Marco Rubio on the Shutdown

Here the Republican representative from Florida lays out the one clear reason why the shutdown simply must take place. Having been a supporter of many of Rep. Rubio's previous actions, I am yet again disillusioned by the Republican right, or rather the Tea Party movement that has engulfed it.

So, Rep. Rubio, I beg to differ with you. "What stands in the way of the American dream" is not Obamacare. It is the increasing gap in opportunity between upper middle class and working class Americans, underfunded and ineffective secondary education, high taxes (and not just for the top income bracket) and high education costs, all of which lead to large amounts of debt. Obamacare is a drop in the bucket of America's problems at this point, and the Republican fixation on it is disturbing. It is not the top concern of Americans, so shutting down the government over it is plainly absurd.

I would love to save some money and NOT buy insurance, if health care in this country was actually affordable. Should a "hard-working American" forego doctors' visits as he/she chases the "dream"? I think health care is a right, not a privilege. Moreover, in a nation whose citizens are its primary asset, collective well-being is a matter of national security. Why not attack hospitals that double-bill for items and services and doctors who charge exorbitant prices instead?

As an aside, here is a quote from a conservative French newspaper, equivalent of the Washington Post:

Pierre-Yves Dugua, Le Figaro: The U.S. is being humiliated by the inability of its political system to carry out its primary mission: to pass a budget.

Great. We are now the laughing stock of the French people. So much for U.S. credibility and projection of power...  

The Pledge of Allegiance

I've been wanting to write about the Pledge of Allegiance for a long time. Specifically, abut the two small words that hinder me from proudly reciting it: under God. People tell me I don't know how to pick my battles, but this is one I am never going to renounce.

The words 'under God" were added under President Eisenhower during an era of resistance against the spread of Communism, and the logic is infallible: a Nation under God certainly occupies higher moral ground than a nation of godless Commies. But godless Commies are a thing of the past; meanwhile, this Nation is becoming more diverse and tolerant of different creeds and origins of its many citizens. Thus, the phrase "under God" in our pledge is outdated and should be excluded.

If anyone thinks it is well, ungodly to alter the Pledge of Allegiance, then please see evidence below that the Pledge has in fact been altered several times, and the words "under God" were only the most recent addition (1954). Honestly, I'm surprised the Tea Party movement hasn't picked up on this! Let's get our Pledge back to its beautiful, concise original message! No messing with this country's foundations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance
 

As you can see, the progression of alterations to the Pledge shows an emergence of American exceptionalism in the 20th century. Yet if America is exceptional (and I do subscribe to that view), it is as a man-made achievement, not as an act of God. For many U.S. citizens, the Constitution is as holy as the Bible, so why not say: "one Nation under the Constitution,"... I mean, that's the case anyway...

Perhaps this is such a point of contention for me because I am an atheist and a proud citizen; I would like to recite the pledge sincerely and mean every word of it - after all, the Pledge is a verbal signature under an enumeration of core republican values. I believe in those values, I just don't believe in God. Why can't I and others like me just pledge allegiance to the union we support ideologically, financially and politically?

Perhaps these words bother me because I learned in school that the separation of church and state is one of this country's founding principles, and conventional wisdom places "God" in the house of Church and "Flag' in the house of State. From that perspective, mixing them in one sentence is not very Constitutional.

On a personal note, I used to do the school announcements every morning in 8th grade. I would always say the Pledge of Allegiance loud and clear into the microphone (ironically, I hadn't been naturalized yet), carving the words into my consciousness with every resounding syllable. I wasn't raised atheist, or Catholic, or Russian Orthodox, or Jewish, or Muslim. My parents believe in a higher power but their faith is not institutionalized. As a dutiful eighth-grader, I recited the Pledge perfectly but always had an ill feeling about it. I always knew there was no God for me, and that in itself is blind faith, as I have no proof of God's inexistence. So in a sense, I was forced to blaspheme, over and over again, while affirming my sincere belief in the values I hold dear.

Over the years, I've shared my views with evangelical Christians, moderate Muslims and reformist orthodox Jews, and for the most part, everyone agrees that the pledge does not have to include the words "under God." Their argument for why the words are in the Pledge? With ambivalence or scientific curiosity at best, they presume: This phrase is part of the original pledge, so it's a relic of the times; in the 19th century, when everyone went to church, to say 'under God' was probably typical...

