Mixed Bag Monday

Here's a compiled collection of stories that peaked my interest over the last week, with a little of my own comments on the significance of the stories.

By Staff Sgt. Teddy Wade, via Wikimedia Commons

Jessica Sanchez sings during the National Memorial Day concert in Washington D.C., 2012.

Jessica Sanchez Performs on American Idol Season Finale - Exposure is important for the Fil-Am community in the US, especially when it has been so easy for Fil-Am narratives to be written out of history and current events. Hardly anyone knows about the other half of the labor strikes of the UFW were Filipinos. While I may not agree with all of Jessica’s mannerisms, I believe any positive exposure that makes people go “Wow, where did this person come from?” And maybe ask a few questions about the person’s background, especially if they are Fil-Am, helps introduce a different perspective to people who otherwise may not know about the Fil-Am communities across the country. This, coupled with the growing exposure on television, help recover and incorporate the Fil-Am experience into the American experience.

By yeowatzup from Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany (Sunset, Bohol) via Wikimedia Commons

Sunset in Bohol

State of calamity declared in Bohol Due to Drought/ El Nino - The drought here in California has been quite disruptive to nearly all areas of life, from agriculture to commerce and the daily habits of its residents. While it seems like the new norm is water conservation (it’s not a bad thing!), I think it is important for people in the US to remember that global climate change is not limited to one or two nations, but is truly a GLOBAL condition that needs to be examined by all governments, collectively. At times, when agriculture sustains people with very tight margins for failure, it is all the more important for everyone to do what they can. While the California Drought may not have the same effect as it does for the people in PI, where “more than 40,000 farmers in 27 towns in Bohol, known as the rice bowl of Central Visayas, are facing hunger and loss of income,” its effects are seen in the reservoirs and lakes across the state.

Watch Policeman Teach A Homeless Girl To Play Hopscotch to Pass the Time - Sometimes it is too easy to see the negative in life, especially when those who are sworn to protect and serve display pockets of deplorable behavior, and outright murder, on specific ethnic populations. This is a short video about a non-violent experience with a police officer. These kinds of scenes are played out across the country all the time, but are rarely reported in mainstream media. This needs to change, and I watch videos like this and remember that, while not EVERYONE acts as they should, the police officers are, in general, positive presences that do the best they can seeing the roughest parts of our society everyday.

CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=865798

Chicken Adobo with Rice and Beans

Edible Cutlery - Conservation and light consumption has always been an important part of my outlook on life. This novel kind of solution to overconsumption and unthinking waste displays the ingenuity and value in finding plausible solutions for a growing global population. Particularly in places like the US, Japan and India, where utensils are used and disposed of heavily, these kinds of potential answers helps to reduce the burden on the environment and on production of these disposable products.

By Alexander Klimov at de.wikipedia (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Guy Fawkes Mask has become a common representation of the Anonymous group

Voter Data Breach - I sometimes forget that everything placed on the Internet, or transported through the Internet, has the potential for being stolen or accessed by unwanted parties. In this case, the hacker cooperative Anonymous broke into the Philippine Commission on Elections website and reported on just how easy it was to access sensitive information. It appeared that some voter information was saved in a simple text file. “The breach contains the records of 1.3m overseas Philippines voters, including their passport details; it also includes 15.8m fingerprints,” according to the article. On a wider scale, this points to the fact that whenever information is given freely to another entity, be it a private company or a public office, it has the potential to be stolen. We all have to be careful with the data we share, and demand stronger protections from businesses and organizations that legitimately access and use our information in conducting their affairs.

Gun Battle Against Extremists - The global community must realize that the threat of extremism is not isolated to countries in “the West.” The threat of extremist behavior is not an East-West dichotomy, but a global phenomenon that points to the problems of HUMAN civilization. Here, in the volatile southern region of Mindanao, Philippines, Western Mindanao Command soldiers clashed with Aby Sayyaf Group extremist soldiers, the results being 18 dead government troops and 5 casualties on Abu Sayyaf forces. While it has been popular among politicians in the US to claim that extremists like these are conducting a religious holy war against Christianity and “the West” because they hate our culture and our freedoms, I would argue it is far more a symptom of the great global disparity in access to economic and basic, fundamental needs, but also the ongoing negative impact of the United States’ involvement in other countries. These extremist activities are far more inspired by the political and economic interests of the leadership, who layer their rhetoric with religious absolution for the consumption of the undereducated soldiers who ACTUALLY fight their battles. I believe education and understanding would go a long way in lessening the appeal of extremism for many underrepresented populations. If the religious extremist groups are the only ones who seemingly offer their family a roof and regular meals, how could a soldier refuse?

