John's profileThe Bravo BlogPhotosBlogListsMore  |  Tools Help |
|
7/24/2007 Looking for a decent, solid, good AmericanUnited States of America
President
Job Description
Job summary Seeking a highly qualified and self motivated individual looking for: A top leadership position. Serious yet fulfilling employment at one of the most visible and respected positions in the world. Work along side your personal friends and colleagues and help to make a difference in people's lives through hard work and dedication. Shape and steer major policies on a global scale for a world renowned employer. Meet and entertain high level world leaders to drive company needs and interests on a global stage. Balance life and work through the most generous compensation package in the free world. If this sounds interesting and challenging and you fit the bill then we are seeking you! The United States of America is one of the world’s largest employers, offering industry leading benefits and packages that other companies can't match. The President of the United States is our highest position and we want top caliber candidates to interview for the position. We are an equal opportunity employer; however this position has some pre-defined criteria that makes it exempt from traditional EEO guidelines. Applicants must bring resume and interview for several months before public forums and then be approved by the board of directors who vote is based on shareholder approvals. Applications are not confidential and public scrutiny of qualifications is mandatory.
Summary of essential job functions
Duration/Terms of position
Minimum requirements
Additional experience (not required)
Salary and benefits
Disclaimer The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.
7/4/2007 Talking about Could you pass the U.S. citizenship test? - July 4 Special - MSNBC.com#anc_July4CivicsQuizDo you have what it takes to become a citizen? Quote
These questions were a bit easy because they were multiple choice. I did guess, correctly due to process of elimination, on three, two of which I had no clue, the Amendment NOT gurenteeing voting rights, the INS form, and the total amendments to the consitution (I went with the highest number in the group). If it were an oral exam I would have gotten 85%, still good enough to be a citizen, thank goodness. Here is the link to my test: Happy 4th! 231 Years and none the worse for wearThis week America celebrates its 231st birthday. While we may no longer be the youngest country by a long shot, thanks to the breakup of the former Soviet Union, unstability in Africa and the Middle East, and South East Asia we still hold ourselves as cultural infants as societies go. While geo-political maps may change and countries come and go their people and cultures pretty much stay the same. Eastern Europe may hold the newest nations, but they have some deep cultural roots that are well established and can be traced back to pre Constintene and Roman Empire.
America does have one thing going for it, 231 years of pure republic democracy. Granted we are not a pure democracy, like ancient Greece, but our democratic system has passed the test of time and turmoil, the War Between the States (its largest test to hold the nation together) being the only time this was seriously in question of working. We have maintained a peaceful transfer of power with no real incidents of bloodshead, political conventions don't count, even with 4 presidents assassinated the government continued to opperate and there were no revolutions to follow. This foundation of time tested stability and tradition have served us well as we are still the most immigrated to country in the world and the one everyone cries to when things go wrong.
While this July 4th may seem like our influence and popularity are at its lowest, rest assured it is not. We, as Americans, have been caught up in our own creations of media sensationalism, knee jerk preceptionism, and conceses of popular preception (even if it is wrong). In today's era of war, terrorism, activest judges, criminal legislatures, out of control executive branches, legislation by lobbiests and shaping public opinion we need to realize one basic and simple fact. We are all Americans and we can complaign and dissent and get away with all we can because of how well put together our country is.
231 years, most of which we are governed by a document that was written for a different time and era but was crafted in such a way as to allow it to become a living document, one that stands the test of time, one that guarentees our freedoms and rights, one that holds our laws to a measure that no other country can claim. Our constitution is 218 years old as law of the land (written in 1787, adopted in 1788, took effect in 1789) and this IS the oldest written constitution operating in the world, period. Our current situation is nothing new, nor nothing bad by perspective to our long and storied history. Our constitution has steered this nation for a vast majority of our journey and will continue to do so, with a few tweeks here and there via ammendments. Don't listen to the polorizing Chicken Little's of the far left and right who try to scare the moderate majority into their camp, for this is the only real danger we face.
