From NY Times

People who care only about making money will not sustain this firm — or the trust of its clients — for very much longer.
-Greg Smith in his resignation essay


Or the trust of anyone else. I didn't think that any Goldman exec would have any ounce of moral fiber in them, but hey, surprise. I'm really touched that someone actually thought of themselves as something more than a money-making part in a giant machine-- but only because he felt he was ripping off even wealthier client! I doubt his op-ed piece will cause any lasting dent for the firm or the economy-- but like they care about public opinion anyways.


I'll bite my tongue now.

My Two Cents

I've always been a fan of Spike Lee movies. He explores themes that I think other film-makers shy away from or try to avoid-- like racial tension, hatred and violence, or stereotypes in America. But those are subjects I think are relevant and important, especially for cities like New York (most of his films are set in Brooklyn) where so many different cultures co-exist (or clash) together. 

So I can't tell you how happy I am about this photo. I don't want to make this about race or the fact that Jeremy Lin is Asian-American. But honestly, when was the last time anyone ever supported someone because they were Asian-American?? I don't particularly like basketball but since ESPN is continually on in my home year-round (and my husband has a monopoly over the television), I can't help but notice all the attention this story has gotten in the last couple of weeks. (And to think about how many other people who don't even like basketball are suddenly excited about Knicks games is kinda amazing.) I'd like to think that this is more about his skills than about his ethnicity, but then I also have to wonder why he was overlooked for so long. Kobe said after the game he lost to the Knicks last week that when someone plays that well, he doesn't just come out of nowhere.

I am always acutely aware of how others perceive me and extremely analytical when it comes to observing interactions among people, especially within New York City, so I am really happy to hear that people-- and not just Asians-- are rooting him on. As a young child, I never thought much about race because I really felt like an American (or Canadian). It's not until the last few years (out of sheltered schools and into the workforce) that I have noticed people really do treat each other differently based on how they look. Living in NYC the last 6 years, I have heard people yell out things like "ni hao!" or some other similar thing to me as I walk down the street. It's not like I'm from China and can't understand. I understand what people say-- or don't say-- loud and clear. Similarly, I've heard that when Lin played ball games when he was younger, people would yell out things like "wonton soup" while he was playing. I'm sure that was one of the nicer things people would yell out. Seriously, people say things to Asians (or people that look Asian) that they wouldn't dare say to people of other ethnicities. 

So maybe I've joined everyone else and made this post about Lin's ethnic background. It can't be ignored. But what I am really hoping is that people will recognize him simply as a really talented basketball player and focus on that instead. He is the first undrafted player to score over 20 points in each of his first five games in over 40 years! After all the hype dies down, I hope people will just appreciate the fact that he is a really good athlete-- and one who is an American who happens to be of Taiwanese descent.

Friday the 13th

Photo from the New York Times

This is where we got our oil changed yesterday.

Photo from Esquire

I've been reading quite a lot of tributes to Christopher Hitchens, so now I'd like to take a moment to remember him on my own blog. I've never been able to even understand most of his pieces without a dictionary or Google nearby, let along keep up with everything he wrote. But I do agree that a great voice has fallen silent. From politics to literature to Mother Teresa... and even tea! He held such strong opinions about everything. So I just want to share a favorite of mine, a short and simple piece he wrote at the beginning of this year titled "How to make a decent cup of tea." Pour yourself a proper cup and enjoy!

"Animal agriculture makes a 40% greater contribution to global warming than all transportation in the world combined; it is the number one cause of climate change."

From Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. 

Also interesting is this recent article on global warming by Al Gore in the Rolling Stone.

So many choices to make on a daily basis...

Also catching up on my weekly farm readings, excerpts from:

1) Fertility From the Ocean Deep -- explains how nutrients from the ocean benefit plants.

2) From the Soil Up -- basic science of soil and managing soil aeration, water, and residue decay.

3) The Unsettling of America -- Wendell Berry mourns the decline of small farmers and describes his views on 'modern' agriculture and how it has corrupted our culture and caused an ecological crisis. 

Neil Young playing on my iPod while driving home. The rain makes me think of when I was a kid and my mom took my sister and I on a day trip to Peterborough, a small city northeast of Toronto. Halfway there, the rain started pouring down so intensely we had to stop in the middle of the highway. I cried so hard, I must have thought we were gonna die. I think I was 10, lol.

I got 2 teeth pulled out today. One of the spaces really hurts. But I'm still very resistant to taking any meds, even if it's only a Tylenol. I have become very skeptical of medicine lately-- and healthcare in general, I wonder why ;) 

While I'm on the topic, did you listen to Terry Gross on NPR the other day talking to a reporter who did an investigation about the dangers of medical radiation? It was very interesting and I think it's important to know about.  

Time to rest now.

I stumbled across Tomboy Style.

