Get Your Act Together, China!

The Chinese automaton has become the focus of attention these last few years due to a number of issues involving harmful contaminants in their medicine and food. With last year’s Heparin controversy dimming out, a new focus concerning contaminated dairy arose several weeks ago. The Chinese corporation Sanlu Group announced a recall for their baby formula because it contains a notable amount of the drug melamine, an agent harmful to the kidneys. However, according to the New York Times, twenty-one other dairy companies have reportedly been using this chemical to “artificially meet protein requirements” (NYT, para. 8, Worried Parents in China Wait for Answers on Tainted Formula) as well. These companies have recalled their products containing melamine and government officials swore to rectify these issues…though not in a timely fashion.

The grandiose display of Chinese economic prowess that was the 2008 Olympics came at a price paid by many new parents. Sanlu’s timing in their public announcement has raised speculation amongst critics who are questioning how long the company knew of the chemical’s presence in their dairy. A recently published Wall Street Journal article about the drug states that, “Chinese companies were under strict orders at the time not to be the source of bad news that could disrupt the games, and Chinese reporters were told not to report negative news” (WSJ, para. 8, Chinese Formula Maker Hid Toxic Danger for Weeks). In other words, China was less concerned during these times about public safety and more about preserving the country’s image.

A number of critics are railing on the government officials accusing them that the delayed recall was not out of ignorance, but a premeditated notion to avoid bad press during the games. “People also complained,” according to the Times, that “greater precautions on food safety [were taken] for the athletes…than for the public” (NYT, para. 14). What could have been done in order to evade such an epidemic? “Aug. 2, [Sanlu Group] discovered melamine in the formula, and promptly informed its directors…but local authorities said they ‘were not in a position’ to make a public announcement” (WSJ, para. 18-19). Certainly hindsight did not factor into the dire nature of this equation.

China’s inability to monitor their foods and pharmaceuticals has been a topic of public scrutiny within the last year: from the anti-clotting drug, Heparin, 80 Americans died in 2007 from a bacterial growth within the syringe. At roughly the same time 1,500 domestic American cats and dogs died from ingesting dairy laced with same the contaminant found in the toxic baby formula. There have also been reports of toothpaste containing a chemical commonly used in anti-freeze.

At the same token, the finger is not only pointed at quality control officials within the Chinese government, but also melamine dealers and dairy farmers who have been accused of using this chemical to meet protein requirements in their dairy. If they choose to dilute the dairy, the levels of protein drop rendering the product unsellable. Melamine artificially increases the protein levels so the venders can sell their diluted dairy to wholesalers.
Since last week, BBC News reports there have been four infant deaths, 1,300 hospitalized and an astounding 6,200 and counting ill. Because this story is just now developing, officials are expecting the death toll to rise significantly in the weeks to come. Unfortunately Chinese hospitals are inundated with sick infants and are unable to provide the necessary medical attention to treat them…footing the bill for the medical expenses was a problem entirely of its own.

Recently, though, to their credit Chinese authorities are now offering free medical attention to sick children, Sanlu Group’s general manager was fired, and arrests of possible culprits have been made. Unfortunately, this company has yet to make any statement regarding these events other than the ostensible apology made by the executives.

Bill Laswell and Tabla Beat Science

The musical project TABLA BEAT SCIENCE presents the current, definitive world music experience. It is a melding of cultures, combining ancient rhythms and modern audio/visual psychedelia in a way that both references the past and enhances the future.

The other day I was introduced to no other the musical masterpiece, Tabla Beat Science. Lead by renound bassist Bill Laswell, and Indian rhythm masterminds Zakir Hussain, and Talvin Singh this project is a far cry from what I'm used to listening to...and needless to say, a big breath of fresh air. Essentially, the tabla is an archetypal Native American hand drum that is geared to long cycles, most often 16 beats, and is the backbone in the musical lineup. (For a frame of reference, George Harrison used them in "Love You Too"). Accompanying this tinny progressive rhythm is the twangy almost sitar-like string instrument called the serangi which provides the direction to where the set will go. As the DVD (the album is called "Tala Matrix") progresses, Bill Laswell enters stage right and plucks his deep melodic bass layering on top of what the serangi has provided.

After the first few 16-20 minute songs, the band spun off in a different direction by applying an Indian Classical to a vocal number performed so beautifully by the humble Ejigayehu "Gigi" Shibabaw. Her display of tone and pitch, awe inspiring to say the least, redirects the focus to a fusion of Electro-Jazz with Indian Classical. The show explodes into wars with instruments and slowly resolves, re-occurs and drops off.

At this point, me, the humble viewer, was shocked and astonished to see the collaboration of eastern and western traditional sounds slowly take hold. The longer they played, the distinction between the geography in music no longer existed but instead fashioned a new sound, a universal melody (keep in mind too, that the tabla was not only used for rhythm, it is also a very tonal instrument).

