Terrorism?

Terrorism is arguably the word of the decade—at least for the politically inclined. But what does it mean and when is it applied? That is, what events, circumstances, acts, or conditions can be categorized as terrorism? In popular culture terrorism is defined as the murder of civilians in order to instill “terror” to a particular group.

This definition is too narrow for my taste.

How about poverty as a form of terrorism? Are poor people being terrorized everyday by the fact that they are surrounded by abundance? The feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, shame, inferiority, jealousy, et cetera are forms of terrorism.

This argument can be extended. Are minorities being terrorized everyday by the feeling of powerlessness? Are the majority being terrorized everyday by the constant fear of being perceived as domineering? Are homosexuals being terrorized by living in a society that perceives them as abnormal? Are women being terrorized everyday by living in a man’s world? I guess in one way or another we are all being terrorized everyday by one another.

Maybe that is why we work our asses off to climb the “social ladder:” were tired of being terrorized.

Dancing Fever

Life has stages: from being a baby, to becoming an elderly person, and everything in between. Some of us can also go through phases. Some people have years in which they rebel, there is the classical mid-life crisis, and plenty of other phases.

Personally I would like to be more experimental. Though I’m not crazy enough to do outrageous or dangerous stuff I would like to do things I have not done before. This can range from listening to different music to making different friends.

Aoba, a person I met recently, invited me to go to a techno club that is supposed to be one of the hottest in San Francisco. I went.

The line to the club was long but luckily Aoba purchased tickets in advance so we got in easily. The club is divided into the main dance floor, a smoking room, and I believe (though I did not see it) a smaller—more intimate—dance room. The main dance floor was awesome. The first thing you notice is the exotic dancers who occupied parts of the stage, cages up high, and the disco ball hanging—I believe that helps people go into a deeper trance. Of course there were a lot of people and you can imagine the dance floor.

I spent the first thirty minutes observing, then the music took over. For the next three hours—with a couple of breaks—I was jumping, swerving, bending, gliding, and waving. I let the music move my body which ever way it was destined to go at that precise moment.

For my anti-structurist friends this form of dancing is an example of pure rebellion. Unlike other dancing forms this has no rules. The only rule is you do what the fuck you want, except interfere with another person’s space. Though you occasionally do interfere with another person’s space—bumping, stepping, or rubbing—but that is an acceptable and understood part of the activity. Additionally, for those people who don’t know how to dance this atmosphere is perfect.

Will I do this again? I don’t know but I’m glad I did it.

"The People"

I hear a lot of individuals using the term "the people." For example, the politicians don't support the "the people." Who are the people? Who gets to be a member of the "people." I generally understand this term to mean poor, working class, and middle class individuals. I wonder if this is right?

evidence is a verb?

Part of my job is reading contracts and the language is not colloquial. In one of my contracts it reads, "Employees who do not evidence..." When did evidence become a verb?

Why is it so bad that Obama is moving to the center?

I hear a lot of chatter about how Obama is compromising himself and some of his supporters by becoming more conservative. Some have even called him phony and opportunistic. This irritation is a consequence of his attempt to reposition himself to the “center.” They want him to stick to the liberal ethos; to stay true to the cause. Is that what Democracy is about? It seems to me that he is doing the Democratic thing by adjusting his position to the greatest number. The most fundamental value in Democracy is people rule and if most voting Americans are somewhere in the middle, then Obama is behaving the way a politician ought to behave in a democracy; that is, politicians ought to reflect the values of the citizenry, not impose theirs.

The Fillmore Jazz Festival with William Jones

Fillmore street in San Francisco is one of the great and historic locations for jazz music. All of the “Greats” performed in this neighborhood. If you would like more information on the event, click here. The street was lively with an admixture of people. There were jazz enthusiasts, jazz amateurs, party lovers, tourists, and many more. As you walk up and down the street you are treated to music being played in front of stores, stages on the street, and the many clubs on the strip that hosted artists—all for free.

I was invited to the event by William Jones. Mr. Jones, now 60 years old, has lived in the Bay Area since the 1960’s, over twenty years in San Francisco, and Fillmore Street was his old stomping ground. He enlightened me to the musical and social history of the the street and the community. He told me about a place called “Bop City” which was a great location for local jazz artist to jam all night. He pointed out “The Fillmore,” also known as “The Fillmore Auditorium,” which is one of the great musical auditoriums in the history of the United States. As we walked Mr. Jones eyed an elderly man from the neighborhood (about 80 years old) and began to speak to him. They spoke about the guy who ran the backroom gambling operation, about the crazy neighbored midget, about this and about that. Physically they stood there talking but mentally they dived into a 30 minute time-warp that took them three decades past and back. Mr. Jones told me that he has seen this guy around the neighborhood for years but never spoke to him. Their first conversation ended with a slight hand-shack and warm hug between two close-strangers.

