Relevance of the Jasmine Revolution and the Arab Spring 2011

Annotated from NPR article linked at the bottom:

The Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia (a French colony, btw) started when a street vendor, and primary breadwinner for his family, was told he could not sell his fruit without a permit. Unable to provide for his large family, he set himself on fire in front of the govt office. I'm not sure how that helped his family, but the video went viral! And it led to a bunch of protests, a President step-down, and regime-change in Tunisia, 2011. Egypt followed same year in revolution, led by youth/secular activists, but after President Mubarak stepped down, the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group, was voted into power.

Self-Immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi

 

While the youth focused on ousting the regime, political groups prepared to seize the impending power vacuum. The MB was popular, well-organized, and ready to win/dominate elections. Arab world, religiously conservative, want Islam in life affairs. Islamist groups want to enforce Sharia Law, oppressive to women. So far, revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain.



This period of revolutions was known as the "Arab Spring." It was followed by a period of wide-scale violence and political instability in the region, known as the "Arab Winter." Destabilized by rebel groups, like Houthis in Yemen, who ousted the new government while it was still fragile.




The Jasmine Revolution and Arab Spring in 2011 were uniquely Arab upheavals, other ethnic groups were not involved. Thus, these political stirrings are invariably connected to ISIS, current Middle Eastern instability, and international terror.


Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/17/143897126/the-arab-spring-a-year-of-revolution

Related post: "The Connection between Middle Eastern occupation and Southeast Asian occupation."

The Connection between Middle Eastern occupation and Southeast Asian occupation:

For some related context, see: "Jasmine Revolutions and the Arab Spring/Winter."

Western hegemony in the Middle East

European imperialism in Southeast Asia

I Realized This Morning:

    -Although their situations are different, and certainly their methods for obtaining what they want are different...
    -What Islamic State wants politically CAN be compared to what the Communist Vietnamese wanted, after hundreds of years of degradation and European/Chinese occupation: National Sovereignty! I never even understood that phrase in AP Euro. But it makes sense now, they want Independence, their own state, they wanted to be sovereign rulers of their own land.

    -Problem is, we don't trust them, and they're not proving themselves to be trustworthy. And their Sharia law is oppressive to women. End of the day, they're being jerks, and people would rather "bomb the shit" out of them than give them what they want, ESPECIALLY when...
    -They seem to have no forward-moving plan, aside from barbaric mass killings and beheadings, and smuggling/selling oil. There is a reason all these Syrians are FLEEING THEIR COUNTRY EN MASSE. Their actions are saying "Fuck THAT shit."


The Positive Side of Islam:

    -On that note, I want to say something about Muslims that I've personally known and interacted with. Many of them are great people, diligent students, wonderful artists/musicians/activists, welcoming shopkeepers, and so forth. We should not hate them. They are subject to bullying and hatespeech in schools. I knew this poor kid when I was teaching, sharp student, but outcasted by his peers. I wish you the best, Ahmed! Unfortunately, that type of thing goes on in adult groups too, so we shouldn't direct anger toward our Muslim brothers and sisters, we should try to understand them, most of them want peace too.
    -I've also found almsgiving(donation of food/money to those less fortunate), one of the 5 pillars of Islam, is a worthwhile and spiritually rewarding charitable practice.
    -Abstaining from pig meat and intoxicants is commendable too, I can't do it, but I try.
    -Many rappers are Muslim or have espoused Muslim-derived ideologies, my favorites including Nas, Guru, Busta Rhymes, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Akbar, Jay-Z, Jay Electronica, and Wu-Tang Clan. The number of Muslim hip hop artists is not limited to my list.


Nature of Islam: 

    -Because the religion lends itself to syncretization (merging with other people's existing beliefs), there are many types of Islam in different regions, and some are bound to be Extreme...ly obnoxious. Most are not Radical or violent. Many are peaceful, from American factions, like the Nation of Islam and the Nation of Gods and Earths, to Southeast Asian variants in Malaysian, Indonesia, and Thailand. In fact, I think there are more Asian Muslims than Arab Muslims... and I thought right, after a google check, 62% of world's Muslims live in South/Southeast Asia, and the largest Muslim country is Indonesia (ha, but knew that without Google). You don't hear from them as much because they're not as violent, and the Dalai Lama said most people just want peace and happiness, not violence and barbarism. Our intelligent species must know better than that if we are to save ourselves from ourselves.

I am no longer teaching Math full-time.

I got a new job in the Solar industry!!

I'm talkin bout the Sun, baby!

Why stop teaching math, Mr. Nguyen!? I won't stop teaching, and I'll still help ya, kid. I will still provide private tutoring and dance lessons upon request. But it's because my teaching license from Louisiana isn't accepted by the Commission for Teacher Credentialing in California.

Also because I think solar/renewable energy is the way to go at this time, and there's future in it.

Let's back-track a bit though.