Unfortunately, I don't have nearly the craft of the language needed to depict the Tabla Beat Science Live in San Fransisco DVD. Go listen and watch. If boundary-breaking and genre-transcending don't vere from your liking, check it out with an open mind.

The Finals Lament

So here I am, sitting in a small library cubicle feeding useless information through my tired brain. It most certainly doesn't help my zombie bewilderment to ask any sort of "why" questions like, "What in the hell is all this for?" Goddamn. It happened again...when I attempt to conjure up an answer to this question, my eyes shoot up to the ceiling and I lean back in my chair. Once again, after five or so minutes of 'thorough' studying my productivity is at a standstill.

Motivation.

What can I draw from my motivation to excell in some of my OTHER life pursuits as opposed to excelling in this semster's academics? Is my motivation based on the degree to which something captivates me? A sense of pride that follows independent knowledge? ...maybe.

As individuals we should only absorb a certain amount of information from lectures, classes, advisors, counselors, parents, lawyers, etc., before unearthing our own knowledge. In other words, drawing conclusions leads to ignorance, especially when we rely on others to provide that information...and yes, even omniscient professors.

Here, you may be wondering if im trying to wrap myself in a huge satisfaction blanket' (which deflects the opinions and insights of others) and why I'm looking down at the meager humans from my ivory tower.

*I'm really not trying to hand down life lessons.

But how much can one really say he/she knows if there is no rudiment knowledge of the groundwork? ...not a whole lot. Instead, in a wash of fastidious bullet points in my studying these last couple of weeks, I've learned when Charles Dickins birthday is, the year Moby Dick was published, and where he went to college. Hmm...congratulations Dad, your investment in my college career has endowed me with the preparation I need for the 'real world.' Down the road when my superior asks why I failed to properly load the fry-ilator, I can proudly remark, "Charle Dickins made of the first references to French Fries in a Tale of Two Cities."

I know he'll be impressed.

"I went to college but they taught me to lose oversight and focus on facts!"

The influx of these fact-based business survey courses has flooded my brain to terminal capacity. The evils lie in the names, dates, and other trivial tediums which have melted my neurotransmitters into a gooey slime. However, if I have a strong conceptual understanding of
the topic, shouldn't I be equally as rewarded as some schmuck who spends his time regurgitating facts?

The Economics T.A.'s relentlessly harped on statistics, demographics, and chronologies that have no applicable purpose other than to supposedly evaluate knowledge. I say bullshit! How does an ability to spout these arbitrary numbers and letters affect how much I actually know about the material?

Not a fucking thing.

After being here for 4 years, I've learned that college is nothing but deadlines and stresses, and students ability to meet them...course material is secondary. BAH!

--Congrats to those who (almost) graduated. You know who you are.

Discourse Part II

After a number of days I'm still struggling to figure out the content of a conversation that I had. This is not because I can't recall it, but rather the topics were so fraught with intriguing questions, that any answers I could've offered just seemed trivial.

We sauntered up to an empty venue. Some guy said something like, "I wish I would've remembered to promote this show" as we entered. Sure enough, as my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit bar my concerns were affirmed. But as hindsight would have it, if the hundreds of clamoring LoDo-ites hadn't dismissed Larminer Lounge that night, Chris and I would've been deprived of a very enlightening evening.

For about five or six years I'd call him one of my best friends. Not only on levels of relatability but also because I very much respect his integrity. On quite a few different levels, we reciprocate interests, but the true testiment to any friendship seems to be in dissonance. Of course there are rarely disagreements but introspectiveness occurs mostly at, vulnerable times, we both agree, and requires a self-reflecting mentality.

A sequence of events earlier in the evening paved the way for another double whiskey, and Chris took a cautious measure as any driver should. The band was comprised of four or five smiling folks but as endearing a they were, their sound reverberated off the empty room only to be absorbed by a few adoring fans. After standing through their set, we took a seat near the wall and begun talking.

My disaccord towards the number of issues that I feel are weighing me down, prompted a degree of self-awareness that I hoping will stimulated a more proactive lifestyle. This is more or less what I recall from the conversation.

I think the most pressing of matters dealt with the philosophy. It was predominately centered around the notion the we have no means to define ourselves or understand human choice other than simply an assertion of our own will. Action determines reaction. A pretty simply worded inquiry, but so complex a four hour conversation about it didn't even scratch the surface. Though we agreed this notion is more or less intuitive, our basis for this perplexing introversion dealt with an instability of ambitions; in his work and in my schoolwork.

