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Texting services are becoming popular, with libraries beginning to really experiment in ways to best deliver this service to cell phone users.

Currently, many LibraryH3lp libraries are using various short code hacks, such as the "AIM hack" to offer this service. It works.

With the AIM hack, patrons text their message to 265010. In the message, they specify your library's AIM buddy name. If you have an AIM gateway in LibraryH3lp, those text messages show up for all of your librarians just like any other traffic coming through the system. If you are using our Pidgin plugin or our new webchat client, your librarians will be able to see that the patron is coming in through a phone number, which can tip them off that they need to provide brief responses.

Once again, this does work. The less-than-optimal thing about it is that the patron's cell phone can't usually store your buddy name to make repeat usage easier. The phone can store the short code (265010) just like a cell phone number, but not your buddy name. When they text their friends, they're generally texting a real phone number, which their phone can easily store for later usage.

We are interested in building a better kind of SMS gateway, one that would allow patrons to text an actual phone number, so that it would work exactly like it does when they are texting their friends and family. We have a couple of ideas about ways to make this happen. Is anyone interested in working with us to integrate a true SMS gateway into their LibraryH3lp service? We can't develop this independently because SMS messages must be purchased, and we don't want to push costs up for everyone on the system, even if they're not using SMS. A library would buy the messages for their use independently, and then we would build the gateway.

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Two nice things about this pick - I should say first that I do not know him personally.

First, his Asia background. Geithner's father, Peter Geithner, was a development specialist who opened the Ford Foundation's China office - the first foreign NGO here, under a special agreement that continues to this day. That was just before Tiananmen Square, and the father was part of the Foundation's difficult but, ultimately, undoubtedly correct decision to remain engaged. Tim apparently also studied Chinese, was posted in Tokyo for Treasury, and focused on Asia studies as undergraduate and graduate student. This is all great background for Treasury's international dealings in the coming years.

Second, he was head of the IMF's Policy and Development Review Department (PDR) for two years. PDR are the people there who provide the intellectual framework for, and monitor and sign off on the work that the country missions do. Some of the best people I ever dealt with at the Fund. I like this because I've thought more than once in recent years that what the US needs to do is take a step back and look at itself just as the IMF looked at, say, Argentina, during those years, and develop a tough IMF program; get your fiscal act in order, get serious about risks in the financial sector, establish external sustainability. Basic flow of funds accounting techniques, the core IMF methodology, would be extremely helpful. Obviously nobody will impose anything on the Congress a la IMF conditionality - but US macroeconomic policy has been seriously off track for 8 years, and a strong IMF style program is precisely what is needed. I will take pleasure these coming months in speculating about what must be going through Geithner's mind. It won't only be bail-outs and stimulus packages - the short-term fixes -- I am quite sure.

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No election can wipe away racism, and bigotry will show itself to you in ways subtle and not. But it is easier today than it was yesterday to see that racism, once a barrier, is now more like a hurdle. What a fine new addition I have to my mothers arsenal of aphorisms: Son, I can (and probably will) say to you, Barack Obama faced hurdles but succeeded, and you can, too. You are only 4 months old, but already I dream of what a great rocket scientist youd be. But if you want to be a cattle wrangler, thats OK, too. And if you want to be president? Well, well talk.

We can no longer look to blame outside forces for our failures or rest our shortcomings in the cold comfort of bigotry. If you want to be like Obama, you have to work and work hard. He went to Columbia University and Harvard Law School. He traveled the world and opened his mind. He did not simply dream of being president; he summoned the discipline to get there.

Your black classmates might see you reading a book at recess or raising your hand in class and call you too white or Uncle Tom. Ignore them. Dont let them mess with your mind or steer you from your goals. For now just understand that your race is part of who you are, but it isnt all of who you are. If anyone doubts your you can tell them that you want to be as black as the man behind the desk in the Oval Office.

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Straight.com
Publish Date: May 1, 2008

Before becoming Knowledge Network’s president and CEO last year, Rudy Buttignol had to decide to move from Toronto to either Montreal or Vancouver. “For me,” Buttignol says by phone from Toronto during a business trip, “Vancouver was far more interesting because I see that it’s a picture of the future of Canada, that the immigration from Asia-Pacific is fundamentally changing both British Columbia and Canada.”

Buttignol says that what impressed him after moving to Vancouver was seeing so much interracial interaction. What inspires him is “the sense that you’re in a historic period”.

According to 2006 Statistics Canada data, Asian Canadians now comprise one-third of Vancouver’s population. Throughout May, Asian Heritage Month events ( www.explorasian.org/ ) will give Vancouverites the opportunity to reflect upon these demographic and cultural shifts that are transforming our social landscape. Featured during the month are films, dance performances, visual-arts displays, workshops, musical shows, and more.

Big-screen AHM offerings include the Hong Kong crime thriller Mad Detective (Sun Taam ) (May 10, 7:30 p.m., Pacific Cinémathèque), about an inspector who must resort to consulting his now-insane former boss. The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Hiram Mok, from UBC’s department of psychiatry.

Tailor Made: Chinatown’s Last Tailors chronicles the attempts by brothers Bill and Jack Wong, in their 80s, to save their father’s tailor shop, which opened in Vancouver’s Chinatown in 1913. (Straight contributor J. J. Lee appears as an apprentice.) All four screenings (May 13, 14, 16, 28) are free and will be shown at various community centres (check the explorASIAN Web site for time and venue details).

To complement Mohammad Reza Shajarian’s concert, Vancity Theatre is screening The Voice of Iran: Mohammad Reza Shajarian and Santouri (The Music Man ) from May 12 to 14 (see www.vifc.org/ for details).

On TV, Shaw Multicultural Channel and explorASIAN will present the Filmmaker Showcase (May 11, 18, and 25; 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.), featuring shorts and feature films on Asian Canadian subjects ( www.vancouver.shawtv.com/smc/smc_filmmakers.htm ). Three collections will address the themes of identity, relationships, and history.

At Knowledge Network, Buttignol, who studied Chinese and Indian cinema and history in university, says he is committed to increasing Asia-Pacific programming to “reflect change in British Columbia”. Thirteen AHM TV programs to be shown by the public broadcaster during May and June are a part of that commitment.

