A Long Day

I have just returned home. Thursdays are very long days and it's time to relax now. Normally I would sit down and watch Caprica, but then they changed the schedule and ended the series abruptly. I was really angry and disappointed because this was one of the most intelligent programs I had seen in a long time. Science Fiction that makes you think is worthwhile. What I find ironic is that the way we are evolving, humans killing humans for strictly illogical reasons, is very similar to the Cylon evolution. I was really rooting for the Cylons given the barbaric behavior of our so-called civilized nation-states toward powerless nations or those who dare to defy imperial thugs.

Caprica: I shall miss a great story.

Beautiful Music

I love this song by the former Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam). It reminds me of the problems we have all had with distant fathers. It is also about finding one's way in this world:

Our Students

Today's students are very different from those of us who graduated in the seventies. They probably see us as relics, but relics we certainly are not. When I first came to the states I was politically naive and completely unaware of how brainwashed I was by my country of birth's propaganda and system of education. I cannot complain about the type of education I received at a strict private (Catholic) school, but my own thinking was warped. I believed in the hierarchical distinctions that were in place because that is what I had come to understand as normal or the way things had to be in my country of birth (la gente decente y la chusma). I had to change my old ways of thinking in order to become a better person. I have struggled with lots of disruptive cultural baggage and cannot say that I am completely assimilated. What I really value about American culture is one's ability to study hard, persevere, reinvent oneself, and find challenging forms of employment. Though with the current political climate, that appears to be changing rapidly. As to Peruvian immigrants, I have personally met many Peruvians in various parts of the US mainland who have worked extremely hard and now own several businesses and have a much better life than what they had in Peru. They certainly own lots of properties and go back and forth to Peru. I admire their hard work and creativity. It's a shame that I picked up a distaste for business ventures that my father had. Starting an import/export business or organizing trips to exotic places in Peru would have been something wonderful to undertake after retirement. However, one needs excellent business skills to be successful at such ventures. When I retire I want to go back to doing something that I have always loved: studying and learning new things. I need to fill in the gaps in knowledge I continue to experience as I grow older. I also want to go back to the Peruvian jungle and see whether those beautiful birds and plants are still there. I spent the happiest summer of my life back in 1967, when my mother finally agreed to allow me to visit my uncle, a Colonel in the Peruvian army, who was stationed in Iquitos. I brought two American girls with me and we had a great time. I also brought back the cutest new world monkey I had ever seen: Gunther. He was named after a gentleman who lived on a farm in Iquitos. Tio Hugo was and is a sweet, gentle person who cares about others. He remains strong and very involved in his own affairs, even though he is in his 80s.

Here we go again!

I have never heard something as stupid as this Administration's justification for bombing Libya back to the Stone Age. They claim Qaddafi is not the target and that they are protecting and saving those opposed to this dictator. Really? This sounds like a repeat performance of the CIA-inspired interference in the affairs of oil rich nations or of those who oppose their imperialist plans. Bomb a sovereign nation back to the Stone Age and split them up into tiny ethnic enclaves. This is what happened in the former Yugoslavia under the excuse that NATO and the US were preventing "genocide." (Read Michael Parenti's To Kill a Nation.)

What about the genocide perpetrated in Latin America during the 1970s with full backing of the CIA? This is also how Western powers liberated Iraq and Afghanistan. While the military-industrial-corporatist complex destroys sovereign nations and supports those who will give them free access to oil wells and other natural resources, our own American workers are losing their jobs, health benefits, and pensions. War veterans are coming back without limbs, brain damaged, or psychologically unstable. This is no longer a democracy. It should be renamed the United Corporations of America. And a real Dystopia seems to be what is in store for us:

Today's Events

I spent all day writing exam questions and a study guide for my students. I hardly had time to exercise or work on my own research. My significant other brought a very bright young man to spend the night at home. Both he and Joe are presenting papers at the Brecht Forum tomorrow. Grover is also discussing his most recent book on Khrushchev. He undertook the painstaking job of reading and analyzing primary documents in Russian. Unlike some of the liars and frauds that publish in the field of Soviet Studies, Grover reads, writes, and speaks Russian as well as 10 other languages. He should have been a linguist!


Today our imperial forces and their lapdogs, France and the UK, started bombing Libya. All in the name of "demokkkracy." They bomb Libya but stand aside while Saudi Arabia and Bahrain slaughter the opposition. However, those two countries do what their masters tell them to do. They protect the interests and oil revenues of American and multinational corporations. And they call this fighting for "democracy?" Is the American public that stupid? Our own people are out of work, state workers and public employees are being disenfranchised and unions dismantled, but we do nothing to fight back. How much longer are we going to put up with the destruction of the American working-class and middle-class? It's a prelude to economic slavery. Wake up America!

Claudia's Visit

My lovely niece, Claudia, and her very bright and charming cousin, Caroline, stayed with me for two days. They were on their way to NYC to visit museums and explore the city. It was a pleasure hosting both of them. Young Caroline is very mature for her age and very impressive. She has read extensively and has a global outlook, which is not what one normally finds among teenagers. I hope she follows in Claudia's footsteps.

If everything goes well, Claudia will be the "doctorcita en la familia" by 2015(?) I find her research interests fascinating. She wants to explore the genetic components of schizophrenia. I hope she gets an internship this summer in order to work on this very important research project.

Japan's Catastrophe

I feel very sad about the plight of the Japanese. Those who lived in fishing villages and along the coastal areas are missing. The Tsunami swept away a large group of defenseless men, women, and children and sowed destruction across Japan. This is so tragic!

As a child I used to live five long blocks from the Pacific ocean. My brothers and I would sneak out of the house and walk all the way to the cliffs in Magdalena del Mar and climb down to the local beach. There is something about living near the ocean that gives one a unique sense of freedom. By 15, I knew I wanted to leave my country of birth and explore new lands. Although I live quite a distance from the Jersey shore, every summer I insist on spending at least a week by the ocean. I just miss it so much! Unfortunately, the tragedy in Japan reminds us that we are really at the mercy of Mother Nature. No matter what fools tell us, we cannot control the forces of nature.

I Am Confused

I changed my email address because my old MSU Email account is no longer available. Now I am having problems accessing my old Google blogs. This is upsetting because one of my blogs is priceless. It has music from various cultures and in many languages.

Today is March 7th and time seems to be flying as one gets older. I recall vividly how I wanted so much to be a grownup when I was nine years old. Now, I wish time would stand still because it is going too fast. One of my dreams was to be part of a terraforming expedition in Mars. I guess that will never happen in this lifetime. I wanted to be around to experience all the wonderful things that await those not yet born, such as visiting a distant galaxy. If anyone enjoys science fiction, I highly recommend Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy: