. She says, "Kento, this is your baby." - To be continued. (Episode 20 - yesterday)
Today's episode 21: Kento wants to meet his obligation to her and the baby and wants to live together. He doesn't say that he loves Nazuna, but he says he has a duty to be a father to the baby. She declines - she tells him that he is selfish, he abandoned her and put boxing first, and once he fulfills his obligation, he will leave again. She knows that he is using the other woman, and stringing her along to support him in his boxing. He seems genuinely sad, but she seems to have made up her mind that she and Taiyo are better off without him.
If you want to join me in watching the show... I'd love to have someone to talk to about it. It's M-F 7:30 am on channel 18 (International Channel - NHK) or channel 69, depending on your TV, in Southern Cal. It's VHF, not a cable station.
Takes a Kuidaosumi but it Keeps on Tickin'.
I like our slogans:
Takes a Kuidaosumi but it Keeps on Tickin'
What Would you Do for a Kuidaosumi?
Kuidaosumi-lickin good
A fun little thing to check out - The Advertising Slogan Generator at http://thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.
Takes a Kuidaosumi but it Keeps on Tickin'
What Would you Do for a Kuidaosumi?
Kuidaosumi-lickin good
A fun little thing to check out - The Advertising Slogan Generator at http://thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.
Monday, May 24, 2004
X
"You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong no matter who does it or says it." - Malcolm X
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Weekend Rundown
Yesterday, I did a reading at the Friends of the Little Tokyo Library author recognition luncheon. I read, "Valley Girl's Memories of Far East Cafe," a piece I wrote for Nanka Nikkei Voices (http://www.kuidaosumi.com/JTwriting/fareast.html) . It was published in a book I helped to edit, "Little Tokyo: Changing Times, Changing Faces." I was a little nervous, but I figured it would be ok. There were about 70 people there, mostly a Nisei (2nd generation JA) audience. It went pretty well, although I had to speak loudly since the sound system wasn't really working. I got a lot of laughs and some very nice compliments. If you want to buy a copy of the book, which features over 50 writers, let me know.
Then after that, I went to NCRR's discussion with three American Muslims, and their perspectives on Iraq. It was pretty informative, although the room was very hot, so it made it hard to concentrate. Plus, I was so tired. I went home, Tony made me some pasta, and we watched "Keep the Kid in the PIcture," which was a pretty good docu-movie about film producer Bob Evans. I fell asleep on the couch early in the evening... saw a little of the Carol Burnett reunion thing, although I slept thru most of it.
Today, I went to Mi Piace in Old Town Pasadena to have lunch with Minna and Alyce. I have known Minna since the 3rd grade, when she came here from Taiwan, and I met Alyce in college through Minna. Alyce and I were roommates for about a year in the early 90s. We hadn't seen each other for over 5 years since Alyce's wedding, and 3 months ago, we got together for brunch, and decided to schedule a get together every quarter. It was nice to catch up and visit. I had a great smoked salmon and cream cheese frittata, it was yummy. After lunch, Alyce and I did a little shopping. Our next get together will be in Santa Monica in September.
Got home about 3:30 pm, and flopped on the couch, exhausted. Did some crocheting, took a nap till about 7pm, watched some TV, and here it is, Sunday night. Wished we had cable because they're not showing the Laker games on TV! Sucks. Anywhoo, that's the rundown on my weekend of feeling a little run down.
Oh, I'm still deciding if Blogger is the place for my blog. After a week, I was already bored with the colors and format. Stay tuned.
Then after that, I went to NCRR's discussion with three American Muslims, and their perspectives on Iraq. It was pretty informative, although the room was very hot, so it made it hard to concentrate. Plus, I was so tired. I went home, Tony made me some pasta, and we watched "Keep the Kid in the PIcture," which was a pretty good docu-movie about film producer Bob Evans. I fell asleep on the couch early in the evening... saw a little of the Carol Burnett reunion thing, although I slept thru most of it.
