Retrospective: Hurricane Katrina

It’s been a year already.

Time really flies by, and it’s been a year after the disaster that destroyed New Orleans.

We learned more than what a hurricane can do to a city: waist-deep water, roof-less houses, and everything turned to a ruin. But perhaps more importantly, we learned that the government is slow to respond, and there is still a clear division on skin color and classes.

The media (and everyone) was quick to notice that a unreasonably slow response was given to New Orleans residents, whom is mostly colored. Reading back my journal at that time, I saw that I made a note that 99% of the people that were strained, standing helplessly on the roof, and crying frantically at the Dome were black. The images were hear-wrenching and hard to watch. It was surreal that New Orleans suddenly became like a place in the Third World, yet, this was in America.

The Administration has the money to invade other countries, but couldn’t respond correctly to a place of their own. And even now, a year later, we don’t see any significant re-build of the city.

Another hurricane, Ernesto, is moving to the direction of the Gulf Coast, and just how much can New Orleans take if it is hit again? I doubt that the hurricane will hit directly at New Orleans again, but not only is New Orleans’ dams fragile; people’s hearts are now also fragile.

Now I suddenly wanted to watch the footage of Kanye West’s classic blurt out: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” You know, I was fortunate enough to
see the footage live last year, along with Mike Myers’ face filled with absolute horror. I hope someone puts it on YouTube.

Bob Dylan Said Today's Music Sucks

"I don’t know anybody who’s made a record that sounds decent in the past 20 years, really."-Bob Dylan, in a recent Rolling Stone interview

While I (and a lot of people I met) agree that the majority of today’s music on the market is bad, I have to admit that the above quote is something that I wouldn’t say (aside from the fact that I can’t say “the last 20 years” due to my age).

Of course this is an exaggeration, and I believe Mr. Dylan used it as an exaggeration too. He has got to like something in the past 20 years. I have a record that I think it’s amazing that just came out in 2006 (Hard-Fi’s Cash Machine), and in the same time I think today’s music sucks. And what about notable records like Nirvana’s Nevermind, Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, and Radiohead’s Ok Computer? And that’s just on the alternative rock side.

I guess that Bob Dylan just used this quote to express the general state of music. Or wait, does he hate CDs and that results to the dislike of modern music?

And that got me thinking: is the older generation always think that today’s youngster music sucks?

I know my parents won’t listen to the “boo cha cha” music (named after the beats of techno and hip hop, I think) that I listen to. Funny thing is, I don’t really listen to techno and hip-hop, and that expression is just a generalization. Is the older generation too nostalgic to try to listen to “young people’s music”, this may or may not be the case. I don’t even know if I will listen to “young people’s music” when I’m my parent’s age. Maybe I’ll just listen to my favorite records that’s recorded in the 90’s and the 2000’s when it’s 2030.

But still, nothing but love and respect for Mr. Bob Dylan.

Next Stop: Lizards on a Ship? Snakes On A Plane's Possible Sequels

We have all witnessed the phenomenon that is Snakes on a Plane. As many have wondered, " how many sequel will follow?", and I think the following situation/title will suit the sequels to a spectacular level:

Lizards on a Ship
Spiders on a Train
Flies on a Stage
Pigs on a Balcony
Birds in a Hotel
Monkeys in a Car
Lunatics in a Cage

And I'm not going to see the film.

In The News: JonBenet Ramsey's Murder Case

Our attention has shifted to JonBenet Ramsey’s murder.

After almost ten years of the murder, they have finally arrested a suspect in Bangkok. Suddenly reporters started standing I front of the murder site, JonBenet’s face on the newspaper, and there’s the footage of John Karr walking out over and over again.

A true testament of the case’s popularity (which is extraordinary considering America’s attention spend), and a testament of how Americans still subliminally passionate about childhood and innocence (though Jonbenet's image doesn't not really conjure up the typical image of "innocence").

The case itself was made for media deliria: a beautiful child pageant, death at an innocent age, confusing situation, seemingly suspicious parents, and layers of mysteries.Even though I was not old enough to have a profound reaction on it initially, but I still remembers it vaguely about “a body in the basement” when it was brought to attention again.

And there's the thing about Jonbenet's image as a "child sex kitten" as one reporter puts it. I have seen on the web that some people think the attention that this case have recieved is largely due to that JonBenet is not "plain". Perhaps yes, since the media tend to attracted to the sense of aethestic. Murder case? Give it a bit of coverage,. Child murder case? Oh my, give it complete coverage. A child beauty pageant murder case? This is made for dream coverage. Life is not fair, even media coverage is not fair.