But it's neither a 19th century relic, nor part of the original. It has no inherent significance - not today. In fact, the original looks a lot more modern, even if it was written by a long-dead Christian socialist.

The America of My Tomorrow

In the America of my imagined future, there is a lot of public discontent, endless struggles and deadlocks in Washington and an alarmist attitude among various interest groups poised to strike back when the federal fist hits them with undue regulation or budget cuts. 

But the America I imagine - Canada and Mexico, feel free to subscribe to my vision, making some necessary adjustments - has equality of opportunity regardless of race, gender, and no less importantly, economic STATUS. 

It is a land of economic growth and personal fulfillment. It is a place everyone wants to come, but unlike now, has no cause to regret their move. The country and continent I imagine during the time of my (as yet hypothetical) children’s adulthood is a place where the words “in hindsight” can only be heard in history classrooms. It’s the land of the people who look forward. They look forward to afternoon walks with their children in urban underground and high line parks; they look forward to getting home and working job #2, tablet in hand; they look forward to visiting their doctor - worth the wait! - and likely finding out that their condition is treatable thanks to a new drug; they look forward to elections because the vibrancy of the political system has finally given them a reason to vote locally and nationally, whether they wish to preserve the status quo or to wreak havoc to it.

The Americans of tomorrow don’t just look forward to things; they look forward at things. The policies they craft to address an ever-increasing number of threats to national security and national welfare are decidedly global and involve conforming to international standards established through treaties and U.N. resolutions on issues such as arms sales; pollution; women’s, children’s, minorities and indigenous peoples rights; nonproliferation; trade and banking; intelligence gathering and so on. We already follow unwritten rules in many of these areas, yet actually ratifying documents with binding clauses could build a platform for serious collective action alongside government efforts.  Being an international team player rather than a lone ranger would also rewrite the context in which we operate, bringing us closer to our partners oceans and hemispheres apart and bursting our bubble of isolation once and for all.

You may say that the isolationist era is over, that after wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and involvement in Libya, America is about as isolationist as it was in 1945. You may be right, although the tendency of this administration is to observe conflict and direct intervention from the stands. You may also say that there is no economic isolation, given globalized production & supply chains, online services and crumbling trade barriers; nor does our culture exist in isolation: we are more connected to the world (the good and the bad and the sad) than at any other moment in history and this connectivity will only grow in quality and volume. 

And yet, we are a world apart. A member of the OAS (the Organization of American States, a league of democracies in the Western hemisphere resembling Woodrow Wilson’s League of Nations), the United States is isolated in our own hemisphere. Heck, we are so isolated that we refer to ourselves as American, naturally excluding Canada and Mexico from what is rightfully their label too. Need I write of our international isolation exemplified by our disregard or at least muted skepticism of the U.N. and its efforts to improve human welfare, education, rights and security across the world?

It doesn’t help being geographically marooned in the company of chosen friends. Perhaps because of this, or perhaps because of history that was not entirely of our making, we have developed a mentality that we are exceptional. Even exclusive. If you succeed in America, you’ll succeed anywhere, because nobody works as hard, earns as much, has this many options for the development of their life and enjoys as many freedoms, perks and quality entertainment. 

Well, actually.... #bbcdramas

But we won’t get on the subject of global indexes because you can Google that (and I don’t want you to Google away from my page). I also don’t see the point of writing about facts in this article. I’m a dreamer and the America of my tomorrow CAN be an enviable place to live and work:

The rise of high-tech manufacturing is going to create a new class of workers - smart, assiduous, passionate and adaptive - but it will be a working class nonetheless. Their expected salaries will be higher than blue collar workers had and they would easily fit into the middle class. The computerized, refined nature of their work will demand higher education, so a hierarchy of programs and schools will develop to churn out these professionals. Because they will be educated to understand the manufacturing process, as opposed to manual and monotonous duties at a workstation or assembly line, they will be upwardly mobile within their field of manufacturing and flexible to fill analogous positions in other fields. Most importantly, they will be irreplaceable, which will increase job security, long-term interest and investment in their professions, and bolster the workers’ pride - that’s no small feat!

The services will thrive too. For all the great recipes, workout routines, magic tricks and piano tunes YouTube can teach us, service professionals will remain exactly that: professionals. Those who are subpar now will need to become excellent or they will be individually displaced by competition, YouTube videos not excluded. This transition to digital and distant means that the service jobs - and industries - that remain will be significantly better, more accessible, consumer-friendly and hassle-free.

