Words Without Borders Campaign

Here’s a fundraising plea from Joshua Mandelbaum, Executive Director of Words Without Borders, the Online Magazine for International Literature:

Thursday, 17 February 2011

Dear Friends:

As you know, we’re trying to raise $7,000 through Kickstarter to underwrite the production costs of our May 2011 Afghanistan issue.  After 40 days we have $5,861 in pledges from 188 individuals.  The pledges range from $1 to $500, and we are grateful for all of them.  We have 20 days to earn $1,200 in pledges or Words Without Borders won’t receive a penny.

For those who have pledged, thank you.  For those who have not yet, please consider making a pledge today, of any amount, to help support the work of Words Without Borders.  We’re offering shot glasses, tote bags, and anthologies at the different pledge levels and, really, who doesn’t like a tote bag?  Once you’ve pledged, spread the word.

You might also consider becoming a Facebook fan of the writing and publishing site StyleMatters.  If they get 1,000 fans, they’re going to donate $500 to Words Without Borders via Kickstarter.

Many thanks for your support.

Best,

Joshua Mandelbaum
Executive Director
Words Without Borders

Attended Stephen Cole’s Environmental History/Environmental Justice Class!

Today’s speaker was the founder of the Food Empowerment Project and the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition.  She was utterly fab:  not born and raised in the U.S., but certifiably American now, and Vegan to boot (Everyone, eat Vegan!)  Self can’t figure out how the woman finds time to do it all.

Here are some of the things self learned from her, in the course of her presentation:

• We still have lead in our lipsticks, here in the United States.  In the European Union, they don’t.
• China is the world’s biggest manufacturer of solar panels.  While the benefits of switching to solar energy are widely touted, no one tells you that the manufacturing of solar panels produces many toxic by-products.
• There are 22 Superfund sites in Santa Clara County alone:  18 of these sites were created by high-technology companies.
• A single dairy cow produces 125 pounds of manure a day.  The number of cows in an average-size dairy farm is 17- 25,000.  Since cows only produce milk when they are pregnant, cows are kept in a constant state of “impregnation.”
• In an ordinary chicken farm, 7 – 10 chickens are kept in a cage the size of a microwave oven.
• Former California governor Schwarzenegger was responsible for vetoing a bill that would have allowed farm workers to be paid for overtime.
• The U.S. is the largest consumer of chocolate in the entire world.  Much of U.S.-consumed chocolate comes from Africa.  An African chocolate worker, interviewed by the BBC, has this message:  “Tell them when they are eating chocolate, they are eating my flesh.”
• In some countries of the world, it is cheaper to buy Coke than to buy bottled water.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers.  Stay tuned.

Stephen Cole’s Class on Environmental History/ Environmental Justice

Here’s a sampling of guest speakers for Prof. Stephen Cole’s class on “Environmental History/Environmental Justice.”  The class, a community-based learning/research course, was developed with the assistance of the Dorothy Stang Center at Notre Dame de Namur University.

The classes are held 2 – 3:15 in Saint Mary’s, Rm. 207, Notre Dame de Namur University, 1500 Ralston Ave., Belmont, CA.

All are welcome.

• Feb. 16, Wednesday: Lauren Ornelas of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
• Feb. 28, Monday: Gary Latshaw of The Climate Project
• Mar. 16, Wednesday: Stephen Knight, Political Director of Save the Bay
• Mar. 23, Wednesday: Jeff Russell of the National Resources Defense Council
• Apr. 13, Wednesday:  Jennifer Gross, Get Healthy San Mateo County Task Force

Stay tuned, dear blog readers.  Stay tuned.

Schizoid Post: Listening to New American Media/ SNL Host Anne Hathaway

This is a fascinating website, dear blog readers.

Check out the video, “Oakland Reacts to Mesherle Sentencing.”

Just the faces of the people being interviewed, and their words …

Backstory:  Johannes Mesherle, an Oakland police officer, shot an unarmed African American man in the BART Fruitvale station on New Year’s Eve 2009.

*     *    *

After the intensity of that video, self refreshes on Saturday Night Live.  Host tonight is Anne Hathaway.  Opening montage featured Rachel Maddow with guests Nancy Pelosi (a hilarious Kristen Wiig), John Boehner, and Charlie Rangel (hilarious Kenan Thompson).  Anne’s monologue was the funniest in a long time.  Opening monologue was followed by skit on Transportation Security Administration (Which reminded self that Sully Sullenberger had just said on-air that during a recent pat-down search his wife was “touched in sensitive places” — the horror!), and then by another hilarious skit featuring Miley Cyrus (Who was that comedienne who did spot-on mimicking of Miley’s voice???) interviewing Anne Hathaway as Katie Holmes.

