Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
It's almost selfish to think about Giant Robot when 9/11 rolls around. The day marks a change in the world. Aside the pain and suffering that we've been through on every level, it's also reminds me of something good. Giant...
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The dogs that roamed free for over a year are exhibiting the “issues” that you’d probably imagine they have. A study showed that, “The dogs from Fukushima showed significantly lower aggression toward unfamiliar people, trainability and attachment to their caretakers,” Nagasawa and colleagues wrote. “Also, urine cortisol levels in the dogs from Fukushima were 5-10 fold higher than those in abandoned dogs from another area of Japan.” (LA Times – Fukushima dogs)
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The latest issue of The Asian American Literary Review is out. It’s a major step up in the young life of The AALR in terms of ambition and production. Guest editors Rajini Srikanth and Parag Khandhar, as well as Editors-in-Chief Lawrence-Minh Bui Davis and Gerald Maa, are to be congratulated heartily. The East Coast-based AALR commemorates a decade in Asian America after 9/11. The entire Asian community in New York has seen things change profoundly in obvious ways (racial profiling of South Asian, Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans; the conversion of Chinatown into a parking garage for the Feds) and in subtle ways (Afghani restaurants took down maps of the country from their dining rooms). It is a full-scale multimedia effort: The print journal collects first-person testimonies and transcribed discussions and interviews, while there are also visual art sections and an illuminating DVD. The pieces range from angry to somber to bitingly satiric. A long-time contributor to Time is eyed carefully after an airport customs official sees a Syria stamp on his passport and thinks the journalist’s chicken-scrawl handwriting is Arabic. A 13-year-old plaintively asks to live in a world “without having the thought of something bad happening to you.” In words, images and performance, we find that when we view the most unforgettable events from dozens of viewpoints, we not only honor the past but also contemplate our future. Pushkar Sharma‘s mindblowing “10 Little Coolies” spoken-word piece from the DVD. One of five of Tomie Arai‘s works in the print issue.
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We’re not sure if anyone reads the petition site and says, “hmm, I think I’m going to change the name of this park.” However in this case, it’s a fine idea. Betty Ong park, a place where she played, learned, grew up, and perhaps ultimately made her the courageous person she was. Yes, she was a cool airplane attendant aboard one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center buildings. She’s been crowned a hero, so why not name a friggin park after her in San Francisco where she was born. That sounds easy and a great tribute on the opposite coast of NYC. Might as well do it now. (Petitionsite – Betty Ong)
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This isn’t a 9/11 blog, but since it just passed and it’s been a decade, this write up about TSA being ineffective is a long time coming. But who will listen? The things quoted and mentioned are serious problems but will anything get done soon? Yes, they haven’t caught a single threat, they haven’t caught a clue, they miss most test bombs, and they steal and even grope. The funniest mention is by Chairman of the House Transportation Committee John Mica, “Everything they have done has been reactive. They take shoes off because of [shoe-bomber] Richard Reid, passengers are patted down because of the diaper bomber, and you can’t pack liquids because the British uncovered a plot using liquids.” How much money is going their way and how many employees did they hire just to show force without substance? Too much and too many. Yet, will anything change soon? (humanevents – tsa)
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