Alex Kudera's Blog, page 140
October 12, 2012
you said that's a Prize for Peace?
I wasn't thinking of all the different points Tariq Ali makes in this interview, but in light of the current austerity in Greece and Spain and European Union's extremely high unemployment rate, I was surprised and confused when I heard the news that the E.U. has won the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.
Mo Yan, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, is getting much stronger praise, at least from this expert in Chinese literature. Smith College's Sabina Knight says, "If you want to know why I love Mo Yan, just read anything by Mo Yan. His works seethe with a life force, and his grappling with human aggression transcends national borders. His works shed light on the dark depths of our psyches, a darkness on which China has no monopoly."
I like to think she wasn't speaking of my recent ice-cream intake when she notes that we all have darker depths than we care to recognize.
Mo Yan, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, is getting much stronger praise, at least from this expert in Chinese literature. Smith College's Sabina Knight says, "If you want to know why I love Mo Yan, just read anything by Mo Yan. His works seethe with a life force, and his grappling with human aggression transcends national borders. His works shed light on the dark depths of our psyches, a darkness on which China has no monopoly."
I like to think she wasn't speaking of my recent ice-cream intake when she notes that we all have darker depths than we care to recognize.
ah, the brutality
Marcus Hayes, along with the comments that follow, pretty much sums up the brutality, angst, glory, forgiveness, sin, exploitation, joy, pain, love, and numbness of most of the human condition.
Here's the link if you want to learn more about how Ricky Watters helps the kids.
I guess we'll begin to see assessment of how well these football camps for underprivileged kids are protecting the brains and joints of such, but for now, we can just appreciate the idea of Watters as the hardworking good man.
Makes me feel like I should scurry back to my own tasks.
Here's the link if you want to learn more about how Ricky Watters helps the kids.
I guess we'll begin to see assessment of how well these football camps for underprivileged kids are protecting the brains and joints of such, but for now, we can just appreciate the idea of Watters as the hardworking good man.
Makes me feel like I should scurry back to my own tasks.
October 11, 2012
more homelessness
This blog depicts a national war against the homeless, focusing mainly on aggressive city ordinances until toward the end it implies there could have been foul play involved in the death of an advocate for the homeless in Tampa Bay, Florida. The obituary I found seems quite legitimate though and doesn't suggest anything of the sort. One thing is clear though, that Bill Sharpe's passing will not in anyway help the homeless of Tampa Bay. Here's an excerpt from the obituary:
But his friends say Sharpe had a genuine concern for the poor, and as the economy got worse — and a panhandling limit in Tampa seemed more like a sure thing — he felt he had to do something.
Sharpe told the Times he saw how the often-bedraggled homeless people on street corners sometimes frightened drivers. He thought he knew why.
"They could be us," he said. "We're flat scared of that."
But his friends say Sharpe had a genuine concern for the poor, and as the economy got worse — and a panhandling limit in Tampa seemed more like a sure thing — he felt he had to do something.
Sharpe told the Times he saw how the often-bedraggled homeless people on street corners sometimes frightened drivers. He thought he knew why.
"They could be us," he said. "We're flat scared of that."
October 10, 2012
Ridge Avenue
I remember driving by this Ridge Avenue homeless shelter many times on my way to 8:40 a.m. Writing for Business and Industry classes at Temple University. In one of my 10 to 15-year-old economy cars (quality "hoopdees" for all your urban transportation needs), I'd glance to the left, see the men already standing outside, and be grateful I had an apartment, a fine collection of adjunct "opportunities," a working car heater, and more. If I'm not mistaken, Sam Katz once visited and spoke to the men during one of his failed mayoral bids.
And now, poof, the shelter disappears. . .
. . . or, rather, it has been replaced by another Stephen Starr joint, in this case, a catering operation employing 60 people (but the article states none of the previous tenants applied for work at the new venture).
Here's an excerpt from the news:
However, with Gov. Corbett's decision to cut off of general-assistance money to 30,000 Philadelphians in August and with the approaching winter, homeless advocates say the situation could quickly worsen.