Lai Man Wai: The Father of Chinese Cinema (May 9, 10 p.m.; May 14, midnight) will examine the life and work of the accomplished Chinese film pioneer. The Slanted Screen (Friday [May 2], 10 p.m.; Wednesday [May 7], midnight; May 15, 10 p.m.) analyzes—by surveying more than four dozen movie clips—how Asian men have been stereotyped in Hollywood productions. “Those documentaries,” Buttignol says, “are always a great measure to see how far society has moved forward towards some kind of enlightenment.”

Although Hollywood may seem internationally ubiquitous, the world’s number-one film-producing country is India. Close behind Hollywood is China, at number three. The five-part Cinema Asia on the Knowledge Network will examine these cinematic powerhouses with spotlights on China (May 16), India (May 23), Iran (May 30), South Korea (June 6), and Taiwan (June 13). The series will air on Fridays at 10 p.m. and Wednesdays at midnight.

Source URL: http://www.straight.

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The fate of Wall Street luminaries became a personal concern to Filipino investors this week. News about bankrupt Lehman Brothers triggered locales to ask how safe is their money invested in the insurance policies and in local banks and if their pension is still intact.
Predictably, the government economic managers, the central bank governor, and the executives of insurance companies and a government-run pension fund tried to calm nerves exacerbated by spreading speculations. One after another, they made public assurances that all’s well.
Such efforts were not as pronounced when earlier hints of the after-effects of the US subprime mess hit headlines all over the world. Filipinos monitored but generally shrugged off Bear Sterns’ collapse in March and the US government’s bailout of mortgage financing companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last week.
But it was the absence of a lifeline from the US Federal Reserve Bank forcing investment giant Lehman Brothers to declare bankruptcy that started to make some local investors worried.
Even with the succeeding news on other Wall Street giants, Merill Lynch, which clinched a takeover deal with Bank of America, and insurance firm American International Group (AIG), whose wobbles were cushioned with a federal loan, the jitters lingered.
Investors have been through several blips in the past. The 1997 regional financial crisis and the pre-need fiasco come to mind. What makes the current situation different?
So far, a common theme among the regulators and industry players’ assurances is that those entrusted with public money already have enough cushion funds—or capital—from which they could depend on in case of worse case scenarios, such as bank runs or massive withdrawals by jittery moneyed individuals.
The central bank governor has trumpeted time and again that banks remain healthy and strong as they reach the tailend of the sector’s reform agenda following the 1997 crisis.
On the other hand, insurance companies are still halfway through their reform measures that belatedly started in 2006. While much of the attention has been focused on Philamlife because it is the local subsidiary of beleaguered AIG, its sound financial standing may not necessarily represent a stable sector. Philamlife is the biggest insurance firm whose capitalization already accounts for one-third of its peers.
In other words, the concerns brought about by the US financial meltdown simply highlights how sturdy our financial sectors are when exposed to a fire test just like this.
Healthy banks
The local financial firms face potential risks if they invested in these troubled Wall Street firms, whether directly by buying Lehman’s or AIG’s shares, or their other permutations, which in industry parlance is referred to as financial derivatives.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governor Amando Tetangco, Jr. said that a survey among the Philippine banks showed that derivative investments in Lehman Brothers aggregate to about P15 billion, roughly 0.3 percent of the banking sectors’ total assets.
Three of the top universal banks—Metrobank, Banco de Oro, and Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation—have come forward to disclose that they have exposures in Lehman but downplayed the amounts as not material enough to cause a major dent on their finances.
Metrobank, the country’s largest lender, earlier reported that it has $20.4 million bond investments in Lehman Brothers Holdings, and has set aside $14 million to cover it.
Banco de Oro also earlier announced that it has provided P3.8 billion, the peso equivalent of its $80.7 million exposure in Lehman, as buffer funds. They were joined later on by RCBC, which said it had prepared P980 million to cover potential losses in Lehman.
Tetangco said these disclosures should be considered positively. It shows these banks have the resources to absorb a drop in the price of their investments in Lehman Brothers.
Tetangco stressed that Philippine banks could survive this kind of disruption because they are adequately capitalized. Banks were required to set aside funds appropriate for risks being taken in line with the implementation of the Basel 2 framework, an international benchmarking system. Basel 2 sets certain thresholds for available capital which determines how much the banks could lend.
The capital adequacy ratio, which refers to banks’ capital in relation to the risks that they take, stood at 15 percent as of end-2007, well above the BSP’s required minimum of 10 percent.
This ratio has improved after 2003, when a tool called special purpose vehicle (SPV) encouraged banks to sell off the properties they inherited when owners could not pay off their loans and mortgagesin exchange for financial incentives. Selling these bad assets reduced their risks.
Beefing up the capital base and weighing the risks that banks take are some of the reform measures that the BSP have instituted. The last of the reforms is the creation of a credit reporting bureau.
The Philippines is the last in the ASEAN region without a credit reporting facility. Thailand and Malaysia established theirs soon after the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
Insurance firms: Halfway with reforms
The insurance sector, too, has some catching up to do with its neighbors.
Previous capital levels of insurance firms operating in the country were among the lowest in Asia, resulting in the proliferation of small, unstable insurers, some of them were late in their claims payouts, or were found to actually be non-existent. There had been no specific capitalization requirements for insurers and reinsurers before, since insurance firms needed only to meet the requirements generally applying under the Corporations Code.
Small firms needed only to meet the regulatory minimum of P50 million. Escobillo initially wanted to double it to P100 million, but consultations resulted in a phased implementation.
Thus, in 2006 former insurance commissioner Evangeline Escobillo introduced Department Order 27-06, which set a series of deadlines for life, non-life, and reinsurance companies to comply with a new paid-up capital requirement, or funds infused by the shareholders.
The minimum requirement for paid-up capital, was set at half the networth, with different dates and levels depending on the degree of foreign participation in the company. For example, a Filipino company with a minimum statutory networth of P500M would have to have a minimum capitalization of P250M and would have to achieve this level by Dec 31, 2011.
A company with the same networth and 40 percent or less foreign equity would have the same paid up capital by Dec 31, 2009.
Networth is calculated as the difference between assets and liabilities, and includes accumulated profits from previous years, plus the capital funds.
Escobillo eventually resigned in August 2007 as the industry, especially the small players, continued to lobby for a more accommodative policy.
Less stringent regulator
Unlike the BSP, which had pushed for the stringent capital rules despite complaints from the banks before, the Insurance Commission is more prone to caving in to the sector’s clamor.
Besides the already delayed implementation of the reform agenda, a few months ago the industry players were calling for changes in the implementation deadlines, citing lower yields from their investments because of soaring inflation.
In various media interviews, Insurance Commission officials said they were considering to extend the deadline to three years after, or by 2015.
As of 2006, there are 34 life insurance firms in the Philippines, of which 26 are fully Filipino-owned, five 100 percent  foreign-owned, and the rest, with at least 40 percent foreign equity.
Of the 90 licensed non-life firms, at least 16 have yet to meet the minimum P50 million required paid-up capital.
Pre-need fiasco and OFW shift
When the concerns over the US financial woes flowed among policy holders and investors of insurance firms, one of the financial products that were looked into were the variable policies. Moneyed individuals were concerned that their variable policies could have been invested in Lehman or AIG or other fledging Wall Street firms.
Philamlife and Sunlife executives eventually clarified that these products were not invested in these US firms because they only allowed by the Insurance Commission to invest in local sovereign or corporate bonds, and equities.
Variables are long term savings instrument in which one gets higher yields, than say a bank deposit or placement that has 1 to 3 or 5 percent returns per year. What more, this higher yield is on top of the financial protection if anything happens to the policy holder.
The recent growth of variable products—also referred to as investment-linked products—has been considered by industry insiders as “phenomenal.”
Unlike life insurance, which are generally not attractive because of the connotation that it brings benefits only after one dies, variable policies both provide life protection and help to facilitate wealth accumulation.
Variables helped the insurance firms cope with two things that hit their sector: the pre-need fiasco and the overseas Filipino workers’ (OFW) shift to real estate investments.
The financial troubles of pre-need market leader College Assurance Plan, and another player, Pacific Plans Inc., almost brought the insurance firms to their knees.
The two firms’ failed to fulfill their financial obligations to millions of plan holders who were promised that their educational expenses will be paid at actual levels at the time the scholar named in the plan is in school.
The insurance sector suffered from negative perception since most of the players sold pre-need products, even if these are technically not insurance products.
Moreover, sales to OFWs used to grow between 30 to 40 percent in 2003 and 2004. But because the pre-need fiasco had an impact on them, succeeding growth were reduced to single digits.
Around that time, OFWs shifted to real estate investments.
Guaranteed 8% for GSIS
Another entity that made Filipinos concerned was the Government Service Insurance System, a government-run pension fund for state workers.
It has a P2 billion fund called “Kinabukasan Fund” currently being managed by Philamlife. The association to AIG concerned a few. Philamlife executives’ explained that AIG would not be able to dip into these funds, since each managed fund is a separate legal entity with separate sources of capitalization.
Unlike the banks and the insurance firms mentioned above, GSIS, which has a $1 billion fund called Global Investment Fund (GIF), seems to be in a better position.
Despite criticisms on the brash personality and political leanings of GSIS president and general manager Winston Garcia, how he and his team managed to get a financial package with fund managers is to be lauded.
He inked a deal with ING Investment Management and Credit Agricole Asset Management, two fund managers of its GIF’s $600 million (out of the $1 billion) in February, which guarantees GSIS a minimum return of 8 percent per annum during the three year term they are managing it.
This means that even if the interest rates fluctuates and are at levels not favorable, just like now, GSIS is assured that it will get at least 8 percent compounded by 2011.
GSIS has been allowed to invest abroad through its Global Investment Fund as part of its diversification strategy. Investing in foreign assets also allowed GSIS to increase its average yield so it could extend its actuarial life beyond its current 47 years. The local capital market is too small and illiquid for them.
Sergio M. Andal, Jr., head of GSIS’ investments group, said their GIF is not invested in any of the fledging Wall Street firms.