According to the blog, here are some of the essentials and idols:

GEAR: Bean boots; Patagonia

ICON: Joan Baez; Sofia Coppola

CONTEMPORARY: Audrey Tatou; Alexa Chung

Now I realize I am not so original after all and merely just a tomboy, haha.

;)

I really do like Sofia Coppola though, and here's her interview with Terry Gross in which she talks about her latest film "Somewhere." I've read it has many similarities to "Lost in Translation," which is one of my favorite movies. However, I'm realizing I should stop reading reviews in general until after I actually see a film, as it sometimes skews my own view... but I haven't gone to the movies lately! 

I've been catching up on some of my New Yorker issues, and these articles in particular have been so interesting to read. One is a profile on Chef April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig. I love the part when she asks, "Who's that golfer dude you made me meet?" And her business partner replies, "He's not a golfer. He's Kobe Bryant." Wouldn't you love to do something for a living that you're passionate about and not give a crap about who hates or loves it?

Also of note in the same issue, the following piece on Sandor Katz and the underground food movement. All kinds of yummy topics-- from organic dumpster divers to sauerkraut and raw milk.

Seems like I only update this blog when I'm on vacation. In Toronto right now, just for 3 days, but nevertheless enjoying the nice weather and, um, daylight in general-- basically very happy I'm not at work!

For anyone that's interested, I have been meaning to share this Terry Gross interview with the creator of Mad Men, Matthew Weiner. And since I have no one to talk about the show with in NYC (and my husband has about as much interest in it as I have for watching the YES channel), and because there's only so many times I can re-watch an episode while waiting an entire week for the next, I have been reading the TV club entries about the show on Slate. Three more days until the fourth episode!

Interesting NY TImes article about home-grown, hand-made food at the Greenpoint Food Market in Brooklyn. Next market is June 26th, 2010. I will try to go, even though I will have just worked a 13 hour graveyard shift... sigh, such is my life.

After a few sips of wine, beer, or any kind of alcohol, my face usually starts turning pink. After more sips (about half a drink), my face becomes the color of a plum and my skin starts developing small dots. Thus, my usual response after being offered a drink is to decline it. The embarrassment of turning near purple usually trumps my embarrassment of not being able to drink, even though I do feel a little left out sometimes. But now I actually have some facts to base my strange aversion towards alcohol, thanks to the NY Times. My hunch was accurate-- turning purple is a warning sign!!! (Do you hear me, Charles?!) Speaking of cancer, I just off from work. Relatively smooth night with 6 male patients. One of them told me I need to get a life after I said I spent my day off sleeping (this coming from a 71 year old.) So... I'm going to try and stay awake today. And do something other than sleep.

So it's 6 More Weeks of Winter

Benoit Debuisser print from L'affiche Moderne Catching up on:

• The speech and responses-- Althouse, Sullivan, and Newsweek
• Fun stuff-- regurgitating vultures, treating colds, Phelps' lung capacity,
• Netflix movie that's been sitting here for 3 weeks now

Now take a minute to vote (for Adam Cooper)

Michello O.

America's next top model? Or the contemporary version of Jackie O. Here, a Time article on J Crew and the First Daughters.

Obama. Everywhere.

NPR did a little piece on page turners yesterday, considering them as "the unsung heroes of the musical stage." It reminded me of when I used to turn pages for my piano teacher during her concerts/recitals, and also of how nerve-wrecking it was! Losing my spot on the page, forgetting to repeat, grabbing 2 pages instead of one... I'd love to do it again though, as it's an extraordinary experience to be on the stage of a concert hall, soaking in all the music-- but it's an obscure job that's usually reserved for piano students, which I can no longer classify myself as!

I have to confess that for a political science major, I have been deliberately ignorant about politics since the onset of the recent presidential campaign-- mostly because I didn't care who won either way. And even after it was pretty clear that Obama had a very good chance of winning, one of the reasons why I still wasn't eager to jump on his bandwagon was because I was tired of hearing the word "change" uttered so many times, riling up such fervent cheers at its every mention. However, as I watched Obama deliver his victory speech last night, I want to say in the most non-partisan way that... the man has good taste in music! Obama said, "It's been a long time coming," an allusion to one of the greatest songs ever, A Change is Gonna Come, which Sam Cooke wrote after hearing Bob Dylan's Blowing in the Wind, but wrote-- and sang-- from a much deeper, personal perspective (that of a black man living in America during the 1960's). In contrast to Sam Cooke's beautiful but aching tone, last night Obama declared in a calm, steadfast voice, "Change has come to America". And so it has.

I couldn't resist a photo op when my sister started cutting out paper puppets of the presidential candidates. Yes, there are probably a lot of things to do in Toronto... but this is how we choose to entertain ourselves. You can make your own too at www.folduscandidate.com Let's not forget about Hillary. Written on the back of her delicately folded torso: "I'm in and I'm in to win."