I met Mr. Jones at the UC Berkeley campus. He could always be found at Free Speech Café or the main library with his grand-daughter. We spoke regularly and he often would encourage me to attend a jazz event. When he told me about the famed Fillmore Street Jazz festival I told him I would attend. I had a good time.

Internal-Worksite Organizer: SEIU Local 521

I took a job with SEIU local 521 as an internal-worksite organizer and just completed my third day of work. An internal-worksite organizer is responsible for constructing an organizational structure that effectively pushes forward the union’s agenda.

To better explain my job lets take one institution and call it “Blue.” Assume “Blue” has 300 employees that decided to create or join an existing union. These 300 employees have collective bargaining rights; as opposed to each individual worker negotiating on his or her own. One can easily see the advantage of negotiating collectively. The inherent difficulty of working in large groups is getting the group to coordinate effectively over a long period of time. This is where the worksite organizer comes in. The worksite organizer works in partnership with the employees to create an effective operation. Why the worksite organizer? The workers already have a job so the worksite organizer is brought in to focus primarily on the organizational matters.

Another aspect of the job can be extremely legalistic. On my third day I sat through negotiations between another internal-worksite organizer from SEIU and an employer. The negotiations concentrated on the interpretations of a couple terms in the contract and in the policies and procedures. This aspect of the job, as you can see, is completely different than organizing. In order to do this well I’m required to understand the contracts, job specifications, policies/procedures, and all other documents that govern the employees.

A third aspect of this job is relationship building. On my first day my director said “politics or die.” In other words if we don’t build strong relationships with explicit political institutions (governing bodies.) the workers will lose—particularly because majority of SEIU local 521 members are public employees. Other important relationships is between the organizer and the workers; also between the union and the employers; finally between the union and a host of other interested parties. Strong relationships that are enduring are central to the long term success of unions.

If the last three days are an indicator of how the job is going to be, I’m a really happy guy. I met about six members and was extremely impressed. They were confident, knowledgeable, and passionate. I’m excited for having the opportunity to work with them.

Hyatt workers

Workers from Hyatt Regency Santa Clara and their supporters protested on July 2, 2008 in front of the hotel. The workers and their supporters are accusing the hotel for making it harder for workers to unionize and for the arduous working conditions. The workers want the hotel to recognize “card check neutrality.” Card check neutrality essentially removes management from the unionizing process and allows workers to gain union recognition by a simple majority. The protesters were peaceful, passionate, and determined to get their point across to the hotel: they wanted complete autonomy to unionize. Additionally, the workers were, as Maria Reyes said, “tired” of the working conditions. Huy Tran who was hired as a bellboy told about being asked “to transfer to laundry for a week” but this temporary assignment turned into three months. According to Mr. Tran this is one among other instances that exemplifies the lack of “respect provided to workers like him.” Mrs. Reyes, who is a custodian, decried the work load that required her to clean between 17-25 rooms per day. “I’m tired and want a fair process to unionize” said Mrs. Reyes as she completed her public grievance.

And another one...

I’m going to make another attempt at blogging. Blogging has been an on-again-off-again habit with me. Yet, as they say, I can do that. Why? Because when I blog I’m not trying to inform, encourage, agitate, or create any meaningful change. Blogging is purely a selfish act for me. The pleasure I get from writing and posting entries is akin to the feeling of completing a project.

virtual career fair with alumwire

A week ago I got an e-mail from Alumwire announcing their upcoming virtual career fair. Up until that moment I was a member of Alumwire for about a year but not very active. I attended the virtual career fair not knowing what to expect. During the event I got exclusive and extensive time, attention, and information from recruiters representing two of the most dominant management consulting firms in the world: McKinsey and Accenture. The recruiters patiently answered all of my questions, reviewed my resume, and opened themselves up for future inquiries. Additionally, because of the chat room structure of the career fair I was able to view the other job seekers. I introduced myself to the other job seekers; we exchanged information and promised to help each other in finding professional work.

