- Bottled Water
- Study Abroad
- Sushi
- Being the only White Person Around
- Mos Def
- The Daily Show
- Threatening to Move to Canada
- Japan
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Stuff White People Like
There are plenty of things that all white people like with little to no exception, such as:
An inspirational story
So I'm rereading a good book - Freakonomics. The more observant of you will also notice that I added the author's blog along with a couple other links over on the right, all of which I consider to be entertaining for one reason or another.
One person mentioned in the above book is a rather interesting story. He's a leading economist that entered Harvard as a professor at the lofty age of 25 named Roland G. Fryer Jr. While this is remarkable enough, if you take his past into account it seems almost freakish. I found an article on him, and it's simply amazing - basically abandoned by his mom and raised by a drunk woman abusing father and crack dealing cousins, he makes a near miss on following the footsteps, then turns it all around by getting into college on a sports scholarship, graduating with a degree in 2.5 years while working and even taking extra credits at a local junior college, leading to what we have today. One excerpt:
Probably because of his past, he is totally driven to find out what causes the gap between whites and blacks in the US, and leaves no stone unturned no matter how controversial it seems. I guess I can see how some people would rather point to discrimination and blame that for the gap, but I'm glad that someone is willing and able to look at what internal problems might exist in the black community that are self-destructive. It'll be a lot more constructive for people to have things to point out that they themselves can control as opposed to just blaming things on the Man and resigning to a bleak life with no prospects. Then again, the people at the bottom of the pile are always the last to feel the effects of any improvements, which in some case need to be pretty substantial. Here's wishing him luck.
One person mentioned in the above book is a rather interesting story. He's a leading economist that entered Harvard as a professor at the lofty age of 25 named Roland G. Fryer Jr. While this is remarkable enough, if you take his past into account it seems almost freakish. I found an article on him, and it's simply amazing - basically abandoned by his mom and raised by a drunk woman abusing father and crack dealing cousins, he makes a near miss on following the footsteps, then turns it all around by getting into college on a sports scholarship, graduating with a degree in 2.5 years while working and even taking extra credits at a local junior college, leading to what we have today. One excerpt:
At 13, he forged his birth certificate to get a job at McDonald's. When he could, he told me, he stole from the cash register. He sold counterfeit Dooney & Burke purses out of the trunk of his car -- a tricked-out 1984 Monte Carlo that he wasn't nearly old enough to drive legally. With a friend, he recounted, he would go into Dallas, buy a pound of marijuana for $700 and sell it back in Lewisville for $1,400. He carried a .357 Magnum and one night, in a fight outside a Citgo station, almost used it on a white man. ''I didn't care if I lived or died,'' he said now as we idled in the parking lot of that same Citgo station. ''I always think I'm supposed to be dead, not alive, much less at Harvard.''
Probably because of his past, he is totally driven to find out what causes the gap between whites and blacks in the US, and leaves no stone unturned no matter how controversial it seems. I guess I can see how some people would rather point to discrimination and blame that for the gap, but I'm glad that someone is willing and able to look at what internal problems might exist in the black community that are self-destructive. It'll be a lot more constructive for people to have things to point out that they themselves can control as opposed to just blaming things on the Man and resigning to a bleak life with no prospects. Then again, the people at the bottom of the pile are always the last to feel the effects of any improvements, which in some case need to be pretty substantial. Here's wishing him luck.
The joys of the internet: Googling
So the other day I get this mail from a translator's site that I happen to be registered to which, from time to time happens. This one was weird though - it was from someone back home saying they forgot the addy to this site and, apparently with it my email as well. I thought it rather odd, but it got me to thinking how she came about such avenues - so I Googled myself.
If you haven't tried it before I highly suggest it. So what shows up for me? Well depending on if you use my proper name or not (with or without the trailing 'las', and note to mom: 'Doglas' just comes up with a bunch of people making careless errors *cough cough*) and whether you use quotes, you'll get anything from translation stuff to autocross records to capoeira to stuff about me up in Miyagi. I was amused, but my thirst for entertainment not yet quenched I pressed on.
