Freedom comes with great discipline!

It’s no surprise to anyone that I am a strong supporter of President Obama. I believe that he is a problem solver and not a miracle worker! We need to let him do his job, instead of getting in his way.

The current economic situation is looking and sounding pretty grim. And to be honest, I don’t even understand everything from fiscal stimulus to bank recapitalization to mortgage securities. It all just sounds so complicated. I don’t need to jump on the bandwagon and start praising or denouncing his Stimulus Package, because it needs time to take its course. There are just too many “unknown” factors out there, it could go either way. So the Republicans should stop predicting the future about Obama’s policy. At least he has a plan!

I would also like to share a simple insight with the common people: stop following the Stock Market! If you are like me, a middle working class person, having little money in investments, and some money in retirement-that should stay in there until I turn 65, then getting upset at the all-time low Dow and S&P is not gonna help!

Over the long-term, the markets go up and down. The way I see it, they have reached some high points in the recent past, and they are bound to drop. It’s the nature of the beast, even if we are talking about economy! Maybe...if that idiot George W. Bush was more forthcoming and honest with us in 2007 about the situation with our economy, we might be able to keep it from plummeting so badly, or be better prepared!

We are all going to feel some hardship in 2009 and even 2010, but I think it’s a wake up call for Americans, to stop being so selfish and self-centered! We need to work together, as a nation. Is just the idea of socialistic concepts so bad, if it could be a temporary solution to pull our country out of rut? Is it so bad to pay a little more tax if one makes hundreds of thousands of dollars? Is it so bad to have some “pork” if it’s gonna stimulate the economy and create jobs? Is it so bad to have a “big” government as long as it works for the people and makes our country strong?

Here, I’ll conclude with this line, paraphrasing Yoga Master, B.K.S Iyengar: Freedom comes with great discipline!

Bobby Jindal 2012???

Is Bobby Jindal the only non-Caucasian Republican that the GOP can come up with to "WOW" the public? Where is the substance? What's that thing he mentioned about Katrina rescue in comparison to the Stimulus Package? Where is he going with that? Sounds to me that he wants a land without LAW!

If he along with Sarah Palin and Michael Steele are what GOP is bringing to show their party's diversity, the Party needs to do better. If they are the rising stars of the Republican Party, then their party is in serious trouble. 

Hey, that's fine by me. 

Jindal is NO Obama!

A Brand New Era.... Our 44th President Barack Obama

This morning, we witnessed history, the man we elected, Barack Hussein Obama, sworn into office, our 44th President of the United States of America. Who would've thought this day would come so soon? An African American? Oh, don't take me wrong. He was elected because he is a well-qualified AMERICAN! His ethnicity is just icing on the cake! 

This is HUGE for me as a liberal Asian American aka minority! The process of his journey to presidency is what brought me to this country. This is the America I used to know before Bush's regime. Now THIS is the America I will come to love and cherish. This is the America that I will be proud to be part of once again. I cannot stress enough the significance of Barack Obama's presidency. He represents so much of what America is about. The first thing that comes to my mind is: embrace diversity and unite as one! 

My cousin from London called this morning and told me she is proud of him and proud to be an American overseas, and people from all around the world are beginning to look at US with respect and admiration again. On his first day in office, he's already begun to restore our international reputation! 

Today is an auspicious day, because this is the beginning of a new era, a new generation! I personally believe that he will be a great president, but he is yet to prove himself to the rest of the country and perhaps me too, just because the world is so messed up right now. I don't know how he's going to do this. There are difficult tasks ahead of Mr. President Obama. All I can think of is, how courageous he is! Having to deal with what's left for him from the previous administration, a collapsed economy, a declining employment rate, global warming and an energy crisis, war in the Middle East, plus the turmoil in Gaza.... yet, he seems so poised and confident. 

His willingness to bring a team of rivals to work in his cabinet shows leadership. His ability to utilize modern technology and power of speech to inspire and mobilize generations young and old, both here in the US and abroad, indicates that he understands the future of our country lies within a new generation. The generation that sets aside the old ideas that divide our country, the generation that embraces differences, the generation that inspires hope instead of fear and hate!

Barack Hussein Obama, our 44th President is not just a political figure, he is also a cultural icon!

 

"Class Issue" - Yes or No?

Anything that comes out of Sarah Palin's mouth is laughable!

This is a woman whom many people look up to! (Hey, don't look at me...) Many Republican men and women alike, supported and admired her "honesty" and "directness", yet this is a woman who cannot speak in complete sentences! Is it me? I thought my English is bad, but comparing to her speaking, I sound like an English professor! 

