Saturday, March 29, 2003

"Bombs Over Baghdad"

This U.S. war sucks! I hate the talk I'm hearing from some people. Pretty much I'm isolated from the outside world, I don't follow the news or anything like that. But occasionally I hear these people all proud to be Americans for the WRONG reasons! Bastids... I'm tired of warmongers. If there was really some kind of justice, it would be you fawkin' jingoists that we would send to the frontlines. Argh! So, hopefully, despite the fact that most of the world despises the arrogant American administration, they will get rid of Saddam this time. Gosh - why didn't they just take care of things in Gulf War 1? Stupids.

We were talking about in one of my classes how the U.S. was one of the countries originally pushing for an International Criminal Court. Yet they, along with Israel, refuse to be consignatories to such a court. The administration (Bush, Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, and Perle(?)) all cite international law. They talk about fighting fair and clean on the one hand, yet on the other, they do not accept the laws that the U.S. helped develop. This war that everyone says is an illegal one, the U.S. tries to justify. They say that a preemptive strike is allowed because we are living in a "new world." WTF?? Why does the oligarchy get to define everything? And only to their terms? (How do you think the colonized felt? They had a "new world" imposed upon them. >:-( ) This country also redefines how we can treat detainees, even including some amounts of torture. (Those Afghans in Guantanamo Bay are detainees, by the way, as opposed to POWs, which would mean the Geneva Convention could be applied to them).

Also in this class of mine, which is lectured by a professor well-known for his expertise on Islam and the like (he's an Italian-American from Brooklyn), we discussed the notion of "just war." The professor said that most mainstream religious leaders in this country say this war is not just. But if you take a poll of Americans, many will choose nationalism over their religious leaders.

I dunno... I think it would serve the U.S. right if the Middle East, which possesses about three-quarters of the world's known oil reserves, busted out the oil weapon, a là the 1973 Oil Embargo. Too bad all these governments the world over are tainted with corrupt leadership. My mom was complaining to me last night about her job; about a couple of her co-workers, specifically. She was tellin' me how some people act when they're at a certain level. That is, when they have higher ranks, like title of manager or superviser. They get these attitudes. They act like their position gives them the right to certain privileges and to disrespect people, and double standards and what-have-you. And I was thinkin' how this is at such a micro level. Imagine what goes through the minds of leaders of nations with all the power they wield. What potential differences they could make in people's lives in positive ways! Yet people get greedy and selfish and only work to benefit themselves and their friends and family. Just makes you sick. I guess a lot of it centers on part of a verse cited in the Bible: "For the love of money is the root of all evils..." (1 Timothy 1:6). Sad, but true, right?

And while I was looking for the exact location of this verse, I saw another that kinda made me shiver. Though we don't know exactly when this world will end, check this out: "But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them." (2 Timothy 3:1-5). I dunno... but I think that last verse of using religion as a pretense may be applicable to the likes of Bush and bin Laden and Saddam... :-/ But actually, many believe that Bush truly believes in what he says.

Ugh, I hate this crap... I once asked a professor of mine why is it that the U.S. supports Israel so much (it's only the size of Jersey or Vermont, with about 5-6 million friggin' people) versus 22 Arab countries. My teacher didn't have an exact answer, but he said other people have asked the same thing. Hmm... I wonder if I could do a research paper on it. I wasn't gonna do a thesis... But would this be a feasible topic? I mean, I don't plan to graduate this semester, although I ought to be done with all my coursework come May, so, I've still got time. I was gonna take the comprehensive exam (or "comps," as we call it). But since I don't think I'm ready for it, I'm delaying my taking it... And starting with my incoming class, the thesis option became available in lieu of the comps. That's something for me to think about...

Friday, March 21, 2003

Speak English!

Spring Break has already come and gone and, yup - I left the country. This time I traveled to the United Kingdom. London, England, to be exact. And of course, I had to eat at McDonald's there. So, I think that makes the 6th country outside the U.S. in which I've eaten Mickie D's. But I really shouldn't support that business , though. That was bad of me. Ah, well...

I was in London about 10 days. All I gotta say about the Brits is: they talk funny and drive on the wrong side of the road! LoL. I'm telling you, I sometimes could not understand what they were sayin' and I thought we spoke the same language. :-P It's funny how the language has evolved. For example, the word "Asian" refers to South Asians, whereas here in the States, I believe it has the connotation of East and Southeast Asians. But if you wanted to refer to "our" Asians, you would say "Orientals." But that's politically incorrect in these parts. For those who don't know, I've heard that "oriental" should only be used to refer to inanimate objects, such as an oriental rug. But figures those Brits would still actively use the term "Orientals." They're the original Orientalists. (see: Orientalism by Edward Said).