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Book Release Talk and Party

THE SNAKE DANCE OF ASIAN AMERICAN ACTIVISM: Community, Vision and Power
By Michael Liu, Kim Geron and Tracy Lai
Lexington Books, 2008

Sunday, November 9, 2008 2:00 pm
Avenue 50 Studio
131 N. Avenue 50, Highland Park (Los Angeles)
(Free parking is accessed by the left side of the Gallery)
Speakers: Michael Liu and Kim Geron

Finally, a book about the Asian American community movements of the late twentieth century, written by activist-organizers in those struggles!

A new history of Asian American activism reinterprets the lessons and legacies of the Asian American movement. The book describes the movement's dramatic impact on the direction of Asian American political and social activity beginning in the 1960s, particularly in terms of neighborhood redevelopment, civil rights, international solidarity, and the Jesse Jackson presidential campaigns. The history recounts the development of a vision for structural change and its character as a social movement that has effects and lessons for today.

"Chronicling something as broad and complex as the Asian American movement is a daunting task. In this important book, Michael Liu, Kim Geron, and Tracy Lai take on this challenge and deliver a thorough, insightful, and engaging account. They navigate the twists and turns, successes and failures of the movement while never losing sight of its 'soul,' which inspired and inspires activists past and present." - Paul Y. Watanabe, University of Massachusetts–Boston

"The Snake Dance of Asian American Activism illuminates the historical significance of the social movement for equality and political inclusion of Asian Americans during the late twentieth century. Drawing from extensive primary sources and interviews, the authors show how Asian American identity politics were integrally connected to radical demands for structural change in society. As recounted by participants and eye witnesses, the American movement brought about progressive change in ethnic neighborhoods and on college campuses, creating new forms of contentious politics and participatory democracy, while infusing progressive themes into an awakening Asian American culture and arts movement. More than previously published accounts of this movement, this work shows the movement's deep connections to ordinary working people and their day-to-day concerns. This book will do much to advance needed intergenerational dialogue about how the goals of social justice popularized by the Asian American movement can be effectively pursued in our time." - Carolyn Wong, Carleton College

Michael Liu is a senior research associate and community programs coordinator at the Institute for Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. He is a co-founder and current supporter of the Asian American movement ezine at aamovement.net.

