Michael
Memorial Day forgetting
Celebrations of US military exploits and valor cover the whole gamut of soldiering and foreign policy. WWI , WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Iraq/Aghan War, and the memorials that celebrate and remember them, mute testimonies of warrior sacrifice that speak moral imperatives, of America saving the world from evil.
In 1899, the US went to war […]
Why Obama was re-elected…
Granted that the Democrat campaign strategy was more sophisticated and targeted even though underfunded compared the Romney super PAC financing, Obama’s victory goes beyond the mechanics and business of presidential campaigns into the politics of representation. Obama won because he and his campaign supporters consistently projected fundamental American and humanist values: compassion and support for […]
Review: Amigo (Starring: Garret Dillahunt, Chris Cooper, DJ Qualls, Dane DeHaan Directed by: John Sayles, Written by: John Sayles)
Much hype accompanied this movie release, after all it was a John Sayles film, known for titles such as Matewan, Lone Star and some 17 films he wrote and directed, a few of them, politically aware themes. Amigo would best fall under the latter category. He also recently published A Moment in the Sun (2011), a novel about […]
Failed American Dreams and system failure: OFW teachers in the US
[Caught between the irregular recruiting practices of Prince George County school district and an adverse ruling against the district to reimburse Filipino teachers hired on H1B visas. These teachers were hired for their STEM qualifications and now face deportation because the school district no longer needs them. This comes in the heels of a similar […]
Waiting for Rizal (on his 150th birthday)
On June 19, Filipinos around the world will celebrate the 150th birthday of Jose Rizal, the martyred hero from the town of Calamba, Laguna who was executed by the Spanish authorities in colonial Manila, the eastern capital of the Spanish empire from 1565-1899. Accused of fomenting a revolution that his contemporaries Andres Bonifacio […]
Review: Kanta Filipina: Theresa Calpotura, guitar
Kanta Filipina: Theresa Calpotura, solo guitar
Compositions, arrangements, & transcriptions of Bayani de Leon VGo recording 2010, Compact Disc Choosing driving music is typically unchallenging. All you need is that it matches the beat of the road. In this world of high speed freeways, jet travel, and lighting fast communications, traditional Philippine music may seem like […]
Filipinos as Asians (in an Asian Museum): The Filipino-American Heritage event, October 4, 2009
A year a half ago, in 2007, the Asian Museum ran an exhibit of influential Filipino painters, artists who not only defined the aesthetic and pictorial representation of the Filipino but also defined its national public/international image (see post https://kalutang.net/blog/?p=27 ). These were Juan Luna, the erstwhile and controversial colleague of Jose Rizal; Fernando Amorsolo, […]
Stuff you’d like to know but were afraid to ask…
Under the ebullient and easy cultural jokes of Kevin Nadal, a sad and grim story about the Filipino American psyche emerges. Dr. Nadal, an Assistant Professor of psychology at City University of New York College of Criminal Justice, grew up and went to school in the East Bay. He is therefore familiar and accustomed to […]
Review: “Lalawigan, A Contemporary Tagalog Song Cycle”, Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, 3.15.09
Music & lyrics by Florante Aguilar and directed by Alleluia Panis
I am a bit ambivalent about this production especially since it was advertised as an “opera”, definitely a misnomer, and especially since I am familiar with the choreographer and the composer/guitarist, both of whom I do admire. But more so, because at the outset, there […]
Review: War & Dissent, The U.S. in the Philippines, 1898-1915
Presidio Officers Club, San Francisco. October 22, 2008-February 22, 2009.
The Presidio of San Francisco is currently exhibiting a collection of photographs and artifacts related to Philippine-American War of 1899-1902. The years covered are the textbook periods most American historians subscribe to. It also chronicles the rise of the Presidio as the key military base for […]
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