"We will not be surprised if we see an increase in the number of people who need shelter," Scullion said. "It might not be today, but when it breaks, it will be tough."
Andrew Latimore, 57, who is homeless, said it's been hard for people who've been cut off from general assistance.
"A lot of people are off their checks now and only have food stamps," Latimore said. "You can't stay nowhere with food stamps."
And now, poof, the shelter disappears. . .
. . . or, rather, it has been replaced by another Stephen Starr joint, in this case, a catering operation employing 60 people (but the article states none of the previous tenants applied for work at the new venture).
Here's an excerpt from the news:
However, with Gov. Corbett's decision to cut off of general-assistance money to 30,000 Philadelphians in August and with the approaching winter, homeless advocates say the situation could quickly worsen.
"We will not be surprised if we see an increase in the number of people who need shelter," Scullion said. "It might not be today, but when it breaks, it will be tough."
Andrew Latimore, 57, who is homeless, said it's been hard for people who've been cut off from general assistance.
"A lot of people are off their checks now and only have food stamps," Latimore said. "You can't stay nowhere with food stamps."
October 6, 2012
nothing with my life
It's one of those nights when the world wide web so easily convinces me I've done nothing with my life, and yet, I can still find myself giggling at parts of this story that I wrote when I was about 24. At other sections, I wince, of course.
October 4, 2012
austerity
i've decided to add some austerity to my own life. although i have not yet determined exactly how this will be done, i'm leaning more toward cutting back on capitalization as opposed to reducing the ice-cream intake. the ice-cream intake is nothing to be proud of, but i just don't feel it right or proper to radically alter my diet in these troubling times. someone's got to keep the cows and scoopers employed, and i'm not sure i could handle the stress of significant change. status quo has gotten me this far, and i do often at least try to walk it off in the evenings.
in other news, i've found a little local charity i'm jonesin' to contribute to. contribute 44 meals for $11. yeah, sounds too good to be true, and we can be certain they won't be eating the same ice cream i'm eating, but all the same, i liked the little note and the small envelope, and i think i'll write that $11 check right now. of course, i haven't yet sent Oxfam anything even though i added the donate link to my blog. i'm tired and overworked, so give me a week on the $11, too.
like a lot of folks, i'm feeling a little weirded out by the debate last night, and i guess we'll see where it all leads. a lot more job growth and stock-market gains under dem presidents, and yet you never would have known it if you only tuned in last night.
and since this is a more personal note, i should add that they've graciously added proper cement sidewalks to parts of our neighborhood. it makes a difference.
okay, thanks for listening.
in other news, i've found a little local charity i'm jonesin' to contribute to. contribute 44 meals for $11. yeah, sounds too good to be true, and we can be certain they won't be eating the same ice cream i'm eating, but all the same, i liked the little note and the small envelope, and i think i'll write that $11 check right now. of course, i haven't yet sent Oxfam anything even though i added the donate link to my blog. i'm tired and overworked, so give me a week on the $11, too.
like a lot of folks, i'm feeling a little weirded out by the debate last night, and i guess we'll see where it all leads. a lot more job growth and stock-market gains under dem presidents, and yet you never would have known it if you only tuned in last night.
and since this is a more personal note, i should add that they've graciously added proper cement sidewalks to parts of our neighborhood. it makes a difference.
okay, thanks for listening.
October 2, 2012
Contemporary Austerity Horizon
This essay on austerity and the illegal consolidation of power in Romania in included in the latest print issue of
Contemporary Literary Horizon
. That would be the one that arrived in my mail over the weekend, and it also features a Romanian translation of "The Bicentennial with Grandpa Andy."
September 29, 2012
austerity triplex (conforming loans only, please)
And here's the "real news" from Germany where a political leader, representing the more marginalized citizens, states, and pardon my possible paraphrase, that "austerity is the ideology of the ruling class." As you might imagine, it's the poor who go with less or without under such policies, and the video considers how German businesses are also hurt when citizens in Greece and Spain have little to no spending power beyond that which will go to the most basic necessities.
