The “Persian-American” Version of the Jersey Shore – Now Casting! (An Ethnographic Approach)
As America’s more recently arrived immigrant communities slide into cultural assimilation in their new homeland, it seems only natural that their community’s image ultimately becomes accepted as as an “American” one. In terms of the media, with its dodgy portrayals of foreigners, this means that ethnic stereotypes become interwoven into the nation’s status quo. As the path to assimilation progresses, stereotypes become less negative, at least in a xenophobic light. Still, it’s not so simple, in particular within the Los Angeles Persian-American community.
Persian-Americans in Los Angeles
The Persian-American community in Los Angeles seems to be hitting all of the core assimilation benchmarks; in fact, they have over-achieved on the ‘socioeconomic status’ benchmark. Unlike the massive waves of Mexican immigration that have immigrated largely for economic reasons, stemming from issues like poverty and unlikeliness of upward social mobility – much of the Persian community still identifies as ex-expatriates that have reluctantly been driven to leave their homeland primarily due to undesirable political climates.
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International Aid, Economic Sovereignty, and the Washington Consensus
At yesterday’s OPEN DC event Shaukat Aziz (former PM and FM of Pakistan) answered an audience question by talking about how IMF funding causes nations to give up economic sovereignty – this was a great point, and a very timely one given today’s economic ‘crisis.’ Aid from international financial institutions comes with rules, and currently, those rules are largely based on the ‘Washington Consensus‘ guidelines for economic growth. Unfortunately, as economist Dani Rodrik presented in his recent book (‘One Economics, Many Recipes’), these western-built guidelines for growth may be obsolete, and at best, can use a few edits.
Some nations have received so much aid from international financial institutions that their debts have had to be pardoned…more than $40 billion in foreign debt was totally written off in 2005 for 18 nations (14 of them African). When countries are spending most of their money on repaying debts – and forgoing critical domestic improvements – they’re terminally screwed. It’s called foreign ‘aid’ – loans granted to spur growth by organizations like the World Bank and African Development Bank – but aid turns into a burden as it instantly becomes debt. This is where the head scratching starts…
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On the job hunt … methods to increase your chances. (website listings & advice)
It’s common knowledge by now that more people are looking for jobs than ever before – many people have been laid off, some want to supplement their income with a second job, stay-at-home moms and dads are being forced to re-join the workforce, kids are graduating with Masters degrees, and bored retirees are seeking jobs simply to give them something to do.
There are a plethora of websites where you can look for jobs – but I really believe you should be avoiding the big names like Monster, Careerbuilder, and even Craigslist.
niche job boards are more effective.
Instead, time is better spent applying to jobs that are posted on niche websites that only post jobs for specific career fields, business sectors, or regions. Below you will find advice and a listing of more effective niche job posting websites for various fields, including jobs in the nonprofit sector, bilingual careers, marketing job boards, environmental careers, etc.
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China and the United States: Trading Places (communism, capitalism, policy)
Globalization. It’s still the reason for much animosity towards the world’s eight ‘major industrialized democracies,’ also known as the G-8. And while the U.S. has historically been one of the most criticized nations it is increasingly finding itself on the receiving end, as a great place to make fast and easy money.
The rules are changing as the US begins to Nationalize failing businesses and China Privatizes state-owned organizations.
China’s Newest Import to the US: Landlords
US Citizens face a slew of regulations and restrictions when it comes to purchasing property in China – good real estate in China is expensive and the value of the US dollar is relatively low. On the contrary, it is substantially easier for foreigners to purchase property in the United States. In fact, New York City and Washington D.C. topped the list of the best cities for real estate investment published in 2008 by the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate (AFIRE).
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Controversy Over the Mural in NE, Washington DC – ANC Ridiculousness
I recently read this on Wooster Collective.
A few weeks ago we posted a call for artists to assist in a massive mural in Washington DC, sponsored by the fantastic nonprofit group Albus Cavus. The final wall is absolutely stunning.
But to show how ignorant some people can be, we heard today that the local Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Marshall Phillips is now protesting the mural because, according to him, for it to be acceptable it needs to include references to MLK, the Redskins football team, and the Nationals baseball team.
Here’s the video and my commentary:
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Man as God? Five Percent Nation of Islam | Nation of Gods and Earths
The Nation of Gods and Earths (NGE) is a religion that was started in 1964 which borrows ideas from traditional Islam. The NGE is also known as the Five Percent Nation of Islam, which refers to the NGE’s explanation that 5% of black people are chosen ‘Gods’ of the world and Islam is the black man’s natural culture (but not religion):
The 5%, who are the enlightened divine beings, the poor righteous teachers, having repossessed knowledge of the truth regarding the foundations of life and of oneself, and seek to liberate the 85% through education. (Wiki)
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Police Use Taser on Hispanic Homeowner and Female Relative, Four Electroshocks, Excessive Force, Caught on Video
A joyful baptism celebration at a Hispanic household in Woodbridge, VA was abruptly interrupted by police who reportedly barged in requesting immigration documentation from the homeowner – the night ended with the tasing (shock with taser gun) of two adults and their subsequent arrest. Relatives of the man and woman that were arrested claim to have caught this all on video. The incident occurred on July 25, 2009.
This story is still very much in development, I heard it on the way to work this morning while listening to the local Spanish-language radio station, El Zol. Relatives of the man and woman who were arrested came on the morning radio show to tell their story.
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Banning the Burqa: France’s President Sarkozy Sets the Stage
Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France, publicly stated (June 19) his disapproval of the burqa/niqab, stating that it is not welcome in France and renders women “prisoners behind a screen.“ His statements have set the stage for a possible nationwide ban – this ban would obviously apply to everyone in France…but reasonably speaking, it only targets the Muslim population, which makes up between 5-10% of the total population (64 million).
So how many women actually wear a burqa / niqab in France?
There’s no official number, but estimates are in the hundreds – which means it cannot be more than 1,000 women.
Why ban the burqa / niqab?
The case for banning the burqa is primarily based on two points.
- Wearing the burqa in public violates France’s intense adhesion to laïcité, or secularism.
- It is an oppressive article of clothing.
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Fundraising with Social Media: Facebook ‘Causes’ and Others
The Facebook application ‘Causes’ has just been slammed by a Washington Post article that labels the app as ‘inneffective.’ This is an opinion of course, and many organizations have attained a positive Return on Investment from Causes…
yes, it is effective -> case study: SIDS Research
Sids Education Services’ cause page for ‘Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Research” has over 258,000 members.
- There are 996 comments on its Wall dating from June 2007 (probably around the time the Cause started);
- There are 129 media items posted – photos/videos/web links
- 258,000 members potentially = huge list of qualified email recipients
- $1,746 has been donated by the Cause’s membership
If you’re looking at these stats and thinking, ‘what in the world, they only raised $1,746 in two years!’ then you’re doing it wrong.
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Facebook Spreads Virus, Corporate Management: ‘Told You So!’
With over 175 million users Facebook has become an ideal place to proliferate and spread ridiculously potent viruses. The only solution is to completely block social networking websites from the workplace. The newest of the viruses is the ‘Koobface‘ worm – it phishes its way onto user computers by getting users to open messages that appear to be sent from their Facebook friends.
Facebook in the Workplace
Facebook users and internet marketers have been pushing, often staunchly, for the privilege to use the social network while at work. Management didn’t really care about the harm to their IT infrastructure, for the most part they worried about the potential (and later observed) decline in productivity associated with allowing access to the website.
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