Feathers268

Happy Birthday America! Hope everyone has a good time and be carefull with

Today, Jen went with me to the polls and voted for the first time! She wasn't all that exited because it meant getting up early to go with me. Being the political animal I am, I won't get into the ins and outs of California politics, but COME ON PROP 19! Daddy wants to smoke a JOINT!

Thanks everyone. We are still working on the "California Girl" part Carl. Jen still hasn't learnd to embrace the Sun so she aint gettin so tan.

Well, there I sat, another waiting room, alone and wondering how Jen is doing. I thought it interesting that it was one week shy of the 5th anniversary of Jen's interview in Guangzhou. But this was different. I didn't have to fly 6000 miles to get there, it was just 10 minutes by car. And this time I get to go into the building. Jen has gone in just 5 minutes now so she should be anothe 20. What? the door opened! My heart races but then, it's only some guy leaving. That was close. I remember Jen coming out of the embassy only % minutes in and me almost panicing. Then, she took in her purse only to have them make come give it to me. Great! Now I get to stand in the rain with a purse. But then, the end result that day was a pink slip and a visa, but then, back to today. So the time ticks off and almost like clock work, out she comes. 5 years ago I could see right away that the interview met with success, but I can't seem to read her today. She says that we have to sit and wait 10 minutes and someone will come give us a paper. I asked, for what? She said, "for where to go, I finished the test." SHE PASSED! So, just like that, it was over. Just like clockwork, a man came out 30 minutes later and gave us a paper inviting Jen to the Memorial Auditorim next Thursday June 17, 2010, 1 year and 1 day since the Guangzhou interview, to take the oath of citizenship and my Chinese bride, will be my American Girl.

Hey, Is there examples of the written portion of the USC test. Or if you have been recently, any examples of the interview would be helpful. It would help with Jen's studies. THNX B)

Jen has this same fixation. All or our problems will be answered by moving to NY. I've recently made some headway by showing her the cold and snow on the eastern coast vs. our sunny weather and 74^ temps here in CA. To her, American Chinese food still sucks, but she is learning to like some American places. Sizzler now tops her list.

This is the only thing that has saved California from completely falling to from actions of an out of control liberal government. If we didn't have that we would have been taxed to the point that the state economy would fail. We are dealing with a legislature whose members are from pre-drawn districts so no worries of losing an election, and labor unions (SEIU) using dues, collected under force of law, to hold Sacramento under their thumb. If we didn't have these checks in place, California would have 3 times the taxes right now, and would be spending 5 times as much. This was thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown (Gov Moon Beam) in the 70's and started the 35 year decline we are in now. And now he wants to be Governor again?

Seems odd to me that people are so willing to jump on the band wagon about Americans shooting more Americans blaming our culture and freedom to bear arms, but, will run the other way and bury their head in the sand at an obvious terror attack. This prick was in contact with a radical leader and blurted out the same thing as the terrorists did just before slaming the planes into the trade center. Whether he was alone or part of a conspiracy does not matter. His action was one of terror, nothing less, and should be looked at as an act of war. If you are anyting first and American second, you don't belong in the US military.

We have this many people around here? COOL! B)

This is the best quote here. (not to steal the debate away from a tangent and put it back on topic) Government policies helped create the cycle of poverty and distruction of the home family. Politicians love welfare. They can hold it over their constituants for vote, but will not work on solving the problem.

Daylight Saving time is when we move the clocks forward in the Summer months for longer daylight into the evening. Saturday night, we move the clocks back to standard time. So here in Sac, we are currently on PDT, Pacific Daylight Time, and will move back to Pacific Standard Time.

You can make it work, but as an electronics tech, in my opinion, it is not worth the trouble and possible fire danger. You said it heats up quickly? That means it must draw a hell of a current. Even with an adaptor, you can stress your entire house circuit causing it to get hot inside of your walls. You've got time, see what you can find here in the states. Asian food markets often have Asian hot plates that are configured for US power requirements. See what you can find. Electrical wiring is responsible for far too many fires every year. If you don't know about it, DO NOT WIRE ANYTHING YOURSELF. Poor wiring can also turn your appliance into a shock hazard, in a kitchen environment, that can be deadly.