But whether this case deserves the attention or not, it certainly stir up another story to read after you read about terrorism in your newspaper. Whether the case will be solve is still unclear, I’m not even sure if Karr’s “confession” is believable. Of course, this make for a even better media story, and this media deliria won’t end any time soon.

Diary of A Possibly Evil Baby Genius

Diary of a Possibly Evil Baby Genius
By S.Wang

June 5th, 2005
I was born onto this Earth on a stormy day. Released form my mother’s womb, I set eyes on those terrible creatures that surrounded me and let out a cry. For I realized with disgust that I’m the same kind as those terrible creatures: I’m a mere human.

June 13th, 2006
I have arrived at a place called “home”, and was being carried in forcefully by two creatures of my kind called “parents”. How grim the world seems! I let out another cry.

June 14th, 2006
I had become conscious that my mundane identity is Walter Lane.

June 23rd, 2006
I found my power in voice, and began to command my “father” by calling him “Dan”. Unfortunately, he thought I called him “Dad”, which caused commotion among the household that I did not want.

June 24th, 2006
Laura, my “mother” made attempts to make me call her “Mommy”, I refused. I also stopped calling Dan, because that will cause more commotion.

June 28th, 2006
The stroller is a torture! I was strapped in no matter how hard I protested. My strength was not great enough to break out, but someday I will, believe me, I will!

June 30th, 2006
I began to imitate the objects surrounding me. Using the writing instrument I have seized at a nearby table, I began to draw the stuffed dog I’ve received from Dan and Laura. To my disappointment, it looked shapeless like spilled milk.

July 4th, 2006
Laura forced me on her lap to watch the television. I was extremely annoyed by this at first, but then I realized the beauty I was seeing. Red, yellow, green, purple, all sorts of color splattered across the screen. And to my surprise, all this beauty began with a big “boom”. Later I learned from Laura’s commentary that this was called “fireworks.” Perhaps I someday I will take over the world using “fireworks”.

July 5th, 2006
Laura brought in her “friends’ to celebrate the one month anniversary of my birth. To my discontentment, her ‘friends” brought their infant version my kind. Okay, fine, I’m also an infant, but that is not my point! Anyway, those filthy minions kept putting their claws on me and taking my stuffed dog. I was utterly frustrated, and I struck one of them. But they did not wail, why must my fist be so fragile?

July 13th, 2006
I’ve completed my escape plan. After a few days of looking around, I have drawn a map of the directions from my room to the door. I’m proud.

July 14th, 2006
Dan has found my escape plan! He took away my carefully drawn map! Then he muttered something about who drew such a dreadful picture.

July 18th, 2006
Nothing happened. I just wanted to record the nothingness of this world. This led to a stronger desire of ruling the world.

July 21st, 2006
My idiotic Laura had brought in her “friends” once again to disturb my peace. Those infant minions continued to irritate me by touching me and taking my toy away. Curse them! When I’m king you all will be the first against the wall!

July 22nd, 2006
I still cannot overcome my horror about my “grandparents”. The male grandparent was named “Cal”, and has a enormous belly. The female one was named “Anne’, I was screaming for my life when Anne’s artificially painted lips touched my face! That’s it, tomorrow I will begin my plan to rule the world, and then I’ll be able to ban people from touching my clean body. Seriously, I will. And the next time you hear from me, you will be bowing before my throne for I’m your ruler!

Black, White and Those Grey in Between

We tend to catergorize things: there's ten kinds of cookies, twenty kinds of pens, how-ever-many kinds of music. We also categorize humanity.
Here's the thing, what should we set up the categories as? Good and Evil, tall or short, physically or internally?
For now, I'm just going to put it into three categories: optimistic, pessimistic, and those in the gray area.
The optimistic are the lay-back ones, take everything as it is and won't try to desperately change it. The pessimists are the anxious ones, they take everything as "something could be better" and desperately tries to make it better. And because of this, they will prepare everything if they have the chance, and tries to do everything perfectly. Kind of a perfectionist.
Those in the gray is the synthesis of the two, they're able to relax and be tense at various scenes. Perhaps they're the most adoptable ones here. They lack the total bubbly happiness of the optimists but lacks the depression of the pessimists. Maybe they are the ones that are the strongest.
Sometimes I don't even know why I write stuff like this, or how I wrote it.

Thus the experiement begins, and I'm certain that I will mess up at some point.