Jennie M. Xue

Why I love the land of the free

 

by Jennie S. Bev

We Americans are fortunate. We live where ideas of democracy, equality, and freedom live on. It is a privilege that I can’t stop being grateful for.

In other parts of the world, such as Indonesia, the country where I was born and raised, even breathing and worshipping are oftentimes a risky business.

This month marks the 12th year after the May 1998 Tragedy in Indonesia, where looting and rioting resulted in 1,338 deaths and the rapes of 92 Chinese-Indonesian women, shaking the nation.

As a triple minority —based on gender, ethnicity and religious affiliation— I was among the targeted group. I am grateful to this very day that I escaped the incident and now enjoy cultural and religious freedom in the United States.

The man who saves the American Dream

 

 by Jennie S. Bev 

San Joaquin County is one of the hardest-hit counties in California in this mortgage crisis. And Mountain House was named by New York Times in November 2008 as “the most underwater community in the United States,” as 90 percent of home values there have gone underwater, and the depth of depreciation is as steep as 70 percent.

Those who have been paying skyrocketing monthly mortgage payments and have been receiving reduced earnings are probably feeling the pinch of the economic crisis. Many of them have stopped payments and are facing foreclosure.

Time to protect consumers of home-loan modifications

 

 by Jennie S. Bev

A week ago, the office of Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, and the Mountain House Community Services District co-hosted a Foreclosure Prevention Summit Workshop at Bethany Elementary School in Mountain House.

The resident-led housing activism organization Mountain House Action Group has been involved since the beginning in November 2008 through our advocacy and sharing activities. The event was attended by Bank of America, Chase, Fannie Mae, several Housing and Urban Development Department-approved counselors and more than 150 homeowners.

To bailout or not to bailout, and by whom

 

Read a news article on Mountain House Action Group's activism on foreclosure help: Foreclosure Help in Mountain House on Monday (August 14, 2009).

by Jennie S. Bev

Bailout after bailout, things haven’t shown any significant progress except for a few momentary upsurges in the Wall Street, while the whole world seems to be in the same boat. The recent G-20 Summit might have been another “rock star” performance for The Obamas, but the results have been vague.

Following the banking crisis, the real economy in which goods are sold and products are manufactured is next in line to sink deep. Credit crunch has hit businesses and individuals, which have been causing the economy to stagnate even further. Regardless of government bailouts for banks, credit will be hard to get for many more years to come. Thawing credit will need much more than a microwave, apparently.

The Lolita Effect and female identity

by Jennie S. Bev

Powerful influences in today’s digital era alter people’s perceptions and eventually alter the condition of the society.

Throughout history, mainstream culture has slanted toward the most influential, which in this case is the producer of the content through various media such as Internet sites, television and print publications. Those who control the production and distribution with their top-bottom decision-making capacity are the de facto power holders.

And they are likely to be heterosexual men.

This worldview is considered universal, and the dominant position of these men has been internalized in such a manner that the world thinks and sees based on their ideals. This further explains why the world is filled with “the Lolita effect,” and many females suffer from so-called “Lolita syndrome.”

Lifting moratoriums and loan restructuring hope

by Jennie S. Bev

The foreclosure moratorium, which basically banned foreclosure sales and evictions for mortgages funded and securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, ended on March 31. It came with many consequences: the good, the bad and the sexy. Loan restructuring is the last resort for most homeowners, but why is nobody getting any?

Some have taken the liberty of extending foreclosure moratorium. The state of New York is processing a bill that would extend the moratorium to one full year, and Marshall & Ilsley Corp. announced it has extended its foreclosure moratorium with an additional 90 days through June 30.

Fannie and Freddie owned and securitized half of the $12 trillion mortgage market. Lifting this ban means homes lining up for the foreclosure process are set loose speedily. This would create an enormous supply nationwide.

Beijing olympics: between friendship and power

by Jennie S. Bev

"One world, one dream" is the official slogan of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It is said to reflect these six values: unity, friendship, progress, harmony, participation, and dreaming. It also expresses the common desire of people all over the world who strive for a common goal: a bright future for humankind.

Friendship, after all, is what unites people, and what is more fun than playing some games with our friends? But is this sporting event really about friendship? Isn't it about power as well? Perhaps, considering China is now more an awakened dragon than an emerging market.

America the undereducated?

 by Jennie S. Bev

In a global world that will judge us on our intellect, the United States is falling behind.