And crossing the street - gosh! I already have enough trouble crossing without getting killed enough as it is. But this time, I didn't know which way to look. I couldn't keep straight from which way traffic was coming. Luckily, at some crosswalks they have painted on the ground "LOOK LEFT/RIGHT".

The weather wasn't the greatest when I was there. It sucks 'cause my friend there told me before I left that it had been sunny there. Then the day I get there, it's cloudy and eventually rains. And if it wasn't rainy, then it was rather cold/windy. Figures the day I leave it would be sunny and relatively warm. :-/

I went to Buckingham Palace a couple times tryna see the Changing of the Guard ceremony. The first day I got there, they were just finishing with it. Then later a few horse-drawn carriages go by and inside are some Arab men. How do I know they were Arab? Well, they were wearing those headresses that the Saudi family wears. I also saw Big Ben and the House of Parliament. Actually, I didn't see Big Ben itself since "Big Ben" refers to the actually bell, but I did see the clock tower. And the architecture to the House of Parliament is awesome. It's neo-Gothic. I visited Westminster Abbey, as well. And I was on a riverboat in the Thames. I went to Westminster Cathedral, which is the big Roman Catholic church there. What else did I see/do...? I went to Trafalgar Square and the British Museum. At the museum I got to see the famous Rosetta Stone. I didn't finish looking around in there, so, I'll hafta stop through there the next time I go to London. Yeah, I'd go back there. I liked it. It was maaad expensive, but nice. But sooo expensive. Sheesh. :-P

And I thought the U.S. was pretty diverse. But London has so many different peoples. The area I was staying in was like a Pakistani area or something. All these people in their Muslim garb, mixed in with Black and white people, as well as others. In some of the little shops owned by the South Asians they sold Mecca Cola and Qibla-Cola. Yikes. And why did this one guy say to me as I was walking by him on the sidewalk (I think they call it the "pavement" there) something about him betting I had a "tight poom poom." OMG! For those who don't know, it's Jamaican, referring to a certain part of, uh, the female anatomy. As vulgar as that statement was, it did actually make me laugh.

But about the diversity - the white guys actually look at non-white girls there! See, the white guys here are either too scared or not interested or something. But there, it was cool. I liked that. :) And I've never seen so many interracial couples of the kind: Black girl/white or other guy. I saw so many of them there. 'Cause you know how in the U.S., if anything, it seems to be a Black guy with a non-Black girl. Ya know? Anyhoo, it's cool. I like to see the races mix like that. =D

I went out a little bit there. I went to the Ruby Lounge and that was okay. I also went to 10 Rooms, which is supposedly THE spot. Celebrities go there. My friend was telling me how Ms. Aguilera and Mr. Timberlake were there recently. (Not together, I don't think). When we went, there were some celebs there. But local ones, so I didn't really know them: Mysteeq, Blue, and a couple guys from "Pop Idols" or one of them kinda shows (you know, American Idol kinda stuff). It was a nice atmosphere. I also went to this nice lounge-type place that's actually called "The Spot." The girl I was staying with went to sing 'cause they have this open-mic stuff. Most people sing, backed up by the live band they have. Some do spoken word. This one cat from D.C. was there rappin'. Another guy from Philly was there reading poetry. Man, I leave America so I don't hafta be around Americans. :-P

The friend of mine there... I met her the same way I met the people from my Winter Break adventure. She actually knows the guy who invited me to that New Year's party. Kinda weird I went all the way over to stay with someone I only recently "met" and I stayed with her. But it was all good. She's nice and all. Actually, after corresponding with her for a while, it turns out she remembers seeing me at that New Year's party. And I, in fact, spoke to her girl when I was at that party. I saw her this last trip, too. Oh, and I ended up meeting one of her Jamaican friends who's actually staying and going to school around my neck of the woods. He was just in England on some business. He was nice. I met him as well as some of his Jamaican friends who live out there. Funny, the one girl asked me if I was Jamaican. That's another race I can pretend to be since a real Jamaican thought I looked it. :)

There was this one bagel shop close to where I was staying. Actually, it was a "beigel" shop. And it had some good bagels, as well as some pastries. I wouldn't mind a bagel with cream cheese right about now. Supposedly, this is a famous shop. My friend tells me it's been around since the war (WWII?). And one of her roommates said that Mariah Carey goes there. Cool.

So, yep... that's my trip in brief. Met some cool people that talk funny. LoL. Hey, mates - what in the bloody hell are you chatting about over there? I fink you guys are mad! :) And I didn't meet any guys. Saw some cute ones. But you know what? I think I'm attracted to gay guys. Well, I'll be damned if the guys I thought were cute turned out to be gay! Doh! :-P Reminds me of how in undergrad, me and this girl Tia would say there was always a catch with guys we liked: they were either taken, assholes, or gay! Anyways... There were still some things I didn't get a chance to do, so, I have some things to do when I go back one of these days. I doubt I'll go back this year, but some day. And I only wish, as with my other trips, that I had someone to travel with. Traveling alone can be just that - lonely. *sigh* But overall, it was a good trip and I'm glad I went. Thanks, Sofía, for hosting me!