Kim Geron is associate professor at California State University-East Bay. He is Vice-President of the statewide California Faculty Association. Kim formerly was a rank-and-file activist in the Hotel and Restaurant Workers Local 11 in Los Angeles.

Tracy Lai is a tenured historian at the Seattle Central Community College.

Driving Directions: From Los Angeles: take the 110 North; exit on Ave. 52 going left; turn left on Figueroa; right on Ave. 50; and parking is accessible on the left side of the gallery.

For more information: call Mark at (323) 356-6352 or email: mmasaoka@aol.

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This post was written by Mohana Priya.S, a student at the Institute of Petroleum Management, Gandhinagar, and one of the coordinators of Energy Crossroads in India.

When every Indian back home was celebrating the festival of lights, I was flying in the air enjoying the beautiful showers of fire very near in the sky. It was a dream come true for me when I stepped out of the Indian Airlines flight IC555, I couldnt believe I was in my wonderland, . It was a celebration time for me as well, as I would be in just a days time delegating India in the first ever Asian Youth Energy Summit 2008. If I would like to thank someone at the first instance for this opportunity, it would be without any bias, Indian Youth Climate Network.
It was only this July that I was bitten by a bug, the Network Bug. My dream to see India every nook and corner I turn to; to see Indians live a life without any grudges of irregular seasons; to see Indian villages which is still living in darkness, get bright through electricity; to see Indian states end their fights for water.. I joined the team that shared these dreams.. I joined IYCN!!
For more on Priyas experiences and lessons from Asian Youth Energy Summit and how IYCN helped her get to this life-changing event, please do read on.

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The stigma of doing business with corporate raiders appears to be waning. For decades, white-shoe law firms and investment banks declined to do business with shareholder activists, as raiders are now known, because they feared alienating existing clients.
But in 2005 that began to change when Lazard, the 160-year-old investment bank, very publicly assisted the investor Carl C. Icahn in his failed attempt to break up Time Warner. In the same year, Sullivan Cromwell, one of the whitest of the white-shoe law firms, advised Relational Investors, an activist hedge fund, in its vicious proxy fight against the board of Sovereign Bancorp.
These two events, described in detail in a 2005 article by DealBooks Andrew Ross Sorkin, appear to have opened the door, albeit slowly, for white-shoe firms to do increasingly more work for activist investors.

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Bond : First U.S. Review | First Wives: Not the Same Old Song | Hurdles, Curdles
Bond : First U.S. Review
Heres the truth about the latest James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. Its not very good.
Quantum opened on Friday in London and Paris, and there was a reason. MGM and Sony were obviously scared that a highly negative reaction in the U.S. would scare off the rest of the world. So they went with Europe first, hoping for the best. In Paris, at least, Friday was a school holiday, meaning kids were flocking to theaters and malls anyway.
By coincidence, I was in Paris on Friday and went with a herd of 16-year-old boys and one 11-year-old, as well as one mother. It was a cold, rainy afternoon, and I had high hopes for a roller coaster ride full of explosions, inexplicable derrying do, some decent quips and memorable lines, even a smidgen of smarmy sex for James with a couple of babes.
What else do we look forward to in James Bond? Readings from Rilke? No. We want gadgets. And a great theme song. And a spectacular opening sequence.
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The truth then: we got none of the above, except maybe the Rilke and deep frown lines. Marc Forster, one of our favorite directors from Finding Neverland and s Ball has turned James Bond 007 into a meditation on death and trust. Hes made the straight play version of whats supposed to be a musical comedy.
Lets start with the music. There couldnt be a worse, more tuneless song than Alicia Keys and Jack Whites Another Day to Die. From Shirley Bass to Carly Simon, Paul McCartney, even Duran Duran or Sheena Easton, the people behind James Bond theme songs knew enough to match their pop hit to the original John Barry music, provide a bit of drama and suggest romance. Keys and White, brought in at the last minute to replace the ailing Amy Winehouse, just didnt get it.
The song is a bad omen, because it follows the shortest, least interesting opening sequence in Bond history. Suffice to say, when it blends into the first notes of the Keys-White song, your first thought will be, Thats it? Yes, thats it.
The solace James is seeking in quantum, I guess, is all about losing Vesper, the girlfriend from Casino Royale. All well and good, but James Bond doesnt mourn on screen. Paul Haggis and the writers should have known, Bond got over it since we saw him last. The audience did, believe me. Instead were left with this problem. Few viewers will recall Eva Greens Vesper. They wont much go for the new Bond girls, neither of whom has name marquee value. How about as one of the girls Heidi Klum? Eva Mendes? Audrey Tatou? Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton are fine, but taken together they arent special. Theyre certainly no Halle Berry.
The secondary cast works well, especially Judi Dench as M, although theres lots less of her. Theres no Q, and no one to introduce James to new gadgets (this in the time of new gadgets in the real world every hour and blogs galore devoted to them!). Mathieu Amalric is just great and looks right at Mr. Green, the new villain, but as in the whole of the film theres not a lot of sly dialogue. The Daniel Craig version of Bond isnt very articulate or quick verbally, hence neither are his opponents. All the parrying is gone.
Quantum of Solace had a huge opening in Britain on Friday $8 million. Well see how it does between now and opening day in America on November 14th. Something tells me once the excitement wears down, the new James Bond is not going to be one of those that anyone wants to see over and over again. In the meantime, I found myself more shaken than stirred by this latest installment.
First Wives: Not the Same Old Song
Holland-Dozier-Holland are back. Do you know who they are? You do, kids. They wrote like half the hits in the Motown catalog including just about everything by the Four Tops.
They wrote s the same old song, but with different words since youve been gone.
But this is aint the same old song. The two Holland brothers (Eddie and Brian) and their partner Lamont Dozier have returned to write the songs for the Broadway musical version of The First Wives Club. That was the hit movie with Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, and Bette Midler.
In the musical, Saturday Night Lives underrated star of the 90s Ana Gasteyer, will take the lead role. Theres also a strong possibility that Vanessa Williams will join the cast too despite her arduous schedule in TVs Ugly Betty.
But I digress. The musical is tied to the Web site www.firstwivesworld.com, which is gaining fans and investors. One of these is said to be the savvy producer- actress whos also the wife of a two time Oscar winning actor.
Meantime, Holland-Dozier-Holland are resurrecting their HDH record label with a new star, Felisa Marasol. Will she be a star? Well, let me put it this way: back in 1969, H-D-H left Motown because they felt underpaid and unappreciated by Berry Gordy (theyre all friends now, but this was back in the day). They started HDH and Invictus Records, and immediately had a dozen hits with Freda Payne (Band of Gold) and the Honey Cone (Want Ads).
In other words: these guys know what theyre doing.
Hurdles, Curdles
Theres an ongoing sort of inside-baseball dispute going on between The Hollywood Reporter and Focus Features regarding the Sean Penn film, Heres the quick recap: Steven Zeitchek of THR says Focus has been hiding Milk because theyre afraid of backlash a la Brokeback Mountain. That film was tipped early to win the Oscar, it made a lot of money, and then lost to in the 59th minute.
Ive heard Milk is excellent, but who would know? Its only been screened in San Francisco, to gay groups. Screenings here have been limited to long lead press who cant influence what happens to it. Ive said for a long time that Focus Features marketing and publicity is a strange gang that needs to be replaced. They live on paranoia and threats. They dont like the press. Somehow they killed the Kasi Lemmons movie Talk to Me before it was even launched. Theyve done it to others.
Zeitchek may be right or he may just be frustrated in dealing with Focus. This is the same company that killed off about 50 million in Burn After Reading ticket sales by opening the first Coen Brothers film after the Oscar winning No Country for Old Men in Italy! With bad subtitles. Instead of New York, where the Coens are hometown heroes. Only Focus marketing could screw up a release with Clooney, Pitt, and McDormand. Go figure.
PS- They did the same thing with a good Colin Farrell caper movie, In Bruges. First of all, they actually called it In Bruges. No one in America has any idea what that means. If they had just named the Belgium based comedy Brussels Sprouts, people would have gone to it. And Hamlet 2? How did a hilarious Sundance hit become box office poison? Theres a trend here.