The Mountain House Branch Library allows every member to check out 50 items at a time. But according to Susan Jacoby, in her highly acclaimed book, The Age of American Unreason, the attention of span of today’s children and teenagers has decreased considerably, thanks to MTV, video games and the Internet.

The United States might need to swallow a bitter pill in terms of cultural literacy and education, which is reflected in low reading and handwriting skills. Moreover, without mindful awareness of the seeming shrinking capacity of our youngsters’ minds, it might be hard for America to compete in a highly globalized world. We might no longer be the superpower country when our kindergartners sit in high school classrooms.

Prophetic mindset

by Jennie S. Bev

Easter is associated with the resurrection of the Savior. For two millennia, Jesus Christ has been regarded as the one who sacrificed himself to save humankind with his divine power as granted from God.

However, not many people, even Christians, realize that we all have the qualities Christ had. They are called prophetic qualities, which are reserved for us, human beings, to save ourselves, humankind and the universe. Everyone, including those who consider themselves polytheists, pantheists, agnostics or even atheists, possesses the ability to make a drastic change in the lives of themselves and others by adopting the so-called “prophetic mindset.”

Lauding the late Tom Lantos

by Jennie S. Bev

On Monday, California’s 12th District congressman, Tom Lantos, died from esophageal cancer. He was 80. The San Mateo Democrat was diagnosed before the end of last year, but waited a month before revealing he was terminally ill. He was the only Holocaust survivor who served as a congressman.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard the news about his death. Lantos was the first congressman who accepted my husband and me with open arms when we moved to the Bay Area. He was one of the strongest supporters of our human rights activism. This strong defender of human rights possessed the aura of a prophet who, until his last days, did not even blink to support whenever there were causes that he believed in.

Raciality and being post-racial

by Jennie S. Bev

Recently, Detective Nate Cogburn of the Tracy Police Department arrested a 14-year-old boy who reportedly made a series of phone calls on a blocked number, claimed to be a Ku Klux Klan member, made death threats and said he would burn a cross. This happened to a black family in Tracy, our own backyard.

While it might sound like a teenage prank, the message is chilling and shows how fragile America is, including our small-town-with-a-big-heart Tracy, a California suburb.

Anything to do with race — and religion — is tricky and sensitive, including when it involves a kid. Sending a message of hatred is the ultimate no-no and will bear legal consequences to whomever shakes the interracial equilibrium.

Can we, as humans, be completely unbiased pertaining to race? Can we, America, as a society, be “post-racial”?

Raciality should be consciously distinguished from racism. The former refers to the distinctiveness of one’s race or ethnicity, while the latter is a belief that one’s characteristics and abilities are determined by race.

Survive downturn with chutzpah

by Jennie S. Bev

On Thursday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed that a financial stimulus package of tax rebates and child credits has been agreed upon between the White House and congressional leaders. This is great news for middle-class Americans. It is timely, targeted and temporary. Above all, Pelosi said this package unites the country in a strong bipartisan way.

It sounds excellent, but what would it really mean to an average American, other than getting $600 per person or $1,200 per couple and $300 per child in tax rebates? On the macro level, it would assist in moving money along, because such “windfall” money is usually spent immediately.

This would help boost the U.S. economy. But if we spend it, what good would it be for us, the taxpayers, in the long run?

Don’t let next president run amok

by Jennie S. Bev

Mike Huckabee. Mitt Romney. Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama. These four presidential candidates’ names have been spotlighted here and there, near and far, online, on TV and in print. These names have been echoing in our minds, but apparently the national campaign is not going to subside anytime soon. If the presidential campaign were a high school popularity contest, these four would have already won it. Or at least, they would be the finalists.

By the same token, Americans are so fed up with President Bush and his Bushism. His casualties can found everywhere. Political casualties. Legal casualties. Economic casualties. All kinds of casualties. You name it.

Smart money on a stay-the-course fed

by Jennie S. Bev

The Federal Reserve is the economic institution in this country that can influence interest rates by issuing discount rates, also known as primary credit rates, that are intended to stabilize the financial system.

The decision to increase or cut such rates depends on multiple variables. In turn, the rates issued affect how these variables work in the free market, particularly in sensitive sectors of the economy, such as housing, auto and investment. Careful considerations in issuing a new rate must be made to ensure economic stability.