What about friends?
Well George is no surprise - you come up with a bunch of stuff about someone in the highest echelons of the nerd faction with GNU/Linux links along with Audi/Porsche links-o-plenty.
My dad's comes up with a whole bunch of random stuff... and my translator's profile??
Emi has some links from school/hockey and youtube/Myspace links up at the top, but if you venture further down the list you come across a female Japanese pro wrestling championship (her namesake looks rather nice from behind but fights dirty - not to far off the mark? ;P), references to some Japanese porn stars and models, and a link to a cool live action movie about a ninja chick. The secret underground life of Emi? Hawtness.
Davis's was random - at the top was this picture which has scarred me for... atleast the next 15 mins. or so. Apparently he's actually a half-nekkid old guy jumping for glee at a funrun. So graceful.
Mike is totally overshadowed by some l33t g4m0r CEO from the land Down Under that undoubtedly has sk1llz that rival the Ownerer - I couldn't even find one link I thought was actually talking about him. To be fair, I didn't/can't search in Korean... if the other guy is all that comes up even in Korean then I dunno what to tell you Mike, I guess your name's too common!
The Coup de Grace though must be Matt - he does show up with some work-related links and such, even in French and Korean which is cool. His is, however, a sad case that does not have a happy ending - or beginning as it were. You see, the first few entries that come up for his name are that of a certain child molesting teacher, with mugshots and even a news line reading "teacher arraigned on 4 sex charges". Man, I had no idea my party-minded roomie and partner in crime was actually a criminal! ;P Matt now has the lofty goal of hunting this miscreant down and punching him in his happy place for public besmirchment and humiliation.
Many others just came up with standard work related stuff, but it was an enjoyable way to spend some time so I recommend it. And by the way- Googling phone numbers and addresses also works! Woo technology.
If you haven't tried it before I highly suggest it. So what shows up for me? Well depending on if you use my proper name or not (with or without the trailing 'las', and note to mom: 'Doglas' just comes up with a bunch of people making careless errors *cough cough*) and whether you use quotes, you'll get anything from translation stuff to autocross records to capoeira to stuff about me up in Miyagi. I was amused, but my thirst for entertainment not yet quenched I pressed on.
What about friends?
Well George is no surprise - you come up with a bunch of stuff about someone in the highest echelons of the nerd faction with GNU/Linux links along with Audi/Porsche links-o-plenty.
My dad's comes up with a whole bunch of random stuff... and my translator's profile??
Emi has some links from school/hockey and youtube/Myspace links up at the top, but if you venture further down the list you come across a female Japanese pro wrestling championship (her namesake looks rather nice from behind but fights dirty - not to far off the mark? ;P), references to some Japanese porn stars and models, and a link to a cool live action movie about a ninja chick. The secret underground life of Emi? Hawtness.
Davis's was random - at the top was this picture which has scarred me for... atleast the next 15 mins. or so. Apparently he's actually a half-nekkid old guy jumping for glee at a funrun. So graceful.Mike is totally overshadowed by some l33t g4m0r CEO from the land Down Under that undoubtedly has sk1llz that rival the Ownerer - I couldn't even find one link I thought was actually talking about him. To be fair, I didn't/can't search in Korean... if the other guy is all that comes up even in Korean then I dunno what to tell you Mike, I guess your name's too common!
The Coup de Grace though must be Matt - he does show up with some work-related links and such, even in French and Korean which is cool. His is, however, a sad case that does not have a happy ending - or beginning as it were. You see, the first few entries that come up for his name are that of a certain child molesting teacher, with mugshots and even a news line reading "teacher arraigned on 4 sex charges". Man, I had no idea my party-minded roomie and partner in crime was actually a criminal! ;P Matt now has the lofty goal of hunting this miscreant down and punching him in his happy place for public besmirchment and humiliation.
Many others just came up with standard work related stuff, but it was an enjoyable way to spend some time so I recommend it. And by the way- Googling phone numbers and addresses also works! Woo technology.
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