Back home, a recent year's worth of Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs-growth reporting was revised upward by almost 400,000, and although that is but a small dent in the supposed 23 million without work, or without as much work as they'd like, it is somewhat ironic that the "year" reported on seems almost entirely contained within the period where there was intense gridlock and a blocked jobs bill in Congress. Here's an excerpt from the Forbes article:
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is out with its annual update to benchmark unemployment numbers (for the more cynical among you, the BLS does this every fall so this is not a number being ‘timed’ for the election), and the numbers reveal that 386,000 more non-farm jobs were actually created between March, 2011 and April 2012 than what had been originally reported.
The figures represent a variance from the previous data of 0.3 which sits right at the norm for annual benchmark adjustments which are typically up or down by 0.3 percent.
As a result of the revision, the Obama administration can now claim a net job increase of 125,000 rather than what had previously been believed to be a net loss of 261,000 jobs.
Of course, it remains a muddle, but it still feels like things are bad and not improving, or not improving fast enough, for millions and millions of workers throughout Europe and America. And, in some countries and counties, of course, they seem to be getting worse.
Back home, a recent year's worth of Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs-growth reporting was revised upward by almost 400,000, and although that is but a small dent in the supposed 23 million without work, or without as much work as they'd like, it is somewhat ironic that the "year" reported on seems almost entirely contained within the period where there was intense gridlock and a blocked jobs bill in Congress. Here's an excerpt from the Forbes article:
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is out with its annual update to benchmark unemployment numbers (for the more cynical among you, the BLS does this every fall so this is not a number being ‘timed’ for the election), and the numbers reveal that 386,000 more non-farm jobs were actually created between March, 2011 and April 2012 than what had been originally reported.
The figures represent a variance from the previous data of 0.3 which sits right at the norm for annual benchmark adjustments which are typically up or down by 0.3 percent.
As a result of the revision, the Obama administration can now claim a net job increase of 125,000 rather than what had previously been believed to be a net loss of 261,000 jobs.
Of course, it remains a muddle, but it still feels like things are bad and not improving, or not improving fast enough, for millions and millions of workers throughout Europe and America. And, in some countries and counties, of course, they seem to be getting worse.
September 28, 2012
Austerity redux
Data shows second helpings, ice-cream sundaes, and extra cheese are all polling higher than economic austerity programs, particularly if said measures are linked to other countries' banks or governments. Krugman and the Palestinians are against austerity, too.
This guy, a law or economics professor somewhere in the middle of America, has some good ironic analysis on how ostensibly lefty Labor in England attempted to woo American finance with less regulation while some in the Republican party stateside are writing books attacking deregulatory policies.
Just when you think you have it all sorted out. . .
This guy, a law or economics professor somewhere in the middle of America, has some good ironic analysis on how ostensibly lefty Labor in England attempted to woo American finance with less regulation while some in the Republican party stateside are writing books attacking deregulatory policies.
Just when you think you have it all sorted out. . .
September 26, 2012
hard times
I read and watched, about Madrid and then Athens and then London. People all over the world are eating out of dumpsters; they need food. Donate if you can.
But I eat too much, and I know I could stand to lose a few or fifteen, and the Jewish New Year offered just such an opportunity.
For Yom Kippur, it was easy on Iran and Israel for me, but I cheated with liquids, milk in the coffee, orange juice, etc. before finally succumbing to a sandwich around 5 p.m. That's not fasting a full day, I know.
What's on your mind?
But I eat too much, and I know I could stand to lose a few or fifteen, and the Jewish New Year offered just such an opportunity.
For Yom Kippur, it was easy on Iran and Israel for me, but I cheated with liquids, milk in the coffee, orange juice, etc. before finally succumbing to a sandwich around 5 p.m. That's not fasting a full day, I know.
What's on your mind?