Today, I went to Mi Piace in Old Town Pasadena to have lunch with Minna and Alyce. I have known Minna since the 3rd grade, when she came here from Taiwan, and I met Alyce in college through Minna. Alyce and I were roommates for about a year in the early 90s. We hadn't seen each other for over 5 years since Alyce's wedding, and 3 months ago, we got together for brunch, and decided to schedule a get together every quarter. It was nice to catch up and visit. I had a great smoked salmon and cream cheese frittata, it was yummy. After lunch, Alyce and I did a little shopping. Our next get together will be in Santa Monica in September.
Got home about 3:30 pm, and flopped on the couch, exhausted. Did some crocheting, took a nap till about 7pm, watched some TV, and here it is, Sunday night. Wished we had cable because they're not showing the Laker games on TV! Sucks. Anywhoo, that's the rundown on my weekend of feeling a little run down.
Oh, I'm still deciding if Blogger is the place for my blog. After a week, I was already bored with the colors and format. Stay tuned.
Friday, May 21, 2004
Out of Balance
Here's an article written by a dear friend of mine in Detroit. Shea writes a weekly column for the Michigan Citizen called, "Thinking for Ourselves."
OUT OF BALANCE
By Shea Howell
Michigan Citizen, May 23-29, 2004
The mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners is a scandal that will not go away. The President has apologized, sort of. The Secretary of Defense has said he didn’t know this kind of thing was going on. The generals are claiming the abuse was the result of a few “bad apples.” Right-wing talk show hosts charge the incidents of mistreatment are being blown out of proportion, that the photos disclose nothing more than good-humored fraternity pranks. Conservatives are outraged by the outrage. And now the Pentagon and the White House are claiming that Seymour Hersh, whose careful articles in the New Yorker broke the story, doesn’t know what he’s talking about. In just a week’s time the administration moved from concern to attack. In an effort to avoid blame, this administration is robbing the American people of an opportunity to explore how we have come to this point in our history.
But the images of Abu Ghraib will not go away. They have captured an essential ugliness about American power. The face of the prison guard, grinning astride a pile of hooded, naked men, is a macabre parody of how much of the world sees our nation. Before our eyes, flexing military muscle to humiliate, emasculate, and denigrate the very souls of those whom we label as ‘others’ has become as American as apple pie.
We owe the world more than an apology. We owe ourselves more than the effort to place blame on a few soldiers. We owe more than a painful investigation into what will ultimately prove to be the complicity of the Secretary of Defense and the Pentagon in creating the context for these abuses.
It is time for us to raise a fundamental question. Are we willing to continue to use military might to secure the wealth of the world for ourselves? We are less than 6% of the population of the earth, yet we consume over 30% of its resources. This is an unholy and unnatural imbalance. It can only be maintained by force.
Most of us, as we shop at Wal-Mart, pump gas into our cars, toss out the countless devices that crowd our lives and clutter our landscape, don’t dwell on what it takes to keep this imbalance in place. We don’t think of ourselves as connected to some vast effort to exploit and dehumanize others.
But the harsh truth is that the way of living for most Americans is a way of death for much of the rest of the world. We can try to apologize for this. We can say we didn’t really know this kind of thing was going on. We can claim it’s just a few bad rich people who benefit from this system. We can say such charges are way out of proportion to the good we do in the world.
But the photos from Abu Ghraib are not going away. They are about more than the crassness of a president and his willingness to wage war at all costs. They capture the very real costs to our own young men and women and to their
brothers and sisters around the globe of a way of life that is out of balance.
The original people of this continent, the first to suffer the full extent of the destructive power of the U.S. military, have a modern-day slogan. It says, “Live simply so that others may simply live.” The photos from Abu Ghraib are an opportunity to look at the deal we struck a long time ago, before Bush and his war on terror. They mirror a truth we should not evade.
For more info, see the Boggs Center website, http://www.boggscenter.org
OUT OF BALANCE
By Shea Howell
Michigan Citizen, May 23-29, 2004
The mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners is a scandal that will not go away. The President has apologized, sort of. The Secretary of Defense has said he didn’t know this kind of thing was going on. The generals are claiming the abuse was the result of a few “bad apples.” Right-wing talk show hosts charge the incidents of mistreatment are being blown out of proportion, that the photos disclose nothing more than good-humored fraternity pranks. Conservatives are outraged by the outrage. And now the Pentagon and the White House are claiming that Seymour Hersh, whose careful articles in the New Yorker broke the story, doesn’t know what he’s talking about. In just a week’s time the administration moved from concern to attack. In an effort to avoid blame, this administration is robbing the American people of an opportunity to explore how we have come to this point in our history.