Here is a video clip, of an interview with her, which you probably have seen many times on news network, but it never ceased to amuse me. Especially the part when she talked about Caroline Kennedy, and how she thinks that there is a "class issue" between her and Caroline Kennedy which reflected how they might be or were treated differently by the media! 

Wow.. This woman has no shame! Hasn't she ever look at the past few months and start reflecting internally what she'd done instead of pointing her fingers at other places and people for all the mistakes she's made? And stop blaming the media for portraying her as herself? Unless she loathes herself as she is! 

Her representing the Republican parting is already a "class" privilege that she's enjoyed and continue to enjoy. So what is she talking about? This "class issue" she claimed to have created preferential or discriminatory treatment is just ludicrous and laughable! Or is it?

Well, you've all heard or read the news today that a federal magistrate judge refused a government request to revoke Bernard Madoff's $10 million bail! I was really disappointed at the ruling. Bernard Madoff has committed the biggest white collar crime in the existence of this plant, yet he gets to enjoy his freedom, the so-called "house arrest, in his $7 million Manhattan apartment until he can be tried on the charges of his $50 billion Ponzi scheme. All the while, our Jails are flooded with people with minor offense as small as possession of little marijuana, but they don't get no slap on the wrist, they get real jail time... so is that fair?

As much as I disagree with the beauty queen turn Alaska governor, is there some truth in her claim?

Damon Winter - I am in AWE!

Yes, I know I am a procrastinator. It's been so many weeks since I've jolted my brain to be inspired. I often asked myself: "I'm supposedly writing a political blog (or so I think), why do I need inspiration or lack creativity?" Hell YES. I am trying not to just hash out what's already been written by tons of journalists or bloggers, I am trying to find a piece of story or some news that interests me and also entertains you (assuming there are a bunch of you)! There are so many f***'ed-up things going on in this world right now, I don't even know where to begin!

This morning, I thought I'd better catch up on some news and hope to understand what's going on in Gaza, but instead I saw this big headline, 2008-The Year in Pictures, on The New York Times website. Curiosity led me deeper into the photo gallery, and of course I had to first look at the section on "The Election".

Call me whatever you want, I am crazy about Obama! This photo caught my eye!

So I started paying attention to the NYT photography staff. This is the work of Damon Winter.

I am usually not easily impressed by photography, since so many digital manipulations can now be done to enhance photo quality, and anyone who can operate a digital camera can call themselves a "photographer" - Yikes! Yep, I am snooty when it comes to art (among other things), but I was mesmerized by Damon Winter's work. Of course, he was covering Obama's campaign.

He's got a keen eye for compositions and finding interesting angles of his subjects. I just love his way of playing with the positive and negative space of the images by using light and shadows. Most of the images he captured on the campaign trails did not bombard viewers with large, single-minded pictures of Obama, but subtle details of Obama's magnetic presence. See for yourself. "Photographers Journal:Following Obama". Look closely at one of the photos: when Obama was on stage, pitch darkness surrounded him. You see nothing else except a profile of Obama from just a glow of light from behind and a small blue sign of "Change we can believe in" in front of him. This is just fascinating!

Thank you, Damon Winter for capturing this historical event of our time in such a stunning and artistic format. I will now not take photography for granted. And my eyes are all on YOU! You inspired me.

More info and link for Damon Winter:

Damon Winter

Photographers Journal: Political Landscapes

Interview of Damon Winter with Photo District News

Play It Cool, Barack Obama.

Is this pretty much true about Barack Obama? Have a laugh....

Rid of Idiot like Blagojevich

Who is this guy, Rod Blagojevich? A corrupt Democratic Governor of Illinois! OH NO.... aw yes!

Sometimes you gotta wonder why people with such powerful positions would have such poor judgement ... selling a high profile vacated senate seat to the highest bidder, in a high profile state known for corruption, during a high profile presidential transition period. What was this idiot thinking? Precisely! An idiot!

I have not read much into the details of his scheme, but have seen him on television enough during the course of his arrest and release. I can't help wondering, how did this meathead get elected to governorship? He looks a little smug to me! I know I should not judge one by one's appearance, but he just looks like those movie extras that director would use for playing roles like "snitch" gangsters in witness protection! (Below, see what I mean?)

It's such a bad move for him, at a time when everyone in Washington is talking about political reform, and cutting down government corruption. I wonder what impact this would have on Obama's transition into the White House. Today, Obama has called for Blagojevich's resignation - let's hope he will exit the governorship with a little dignity and show some respect for the president-elect.

There must be some "house cleaning" for Obama and the Democratic Congress. It would be embarrassing for all democrats to run on a platform of reform and change, yet the corruption is coming from within. Another layer of the challenges for the incoming administration! (sigh!)