Somebody asked me recently, "What music are you listening to these days?"  I answered, "Pearl Jam, The Doors, Otis Redding, Curtis Mayfield, Eric B. & Rakim, Public Enemy, EPMD.  My younger interrogator smiled contemplatively, probably wondering if I dropped in from a pre-90's time machine while also calculating my age.  Then I justified my list by saying, "I mean, how do I put this gracefully, today's music sucks!"  Granted there are the Jack Johnsons, Beth Ortons, Commons, Kanyes, Pete Yorns, Death Cab for Cuties, Colbie Caillats out there, but they are few and far between in this saturated and manufactured world of music.  Cornel West, the activist/academic/wanna-be-rapper surmised in one of his writings from the 80's "that hip-hop is an indigenous expression of the streets but sadly will be overtaken by corporate America and will become this sad manufactured shell of its former self." (paraphrase).  He was prophetic because across the board, the powers that be have required instant gratification leaving little artist development on the landscape.  A modicum of lyrical content, no honing of skills in smaller venues and little patience in this "American Idol" and "Making the Band" bastion of today's music.  The bottom line is the only thing that matters......and then I heard a young songstress speak at Salem High School last week which reminded me of the artists from yesteryear.  Her name is Stephanie Reese. 

            A colleague of mine called me about Reese speaking and meeting a young group at the high school last Monday and though I knew little about her or her music, I figured that at the very least, it could be a writing opportunity so I hustled over.  There were about 50 students in attendance in this mini-auditorium, mostly members of fellow friend and Salem teacher Ray Obispo's Filipino-American Cultural Society ("FACS").  Reese sat comfortably on the stage and spoke volubly on the many issues which face young artists, particularly those from an ethnic background and how one can reach their ambition through proper training, hard work, dedication - and taking advantage of their cultural difference by growing their skills within community via community support.  Her background gives her instant credibility to speak on the above as we soon found out. 

            Stephanie Reese was born and raised in Seattle to a father who is half-Japanese and half-Caucasian (those roots going to Liverpool, England) and to a mother who is three-quarters Chinese and  one-quarter Filipino.  Talk about a child with enormous identity issues or as Reese might extol - opportunity.  Seattle, coincidentally, recently hired the first Asian-American manager in Major League Baseball history with the installation of Don Wakamatsu as head of the Seattle Mariners.  She took voice lessons as a young girl and matriculated to Indiana University for opera performance and The Cincinnati Conservatory for musical theater.  She would fill her early curriculum vitae with lead roles in "Miss Saigon" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in Germany and in "The King and I" in London.  After about five years of performing in Europe, Reese decided to change direction as she explained to me later, "It limited my ability to do other things in terms of where my voice was going."  She came back to the United States with an eye towards a solo career.  This became the real fork in the road.  With her resume, she could likely have peddled her talent to indie and major label companies - the typical way or she could go old-school and develop her talent the "starving artist, do everything on your own" way. Her first project was a one-woman act called "The Journey" which is largely autobiographical and where Reese literally did everything except sell popcorn and valet park the guests.  Reese wrote, produced and directed "The Journey" as she toured the West Coast while also performing her eclectic collection of Broadway, opera, pop and ballad in places like Russia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.  For her solo performances, she executed the roles of manager, talent booking agent and receptionist simultaneously.  Much of it was done from necessity to keep costs down but it definitely gave her a good taste of humble pie.  As the cover girl of "Filipinas" magazine in November, 2008, Reese said, "As you can imagine, coming from the West End in London as a performer where you have an entire staff of dressers, makeup artists and technicians and then having to do everything yourself felt like a step down at first.  But that changed.  I felt so good after shows that I created every element.....I have the utmost respect and appreciation for everyone and every job, big and small.  It also brought me so much closer to the Filipino-American community.  That was the best part." 