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Decorating with interior design is a straightforward process that gives a room personality, life and color. Although a well-decorated room can be pleasing to the eyes, it could still lack a few elements that will give the room it unique style. Decorating with basic interior design elements could organize a cluttered room, liven up a dull room and give personality to your own room.
Decorating with interior design follows three principles. First, a successfully designed room should be functional. It should also be able to express a mood and all decors should come together harmoniously. These three principles are the secret to a successful room decorating with interior design.

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Census Bureau, as of 2007, the official poverty rate is around 12.5%, which translates into about 37.3 million people living below the official poverty line.
However, many scholars and critics argue that the official rate underestimates the true extent of poverty in the country. In simple terms, the governments official poverty line is based on their estimate of what it would cost to provide an individual or a family with a minimally nutritional diet (MND), multiplied by three (with the assumption that families spend about 1/3 of their income on food).
But critics argue that an MND was intended only for emergency situations, not long-term use and that an adequately nutritional diet would cost more (much more these days as the cost of groceries continues to rise). Further, most low-income families spend less than 1/3 of their income on food more like 1/5.
Instead, in todays economic climate, most low-income families need to divert more of their income to other expenses that have risen significantly in recent years, such as fuel/gas, housing, child care, health care, and education, to name just a few.
Therefore, if these considerations were put into effect to create a new poverty line, it would likely show that the real poverty rate would increase from the amount of 12.7% to something closer to 20% (and instead of 37.3 million Americans living in poverty, there would really be about 61 million).
So who are the poor these days? The traditional image that most Americans generally have of someone in poverty is the down-and-out homeless person, sleeping in back alleys and under freeway bridges. But the reality is very different. As scholars will tell you, increasingly, people who live in or very close to poverty generally look like average Americans you and me.
In fact, sociologists are increasingly focusing on The New Poor people who have been displaced from blue collar jobs and who don’t have the skills/qualifications necessary for well-paying jobs. In todays postindustrial economy, there aren’t a lot of jobs in the middle levels anymore; the jobs being created are increasingly located either at the bottom or the top (this what sociologists call the segmented labor market).
You need lots of education and skills for the ones at the top and the ones at the bottom simply don’t pay enough, are not stable enough, or offer any meaningful benefits to allow workers to achieve social mobility. This situation makes the New Poor different from the Old Poor the opportunities to escape poverty are becoming increasing scarce.
Further, many of the new poor are also the Working Poor: even having a full-time job is not a guarantee from living in poverty. For example lets use one scenario: a single parent with two kids who works 40 hours/week, for 50 weeks/year, at $7.60/hour (remember that federal minimum wage is $6.55) would still live below the poverty line.
In fact, studies show that one-seventh of all poor people work full-time for the entire year. Some estimates point out that there are about 15 million Americans who work regularly but who still below or near the poverty line. Once again, the reason why poor people who work cannot seem to escape poverty is because they generally work at low-paying dead end jobs at the bottom of the labor market.
The working poor are at a further disadvantage because since they work, they are not eligible for public assistance such as subsidized housing, medical care, and food stamps they are penalized for trying to be productive citizens. In fact, in contrast to the stereotype of the welfare queen, only about 1/4 of all poor families receive any form of public assistance (payments or non-cash such as food stamps, free or reduced lunches, public housing, or Medicaid). In other words, the vast majority of poor people receive absolutely zero public assistance at all.
In further contrast to perceptions of the poor, recent Census reports also note that for first time in U.S. history, most people in poverty live in suburbs, not central cities. Also, in terms of age, the group with the highest poverty rates are children (17.6% of all poor are children, or about 13 million) and among all poor people, 36% are children. Children are also the group most likely to be severely poor living in families that are below half the poverty line.
What all of this means is that poverty is much more complex than what we normally see portrayed in movies, television, and other popular media. And increasingly, poverty is an issue that affects not just low-income Americans, but average middle-class Americans as well.