Perhaps my rejection of homogenized western religion conditioned me to think that if my self-awareness is properly enlightened/educated/cultivated, then I can see the common good as my own-self interest. Taking into account that likewise, this country and the "common good" is essentially Christian, I strongly believe that our moral code is defined not from our religion, but an innate quality of humanity. Here is where I mention that the warm fuzzy image of a white male savior just seems far too contrived to be a Way of Life. Disregarding other angles of philosophy and dogmas renders a shortsighted worldy view. So at this pivotal point in our lives, we realized we all certainly should read more of the Koran, Rigveda of Hinduism, Christian scriptures, Kitab-i-Aqdas, Bon Kangyur and Tengyur, or any other holy book to gain a contextual knowledge of how foreign cultures operate. We should travel to submerge ourselves in hopes of understanding the aestheticism behind the art, written word, architecture, and conventions. Or to understand that the gentility is primarily conditional upon a certain definition of normal.

We weaved in and out of intricate discourse that I feel profoundly affected my overall well-being. I realized that the upshot is simply to examine a worldly perspective, devoid of the mundayne everyday concerns. Though my classes this semester may not be adequately challenging my desire to read and write, merit can absolutely be derived. Though my demeanor in Lawrence is a far cry from a state of elation, still, the fate of my own well-being is entirely contingent upon my perspective, attitude, and self-fulfilled prophecy.

Esse Quam Verdi - To be, rather than to appear.


Cognito Ergo Sum...whatever I already am or want to be.

...more to come.

Discourse Part I

It occured to me recently that my sense of 'me' wasn't quite what it was a few years ago. It seems that in a surge of negative outcomes just in this semester, my overall well-being has been far more taxed than ever. Given these events, I would imagine that not just me, but any thoughtful person would take a moment to consider what changes should be made...if any. But in order to analyze what steps need addressing, I must first examine the town that has conditioned me to think the way I do...

Lawrence, KS. As one of the most robust places on earth, it appeals to pretty much every demographic. The shrubby mint wafts of pachouli and hand drum reverberations are only combatted by Fred Phelps' trusty band of berating baptists marching through to concentrate on the 'pertinent' issues. You will also find that the transition from student to drunken havoc reaper is conditional only upon the time of day and the sports teams. But even these miscreants are embraced by the small town Lawrence yokels that make-up what many dub the only place in Kansas worthy of living. What can I say? I wouldn't have it any other way. This town branded me with it's liberal mark and I couldn't be happier to call it home.

There are, as well, a number of intellectual facets to the community. The hicks, hippies, bros, punks, drunks, dweebies, dickheads, and rightous dudes, are not the only individuals who comprise this little bubble (thx j. hughes). There exists extremely well-rounded artistic enterprises in poetry, literature, art, music and just about every channel of subjective expression you could conjure up. Catering to music of all calibers and genres, readings and speakers, Lawrence, KS, by golly gots it. (I have to keep reminding myself I'm not Rick Steves.) Although, I'm so used to defending this godforgiven intolerant state that I end up steamrolling my arsenal of praises into strangers without my thinking about it. Preconcieved notions and steriotypes are just foundations for jokes, I understand that and even like it, but if I hear one more person make a comment in jest about The Wizard of Oz or anything affiliated, I'm probably going to snap. Aside from this, though, I proudly endure the best and worst of this town but the close-knit community is woven perhaps a little too tight.

What I found most appealing, upon moving here to follow my academic pursuits was the english department. I was granted the opportunity to study a mode of expression that was celebrated by these individuals as what keeps them on an even keel. I remember my freshman year listening to a professor speak about the creation process. He said that we render words from thoughts and history through accounts. I saw value in this. Gradually as I grew more comfortable with the department, I deplored less and less about the "practicality" of the major and saw it more as a enjoyable pursuit. Perhaps this only appears in hindsight but I very much enjoyed the English courses that I took and, am hoping, I grasped some tiny piece of craft for the language. As I stand now, the majority of those courses have been endured and now I face the mundayne teduim that is buisiness lecture classes. Finance, Accounting and Econ, all of which I am currently enrolled in, have taken their toll on my overall morale. But what exists within my discontent is a fighting urge to stand up and yell, "fuck it." I find no intellectual voracity, just a deterrent from what I enjoy pursuing.

This is one of many inspirations for the abstruse conversation prompted last week.

A First Entry a Second Time

I'm inclined to say that it is out of my nature to publicize intimate and accurate information about my life. Not because I have a difficulty in expression or honesty, but because in this avenue of exposition, there exists the tendency to offer unwarrented portrayals of prowess and self-aggrandization. In other words, I think that blogged stories are not wholly, but slightly prone to fabrication. Therefore, my goal is to offer comprehensively truthful accounts of experience and in turn, my ruminations, that will hopefully be unaffected by my audience; be it my grandmother or best friend. So come gentle reader, and construe my various forms of self-expression....observe, not appraise.

(What you've just read is an impotent version of what I had previously written then accidently deleted. What a futile first attempt at bloggerdom. I hope technology doesn't destroy my morale again for the rest of the day.)