America in two wars
Currently, there are two major wars ongoing: Ukraine and Gaza. America is heavily behind both.
Why is it?
Money – Almost everything American is about money!
Ten Dancing Queens & Kings at USDC 2023
In a previous post (Dancing Queens & Kings: Call for Participation (5)), I highlighted 10 dancing queens or kings as examples (age-group):
- Annette Burden (S2): a real Queen in Smooth and Rhythm.
- Irene Fong (S1): a real Queen in Smooth.
- Joan Goddard (S1): a real Queen in Rhythm and Latin.
- Eric Leininger (S1): a danceholic.
- Patricia Schneider (C): a real Queen in Smooth and Ballroom.
- Miriam Atkins (C): A dancing doctor.
- Mike Butler (B): a Rhythm champion and the Mambo King.
- Jill Windy (B): a cancer survivor via joyful dancing.
- Francesca Mattozzi (A): a rising star in Smooth and Ballroom.
- Christian Orsos (A): a rising star and a 6-dancer.
Now, let me highlight how they did at USDC 2023 last month (9/4-10).
9/11/2001 vs. 10/7/2023
In a previous post (America between Israel and Palestine?), I talked about the Israel-Palestine conflict escalated by the recent Hamas attack on Israel. In this post, I will compare the event of 10/7/2023 with that of 9/11/2001, although even America’s MSM has started doing it (e.g., On GPS: A peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict).
America between Israel and Palestine?
The news of the week has been Israel is at war with Hamas. Here’s what to know. So, let me add my two cents …
As a Chinese-American, I have no personal stake in this conflict, but I am deeply concerned about America, especially its one-sidedness for Israel, against not only Palestine but also the global south (Injustice Against Palestinians Cannot Continue)!
Dancing Queens & Kings: Call for Participation (5)
My forthcoming book “Dancing Queens & Kings” is calling for participation. The only requirement is that you have competed at the USDC or OSB (2023 inclusive), with an interesting story to tell. Below is the timeline:
- 11/30/2023: 1 page highlighting your compelling story in pro/am ballroom dancing.
- 12/31/2023: 8-page full story.
- 3/31/2024: Book review by Sam Sodano.
- 5/31/2024: Publication at Amazon.
I am looking for 50 stories and will accept up to 60 submissions of 1 page (1st come, 1st accepted). After your 1 page is accepted, your 8-page is almost guaranteed to be included in the book unless it is so poorly written that it is totally unsalvageable.
America: It is democracy, stupid!
In a previous post, I called out “America: It is the political system, stupid!” What, then, is America’s political system?
Democracy!
In other words, “it is democracy, stupid!”
America: It is the political system, stupid!
America is deeply in trouble (A quarter of Americans open to taking up arms against government, poll says), with no easy way out.
Why is that?
Simply put, it is the political system, stupid!
Dancing Queens & Kings: frequently asked questions & answers
My forthcoming book “Dancing Queens & Kings” is calling for participation (Dancing Queens & Kings: Call for Participation (4)). The only requirement is that you have competed at the USDC or OSB (2023 inclusive). Below is the timeline:
- 11/30/2023: 1 page highlighting your compelling story in pro/am ballroom dancing.
- 12/31/2023: 8-page full story.
- 3/31/2024: Book review by Sam Sodano and Wayne Eng.
- 5/31/2024: Publication at Amazon.
I am looking for 50 participants and will accept up to 60 submissions of 1 page (1st come, 1st accepted). After your 1-page is accepted, your 8-page is almost guaranteed to be included in the book unless it is so poorly written that it is totally unsalvageable.
In this post, I will answer some FAQs (frequently asked questions).
Worker strikes in America
This post was triggered by these two recent news stories:
- Autoworkers strike expands significantly against GM and Stellantis.
- WGA and the studios reach tentative deal to end writers’ strike.
Although there are some serious differences between the two strikes, I will leave them alone. Instead, I will simply state that I am all for the striking workers for two main reasons:
- The wage gap between the workers and the CEOs in America is simply unacceptable (Wage gap between CEOs and US workers jumped to 670-to-1 last year).
- For the workers, striking is now the only way to fight back before a revolution.
Toward an ideal form of government?
China’s dramatic comeback over the past four decades has upended almost everything in the West, where prosperity was largely built on colonialism and imperialism over the past 500 years.
In this post, I will ask and answer two critical questions:
- What is an ideal form of government?
- How to get there from here?