            This was the section of the fork in the road which was critical to Reese's success.  She was not sure what the response would be for her work and the kind of critical mass needed to support the venture so she was truly wading into unchartered waters.  Reese reminisced, "I had friends who wanted to see me perform, but I had no idea that the Filipino community was going to be so supportive and so curious to see me, simply because I had been in "Miss Saigon" in Germany.  Of all the shows I had performed in "Miss Saigon" definitely is still the one Filipinos seem to be most intrigued by.  The community rallied behind me and I managed to fill two nights at the Century Ballroom Theater in Seattle (300 guests each night).  That was just the beginning.  It was an incredible feeling and it opened my eyes to many possibilities.  My Filipino heritage made all the difference in my career."  ("Filipinas", November 2008)  Reese emphasized this story to that group of Salem kids by articulating, "You are all lucky to have this cultural history and background, so take advantage of it in your own community.  You represent yourself by succeeding at your craft and there is an audience in your own community that will support you."  Reese continued, "But also, try to do something different that comes from the heart."  Here, Reese was not bashing hip-hop or dance or any of the mainstream art but merely telling the young audience that they should not be afraid to try different forms of expression because it just might set you apart from everyone else.  When I interviewed her later, she reiterated, "It goes beyond art.  Good art speaks for itself.  If you see somebody out there, giving their heart - it just moves your soul.  It matters less what the genre is."  

            That brief catapult moved Reese to learn Filipino music and collaborate with Filipino artists.  She has also lent her talent to worthy charitable causes.  In fact, when I met her, Reese had just completed the last leg of a tour with Gawad Kalinga ("GK") which is an organization that builds villages in impoverished areas throughout the Philippines.  Her altruistic nature have led her to work with "Rise and Shine" where she teaches acting to young kids who are infected by AIDS and has performed for the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center, just to name a few.  I asked her pointedly how this social awareness came about and she modestly retorts, "Look I don't want to portray something that I'm not because I am getting paid to do these benefit shows."  On this accord, I am going to argue and advocate that she has been a strong supporter of social causes in not just our Filipino community but on a larger scale as well  - just the fact that Reese would spend an afternoon with kids in a high school and do it with such sincerity and an organic nature speaks volumes of her character because as my own research bore out - it is typical of her.  Her good work, both in the art form and in community, speaks for itself.     

            Near the end of her speaking engagement, many of the kids were clamoring for her to perform a few songs.  Reese then requested something (small boom box) which might play the instrumental cd which she brought and a request that somebody from the audience "open" for her - a quid pro quo.  Alex Cena, formerly of FACS and a recent college graduate gave an inspired rendition of "Brownout" which was a piece he wrote about self-discovery and other issues as a Filipino-American.  And then Reese commenced to poignantly belt out two operatic ballads, sans a sound check, microphone or gargling of warm whiskey with honey, from "Miss Saigon".  It was quite impressive based on the extreme voice acrobatics that go into an opera ballad and after reporting this performance to one my colleagues, I was quickly rebuked and informed, "Dude, she's amazing.  I mean she sang opera in a freakin' bowling alley for one of our benefits under similar circumstances." (fundraiser for the book, “In Our Uncles Words”)

            Looks like I'm gonna have to add Stephanie Reese to my response to the next interrogatory I receive on current musical interests.    

  (Reese is currently working on a solo album which she refuses to categorize or label in a particular "box".  For more information, go to StephanieReese.com)  

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Submitted by Gil Salang, president of Young Filipino Professionals of Hampton Roads

With Cambridge College from 5:45 to 8 p.m. Tuesday (11/18) at the  Chesapeake Regional Center, 1403 Greenbrier Parkway, Suite 300, Chesapeake, 23320

If you're considering career-switching, a rep from the college will advise you on the institute's resources:

• Convenient weekend and night classes

• Responsive credit transfer policy

• Adult learning and teaching model

• Affordable tuition

• Financial aid for qualified individuals

• Extraordinary mentor support

• Professional practitioner instructors

Cambridge College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges,Inc.(NEASC) and is certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).Applicants are responsible for reading the Academic Catalog and getting all the information needed to make informed decisions.

RSVP to Leah Sechong: leah.sechong@cambridgecollege.edu or call (757) 424-0333

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Posted by Emiliano Fortunato "JoJo" Orencia, Jr

After one of arguably the great, and definitely the longest, election seasons, the American people spoke on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 and like many other key years, 1932, 1968, 1976, 1980 and 1992, 1994 and 2006, chose to change the political environment by speaking in a plurality, almost without regard to party affiliation, for switching the political winds of this great country. Whatever your political or apolitical stance, it seems to be a healthy endeavor that the pendulum swings pretty equally to either of the major parties in times of stalemate, turmoil or general dissatisfaction with the status quo. It has a very cyclical feel to it. The American people embody every bit of what democracy stands for. The grand experiment that is America endures.