Racism is a human problem and you can't ignore the 600 pound gorilla in the room. You say it is up to the minorities to decide, but how do you define a minority. In California, if you combined the minorties into one group, whites would be the minority. Soon, the hispanic population will out number the white population in California so what then? Or if you look at certain cities, you will see different ethnic populations. So what then? You also have to be carefull of looking at raw percentages reported. Does it account what number of each group had graduated with that certain degree? If only 2% of black people even enter that course of study, they could have a 100% hire rate but not show highly compared to the shear number of other groups who have taken that course of study. You could look at the NBA or NFL. What is the ethnic make up of most teams? It is skewed the way it is due to the talent coming into the league. If you look at hockey, or baseball, again, the etnic make up is diferent. I think it is more due to what sports kids are playing and reaching the level needed to play professionally. Sure, there can be cases of racism in the work place, but not always. Segregation is absolutely the wrong answer. Our diversity is one of our strengths in America. The reason most of us adapted to China so well is because of the consiousness raised from being able to experience facets of each culture right here n the US. Much of the food you eat that has come from California, is thanks to the efforts of Chinese immigrants taming the Delta, experience they got from southern China. So, why did I "bother" to start this thread? Because problems only remain that as long as people choose to ignor them. In many cases, the status quo is NOT aceptable. It is the American way to speak up and be counted. In my opinion, if you are not willing to stand up for what you believe and be heard, you have no business being American. We want citizens, not subjects. The second I started this topic, I PMed Charles, because I knew he could bring a different point of view from mine here in CA. I knew I might not agree with everything he said, nor he would with me, but that does not change my respect for him or anyone else here. I knew this topic would not be easy, but the best things in life are not easy. It takes work but the end result it worth the effort. THAT is the American way.

I remember that all the wa to the point when Enterprise made it to their home world to find that everyone had been killed by their hatred. I recently saw an episode of Star Trek Enterprise where a religious group found anyone not following their belief as heritics. End result was the same.

Charles, you are soooo correct in saying how perspective will shape your attitudes and outlook on life. As a young kid in school, I was never the popular kid but I did find myself moving torward a croud that DID seem to be more of a racist mentality. More from the words they used than actions. I found myself hearing and repeating things that I did not understand, but today am horrified by the fact that this was from 3rd and 4th graders. Looking back now, I'm sure almost none of then knew what it was they were saying or how harmful it was. Today, I have grown to love the United States and am proud to be one of her citizens. That is why I had asked Don about starting this forum. I'm not goint to take credit for it as he had said others were asking too so maybe my vote helped. I wanted to help our Chinese counterparts understand something about the US and what it means to be American. Hearing the truths you speak of, is hard for me because, noone likes to hear bad things spoken about their family. That being said, as great as I feel about America, it doesn't change the fact that we do have problems here and on going racism is one of them. Thanks KJJ for your words about this post. You'll find that I usually try to do one of two things when I start a new thread. I either want to make the reader think and enter a discussion that can make us all learn a little about ourselves. Other posts, I just want to put a smile on your face. Thanks to everyone here for keeping this a thoughtful and polite conversation so far. I debated over a couple of days about posting thing because I figured it would have been locked or deleted when people started attacking each other. I don't know how to end racism in the US or abroad, but if more people could have an honest dialog about it, I think we could find an understanding and move past it.

It's interesting looking at the four names listed here, I think of another term, prejudice. It is very easy to make assumtions about certain people bases on "common" beliefs often propigated by people who really haven't had first hand experience of a situation and gladly continue a stereotype. Jackson and Sharpton, I don't see as racist, but rather opportunist. When something happens that throws race into a national spotlight, they show up getting themselves on TV pulling out the race card to help make thier name and identity. With Limbaugh and Beck, you get the same thing. I've stopped listening to a lot of that radio because I think that the conservative radio croud has started reaching a bit and sounding to me a loopy as the left did against Bush. Puting that aside, I've seen where the mainstream had gone out of their way to demonise Limbaugh taking him out of context and running him out with a smile just because of who he is. Example, a few years ago, Rush was on ESPN talking football before game time on Sunday mornings. The conversation was about Donovan McNabb and why the Eagles offence wasn't living up to expectations. Limbaugh's comment was that he thought the MEDIA was so wanting a black QB to do good, that they were padding the actual tallent that the Eagles QB had and maybe he wasn't as good as they say. End result, Limbaugh is out because he is an obvious racist. What is not said, Michael Irvine said,"He's probably right" to Rush's comment. Far too often, I think the media will play this sort of thing up, because conflict spawns ratings and if you can fit the template of who should be racist, all the better. I can give you another example. Just recently, Kanye West interupts Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for an award for her video saying that Beyonce's video was the best of all time. Now everyone, including the President called it a "jack ass" move, but, what if the roles were reversed. What if it was Beyonce being interupted by, say, Clint Black saying that Taylor Swift's video better. Would Clint Black just be a jack ass, or would he be racist?

That is one of the reasons I posted this. Living in California, I'd like to think it is not as much of a problem, but it still exists. Of course, the ethnic groups change as to who is being discriminated against. I remember being sensitive about it being one of only two Anglo people working on a shift that was split between Hispanic and Asian. I would have otherwise good friends think me racist because I would support a measure up fpr vote limiting access to government programs to illegal immigrants. It always bothered me that they could take that position, ignoring a major part of what I was saying. It also bothers me when a minority gets into public office only to have the media keep asking what this means to their people. Maybe I am foolish, but I don't like thinking about Africa-American, Chinese-American, Mexican-America, etc... I like to think of us all as simply Americans. As for the questions about "what it means for your people", I am more interested in what it means for all of us as American citizens. Same thing with the President, I agree or disagree on policy. Skin color or background is not important. With the current President, I didn't vote for him, and I don't agree with much of the policies he is trying to push though, but as a person I like when he talks, and the more I hear from him, I admire him as a man and his candor. Would I vote for him next time out? I don't know, it will depend on what happens by the next election.

Full speech text from the Lincoln Monument, 1963 Martin Luther King I realize this is playing with fire, and again I understand that such a topic can descend into a shouting match, but I¡¯d hope that here we could discuss this in a civil matter. In a different post, Charles and I started this debate and though we disagreed on many parts, we kept our conversations civil and with respect. In talking about this, I would never look at him or anyone else here less than anything but as my brothers and sisters all part of a common cause. That being said, this lies as an undercurrent within American society as it does in many lands around the world. And of course, I think it¡¯s easier to ask for forgiveness later than ask for permission now. The above quote is from a speech given by Martin Luther King at the foot of the Lincoln Monument in Washington D.C. in 1963. I pulled the more famous part of the speech however I recommend reading the whole speech to understand the context of which it was given. It was a time when vast parts of America was forced to realize that the deeds and the sacrifice of so many from the Civil War might have freed the slaves, but we had still very far to go. He spoke of his dream that we could live together without the bigotry and prejudice that still gripped our nation. In many places, black Americans could not eat at the same restaurants as white Americans, they could not attend the same schools, in far too many ways, Americans whose only crime was a different skin color were still held at a social level not much improved 100 years after the war to supposedly free them. It wasn¡¯t just African Americans that felt such bias. In California, Chinese immigrants were subject to harsh rules in trying to become Americans. Although there were greatly responsible for the building of the transcontinental railroad though the Sierra Nevada and the levee system turning the California Delta from swamp land to some of the most fertile land on the planet, they were not able to own their own business and as in many places, their children were not allowed to go to school with white children. And what would have affected us all here, marriage with someone outside your race was not just socially acceptable, but in most cases, illegal. So, the question is, how far have we come in the past 45 years? Some would say we have gone far, others not much at all. You could say that the election of President Obama shows our progress, but to me, it is only a small step. The fact that he is looked at as the ¡°first black President¡± is not finding the ¡°promised land¡± in that his race must be stated rather than just saying he is the 44th President of the United States. We have had minorities holding lofty positions in our government from both parties but often politics tarnishes their achievements. Recently, racism has been blamed as a root cause for demonstrations against Presidential Policies. In my opinion, they are using a few examples of racism to paint an entire movement to discredit it giving those in the government an excuse to ignore the concerns of these people saying that their point of view as extreme. Today, I feel that much more of society is at least tolerant if not at least careful of such issues. People from all walks of life have found love outside of their own race making the classification of race becomes less significant as ethnic lines get blurred. But still, people act out saying that they ¡°betrayed¡± their own race. I could go on for much longer here, but I want to open this up to all of you. Since that day in 1963, how far have we come? If MLK was alive today, what would he think? I feel in some ways he would be pleased. I would like to think he would have been there in Chicago on election night with tears in his eyes. But I think he would still realize that we still have far to go.

I was thinking about the question of how we have changed since our sweeties arived here in the states, almost as if it was up to us to change everything to accomodate them here. Well if marriage is a two way street, and since they came here, seems to me that our Chinese counterpart should have made some changes too. With Jen, I noticed a big one tonight. When she first arrived, a big issue was ice. We go to eat, she wants water, NO ICE. The interesing experience would be at Starbucks, ordering for her an iced mocha, with no ice. Usually I would see on the other side of the counter. Sometimes they would ask, "you want it hot?" No, just no ice. Well, I caught her tonight, just filling her class until it was piled high with ice. When I asked, she says, "outside hot". No, you have just been in America too long. So I know it might be hard to admit, but over time, how has your loved one Americanized?

Eat Chinese food 50% of the time. If I want something different, usually I will cook. Sometimes, I eat American while she eats Chinese. I still sleep with the fan on, she just turns off when she comes to bed. Otherwise sets the timer for a couple of hours. TV is my domain. She watches sometimes but usually she watches what she wants on her computer. Sometimes I have "very important TV" she knows that is a priority.

Not to stray off topic, but I never understood how my wife could be so penny consoius, but then be perfectly willing to drop 2 grand on a LV hand bag.

If they look at spelling, I might not pass.

Thanks Carl, this will give Jen a head start until we can get hee into the USC class offered at the Chinese Community Center.

As we get ready to get started on this next step, Jen asked me about the test and specifically, what about the essay questions. Anyone have exeriences on that thy can share? BTW, the title is just an attention getter, I doubt there will actually be any dumb qestions, but then...