Movie Monday: "Grave of the Fireflies," a film by Isao Takahata, 1988

By Pkisme (Template:Pkisme) via Wikimedia Commons

"Grave of the Fireflies," a film by Isao Takahata, 1988.

A little late, but this review is dedicated in remembrance of December 7th, the 74th Anniversary of the Imperial Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I chanced upon this Studio Ghibli gem in 2005 while studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan. I had had a rough day, and wanted a film to ease my uneasiness. This was definitely NOT a feel-good film, and I should have watched director Isao Takahata's other work, My Neighbors the Yamadas. Having said that, I do not regret the chance viewing. This film depicts the struggle of the everyday people to survive during war. The story revolves around a brother and sister in World War II Kobe, during the American firebombing campaigns. While not originally intended as an anti-war film, in North America the graphic nature and drama of this film inspired this kind of take-away message.

In my opinion, this is probably Studio Ghibli's most serious and painful film. Based on Akiyuki Nosaka's semi-autobiographical story of the same name, Hotaru no Haka or "Grave of the Fireflies" showcases the quality we've come to expect from Studio Ghibli. The voice acting, as viewed in Japanese, captures the innocence of childhood under extreme stress. I feel like it captures a realism that is almost unavailable with real actors, although the sheer weightiness and tragedy of the narrative reminds me of Osama, Siddiq Barmak's 2003 film about post-Taliban Afghanistan. The art style is classic Studio Ghibli, and fans will recognize the hues and color coordination of Michiyo Yasuda, although innovative use of color made this film remarkable for its softer palette, given the plot.

Reminiscent of Sir Richard Attenborough's 1982 Ghandi, audiences are immediately given the fate of the main characters. This does not detract from the film, but sets the stage for the unfolding narrative. Ninth-grader Seita narrates his sister Setsuko and his fate just after the unconditional surrender of Japan to the Allies during World War II. He is dressed in a nice school uniform as his sister recovers a Sakuma Drops tin, tossed by a janitor into a garbage field near Sannomiya Station. The film then moves back in time, as Seita and Setsuko rush to secure a few belongings before heading to the bomb shelter with their ill mother.

I believe the significance of this film is not who was to blame for the war. In my viewing, I see the often silent tragedy of warfare is the real human cost to the civilians caught in a conflict. We see this now with the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, just as the Japanese Americans confinement after Pearl Harbor, to the enslavement and torture of East Asian and Southeast Asian guerrilla fighters and civilians to fuel the Japanese war machine in World War II. While it is clear the Allies are bombing Kobe, there is no American person shown in the film. Instead, in true Studio Ghibli style, the film focuses on the challenges of two children, trying to survive in wartime. Among many themes, we as viewers are introduced to the selfishness of family and neighbors during times of scarcity. We see the real cost of war is not only on the battlefield, although a terrible venue, but in the homes and minds of the people whose military and politicians are competing for world domination. Further, I feel this kind of film illustrates the important difference between civilians of an enemy nation and an enemy combatant. A distinction often ignored in many popular conceptions of wartime history.

This is not a film to watch casually while doing household chores. Frankly, I have a hard time actually recommending this film for entertainment, but it is necessary that any student of history, patriot, politician and educator see it. A truly educational, informative and heartbreaking look into the realities of war. In the United States, the anti-war message is a strong current, however the original Japanese version, and vision from Isao Takahata's direction, had a message of what can happen when hopelessness overcomes the will to survive, and the failure of family and the failure to survive in the face of hardship. Either way, this film commands an hour and a half of the viewer's undivided attention. Your eyes will be opened, if a little moist.

Purchase "Grave of the Fireflies" on Amazon.