Of the 231 years we have been free and Independent of our British founders we still have not been able to formulate a culture unique to our own. I am beginning to believe this lack of real culture is really our culture. While living in the oldest cultural and social region of the planet I have been able to see things from a different view point. Many of our cultural norms were burrowed from our original countries and societies. Today very few Americans universally will do the same thing as all cultures across our planet do. When I was growing up all children would saw the Pleadge of Alligance before the going to class. We all celebrated Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and looked forward to Halloween, Valentine's Day and the two holidays marking summers beginning and ending, Mamorial Day and Labour Day. Today many of these seemingly cultural happenings have been banished and burried on the scrap heap under the far left machines known as Political Correctness as they offend those who do not agree. We are a country of inclussion, which is why we have little to no culture. We no longer have a common language, food, religion/holiday, or taboo... all of which define a culture/society. Our culture is the lack of a culture. To be American simply means to be what you were in your home country but without fear of being arrested or killed because of it.
We have abandoned our attempts of creating a culture. All attempts to retain any portion of cultural normality have been stripped because they offended someone. The one great claim to fame our country will have will be that we never established a real culture, only an anti-culture. We now have become obcessed disconnecting ourselves because of this lack of culture. We login to chat rooms, blogs (like this one), avitar populated virtual reality sites, online game sites, use text messaging and cell phones, use email and IM to connect on our terms, seperating ourselves from what every culture on the planet uesed to originate, personal communication. We no longer have a common thread binding us all together as a culture, just as a nation. Fortunately our forefathers were smart enough to develop a constitution that can survive this existance. While we may be disconnected from those around us, we are bound by our political system that allows us to continue down this path to where ever it leads. Even if our political system suffers a national election where only 8% or less of the population votes, it will survive, becaue over the last 231 years we have proved our system is damn near bullet prood.
On this day try to do something American, publically fly a flag (I am doing this from inside Communist China), light some sparklers, go see a public fireworks show(because many places have outlawed them for regular people to buy), eat a hot dog, get an apple pie, watch a Jon Wayne movie, listen to Elvis or hum the "Stars and Stripes", drink a beer, watch some baseball or watch the national festivities on cable TV. I would suggest looking up and reading the Star Spangled Banner (our national anthem I bet less then 10% of the country knows all the words too), My Country Tis of Thee, God Bless America, America the Beautiful and maybe even singing one or two of them. Many of these songs could not be written today because of the religous or exclusion references they make but they are 100% American and should be dusted off and revisited every now and then. Of course in homage of our current national obcession you can do nothing but enjoy the day off and think nothing of it, because our constitution allows you that right.
Today we celebrate our 231st birthday as a nation, as a culture and society we are more lost then any of our generations before us. Before we had a country we had a culture, somewhere between 1940 and 1990 we lost what little we had, but that is ok. Then last 17 years have shown us culture is not important, its our country and its abilty to function that is important, and it will go on long past our children's childrens days. 7/2/2007 Talking about The 'New' New York - MSN Travel ArticlesQuote : "The city also has lost some of the edginess that gave it character. In the erstwhile Meatpacking District, you’re more likely to find vegan menus and cruelty-free handbags than to slip on entrails. And in SoHo, lofts have gotten too expensive for starving artists; these high-ceilinged spaces are increasingly occupied by investment bankers and white-shoe lawyers." As you know I just returned from New York and stated that the city was not the same as I had remembered it (having traveled there many times pre 9/11). The author of this article, John Rosenthal is listed as having lived in New York for 30 years until 2003 when he moved to California, returning to the city annually. There are some inconsistencies and subliminal messages I found in this piece and wish to share them with you.
From the beginning of the article he is drumming up the excessive salaries and money flowing through the city from the financial district. It sounds like an endorsement for 'trickle down economics' and anyone from the Regan era will know that this never benefits the bartenders and waitresses as much as he claims in the article (yes the bar tabs may be triple figures but does that mean the tips are 25% of that?). He praises the rebirth of the money making machine while solemnly describing the displacement of local 'mom and pop' shops for banks, luxury apartments and office spaces. He admits the Big Apple is losing its identity in the obsession with low cost goods and services in the likes of Best Buy and Home Depot and other 'big box' retailers.
