It’s pouring right now; Mets v Yankees baseball is postponed for a doubleheader on Sunday.
Interesting Asian/Asian American stuff in the NY Times today:
“A Crash Course in Tradition for Modern Korean Brides” – according to this article, one may have higher degrees in Chinese literature and originally planned to get that Ph.d., but feel free (or just go along with Mom and Dad’s immediate commands) to matriculate in the Institute of Decorum and Wisdom’s bridal course in Seoul to learn how to stitch a shirt to please one’s honored and respected Mother-in-Law. Ah, and consider this, as writer Norimitsu Onishi notes:
A 31-year-old, who met her fiancé through a matchmaker, gave up a career to prepare for marriage. Though sent here by her father, she said she had found many of the classes useful. Since she had long lived in the United States, her parents worried that she had become Americanized.
Accustomed to walking in an assertive American way, she learned to walk on the balls of her feet so as to minimize the noise, she said, adding that she was too embarrassed to reveal her name.
Uh, ok. I can sympathize with the bride not wanting to reveal her name. But, to walk on the balls of one’s feet? There are women (American and otherwise) who are stuck with that, no thanks to being the slave to fashion (re: ridiculously high high heel shoes; namely the sad, sad example of Barbie Doll); walking like that has its implications…
South Asian music making strides in the club scene – with the folks behind the music carrying their identities along – children of the immigrants, having been exposed to all kinds of stuff… – Jon Pareles notes:
As often happens, the music follows demographics. In the 1960’s, a change in immigration law brought a wave of white-collar Indians and Pakistanis and Bangladeshis to the United States. Now their sons and daughters are establishing their place in the arts as well as in the wider American economy, and they are making sense of a musical upbringing that is likely to include Bollywood tunes alongside hip-hop, Western classical music, Indian classical music, rock and jazz. “Everybody’s got a different diaspora,” says the producer, vocalist and disc jockey DK Khambata.
Weird article from the Washington Post: VP Cheney uttered the nasty curse word at Senator Leahy, and Cheney then admitted to having “felt better” after having done it. Uh, ok. Could you please not make a habit of it? (at least, refrain from doing it in the hallowed halls of Congress). Oh, well. … Actually, the scary part is – the Washington Post published the word used; caught my eye, since family newspapers usually don’t do that, as the Washington Post conceded (and its explanation puzzles me – the editors wanted readers to decide for themselves, but hadn’t printed the F-word since… the Starr report days? Huh? I thought the NY Times had hubris, but this is just plain weird)…
So it goes. Enjoy the weekend.