I left California in 2013 to pursue a full-time teaching position without racking up more college debt, under the impression that I could transfer my teaching credential in California after 2 years of out-of-state teaching experience. (See CTC website – Route 2)

Sounds like a plan. All I needed was:

•Baccalaureate from an accredited university (UCLA) √
•Basic skills requirement (I pass the CSET Maths I and II and CBEST) √√
•Letter of verification of my 2 years from out-of-state employer √
•2 satisfactory performance evaluations from my employer √
•Comparable teaching credential √.... but wait... from Louisiana, it won't count!

So that's why that didn't work out for me. I'd have to go through a credentialing program, and I'd rather earn money than borrow more money right now, cuz I'm thinking of wedding and babies... ynahmsayin!!!

But it's not a total loss, because I got a lot out of my 2 years in Louisiana! I paid off all my credit card debts, paid down my student loans, bought a gas-efficient hybrid, met a ton of great people, trained/danced frequently, learned how to cook living on my own, and had enough saved to go on the best vacation of my life for 5 weeks, then stay funemployed for 3 weeks while I found a new job!

Riding Oxen in Thailand

So I'm not bugging, I'm super grateful to have left my Honda Civic in Louisiana, and to have come back with a Prius. I'm also grateful that I found a few jobs recently... went to 2 interviews and got offered both! I've been a Math Instructor in Cerritos for the past few weeks, but I will be leaving that position to start full-time at Vivint Solar, which I'm very excited for!

Also just started driving for Lyft, it's fun, but not equal to a job. Extra $$ though. Flexible too.
And I'm still putting together some short thematic books, to get them ready for publish and distribution! Very excited for that!! Get ready!

Til next time... peace outside, peace inside.

Struggle is a part of life. Buddha said it.

9/10
If you're enduring a struggle, please understand that that's normal. Struggle is a theme that permeates our reality, from literature to history and religion. See in your own life. See in the lives of others. Everyone struggles, but as someone wise told me, "You can either break down, or break through."

And some have learned to accept it as a part of life, a normalcy, and grow more successfully. Move beyond dichotomies of success/failure, toward a feeling of gratitude and thankfulness for what is given, for each blessing.

Anyway, wrote this for my brothers who struggle too. It's okay bro!
For my sisters too, who are so valuable to our society, yet bear burdens even heavier than the guys.

Understand life's cycles. You may be in the negative for years, but if you stay on the positive slope long enough, you'll make it out. Things aren't always a straight line, very often life zig-zags, curves, and loops. It's all part of the roller coaster, gotta know both to really appreciate either, enjoy your ride.

Recordings: Cycles/Enemies on the Inside/5 Ill Pieces

9/11 recordings.
I think they're all good, of course. The best one is 5 Ill Pieces. Hella raw.

My car booth set-up was similar to this.

Cycles 2:


Enemies on the Inside:


5 Ill Pieces:

Facebook De-activation Experiment (pt. 2)

Day 3:
     - Found a profound and moving TEDx video, and felt compelled to share it with people. I didn't have an active facebook, so it went unshared. The video was brought to my attention through an email from my girlfriend. Thanks Mi ;)

Here's that video though:

     - I also want to express outrage for the cop who gunned down the unarmed father of 4 who was running away from him. That's outrageous. I wonder why I feel the urge to express that to others. Ended up doing that in face-to-face interaction eating with a friend. Better than being a computer screen.





Day 5 of detox:
     - Early start to my day. I got the urge to complain yesterday when I got 2 shots in the butt at the doctor. It was very unpleasant, and an annoying pain (literally) in the butt. I guess funny stories are fun to share on social media. The doctor diagnosed me with Bronchitis and ordered my leave from work until Monday.

(I didn't write much that day, went to Doctor's, pharmacy, bank, errands, etc.)


Day 7: The proceeding Sunday (4/12) after Detox

Conclusions:
     - Though I've been doing other activities, I find myself no more productive than normal. If I don't distract myself with facebook, I distract myself with something else, and work is procrastinated and rushed eventually. That needs a fix, and I don't think it's a problem with FB. It's a problem with me, I've been feeling so much in a funk, not depressed, but I feel unmotivated to work, along with sadness and longing... also tired lately. I feel burned out from work. Reflections reflections... I gotta push through.

    -  The main benefits of social media, for me, are:
1) Being updated and connected to events - Knowing event details, FB events is helpful for that. Getting invited and inviting people to events, sessions.
2) Sharing media, engaging in discourse about current events, topics of concern

Essentially, it's a tool for connection with the world around you. Not disconnection. Social media can be both, and causes many to be disconnected. Gotta be aware of the borders.


   - The main benefits of not being on a screen, for me, are:
1) Enjoying the present moment, awareness of surroundings;
2) Alignment of the mental and physical states (mind is in the moment, connected, not distracted by cyberthoughts);
3) Allowing the moment the happen without judgment; taking in the nuances of the immediate environment and finding joy from simple observation. That's pretty much it.