There will be medical services for all, starting with government health insurance that is mandated for low and lower middle class persons. To pay for this subsidized expense, there can be a federal fixed-rate income tax or a state fixed-rate income tax (depending on how the health care system is reformed) that would remove a significant but not unreasonable percentage of a person’s salary to pay for his/her adult medical services. Children would be insured by the federal government or the state on a mandatory basis (this would also put children of illegal immigrants on the map and assure adequate health provision) unless the parents have a combined income of $100,000 (my arbitrary pick) and can choose to opt out of the system, forego the tax and pay for private insurance.

As for immigrants, who also should have equal access to our health care system, they would enjoy the same benefits, with some residency requirements enforced (e.g. prior to receiving permanent resident status (accompanied by a document called “green card”), immigrants would have to copay, say, $30 for all visits and procedures unless otherwise determined by the doctor or the admitting hospital). Read: more expensive things like CT scans, endoscopies and surgeries would have proportionally higher copays. Today recent immigrants have access to a variety of programs and community services not available to long-time immigrants and citizens, so their occasional medical costs should be offset by money saved elsewhere. Again, all children, regardless of status, would be on a separate grid and have free medical services.

I’m getting tired of typing (mostly because I’m so damn slow at it), but if I care to share any more of my ideas about the America of tomorrow as I see it, I’ll post them right above and you’re free to critique them.

Looking forward to it... ;-)

- Dilettante

I am coffee

Today we walked briskly along St. Marks, facing the bitter cold winds of New York City, determined to find something to warm our shivering bodies.
Coffee? I said timidly, seeing a sign we just passed. No one turned around.
Udon? I tried again, seeing another window with warm bodies indoors.
I could go for that! I heard a voice beside me. Looking up from the folds of my scarf, I saw L., equally frost-pinched.
Udon? I repeated.
No, the coffee... he said hesitantly.
Ok! I jumped. Taking few steps back to the sign, I looked up. It hangs over the passers by, inviting them for an authentic coffee experience... and hot chocolate! If there is anything better than strong coffee with rich cream on a cold winter day, it's rich, dark hot chocolate, made with milk and served with love. My stomach forgot its recent pleas for sustenance and I rushed up the stone stairs. Mmmm chocolate!

Through the sliding door to the left, there is a coffee bar, behind which stands a smiling, friendly and disarmingly genuine barista named Katarina, serving meticulously prepared coffee beverages and freshly made hot chocolate. She has a European accent and according to an old and rude tradition, my friend and I begin to guess where she is from. Turns out, it's Italy. So says her brother, who is lingering on the guest side of the bar after his shift, chatting with a friend and occasionally popping behind the bar to mix a coffee or help his sister out when her hands are full. There are several machines and thus several technologies for preparing coffee. I notice the drip, and get excited. Another gentleman comes in, orders an espresso and joins us at the tiny bar. My friend, prompted by the lack of space, instantly sparks up a conversation with him.

The brother and sister duet is serving a drip coffee to L., accompanied by a petite steel pitcher of cream - delicious, may I add! and Katarina prepares our hot chocolates with milk. Before she serves us, she detects a hint of doubt, so she shows us what she would be using to make our drinks. Despite being half-frozen inside a banal plastic container, the chocolate mix was freshly made every day to be later prepared with hot milk; it resembled the chocolate truffle mix I make at home. Looks like dreams do come true, I thought. Thank you, I am coffee!

As she served our drinks, a hearty tablespoon of chocolate in each, with an off-white saucer for our spoons and a dainty sparkling steel sugar bowl, the barista told us to stir in the chocolate for 1 minute. The hands-on approach to making your own drink may deter the lazies in the crowd, but for this 'artesian' coffee shop the goal is to engage you with the beverage. Katarina tells me that some drinks on the menu are never made to go - like the espresso - and being far away from her homeland of Italy, she and her family will not break that sacred rule. I ask her if it is a family business... yes, it is, she says: it was started by her uncle with her two brothers and herself just two and a half months ago. Finally, things are picking up, she smiles. Behind her are traditional laced curtains for kitchen cabinets familiar to me from old Italian films with a young Sophia Loren. What do they hide? Perhaps coffee, pastry and chocolate secrets of a distant Italian home...

There are now seven of us standing at the bar - there are no chairs (and no space for them) - and from our privileged height we see wistful gazes of walkers wishing for a reviving cup of coffee. Alas, I am coffee is packed to carrying capacity at 7.