During my conversation with a recruiter Scott Hayes, Alumwire employee, sent me a message asking me if everything was ok. This was very helpful (and good timing) because the recruiter did not know how to retrieve my resume from the site. I told Scott the problem and he helped the recruiter retrieve my resume.

They say networking is a necessary component for success. This experience expanded my network to a few recruiters of blue chip corporations, highly accomplished job seekers, all without leaving my home.

I had such a delightful experience that I became a more active user of Alumwire. I updated my page and will continue to use this amazing site.

P.S

If anyone has a lead for a business analyst position please contact me at asgedomf@gmail.com or asgedomf@berkeley.edu

The Change Agent

Looking for work means you have to dissect and analyze yourself in order to better understand your skills, weaknesses, desires, goals, et cetera. One thing I’ve realized about myself is that I’m a natural change agent. Every activity I joined voluntarily was to bring about some sort of change. I guess I ought to be running for President.

I joined the student government to make sure the proper changes were happening. I volunteered at El Proyecto del Barrio’s to affect positive change on urban youth. I left the student government because I concluded it was not a change making institution. I Founded the Political Activities Club to effect the kind of change I thought best. I started writing to influence people, change minds, and indirectly change things.

I guess I’ll need to look into an industry that is all about making change. Two examples that come to mind are grassroots politics and management consulting. Are there others?

Voting: Using Critical analysis

The primaries have started and the presidential elections are fast approaching. So how does one decide which candidate to vote for? There are different ways to decide on a candidate. Some people like candidates that look “presidential.” Of course these people will need to define what presidential means. Some may decide it is time for a change and will vote for the black candidate or the woman candidate. The assumption here is that change is not related to policy but to the physical make up of the candidate. It is probably important to incorporate multiple decision making strategies.

I would like to advocate a more scientific procedure. A procedure that is more systematic with an emphasis on objectivity and evidence. If anyone has a problem with my logic or would like to add something please notify me.

Purpose: Get to know what your purpose for voting is. Is your purpose for voting to find the candidate that can best serve your interest? Is your purpose to find the best candidate to improve the economy? Is your purpose to find the candidate that can quickly get the US out of Iraq? State your purpose clearly and make sure it is realistic. Throughout your research make sure you check with your purpose so as to remain on target.

Question: Once you have your purpose write down a related question. Express the question in several ways to clarify its meaning and scope. Break the question down into its component parts to get a better grasp of your question. Distinguish questions that have definitive answers from those that are a matter of opinion. For example, if my purpose was to elect a candidate to improve the economy my question may be which candidate is best skilled at fixing the subprime crisis and passing legislation to offset future irrational financial behavior? This touches on one aspect of a very complex economic system but the point is that it is clear and specific.

Assumption: Make sure you know what assumptions you are making. Assumptions are sometimes subconscious and may require that you ask specific questions to bring them to the surface. For example, why do I believe this? Understand how assumptions are shaping your point of view. In thinking about which candidate is best skilled at fixing the subprime crisis the first candidate that comes to my mind is Mitt Romney. Reason being I’m making the assumption that a business background is better than a political background when dealing with the economy.

Point of view: Identify your point of view. Strive to understand other point of views. Strive to be fairminded when considering other point of views. If you’re a liberal try to look from the point of view of a conservative. If you’re a black person try to look from the point of view of a white person. If you’re a man try to look from the point of view of a woman. If you’re an immigrant try to look from the point of view of a working class citizen. If you’re gay try to look from the point of view of an evangelical.

Information: It is crucial that you gather data. You may want to look at the candidates voting record. You may want to look at his or her past activities. You may want to look at who is contributing to the candidate’s campaign. You may want to look into what the experts have to say about the candidate. By experts I don’t mean merely those people on television or those who write for major news outlets. You may want to read socialist journals, international journals, libertarian journals, anarchist journals, special interest journals, corporate newsletters, et cetera. You may want to read what the candidate has written. You may want to know how the candidate’s cabinet will look like. Search for information that opposes your position as will as those that support it. Make sure that all information you seek and gather are clear, accurate, and relevant to the question at hand. Finally, make sure you have gathered a sufficient amount of information.

Inference: Once you have all the information make sure you never infer more or less than what the information provides you. Analyze the assumptions that lead to your inference.

Implications: What is the implication of my vote? What is the implication if my candidate becomes president? Consider both positive and negative implications. You can never really know the answer to this but you would be better prepared to defend yourself if you do all the steps.

Critical thinking can be scary because it can challenge some of your most dearly held views. Good luck with your search.