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Samuel Lin, MD, PhD, MBA, MPA, MS
Rear Admiral and Assistant Surgeon General (Retired), USPHS
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Retired), USDHHS

As a longtime Asian American Republican, it is after careful deliberation that I have made my decision to support Senator Barack Obama for President.

It was not easy to separate from my party's nominee for president. Nor is it an easy decision for me, as I have had the great honor of serving in appointed senior positions under two Republican presidents: Assistant Surgeon General and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. But I have concluded that it is necessary for me to openly state my support for the Presidential candidate of the opposing party.

I have become very dissatisfied and distrustful of our reigning national Republican leadership these past eight years because of its continued missteps. Having retired from Federal service after twenty years, I have some idea of what makes a good leader of the Federal Executive Branch. And for a time, beginning at the age of 36, I was the most senior-ranked Asian Pacific American career official in the Executive Branch. But today, my hope for a better America cannot be predicated simply on blind party loyalty to support either a status quo or a very bad parody.

Over the past eight years, very experienced senior persons in this administration have allowed us to fall into an economic morass, partly due to the home mortgage debacle and partly due to the incredulous expenditures for a mistaken war in Iraq. This war, as we finally learned, was declared for causes misled, misdirected and misguided by my Republican leadership who misread Iraq's people and politics and who now have misshackled America with an unnecessary legacy of nearly 5000 lost lives of her next greatest generation. And let's not forget the thousands of young Americans who will now live permanently disabled because of these needless battlefields. So, missteps and mistakes have lead me to conclude, "Enough, I want real change."

I want a president who is truly committed to the good of this country. And that is one who shows this commitment through the selection of his best qualified successor in the event of his demise or incapacitation. I cannot believe one has the welfare of the country in mind by selecting anyone less than this highest standard. Of the two potential successor nominees, "best qualified" goes hands down to Senator Joe Biden.

I want a president who seeks my vote by telling how he will equitably approach and creatively solve domestic and international problems and how America will regain her esteem in the world. On the other hand, I abhor a candidate who tries to gain my vote by constantly bashing the other candidate and perhaps even unconsciously plies subliminal denigrations of race or persona. Senator Obama is the epitome of the smart thinker and the diplomatic gentleman.

I want someone who looks presidential, acts presidential, thinks presidentially, speaks presidentially and leads presidentially. The rest of THE job will follow through because of this kind of a person and the quality of the people he draws upon as his counsel. Senator Obama again wins all around here.

I want a president who believes primary healthcare is a fundamental right for all persons and seeks to meet the healthcare needs of all Americans, including the 47 million uninsured persons. I want a president who believes those with pre-existing health conditions should be treated equitably in their health coverage and not penalized for their God-given challenges. I want a president who understands that employees are the lifeblood of small businesses and will ensure their health-based tax benefits, including catastrophic coverage.

I want a president who is committed to public and preventive health services, to improving access and quality care and to promoting electronic medical records and electronic prescribing as means to saving lives early, to reducing healthcare costs, to reducing medical errors and to raising the quality of life and well-being for all Americans. I want a president who believes that comprehensive family planning programs reduce unwanted pregnancies and controversial sequelae. Senator Obama believes these matters are at the heart of advancing healthcare for all and has committed to transforming these ideas into realities for all Americans.

Lastly, I want a president whose accomplishments and the respect of colleagues are premised upon a consistency of person and temper, a consideration of community totality, a cooperative reflex to negotiate first, a compromise in procedure but not principle and, always, a clarity of mind, vision and speech. Senator Obama has all these attributes.

I say, give America a President who unequivocally emulates these qualities and this country will come together and will work together with him. I challenge you – Republican, Democrat or Independent - to quietly search your heart and see to whom you would entrust the lifeblood of this country. I have searched my heart and find it more trusting of Senator Barack Obama.

God Bless America.

Samuel Lin
Washington, D.C.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Asian/American/Modern Art: Shifting Currents, 19001970, on view October 25, 2008, to January 18, 2009, at the de Young Museum is the first comprehensive survey of Asian American modernism. This exhibition of works by artists of Asian ancestry who lived and worked in the United States seeks to showcase some of the most important individuals contributing to the canon of Asian American art and advance awareness of this under-represented group in American art history. Their art reflects the currents of identity and style that shift between aesthetics of diverse international geographies. Exhibition curator Mark Johnson says, This body of work is rich in variety and demonstrates the wealth of Asian American art using masterpieces spanning 70 years as examples.

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3. NIGERIA: Oil service vessel boarded, hostages taken on 04 Oct 08 between Port Harcourt and Bonny, Niger Delta. A speedboat carrying 12 gunmen attacked the vessel and took six Filipino hostages, including the boats captain and two engineers. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Criminal gangs in the delta, a vast network of mangroves opening into the Gulf of Guinea, have taken advantage of the breakdown in law and order. Kidnapping for ransom of businessmen, local politicians and foreign workers is common. (REUTERS).
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4. NIGERIA: Refrigerated cargo ship boarded on 02 Oct 08 at 1215 UTC while the ship was drifting 20nm south of Bonny signal station. About ten pirates armed with submachine guns and hand grenades boarded the vessel. The ship contacted authorities and enforced preventive measures. Pirates escaped in their speedboat. There were no injuries to the crew and nothing was stolen (IMB).

7. NIGERIA: Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) and Niger Delta Volunteer Force
(NDVF) claim Shell/Agip facility attack 17 Sep 08 at 0930 local time/0830 UTC, Rumuekpe, Rivers State. According to a MEND spokesman, a major trunk crude oil pipeline, believed to belong to both Italian oil giant Agip and Shell has been blown up. The MEND said in an e-mail that it had destroyed the pipeline. If confirmed, it would be the group's second attack in a 24- hour period (AFP, LM: Monsters and Critics).
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8. NIGERIA: MEND and NDVF claim Shell facility attack 16 Sep 08 at 2200 local
time/2100 UTC Orubiri flow station. The groups claim they attacked and destroyed the Orubiri flow station. The MEND also stated that it killed all soldiers on guard at the station and stole their weapons. The Army, however, denied the claims stating that none of the ten naval personnel or guards were killed or sustained any injuries. The MEND reportedly arrived in eight speedboats, detonated dynamite, bombs and lobbed hand grenades at the facility, Military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said. Shell spokesman in the region, Precious Okolobo, also confirmed the attack and said that damage had been suffered to another company
pipeline at Rumueke Shell made no immediate comment. MEND renewed a warning to soldiers and oil workers to abandon all oil installations, including deep offshore (AFP, AP).
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9. NIGERIA: MEND attack two oil installations 15 Sep 08 Bakan, Rivers State. The
MEND claimed responsibility for sabotaging a pipeline operated by Shells Nigeria unit and Chevron operated oilfield. However, a military spokesman dismissed MEND's claims, saying there were no security breaches (AFP).