Katarina tells me that yes, the place is small, but it is a traditional Italian spot, with coffee served - and drunk - at the bar, standing and socializing with fellow drinkers. She wants to bring this tradition to the U.S., sans compromises. Space is not an issue, she points out to me, showing me the three-cup curved saucers made seemingly for espressos but also used to hold coffee, cream and sugar comfortably in one hand at the crowded bar. And we even have these, she says with an infectious smile, pulling out a dark sepia decorated mini-saucer, for pastry. When she says pastry, my eyes wander over to said objects, and I see only 3 varieties: cookies and two pies. The pies are not pre-sliced, even though it is apparent they will be sold by the day's end. They look too delicious to try so soon... maybe next time...

My friend looks at her watch and we realize we're late for our bus. All good things must come to an end! Thankfully, the drip coffee and hot chocolate can be made to go. I say goodbye to the smiling barista, grab a business card and head down the steps to join the flowing crowd of St. Marks. No longer hungry, I cradle the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my hands and L. is uncharacteristically drawing out his cup of coffee as we head west. Finders - keepers.

I am coffee is located at 9 Saint Marks Place
(between 2nd and 3rd Ave)

How To Cook Underwhelming Food

If you find yourself with a limited budget (perhaps after a splurge on some imported beers) and suddenly hungry, there are a few recipes - sort of - you can use to feed yourself. If you are lazy, this may be especially helpful.

3 Pork Cutlets

1. Find leftover rice in your refridgerator. Note to yourself it's there; forget in 15 minutes.
2. Take out pork cutlets (mine have been in the fridge, bottom shelf where it's sufficiently cold, for 2 days by this point) and give them a rinse to freshen them up. Then lay them out on a cutting board, or wherever.
3. Break an egg into a small bowl, whisk lightly; you can use a fork, because a washing a whisk afterwards is a pain. 
4. Add salt (I only have sea salt, but you may have more varieties), red and black pepper, thyme and a shake of basil (I say shake, because I assume if you're reading this you don't like cooking enough to have a bouquet of fresh basil leaves in a small jar on your kitchen counter). Mix until all ingredients look like a view through a kaleidoscope.
5. Take out extra seasoning - I use more of the basil and garlic powder (because can't be bothered to peel cloves of garlic), you will use it to season the cutlets before they hit the pan.
6. Take a few tablespoons of flour and spread them out on a big plate. The plate should have elevated edges if you're clumsy.
7. Take cutlet # 1 and dip it into the egg yolk. At this point you should remember that you need to fry this on a surface, so obtain a surface, preferably nonstick and warm it up.
8. Back to cutlet # 1: Jiggle it around in the yolk, then move to the flour and put face down on the plate, first on one side and then on the other.
9. Note that your cooking surface is getting very hot. Pour olive oil, potentially too much. Have paper towel on hand to absorb the excess. Lower the heat to um, low.
10. Quickly move cutlet # 1 from the flour to the pan (let's call the frying surface that, it's a 3-letter word: easy). Now glance back to the operating table and see you have forgotten to add the extra seasoning. Normally I'd let it go, but it may just be worthwhile adding the garlic powder. Sprinkle basil and garlic powder on top of cutlet # 1 already in pan. Sprinkle only on the side facing up, as flipping it yet would be too messy. 
11. Repeat steps 7, 8 an 10 with cutlet # 2 and cutlet # 3 (don't get a new hot surface for every cutlet) with one adjustment. Now that the pan is on the stove, you are less distracted and can remember to sprinkle cutlets with garlic and basil at some point after they have been dipped in yolk and before they land in the pan. 
12. If you have any leftover veggies in your fridge that will soon go bad, now is the time to take them out. In my case it was celery. 
13. Wash them, dice them, and thrown 'em into the pan. If it's a non-stick pan, you may forget to stir, which is fine - people like us are the reason they make them.
14. After about 7 minutes, peek at the bottoms of the cutlets. Cutlet # 1 should be a dark golden color down there. Flip it. Even though cutlet # 2 and cutlet # 3 are more raw, flip them also, because the pan was hotter by the time they were added... and otherwise, I might just forget.
15. Repeat step 14. Then repeat step 15 with decreasing time intervals over the course of 12 minutes. 
16. Turn off the gas (I have a gas stove) and let the food absorb the remaining heat in the pan. Then after a few minutes, serve.