Tuesday, March 04, 2003

"Wa qad karihtu nafsii wa tamanaytu ul-mawt."

That's a line from one of the Arabian Nights stories we're reading in class: "And so I hated myself and wished for death." I'm not having any suicidal thoughts or anything, but I'm definitely under some pressure. I wasted away the weekend and now I have to do way loads of cramming for a freakin' midterm, which consists of a take-home essay on "Muslim Extremism in Egypt," and in class - IDs of important/prominent people, organizations, and events, and some short essays. Ugh. In order to study for this, I just may not get to the readings for two of my other classes. This sux. But after Wednesday night, I'll be able to let out a sigh of relief for the time-being. Then I can start packing for my next trip...

This class I got a midterm in... We had a paper due a few weeks ago, which I turned in late, not to mention, missed the actual class session in which we were posta hand our papers in. But that's cuz I was still working on the paper. That's what I get for waiting last minute. But I did manage to pull off an "A" and the comment: Excellent paper, Sheena. Cool. I wonder if the comment belonged to the T.A. or the professor. Who cares. I got an "A." That makes me feel good considering my grades from last semester. *blush* Hope this stupid midterm doesn't bring me down. No sleep for me. :(

I've slept so much these last few days. Just slept for the heck of it, knowing I had academic obligations. I'm such a lazy ass. But that's because I have nooo motivation. That's sad. But one of these days. When I find what it is I really enjoy doing, or find something that comes close, maybe then I will be motivated.

I really shouldn't be on this here comp. I should be studying for this test. I will. But first, lemme play an MSN game "right quick"... :-P

Saturday, March 01, 2003

R.I.P., Mr. Rogers

Fred Rogers (1928-2003), an icon of children's television programming while many of us were growing up, passed on to that great neighborhood in the sky this past Thursday. He died of stomach cancer at the age of 74. He will be greatly missed - especially by his wife, two sons, and two grandsons. If only more people were like him, with such huge hearts and caring souls. [It seems that good people always die. And as my mother says, the bad/evil people you want to die, never do!! For example: Saddam Hussein. Or even worse: Ariel-fucking-Sharon!] To this day, on the rare occasion that I flip through the channels and see "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood," I will leave the station there and watch.

*sigh* - the brevity of life... We never know when we're gonna go, for tomorrow is not promised. (Especially with people like stupid-ass Bush trying to get us all killed with his asinine war rhetoric! >:( ) I need to get my life right before it's too late. I was looking at some Scriptures that affected me. In the Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, we have some books not accepted by most, if not all, the Protestant sects. The ones included in the Old Testament are not considered divine by the Jews either, although many Jews, such as rabbis, quote extensively from these texts. We call this collection the deuterocanonical books. Or as the Protestants call it, the Apocrypha. Anyways, there's this particular book I like. It contains many things on moral instruction and it is the book of Sirach. The particular chapter that spoke to me the other day was chapter 5, which is as follows (the numbers indicate the verse):

1 Rely not on your wealth; say not: "I have the power."
2 Rely not on your strength in following the desires of your heart.
3 Say not: "Who can prevail against me?" for the LORD will exact the punishment.
4 Say not: "I have sinned, yet what has befallen me?" for the LORD bides his time.
5 Of forgiveness be not overconfident, adding sin upon sin.
6 Say not: "Great is his mercy; my many sins he will forgive."
7 For mercy and anger alike are with him; upon the wicked alights his wrath.
8 Delay not your conversion to the LORD, put it not off from day to day;
9 For suddenly his wrath flames forth; at the time of vengeance, you will be destroyed.
10 Rely not upon deceitful wealth, for it will be no help on the day of wrath.
11 Winnow not in every wind, and start not off in every direction.
12 Be consistent in your thoughts; steadfast be your words.
13 Be swift to hear, but slow to answer.
14 If you have the knowledge, answer your neighbor; if not, put your hand over your mouth.
15 Honor and dishonor through talking! A man's tongue can be his downfall.
16 Be not called a detractor; use not your tongue for calumny;
17 For shame has been created for the thief, and the reproach of his neighbor for the double-tongued.


I think many of us, even if we consider ourselves believers, live in this way - as if we had no one to answer to, as if there are no consequences for our actions, as if we can get away with anything because God will forgive us. For anybody of the Abrahamic faiths, as well as some others, if you're looking for a good code of conduct to follow or to just remind you of how we ought to live, I recommend the Book of Sirach. I think even if you're not religious in the least bit you could find some verse that you might like.