12. NIGERIA: Tug (LAMNALCO FULMAR) hijacked, sailor killed 7 Sep 08 in the early
hours Sabriero River off Bonny in southern Rivers state. Nigerian militants killed one sailor and kidnapped another when they hijacked a vessel belonging to the Nigerian Unit of Italian oil company Agip. The vessel was unescorted at the time and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack (AFP, Vanguard).
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13. NIGERIA: Tug (HD BLUE OCEAN) hijacked 9 Sep 08 at 1430 local time at the
entrance of Sabriero River, Delta. Unidentified gunmen hijacked the vessel with five foreign workers and eight Nigerians. Nigerian military officials were not immediately able to confirm the attack and the nationalities of the foreigners on board were unknown. Unconfirmed reports state that include a Croatian, Malaysian and Filipinos (REUTERS, AFP, LL).

1. SOUTH CHINA SEA: Chemical tanker (SUN GERANIUM) boarded and robbed on 02
Oct 08 at 0220 local time while underway in position 03:11.84N-105:22.40E, 70 nm north-east of Pulau Tioman, Malaysia. Eight pirates armed with long knives and pipes boarded the tanker from a speed boat, entered the bridge and tied up the duty AB and the second officer. The pirates brought the duty AB and the second officer to the masters cabin. They also tied up the master and took his money. The master and second officer were then brought to the poop deck of the ship. The pirates escaped in their speedboat. No injuries were sustained by the crew. ReCAAP COMMENT: Although there is no conclusive evidence as yet, it appears that the same group of
pirates was probably involved in the two incidents that occurred in the South China Sea on 30 September 2008 and 2 October 2008. The ReCAAP ISC notes that these were the fifth and sixth incidents that have occurred in the South China Sea area since January 2008. Ship masters are advised to maintain vigilance with all around look-out as per established norms, and take security precautions when operating in the area especially during hours of darkness. They are encouraged to monitor all maritime safety information broadcasts for the area. The ReCAAP ISC encourages ship owners and ship masters to report all incidents of piracy and armed robbery
to the nearest coastal states immediately (ReCAAP: http://www.recaap.org ).
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2. SOUTH CHINA SEA: Bulk carrier (JKM MUHIEDDINE) boarded and robbed on 30
Sep 08 at 0350 local time while underway in position 02:48.00N-105:09.2E, 64nm east of Pulau Tioman, Maylasia. At least seven pirates armed with long knives boarded the vessel from the aft. Pirates tied up the ships master and another crew member with ropes, and stole their money and personal belongings including camera, mobile phones, shoes and clothes. The pirates also went to the chief engineers cabin and stole his money. The pirates then tied up the ship captain in the aft bollard and left the ship at about 0410 hrs. No injuries were sustained by the crew (ReCAAP: http://www.recaap.org ).

1. YELLOW SEA: South Korean Coast Guard officer killed on a Chinese fishing boat on 25 Sep 08, southwest of Jeolla Province. Chinese fishermen are accused of attacking the coast guard officer as he tried to board the Chinese vessel. They hit him with a shovel and wooden stick and threw him into the sea, where he drowned. The fishermen also used shovels and steel pipes to fight 17 other officers, injuring six of them. Korean Coast Guard officials said yesterday that they have arrested 11 Chinese fishermen allegedly involved in the murder. According to the Coast Guard, a patrol ship found the 17-ton Chinese fishing boat and ordered the crew to turn off
the engine. Several officers boarded the fishing boat for an inspection. The vessel was seized 62 miles northwest of the incident. The deceased coast guardsman was found six kilometers south of the scene, several hours after he was thrown overboard. Coast Guard officials said that the unlicensed Chinese fishermen illegally entered Korea's exclusive economic zone. Unlicensed Chinese fishermen fiercely resist arrest because illegal boat owners operating without permission
face fines up to tens of millions of won. The Coast Guard and Korean fishermen say they are always in danger when they face Chinese boats in Korean waters, usually at night.