He continues with the absurd references to New York always looking to the Europeans for its identity and flavor??? New York IS the quintessential American city. It IS the example of America that is why it was singled out to be attacked, not because it was all starry eyed over London, Paris, Barcelona, and Venice. New York is the original melting pot of our country and the place many people still get their indoctrination to American lifestyle and values. Yes you can hear a hundred different languages on the sidewalks going from here to there, see faces from across the globe, smell food you have never smelled before, see thousands of different styles, but they all still have the same thing in common, they came to New York to see and be part of America at its best. New York has never looked to the east for its identity, it has always exuded its identity from deep within, from its Puritan, Italian, Irish, Polish, and Latino roots to create a unique spirit and independence that was purely American. New York is not trying to be another Paris or London by any means and to suggest so is not being a New Yorker by any stretch of the imagination.
He points to the same thing I did, the city is different, slightly deflated, like a week old helium balloon after that birthday party. It is still shinny and still floats, just not as high and looks a bit worn out. The city used to have an electricity that was tactile everywhere in the city. Going to Broadway you could be caught up in the excitement along the way. People were projecting this from everywhere, sidewalk cafes, small city parks, stoops, you name it, the energy could be felt. The bar scenes were incredible in the 1990's, now they are stale and hollow. It is not the 'no smoking' ban in most places that he mentions being the culprit, but it does add to the oddness of the atmosphere. The air of New York seems different because the attitude of the people has changed. People have become detached from the city more then they were. From the bars and discos to the coffee shops and art studios. The politicians are pumping new growth and ideas into the city (a good thing) but they can not pump in the old attitude, that is left to the citizens themselves.
I think it is perfect Rosenthal uses an example of Soho having its art sector apartments gobbled up by the rich investment tycoons and financial lawyers. This shows the example of how the city is losing its atmosphere and uniqueness. As the real-estate prices skyrocket to meet the money people have in their pockets (its not about demand as much as it is people are willing to pay 5 figures a month for an apartment now) the real characters and backbone of the city is forced off the island. While the rich devour every square inch of Manhattan those who have to cook their food, waitress their tables, serve their drinks, clean their homes, walk their dogs, bag their groceries, wash their cars, dry clean their clothes, deliver their flowers, and hundreds of other jobs now have to all be imported from further away. The raising prices makes long time residence flee to the shores of the other 4 boroughs as well as New York's larges suburb, New Jersey. Renting an apartment there is not cheap either, and as people displaced by the new rich in Manhattan flood into the surrounding areas the wave in increased housing will follow like a storm serge ahead of a hurricane. This serge floods out the local shop owners as the business cases for the 'big box' retailers mentioned gobble up the market share and price dump the local shops out of business. This is how a community looses its identity and flavor.
The inconsistency I mentioned in the beginning is that praise of the return of the high spending times on the lower east side and how that makes the community feel better while at the same time complaining the starving artists can no longer afford the run down lofts and the common man and homeless have disappeared from Columbus Circle. He can identify the same missing element I did, but he tries to cover it up by stating New York has a new swagger and bounce in its step. He touts the rich and their 'trickle down' benefits to the community while sadly stating the bank outlets and chain stores and "dime a dozen food chains" are replacing the unique shops and cafes the city had for generations. He claims New York is the Paris of America, when in actually, New York is the New York of the world. New York is not an imitator, it is an originator, and an example of how to get hundreds of different cultures to live in coexistence and harmony no other region of the planet can claim, even London and Pairs. He knows New York is different, but instead of honestly trying to place a real finger on the problem he does what the rest of America has become addicted to, he distracts us from the real issue by painting too many pictures to divert our attention away from the ugly truth. New York is a deflated helium balloon, its spark and shine are not the same but she has endured worse in the past and always come back. I hope the rebirth of New York is sparked by the influx of projects the government promised as well as the unique attitude that was always New York, and not a continuation of the hollow and empty artificial Christmas tree feeling the city has now. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
