ECAASU 2009 will promote the unique nature of the vast Asian cultures while emphasizing the need for the unification of ALL Asian American students.

This conference will be, by far, the highlight of your scholastic year. With exceptional workshops, captivating speakers, and fierce entertainment, ECAASU 2009 will be an unforgettable experience - one you definitely do NOT want to miss out on!

The 2009 conference will be held at the luxurious Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Fitted with spacious ballrooms and swanky rooms, the hotel is walking distance from the Rutgers University College Avenue Campus, making it the prime location for this conference.

This can be better written.

Love,
A humble ECAASU fan and attendee

(P.S. Is this an appropriate albeit cynical Blaaag post?)

EDIT:

Marilla writes, "i'm sorry, i honestly didn't read any of that, except the part where they said "vast Asian cultures" and i completely flashed back to the cornell president's speech [last year at ECAASU]. oops."

Happy bday, T. Xie! After your first professional year at that fancy investment company, we at The Blaaag are happy to know that you still throw ridiculous parties. Even if they're now in a neighborly residential spot in Astoria, with annoyed downstairs neighbors. We're also happy to know that you still shout nonsense after a few hours and a few drinks.

Love, us.

There's a discussion THIS SUNDAY 8pm in Lerner's Broadway Room. See the event. Be there!

NROTC: Idea Exchange
Sunday, 10/26 @ 8pm in the Broadway Room in Lerner

United Students of Color Council wants to provide a safe space for the community of color and our allies to talk about the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC).

Come continue the conversations you've been having or begin the conversation on Sunday! We will begin by summarizing what has been happening in relation to NROTC on this campus and what will be happening. After pooling our knowledge together, we will begin a dialogue about the implications of NROTC. Issues to be addressed, include: Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT); race/ethnicity and class in relation to the military; military presence on Columbia University's campus, and more.

Come hear what your peers have to say and share your thoughts too!

Patrick Chang, AAA social chair, has sent another ridiculous email. This time, he is "laying down the fucking LAW." Enjoy.

This message is for Everybody

Dear You all,
I'm sorry for the last minute change, but the cultureshock meeting on Sunday is for EVERYONE. I'm laying down the fucking LAW and everyone has to be there. We have 4 weeks until cultureshock, which for all of you illiterates, it means that EVERYONE has to get crackin on EVERYTHING. I will let everyone know their job there, just be prepared. Cause if you don't get your shit done I will be pissed. Just prepare for a world of pain. Like seriously. I'm already angry. I'll see you all there Patrick

Patrick

So at today's Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) 5 Year and Intercultural Resource Center (IRC) 20 Year anniversary celebration, Senior Assistant Dean Melinda Aquino made a little speech about the difficulty in creating an Office of Multicultural Affairs and all the benefits that its creation has brought. Then she called out the alumni that were in attendance and guess who responded! Kevin Nadal!


Any of you who were at the LGBTQ Sulu Series this summer will definitely remember him, because he did this amazing standup routine that included how Filipinos can always spot each other from across the room and the classic "So what are you... really?" question (aka, "Where are you really from?", aka every ethnic American's greatest fear). Well, guess what, he's a Columbia alum and an ex-ROOTEd facilitator! I totally got his card. David called me a groupie, but it was worth it.

Yay OMA / IRC! Yay Kevin Nadal!

Another thing that we've heard very little of... until now. The thirty-six current and former workers who sued Saigon Grill "for violating wage laws won a $4.6 million judgment today".

Yay! Read more about it at Grub Street.

Tian, former chair of AAA, and current fancy analyst for some fancy place Midtown East, recently made "MY MOM IS A FOB" blog with this entry:

caffeine leads to the coffin

(Written by my mother in an e-mail discussing a bill I received from a pharmacy)

Mom: Try to not eat too much Madison , you may addict to it, just like you addict to coffin.

Midterms, a horrible beast. But here at Blaaag, we relieve the stress by looping songs, zoning out, and writing papers we later have no memory of.

Some song suggestions, from my personal collection:

Usher - Burn
Allure - All Cried Out
Britney Spears - Oops!... I did it Again (MAH FAVE)
Mary J. Blige - Be Without You
Mariah Carey - Fantasy

I don't want to touch this one, but somehow I think that I might have to. The race argument is such an overused, ignorant one that I barely feel like talking about why Powell, who is a Republican, an advisor and friend to McCain, and an initial supporter of the Iraq occupation, was and always has been likely to endorse McCain. I can't be the only person out there who saw the New York Times article that basically quoted Powell verbatim that the tipping point for his endorsement, after what must have been a serious weigh-in of both candidates, was (not race but) the atrociousness of McCain's campaign tactics and the unlikelihood that McCain's administration would help our nation.

I also don't want to talk about the fact that even while it seems likely that Powell would have endorsed McCain, he has always been viewed as a moderate Republican with liberal leanings. He is, for one, pro-choice, has admitted to the errors in evidence pointing towards a need to invade Iraq, has served and dissociated himself from the Bush administration, and has, in the end, shown a stance that in many ways aligns with Obama's.

Since Powell's initial likelihood to endorse either McCain or Obama seems to have stood on equal footing, and other tipping points (besides race) have been put on the table, I don't want to finally talk about the fact that it doesn't matter if Powell factored race into the equation, but it matters that Limbaugh suggests that this factor was a primary reason for Powell's decision. It's a gross misrepresentation of Powell's experience as well as his political background.

After a few hours straight of midterm-writing, I don't care to write extensively about this. In fact, I don't even think that I'm making a coherent argument. so I'll just let you read other blogs that actually say something less roundabout and vague.