Every two years for part of Congress and four years for the presidency, the American voter supersedes all of the talking heads, polls, campaign smears, etc. and they control who will lead our government. As I watched the remaining part of the election from home, I was mesmerized by the enthusiasm from Americans of all different hues - granted these pictures were emanating from largely Democratic strongholds but the average person had to be inspired for a new beginning.

For me, this political shift is seismic in that it might, more than anything, represent a generational change - much like John F. Kennedy in 1960 or Ronald Reagan in 1980. After 8 years of Bill Clinton's tenure, albeit successful on certain fronts, but overridden with his own self-inflicted peccadilloes which may preclude him from being considered one of the best presidents of all time and another 8 years of ghastly incompetence and ideological slant from George W. Bush's administration - all 16 years filled with uber-partisanship and gridlock in Washington, D.C., maybe the Obama presidency, based on his rhetoric and temperament, is the happy medium and a new approach to politics.

The promise of an Obama presidency, if it resembles his two year campaign which is no guarantee (i.e., see G. W. Bush) may be one that will be more mechanical and machine-like that will not interfere with every day people's lives but will assist when necessary and regulate or oversee not in large proportion but in smart ways. Hopefully and more than likely, it will be one with less cronyism and more competence. The Obama era hopefully brings a paradigm shift of politics with an adjustment towards inclusion and a stamp on unity of purpose for all Americans, reminiscent of Kennedy's era when Americans of all demographics wanted to serve the public.

One of the more striking excerpts from what was a remarkable speech was when Obama said with empathy and reconciliation, "Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty and national unity. Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and a determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, 'We are not enemies but friends though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.' He continued, "And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight but I hear your voices. I need your help and will be your president too."

More than the above, he has by and large run his campaign for the last two years in a very positive and forward looking methodology. Sure, he has had to pepper it with pushback against the negative attacks from Clinton (in the primaries) and McCain but on the whole, he was a far more sanguine candidate and his message of change and hope reinforced with substantive ideas created more enthusiasm from an electorate which had grown tired of “politics as usual“. He attacked Bush policies with vigorous consistency but did not demonize Republicanism nor did he sanctimoniously espouse principles or talking points of being a Democrat – he more or less ran a campaign “about the people”, recognizing that this populist approach would appease a broader voter base.

At the end of the day, McCain said it wonderfully in his very gracious concession speech, “I thank the American people for giving me a fair hearing before deciding that Senator Obama and Senator Biden should lead this great country.......I wish god-speed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president and I call on all Americans as I have so often in this campaign to not despair of our present difficulties but to believe always in the promise of America because nothing is inevitable here, Americans never quit, we never surrender, we never hide from history, we make history.” It was a great sentiment from a great American and it further accentuates that democracy is at its apex when we, as Americans, participate in the process and afterwards stand in unity as Americans, which always trumps party or ideology, and rally behind the next American president.

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Submitted by Dr. Luisa Igloria of Old Dominion University

Filipina Poets Featured at the Library of Congress 

The APA Collection at the Library of Congress is exhibiting the books of Asian American women poets in collaboration with the First Annual Festival of Women's Poetry (Wompherence) on the worldwide web.

A collection of the published works of select poets in the list of "100 Filipina Poets" featured on the Wompherence website (curated by poet Luisa Igloria), is part of this special exhibit.

Filipina poet Angela Manalang Gloria's Poems released in 1940 is considered the first published poetry collection in English by a woman. The original, the revised edition and the updated edition, The Complete Poems, are on display. Two seldom seen monographs, Two Voices, Selected Poems of Abelardo Subido and Trinidad Tarrosa Subido, published in 1945 and Trinidad Tarrosa Subido's Private Edition: Sonnets and other Poems (2002) are likewise included.