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beverage made from tea, sugar and the culture colony called a SCOBY. SCOBY stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts. Kefir grains are actually SCOBYs too although not referred to as such. Although both the fermented tea as well as the solid colony comprises the SCOBY, when I refer to SCOBY in this article, I will be talking about the solid colony used to initiate the fermentation.
Unlike kefir, discussed in the previous article, KT is primarily an acetic acid, not lactic acid ferment although it often contains some lactic acid. There is one commercial brand that is a lactic acid ferment, but unless your SCOBY is derived from this ferment, you will most likely have an acetic acid (vinegar) ferment. The first recorded use of Kombucha Tea was in 221 BC during the Tsin Dynasty in China. It was known as the Tea of Immortality. Russias use of a beverage referred to as Tea Kvass made from a Japanese Mushroom dates back to the 4th century. From Russia it spread to Prussia, Poland, Denmark and Germany, but use in Europe died out during World War 2. Dr. Rudolph Skelnar revived its popularity when he used it in his clinical practice to treat things as varied as cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and metabolic disorder.
Kombucha is claimed to be . This is a term used by herbalists to describe herbs and other natural substances which increase the bodys resistance to all types of stressors such as physical, emotional and environmental. What sets these substances apart is their ability to balance hormones, the immune system and help the body maintain homeostasis. In other words, it is believed that Kombucha tea will work differently in every individual who consumes it. Because of this, KT is claimed to cure everything from arthritis to cancer. Although I do believe it is an extremely healthful beverage, I dont believe KT in and of itself is a . KT is extremely helpful to cancer patients because it does support and enhance the immune system. Kombucha is said to be helpful in controlling blood sugar in diabetics, easing pain in those with rheumatoid arthritis, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, clearing skin conditions. The list is endless.
It is also said to help a person lose weight if drunk before meals and gain weight if drunk during meals. There is one caveat if you want to lose weight or are diabetic. KT that has been traditionally fermented about 8 days still has a fair amount of sugar. If you continue fermenting up to 3 weeks, nearly all the sugar will be gone, but the organic acids remain.
Along with drinking the tea, there are a huge variety of external uses, from a hair rinse to a general household cleaner when fermented to vinegar. You can dehydrate the SCOBYs and give them to your dogs as chew toys. It does smell like old wet shoe leather or a locker room when drying though. You can puree the extra SCOBYs in your blender and mix it into the soil of acid loving plants. I have a container vegetable garden. The farmers around here told me you could not grow celery. Since Id already bought the seeds, I read up on it and the missing link appeared to be acidic soil. I ground up SCOBYs and fed them to my celery about every 2 months. This past weekend I harvested a lot of bright green delicious celery.
Making Kombucha is quite simple. You place tea (must contain at least some real tea, Camellia Sinensis), sugar and a SCOBY in a suitably sized container, cover with a cloth and let it go for at least 7 days. By 7 days, most of the beneficial acids are present. All the different elements are produced at varying times. Many recommend doing a continuous ferment which is a large container of KT that you add tea and sugar to as needed. Doing a continuous ferment assures you get the greatest variety of beneficial products. The resulting beverage is a cross between a sparkling apple cider and champagne. The longer you let it ferment, the more sour it becomes, eventually becoming Kombucha vinegar. Kombucha produces a multitude of organic acids as well as amino acids, enzymes and some B vitamins and vitamin C. These acids and enzymes are what make Kombucha such a healing beverage. The most common beneficial compounds found in KT are listed below along with their action in the body. Of course, you also get all the benefits of the probiotic microorganisms themselves. The Kombucha culture is a biochemical powerhouse.

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Beautiful asian chick is so excited now that she can’t wait any longer to spread her legs wide open so that to get fucked like there’s no tomorrow. You just can’t help admiring this sinful Asian girl in stockings, because she’s really beautiful, sexy and horny. Well, beauty starts to moan as soon as horny fellow shoves his cock deep into lady’s vagina and starts fucking her in heat. After getting fucked doggystyle from behind, pretty asian chick lies on her side and gets poked in this position too. Don’t try to resist the temptation of watching these extremely hot porn xxx videos featuring passionate asian female reveal her love for incredibly hot asian sex.

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A few months ago, at the beginning of summer, I moved into a new house, and with the help of my wonderful roommates, we made a vegetable garden. This little plot of land, separated from the lawn by a frame of free wood from our landlords' scrap pile, was responsible for many a quixotic thought of the supposed summer bounty. I had imagined baskets overflowing with squash and more tomatoes than I would know what to do with. I wanted to be forced to finally tackle preserving. We had thought, at the very least, we would not have to shop at the store as much, that we could rely on the Oregon land to fill our bellies as well as our souls.

While this might still be the case in the future, as the tomato plants are heavy with green specimens and the squash is still covered in blossoms, here it is - late August - and we've had a rather meager harvest. Two or three perfect little red tomatoes, a rather ugly but delicious cucumber, a skosh of broccoli, one yellow squash, and a Japanese eggplant. While the precious few fruits of our labor have been met with a good deal of celebration, I'm not sure what to expect from my gorgeous plants. I'm not really complaining, or giving up on the garden by any means, but it makes me wonder about a few things. The Pacific Northwest had such a late winter, and through my work I know that farmers throughout Washington and Oregon have had disappointingly low yields. Is this an anomaly? I hope so - because I know so many farmers who could not survive another year like this, and I plan on farming in the area in the future - but part of me wonders if this is a glimpse of a scary future. Perhaps global climate change has altered my regional agricultural utopia, and my garden is just a small sign of a changing world.

Or maybe I'm just not a great gardener. Either way, I've had to take solace in the bounty of others - the Farmers' Market was as wonderful as ever yesterday - and in the other pleasures I get from the 5 by 7 rectangle of soil and roots. Watering the garden after just waking up in the morning, with the early sun casting full rainbows through the spray, has been a wonderful part of my summer. And as one of my closest friends Terra famously exclaims, the garden shows us that we live on the earth. An earth that is capable of providing us food. To eat. Perhaps I will just have to learn more, experiment more, and feel a lesser harvest in order to reap greater ones in the future. Regardless, my garden has played a large part in my SOLE Food Summer, spiritually, if not astoundingly culinary.

Given the lackluster bounty of this year's garden, I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that the first tomato was met with a celebration. Upon appraising the red beauty's state of ripeness and declaring that it was ready to be picked, I called Terra and asked if she'd come over after work and give thanks to the garden. Later that day, we sat on the patio with a plate of our sliced tomato, the first cucumbers (one from mine and one from Terra's garden), and some local corn, with a touch of fleur de sel. As the sun set, we shared our days and our plans for the rest of summer, savoring every bite. I can only hope our evening together will be repeated in the weeks to come, that both the garden and I will be able to soak up the last weeks of summer, and that the rest of the green tomatoes find their blush.

Eat well.

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Im kind of picky about lettuce.  I know - of all things, right?  There are so many different kinds beyond the benign iceburg and romaine.  That being said, I really like lettuce - in a salad, I think it provides more a satisfying crunch than greens such as arugula.  These days, I usually prefer green leaf lettuce for a basic salad.  I never noticed that my grocery store actually carries butter lettuce until a couple of weeks ago.  Its tucked away on the very top shelf, above everything else, and there isnt much of it stocked, so it must not be very popular.  I admit to being a bit over-excited about my find (after all, its just lettuce).  I bought a head and used it in a salad and for some impromptu lettuce wraps involving some leftover pulled pork and coleslaw.  Those lettuce wraps were so good - and really, is there a better lettuce for a wrap than butter lettuce?  The leaves are naturally shaped like cups, and seem to be meant for being filled with tasty things.

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