Generation A

Just listened to an excellent interview with Douglas Copeland , regarding his new book, Generation A. He talked about how the printed word turned us into individuals, opening the door for Freud and Marx (bit of irony there). Think about all the hours most of us have spent alone, with books.
Earlier, I heard an ad from the sessional faculty at U of T, begging us to call the provost and tell him to start paying them more than $15,000 a year each for teaching 30 percent of the student body. Most have PhDs. The ad validated my decision to leave graduate school in 1970 because I felt stuck in a feudal institution based on sucking up to arrogant professors who could destroy you for no reason whatsoever. Think about it. If these students weren't hoping for tenure, they would tell the university to take those jobs and shove them. There would be no need to strike. Graduate students are powerless, and they accept that servitude for the promise of long term reward. Imagine an entire group of contract faculty quitting in the middle of the school year. Walking out with no intention of coming back. Unlike York, which locked out the students for almost an entire semester, the UofT would have no alternative but to hire a new group of feudal teaching peasants. Call the U of T provost, but call the Sessional Bargaining group and tell them to grow some backbone.

Impersonal Influence

As a young student, I read the classic, Personal Influence (PI) , which explained the power of interpersonal relationships on individual preferences and choices. Mostly though, it explained the power of sitting, standing, walking next to someone who was paying full attention to you. I remember the power of impersonal influence (ii) all too well. Watching my mother spend hours happily talking to friends on the telephone, I felt unimportant until I was old enough to have a phone of my own. So I ran to the tv where all my tv friends seemed happy to "see" me. Or to tv family shows where everyone cared about one another--especially "I Remember Mama".
Personal influence has, in my humble opinion, devolved to the point where any entertainer has power over us. Teachers, doctors, police, lawyers, all have to compete with their scripted counterparts, most of whom SEEM to care more for us than their real life counterparts. Impersonal influences have great personal influence. Even if a child has had a nanny or daycare most of their lives, a tv show has filled the parental void. Later, everyone learns that their real home is in their workplace, surrounded by real friends.
Uber-capitalist Donald Trump instills the love of capitalism and fear of failure in us all; while young folk desperately compete for jobs at coffee shops. Grey's Anatomy (public hospital chaos) is followed by Private Practice (duh..) in a not so subtle anti public health care partnership. TV as pseudo-personal influence. So I think I can dance? I used to. That was before Tara Jean put me to shame. On the other hand, if you can dance like Vincent, please contact me immediately.

Dear Barack and Joe

I love it when I get those personal emails from both of you about burning issues in the United States. And you know I've always rallied to your cause. Now it is my turn to ask for your help. For the last 20 years since my uncle was murdered in the Dominican Republic, I have been cheated out of a multimillion dollar inheritance by a series of Dominican lawyers and suspicious international "businessmen" (very much like the New Jersey mafia I grew up with). In my more paranoid moments, I have wondered whether word went out in May of 1989 from the Balaguer government (who may have had my uncle killed) to make sure that Ingrid Philipp, with her dangerously democratic politic history, did not inherit a cent.
How can you help? The "businessman" who stole my preferred shares in Sosua Bay Resort, has gone public with a venture called Caribbean Casino & Gaming. He seems to have built quite an empire on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic, based on the theft of my preferred shares. I'd like you to direct the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the group, and its two principals--Armando Casciati and Steven Swank. I'm sure you are aware of the value of casinos to organized crime. In the event that you recover any of my family's monies, I'd be glad to make a more significant contribution than the $100 I contributed to your last campaign.
You might also want to investigate how much money the operations of this group are draining out of the American economy. Yours truly in the battle for truth and justice, Ingrid Philipp
cc: Wall Street Journal

Calling all journalists

Yesterday, I received a message about my Dominican (haha) estate that wasn't at all funny. Because this is a legal issue, I am going to attribute all alleged actions. If I don't say "alleged", I can personally testify to the fact.
Background: My uncle, Thomas Philipp was murdered in his Larimar penthouse apartment in 1989. Two months earlier, my uncle told me he feared for his life at the hands of a Hungarian mobster who called himself Tomas Reinis. The Dominican government at the time was Balaguer, a blind puppet of numerous interests. Balaguer backed Reinis fully, and my uncle's murder was ruled "accidental". Ten years later, the original coroner testified on my behalf that my uncle's death was not accidental. The ten year statute to prosecute expired on May 16 of this year.
Fast forwarding past two sets of inept or criminally negligent lawyers (Kaplan, Russin, Herredia; Jesus Garcia Tallaj):.
The estate is broke, trying to maintain Jesus Garcia Tallaj (our lawyer by duress) and his mother and ex-wives. We agree to an offer of 1.2 million for one of our hotels. We net about 300K, and take back preferred shares in Sosua Bay Resort for the remainder. One  partner in Sosua Bay, Armando Casciati, soon claims that our preferred shares belong to him. I laugh, because we have proof. He, however, is able to convince a Dominican Court that my forged signature on the shares means that the shares belong to him. We are assured us that all will be well if we trust in lawyer Sonia Uribe.
But (allegedly) Casciati is able to bribe the Puerto Plata judges to accept his ownership of our preferred shares.
Fast, fast forward to 2009. we are notified that Sonia is now working for Armando to steal yet another hotel my uncle built.  Tell me, what's a good Dominican-American-Canadian girl to do in these circumstances?