But the images of Abu Ghraib will not go away. They have captured an essential ugliness about American power. The face of the prison guard, grinning astride a pile of hooded, naked men, is a macabre parody of how much of the world sees our nation. Before our eyes, flexing military muscle to humiliate, emasculate, and denigrate the very souls of those whom we label as ‘others’ has become as American as apple pie.
We owe the world more than an apology. We owe ourselves more than the effort to place blame on a few soldiers. We owe more than a painful investigation into what will ultimately prove to be the complicity of the Secretary of Defense and the Pentagon in creating the context for these abuses.
It is time for us to raise a fundamental question. Are we willing to continue to use military might to secure the wealth of the world for ourselves? We are less than 6% of the population of the earth, yet we consume over 30% of its resources. This is an unholy and unnatural imbalance. It can only be maintained by force.
Most of us, as we shop at Wal-Mart, pump gas into our cars, toss out the countless devices that crowd our lives and clutter our landscape, don’t dwell on what it takes to keep this imbalance in place. We don’t think of ourselves as connected to some vast effort to exploit and dehumanize others.
But the harsh truth is that the way of living for most Americans is a way of death for much of the rest of the world. We can try to apologize for this. We can say we didn’t really know this kind of thing was going on. We can claim it’s just a few bad rich people who benefit from this system. We can say such charges are way out of proportion to the good we do in the world.
But the photos from Abu Ghraib are not going away. They are about more than the crassness of a president and his willingness to wage war at all costs. They capture the very real costs to our own young men and women and to their
brothers and sisters around the globe of a way of life that is out of balance.
The original people of this continent, the first to suffer the full extent of the destructive power of the U.S. military, have a modern-day slogan. It says, “Live simply so that others may simply live.” The photos from Abu Ghraib are an opportunity to look at the deal we struck a long time ago, before Bush and his war on terror. They mirror a truth we should not evade.
For more info, see the Boggs Center website, http://www.boggscenter.org
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Ride Your Bike Today
Yesterday, Tony needed to borrow my car, so for the first time, I drove his old Toyota truck. I have to admit I've been spoiled. Even though my Honda Civic is 12 years old, I bought it new, along with my previous car, another Honda Civic that was also purchased new that I drove for 7 years. So I basically have had very comfortable cars since 1985. Tony's truck is a 4 speed, without A/C, power steering, automatic windows, passenger mirrors, or a radio. It squeaks, it lurches, it is a workhorse. Anyways, Tony didn't have a car for almost 2 years (in his quest to be a one-car family, our contribution to lessen our dependency on oil), so for him, any car is better than nothing. As I was complaining about the lack of amenities in his truck, he informed me how much money we are saving by not having a car payment, plus the truck was very cheap! So insurance and registration, also cheap! I reminded him about past obsession with Ebay, AutoTrader.com--what with his motorcycle, 4 bicycles, 2 scooters and skateboard! He may not have a fancy 4 wheeler, but he has plenty of 2 wheelers!
Anyways, today is Ride Your Bike to Work Day. We didn't, but we carpooled. I noticed that we got across town pretty quickly, but we figured it might be b/c of Ride Your Bike to Work Day. Yesterday, we participated in the Don't Buy Gas Day, to send a message to Bush about his keeping the prices of gas high until the election. Both of our cars are running on fumes, so it's good we can buy gas today.
Anyways, today is Ride Your Bike to Work Day. We didn't, but we carpooled. I noticed that we got across town pretty quickly, but we figured it might be b/c of Ride Your Bike to Work Day. Yesterday, we participated in the Don't Buy Gas Day, to send a message to Bush about his keeping the prices of gas high until the election. Both of our cars are running on fumes, so it's good we can buy gas today.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Busy Busy
Man am I busy this week.