Self was absolutely in stitches for the last 10 or 15 minutes.

OMG!  Now there is a skit on Prince William and Kate Middleton announcing their engagement!  Featuring Andy Samberg and Anne Hathaway!  Stop, SNL, you’re killing me!  Self loves the way Andy Samberg keeps addressing the Queen as “GRA-ma-mah” !

Stay tuned, dear blog readers.  Stay tuned.

Food For Fines

Self was in the downtown Redwood City Library today.  She received e-mail notification that a book she’d requested was available for pick-up.  And self drove there all agog.  And found that the copy was in Spanish.  And why should that be when she requested the English translation?  It took library staff almost 15 minutes to clear her hold fee and figure out how to specifically request an English translation.

Another complication was that the book self had in her hand, the one in Spanish, had title Sefarad.  While the English versions were called Sepharad.  And self had the devil of a time explaining that these were one and the same book.

Anyhoo, the requested item might not arrive before self leaves for the Philippines (There are only four copies in the entire Peninsula Library system, and none of the copies are in adjoining cities)  Self might have to begin the process all over again after she gets back, boo.

But it’s not as if self doesn’t have enough to read, OMG.  Orlando Figes’ Natasha’s Dance alone, which is one of the books self is thinking of stuffing into her suitcase, is 600 pages.  (Self, shouldn’t you give your arms a break?  You’ve been lugging around that hardcover copy of Dickens’ Bleak House for over a week now!  If you tote that around Manila, Dearest Mum will surely think you are nuts!)

So here’s a flier self started perusing while standing around in the lobby, waiting for her hold to be cleared:

CLEAR LIBRARY FINES WHILE PROVIDING FOOD TO THOSE IN NEED

From Nov. 15th through December 30, bring non-perishable food items to one of the participating libraries (Atherton, Belmont, Brisbane, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Millbrae, Pacifica Sanchez, Pacifica Sharp Park, Portola Valley, San Carlos and Woodside) and your library fines will be waived.  You’ll be providing food to those in need, too!

Food must be in store-sealed cans, boxes, or plastic containers within its expiration date.  No glass containers, perishable food or opened containers.

Valid only for library material from Redwood City Public Library and San Mateo County Public Library.  Not valid for lost or damaged items, collection or printing fees.

Judge Overturns Same-Sex Marriage Ban

In 2008, when a voter-sponsored ballot initiative called Proposition 8 passed, there was a lot of anguish among self’s friends.

Over the past several days, self has been in a writing-induced fog (This means: messy house, whine-y dogs, no groceries, barely palatable dinners, dying plants, grumpy husband, etc etc!), but even this news managed to make a dent in self’s brain:

PROPOSITION 8 OVERTURNED

Two years ago, a lot of money and time was spent in California, by people on both sides of the debate, each side passionately going at it hammer and tongs. In retrospect, self thinks now: What. A. Ridiculous. Brouhaha.

How much money was spent printing and mailing out all of those ballots? Why were we Californians subjected to such a crushing waste of time? Who was responsible for this travesty? That is why living in California so crazy-making. Not only is the state in a huge financial hole, every year or so we citizens get hauled out to vote on some proposition or other. When self looks at those ballots stuffed into her mailbox, voter guides that are as thick as Vanity Fair, for heaven’s sake, she wonders: Why? Why? Why? All those amendments, propositions, measures (most of which are fairly transparent strategies to wring more money from out the voter’s pockets), all those special elections, special ballot initiatives, all of that money — thrown down the drain, into the toilet.

Here’s from the Christian Science Monitor:

Federal Judge Vaughan Walker Wednesday struck down as unconstitutional a state-wide ban on same-sex marriage, setting the stage for a series of appeals in a landmark case likely headed to the U. S. Supreme Court.

Now that Proposition 8 has been overturned, the decision potentially opens the way for resumption of legal marriages between gay and lesbian partners in the nation’s largest state.

Anyhoo, this evening self decided to check her Stanford Alumni website. On the home page was this headline:

ALUM JUDGE OVERTURNS BAN ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Really??? Judge Vaughan Walker is a Stanford alum? Apparently he was JD ’70.

The Stanford Alumni website quoted Judge Walker as saying:

That the majority of California voters supported Proposition 8 is irrelevant. Fundamental rights may not be submitted to a vote.

IF ONLY someone had told that to the supporters of Proposition 8, before they had to get us all hot and bothered over this rigamarole. Self is mad, not at the judge (who she applauds), but at the people who yank us around, having us trudge wearily to the polls to decide heaven-knows-what.

Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.

Mid-November (2009) Weekend Status Report

All right, m’lovelies! When self cocked open one eye and gazed at the window (because Gracie was whimpering to be let out), she saw the sun. And thereby determined she’d slept approximately six hours. Not bad!