Facebook De-activation Experiment (pt. 1)

Last Sunday (4/5) I deactivated my Facebook! I was out for a week, and it felt great! It was the first time I had done that in the 9 years I've been on Facebook. I found some other things to do. These are the notes I took on Day 2 of 7.

4/7 Blog: Facebook de-activation experiment (pt. 1)

    Why:
    ⁃    Someone introduced the idea of a "social media detox" to me a few months ago. I liked the idea, because it implied that social media, like water, can be a toxin at high enough levels, though useful at moderate levels.
    ⁃    More recently, I've felt my interest in facebook decreasing, yet time spent on it continued. My posts have felt half-assed, and my productivity has stagnated. Facebook thus became less useful and more of a timezap. Detox was in order.


        Results:
    ⁃    Immediately after de-activation, it felt like a weight off my shoulders. No notifications to anticipate or wonder about (is that even normal? or a sign of disorder?). No need to update people with stati (though I enjoy doing that because of my geographical separation from home)
    ⁃    My deactivation began on Sunday, for 7 days. But on the same day, I needed to reactivate it because there was an event I wanted to attend, but didn't know the address! First incident where I needed facebook.
    ⁃    Also, I wanted to invite people to join me for an event, and I found facebook to be the easiest way to invite a bunch of people. Don't gotta pick up the phone or anything.
    ⁃    Also noting a change in my web-use, because one option (facebook) was eliminated, it allowed me to focus on other things. That's why you see a new blog. I should keep off facebook so that I can keep up with other things.
    ⁃    Though I find my motivation to get things done has not changed, still don't enjoy doing unenjoyable work, BUT my ability to get things done HAS changed due to a decrease in time/energy allocation toward facebook.


Findings:
    ⁃    I found the most useful thing about facebook is quick and easy communication with my network. Whether that's inviting, updating, or direct messaging...I only wish this communication was more in MY control (i.e. sending a message to everyone in a 20 miles radius, or to everyone in my SoCal networks), rather than relying on facebook's algorithm for what appears on someone's feed. I don't trust that algorithm, but I do enjoy the communicative infrastructure that facebook allows.
    ⁃    In the instance where I needed to find an address to an event, I found facebook to be necessary. In another instance, I wanted to search for someone, to see if they have a facebook. I could not access the search databases because my account was deactivated.
    ⁃    But damn, I got more shit done, and thankful just 2 days in, so far.
    

2 Recordings at 2am from my Car Studio

I just bought a recording mic!!!

Enjoy these free MP3s!!

∞Beginning Blessings.zip (3.1mb)
   § 01_Just Beginning (prod. by DJ Premier)
   § 02_What A Blessing (prod. by DJ Premier)

Download ^that while you read this, it's only 2 song files.

I grab the microphoneme, hold it tight.

I recently got a mic to record higher quality audios for my audience. Though not a typical sound booth, it turns out that a CAR, while in park, has naturally good acoustics. The vibes are contained without dissipation, that's why music sounds great in the car.

Not my car, but the scene set-up looked something like this, but at 2am.

The beats are not mine, they are instrumentals from the 2012 album KOLEXXXION by Bumpy Knuckles and DJ Premier, so I'm not gonna charge money for Premo's production.

The first track is an opening verse, my first real audio release to the world, so it's just the beginning! The verse is legit though (no bias), starting with the first 2-4 bars til the end... PEEP, DON'T SLEEP.

And the 2nd recording... It really inspired this whole thing. After I got home from session on Monday, I had this rhyme come to my head, went like this:

I miss that old feeling of having a first kiss.

Thinking back to moments of bliss, I reminisce

About girls once really cool with... now we're through with.

We vibed together like music and our love was deep-rooted.

I cared for them all...

I wrote the whole thing, then recorded it immediately, along with a few other tracks Monday night. Finished my recording session in the early AM hours.

Disclaimer though, I haven't had that many girlfriends (I count 3 real ones), but that's from the heart! I'm not with them now, but when I was, I really cared a lot for them. They were my world, joy and inspiration at the time. I hope I was a decent bf; if I had yelp reviews, I think they'd be mainly positive. And the last 6-7 bars are for my current gf, Mi Amore. I made her a song about 9 months into our relationship, and she still inspires me to write. Peace love.


Now that you've downloaded the songs, I recommend you listen to it in the car, or on headphones, because this music isn't meant to be played on a laptop/computer or while multi-tasking. At least don't judge it til you give it a good listen.


 This is the journal entry I wrote right after writing "What a Blessing":

2/23/15
I just made one of the best verse I ever made. Brand new from pure inspiration. What a blessing. And it's almost a letter to my exes, but in a positive way, not a usual misogynistic hip hop way, which turns off a lot of people. I make a note to refer to all the women as queens and nothing less. I will share in the mp3 shortly.

Enjoy!