*Monday night I went out to dinner with my cousin Roxane. We went to Shaka's for Hawaiian food. I had the Chinese Chicken salad and a side of macaroni salad. Yum. I wish I could have eaten more, but we went out for Korean food at lunch and I ate a whole DolSotBap/Bi Bim Bap by myself--along with a whole lot of Kimbap (Korean sushi).
* Tuesday - Last night, I had a Board Meeting for work. I'll admit I wasn't in the best of moods.
* Wednesday - Tonight Tony and I are going to see Slanguage/Universes, a performance with some of the artists that I met in Massachusetts last summer when I was at New WORLD Theater doing a study trip for several days.
* Thursday - Tomorrow night Tony and I are going to a fundraiser for a really cool arts organization.
* Friday, Nobuko is doing a performance at a national conference for Asian American community development organizations, so I am going to go to that.
Makes for a pretty busy week. On Saturday, I am going to be reading a piece that I wrote about the Far East Cafe that was published in Nanka Nikkei Voices: LIttle Tokyo: Changing Times, Changing Faces. i am reading it at a luncheon of the Friends of the Little Tokyo Library. Afterwards, I will be going to an event by NCRR called "The Future of Iraq: A Muslim American perspective." It ties in with my community work, as well as Great Leap's current project "To All Relations: Sacred Moon Songs."
*Monday night I went out to dinner with my cousin Roxane. We went to Shaka's for Hawaiian food. I had the Chinese Chicken salad and a side of macaroni salad. Yum. I wish I could have eaten more, but we went out for Korean food at lunch and I ate a whole DolSotBap/Bi Bim Bap by myself--along with a whole lot of Kimbap (Korean sushi).
* Tuesday - Last night, I had a Board Meeting for work. I'll admit I wasn't in the best of moods.
* Wednesday - Tonight Tony and I are going to see Slanguage/Universes, a performance with some of the artists that I met in Massachusetts last summer when I was at New WORLD Theater doing a study trip for several days.
* Thursday - Tomorrow night Tony and I are going to a fundraiser for a really cool arts organization.
* Friday, Nobuko is doing a performance at a national conference for Asian American community development organizations, so I am going to go to that.
Makes for a pretty busy week. On Saturday, I am going to be reading a piece that I wrote about the Far East Cafe that was published in Nanka Nikkei Voices: LIttle Tokyo: Changing Times, Changing Faces. i am reading it at a luncheon of the Friends of the Little Tokyo Library. Afterwards, I will be going to an event by NCRR called "The Future of Iraq: A Muslim American perspective." It ties in with my community work, as well as Great Leap's current project "To All Relations: Sacred Moon Songs."
Monday, May 17, 2004
Weddings in Mass
This morning on the news I saw that today is the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education. I wondered how far we've come. Then, I saw groups of people happily getting married to their long-time partners in Massachusetts. Wow, that made my heart go a flutter. Such a beautiful site to see women loving women, being able to be married, and men loving men, and able to legally tie the knot. It really makes me happy.
Fiddling with Blogger in the Wee hours
It's late. At midnight, Tony gave up on me and went to bed. He yelled from the bedroom, "Get your ass in bed." "But I'm blogging," I said. I had only been playing Simmies for an hour and a half... a drop in the Simmie bucket. Hey, it's my first time playing in at least a month. If you read my kuidaosumi blog, you will see what a busy girl I was today.
I've been fiddling with Blogger. I like it. I like the quick informality of it all. So, I'm telling y'all to check here for updates, if you don't see them on the kuidaosumi.com site. You probably don't care where you read me from. I'm thinking I can be more spontaneous, b/c I can update from anywhere, and don't have to do a whole bunch of crap to take care of it. I like the perkiness of the dots on the blogger template that I picked, and I figured out how the comments work. What do you think? Should I make the change? Will you follow me here?
I've been fiddling with Blogger. I like it. I like the quick informality of it all. So, I'm telling y'all to check here for updates, if you don't see them on the kuidaosumi.com site. You probably don't care where you read me from. I'm thinking I can be more spontaneous, b/c I can update from anywhere, and don't have to do a whole bunch of crap to take care of it. I like the perkiness of the dots on the blogger template that I picked, and I figured out how the comments work. What do you think? Should I make the change? Will you follow me here?
Thursday, January 01, 2004
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