Yesterday was very busy, as she went to Sequoia Station to try and mail a grant application, then drove her clunker, actually drove it all the way into the City, all for the pleasure of listening to Merlinda Bobis read from her latest novel, The Solemn Lantern Maker.

And it was an exceedingly interesting reading, for self watched the Bayanihan Community Center gradually fill up until there were no more chairs left. And moreover she got to hear Merlinda’s rich, sonorous voice, and experience her passion for her home country once again.

After getting home, self discovered that Stanford had just beat USC, erstwhile Pac-10 powerhouse, by an unbelievable 34 points. Then self watched with hubby as University of Pittsburgh defeated Notre Dame. After that, self got to watch a little of “2 Fast 2 Furious,” explaining to hubby who the different actors were: Paul Walker, Dev Aoki, Ludacris (but apparently no Vin Diesel; not for this installment, anyway). Then she fell asleep with very little trouble.

Then, self was awakened by Gracie, as mentioned earlier. Then she picked up The New York Times she’s been reading forever (Nov. 2 issue), the Special New York Marathon issue, and there was an interview with Edward Norton, one of self’s favorite actors, who said, sounding like a character from “Fight Club” or from “300” (which he was not in, too bad):

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

Anyhoo, Norton made it all the way to the end of the race, and afterwards, when The New York Times nabbed him, they found him at the finish line, “looking upbeat and spry.” He “finished in 3 hours 48 minutes 1 second.”

Here’s the reason Norton ran:

Norton ran for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, which aims to preserve the eco-system and culture of the 7,000-member tribe in Kenya. By Sunday morning, Norton and 29 other runners had collected more than $760,000 in sponsorships.

And today, hubby says he wants to see “2012.” Stay tuned, dear blog readers, stay tuned.

Relief for Typhoon Ondoy Victims in the Philippines

Self’s poor country. As if all the political woes aren’t enough, it is constantly beset by natural disasters, the latest of which has been Typhoon Ondoy (death toll so far: 284 and rising)

Self’s alma mater, Ateneo de Manila, has organized a relief effort. U.S. residents who wish to help can go to one of the following organizations:

Philippine Jesuit Foundation:

Contact: Cristina Tabora, Executive Secretary, Philippine Jesuit Foundation, taboracom@gmail.com

Download the Jesuit Foundation donation form here.

Ayala Foundation USA

Contact: Marivic Padilla, Ayala Foundation USA, marivic@af-usa.org

If going through Ayala Foundation USA, click on “Donate Now” button, click on the Credit Card icon, then select an organization in the drop down menu. Select “Ateneo Task Force Ondoy c/o OSA and SLB” (*OSA stands for Office of Student Activities, Ateneo de Manila; SLB stands for Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, Translation: The Church in Service of the Nation)

Stay tuned, dear blog readers, stay tuned.

A Request From Son

(Gone: “Summer: Roli-Roti Chicken and Stanford CoHo”)

Self was in the parking lot of Trader Joe’s when she got a call from son. Since son never asks for anything, not one thing, the minute she heard his request, self said, “I’ll do it.”

The request was simple: son is participating in The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. And he wanted self to tell people about it.

Who knows? Perhaps a friend of his has cancer. Or perhaps he is doing this out of simple altruism (Self thinks this the more likely explanation). The last time she and son were in Bacolod, in 2006, he gave his Jollibee lunch to a kargador — a porter. A fellow traveler then turned to self and inquired, with raised eyebrow, “American?” — Ha ha ha ha ha!

Here’s more about the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life:

Can you believe that more than 1.3 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year? Those are staggering statistics, but there is hope. Each of us can do something to save lives and help those already fighting this disease. That’s why I’ve decided to take action against cancer by supporting the American Cancer Society Relay For Life® event right here in my community.

Relay For Life is an overnight event that brings our community together to help support the American Cancer Society and its lifesaving mission to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. The Society works hard every day to prevent cancer and save lives by supporting groundbreaking research, affecting public policies that protect us from cancer, and educating people on how to prevent or detect cancer early. The Society helps people with cancer right here in our own community. And our efforts at Relay For Life can help the American Cancer Society to keep working toward a cancer-free future.

I want to invite you to show your support in the ongoing fight against cancer by joining us for this year’s event. Please click on the link below for more information, including details on the inspirational Survivors’ Lap and the moving Luminaria Ceremony. We hope to see you there! If you can’t join us, will you please visit the site and make a donation to support our efforts? Either way, you will make a real difference in the lives of people facing cancer and in the lives of the people who love them. Thank you!

For state fundraising notices and the American Cancer Society’s Privacy Policy, please paste this link into your browser: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/SU/su_0.asp

Click here for son’s personal Relay for Life page.
Click here for the team page to Committed for a Cure.