I’m substitute teaching at LBJ high school today.  I guess I’d never noticed before but our schools are packed with high end design.  In this one room there’s a 5 chair Herman Miller ensemble, and nice vinyl mid century love seats.  I’m not sure if they’re cleanliness and style are being appreciated though.

For those of you who take the “Freebus” (Long, winding, two cab buses), be careful.  Boris has been cracking down around town.  When I lived in town in the Summer of 08′ the freebus was a beautiful thing.  In a city with the one the highest costs of living anywhere in the World, the long/bendy bus (known as the freebus) was a welcome relief to the high prices of the TFL.  In East London, in particular, with many lower socioeconomic inhabitants, the freebus has been a sort of built in economic relief for those on the lower end of the financial spectrum.  Well, apparently that free ride has been coming to halt.  Boris has been cracking down in order to make it more “fair”, I think was his wording.

Here’s some pictures and a video of the 149 being raided in Dalston off Kingsland Rd.

In the US, University prices have been largely unsubsidized, or at least not anywhere near to the extent that tuition is subsidized in Europe.  We are used to high tuition prices and accept it as the norm.  Debt, high prices, and small aid are synonymous with higher education in the United States.  It’s unfair, unproductive, and damaging to our future, but in general, nothing is ever said about it.

Protests in the UK have been a constant since the law passed in early December 2010.  Students there have come to appreciate “liberal” ideals with an understanding that we’re all in this together, and as such are willing to fight for their rights and their place.  We see this all over Europe when social injustices occur.  Citizens rise up to claim what’s theirs and they won’t take no for answer.

We are much more pacified in this country.  For example, Obama’s health care plan is the first step towards an accessible and fair health care for the masses, but when attacked, those with rational voices say nothing, or never say it loud enough to be heard.  Maybe we should take note from our friends across the sea, and embrace our prospected rights.

I’ve been doing some woodworking projects recently (a pipe desk, I’ll post pics soon), and remembered how much I enjoy working with my hands and then being able to see a tangible outcome, it’s quite rewarding.  In this digital age, where the computer feels like an extension of myself far too often, it’s refreshing and positively humanistic to return to analog.  It got me thinking about my career choices, whatever those are, and the way we understand and process “success” in this country.

Growing up I was always told I would go to college, get a degree, and then proceed directly into my relevant chosen career path and this would make me successful, with money and status set as the underlying measure of this success.  But, what if you don’t fit into the 9-5, corporate, medical, science, etc.. fields, does that mean you are less intelligent or less competent per se?  In this country, blue collar or manual work generally illicits notions of the undereducated and the ignorant or unaware, and sadly a lot of times it’s probably true.  Manual work has been culturally devalued and undermined due in part to our temporary/tear down culture and to our cultural emphasis and importance on status and money.  Things are made for quantity and mass production, and quality and worth and value are lost.

I spent some time in London this past Autumn, surrounded by old buildings with history and wisdom we seldom see in the States.  I think being surrounded by that sort of history on a daily basis gives you a longer and wider vision of substance, and an appreciation, even if just subconciously, for worth and value beyond your own time or place.  As a result, “Blue Collar” is often culturally different in the UK, and to a larger extent there’s a respect for a craft or trade done “proper” and right.  Trades can then be valued for the substance of their work, not the effeciency or quantity produced.  Of course this is not always the case even abroad, as we’ve become more “modern” and “evolved”, they too have traded quality for quantity.

My roommate in London, James, was a trained contractor.  We had many conversations about his extensive training and the depth and detail that were involved.  James was one of the most educated and respectable persons I had met, but chose contracting because he was passionate about it, not because of status it might bring him.  The question is though, is whether or not his society is more culturally permissive or conduit to his choice.  I think these are relevant questions for our evolving times.

Finally!

This is def. a step in the right direction. It amazes me that Dingell has been there for so long with so blatantly “conflicted” interests and he has not been called out for this corruption. There is a disturbing amount of this corruption in Washington and sadly it is mostly “legal.” Ethics on the other hand rarely come into question on the “conflicted” chess game that is Washington.

Hopefully this can bring change, and hopefully it’s not irreversibly too late.

And this is my reply:

You guys are missing the issue. This question does not pertain to whether or not someone owns a gun, it pertains to keeping the gun properly registered. These are “Vetting” questions, the same type of questions used from past presidents and some added in order to make up for things that have happened in the past. For example, there is one question that asks (and I’m paraphrasing), “Do you have a nanny, and if so are they working here legally.” Now this question doesn’t imply that having a nanny is bad and Obama is going to rid us of nanny’s. Back in the Clinton administration one of their nanny’s was illegal. So now, as part of the “Vetting” process they have to include that. The same with the gun issue, it’s not about owning or not owning a gun, it’s about being the highest public servant and being an example. (And of course avoiding embarassing mess-ups).

It feels so good to hold that title today, finally.  I’m so proud of our country for making the right choice this election towards progress and unity.  We’ve banded together to say no to fear, yes to hope and change, and come together to make a real and tangible difference.  There are so many positive implications i.e. an enhanced ownership for African Americans, a renewed optmism and trust in the American people globally, and a restored patriotism and belief that we are all in this together for the better.  In many ways it is cyclical and reminiscent of our founding fathers and their hopes and dreams for this country.  Instead of paving a new path, I feel we are optimistically returning to our heritage and ancestors and the dreams and hopes they carried for us.

It feels good to be working again and creating something, there’s an expanding void that appreciates without expression.  We were created and made to do so in like fashion.

P.S. Need to set-up my Akai MPK-49 Keyboard if anyone’s already been down that road.

A Day in The Life

I read the news today oh, boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well, i just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn’t notice that the lights had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They’d seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if he was from the house of lords

I saw a film today oh, boy
THE ENGLISH ARMY had just won the war                              (I love this line)
A crowd of people turned away
But i just had to look
Having read the book
I love to turn you on.

Woke up, got out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up, i noticed i was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
Somebody spoke and i went into a dream
Ah

I read the news today oh, boy
Four thousand holes in blackburn, lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the albert hall
I’d love to turn you on