The Wompherence Exhibit in the Library of Congress is open to the public, Monday through Saturday during the month of November 2008. It is displayed in the

Asian Reading Room, LJ150 Jefferson Building 101 Independence Avenue, N.E. Washington DC

The Filipina poets featured in the Library of Congress exhibit are: Mila Aguilar Cora Almerino Linda Alburo Lilia F. Antonio Merlinda C. Bobis Carlene S. Bonnivier Sofiya Cabalquinto Catalina Cariaga Marjorie Evasco Penelope Flores Sarah Gambito Jean Vengua Reme Grefalda Jessica Hagedorn Luisa Igloria (Ma. Luisa B. Aguilar Carino) Marra PL Lanot Babeth Lolarga Susan T. Layug Fatima Lim-Wilson Ruth Elynia S. Mabanglo Angela Manalang-Gloria Maningning Miclat Barb Natividad Aimee Nezhukumatathil Cristina Querrer Lilia Quindoza-Santiago Barbara J. Pulmano Reyes Patria Rivera Nadine Sarreal Trinidad Tarrosa Subido Eileen Tabios Ester Tapia Edith L. Tiempo Rowena T. Torrevillas

Readers can find the works of 100 Filipina poets in the Wompherence section on FILIPINA POETS at wompherence.proboards82.com    

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Submitted by Veronica Salcedo

Performance dates at November 6th(8 PM), 8th, and 9th (2 PM) in the Commonwealth Auditorium in the Sadler Center at the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia.

The play is a comic adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” with a twist. Travis, an Asian American English teacher, and Del, a whit e”all-American” cowboy fall in love with the new science teacher, Asian American Veronica Lee, when she arrives in the dusty town of Breakneck, Wyoming. “I’m apparently supposed to be sassy, so I’m trying to find my inner New Yorkan,” says Malisa Savanh, one of the double cast members playing Veronica.

When Veronica states her dating preference for white men, Travis decides to help Del by writing personal stories and passing it off as his friend's. But ultimately, he must choose between how he wants to be perceived and how the world perceives him - between COWBOY VS. SAMURAI - in a pursuit of a love that may only be as real as the love letters that he writes for someone else.

Remarked Derek Kim, playing Travis: “After getting into the actual script, I realized how much the story could hit home for anyone, not just Asian-Americans, who have ever been conflicted with where their identity really lies.”

Students are excited that this is a stepping stone for the Asian American community at the College of William & Mary. “Ultimately, the show provides pivotal insight into what it means to be human,” says Pierre Dumont, the actor who portrays Del.

Performance dates at November 6th(8 PM), 8th, and 9th (2 PM) in the Commonwealth Auditorium in the Sadler Center at the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia.

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 Nakaya natin! Yes We Did! 

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign. We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing...All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack

***

CONGRATULATIONS - This is our moment! Endless thanks for all the hard work and support you have invested in Senator Obama, the Campaign for Change, and of course, our Filipino American community!!

Over this past month and a half, Filipinos for Obama-Virginia Beach (FFO-VB) has:

* Recruited over 20 local volunteers

* Partnered with about 35 volunteers from FFO-DC/Asian Americans for Obama-DC/South Asians for Obama-DC and even a handful of volunteers from New York

* Spearheaded 9 voter registration drives

* Registered 68 new voters

* Sent Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI)-specific/Tagalog-translated direct mailers to households

* Fliered at several AAPI churches

* Conducted a Filipino-specific phone bank at our local Campaign for Change office; and

* Canvassed 2,047 households and disseminated AAPI-specific/Tagalog-translated campaign materials in the neighborhoods of Alexandria, Brigadoon, Glenwood, New Castle, Rock Creek, Salem Lakes, and Tallwood

In our state of Virginia, Barack Obama won 52% of the vote over John McCain's 48%. In Virginia Beach, Barack Obama only trailed John McCain by only 5,227 votes which is an incredibly thin margin compared to the 33,0086 vote lead George W. Bush held over John Kerry in our city in 2004. Moreover, our efforts this election have also contributed to the victories of former Gov. Mark Warner (D-VA) for US Senate and candidate Glenn Nye (D) to successfully unseat our current Congresswoman Thelma Drake (R-VA-02).

More importantly, over the course of these past six weeks, our FFO-VB Team has built a political infrastructure unlike our community has ever seen. Aside from recruiting an intergenerational set of volunteers ranging from high school youth to community members in their 50s, our Team has honed skills in political fundraising, voter identification, targeting, messaging, GOTV, election protection, and outreach, all the way from the grassroots to the grasstops. Our Team has participated in the most strategically sophisticated political ground game in our nation's history and thus fully comprehends the lay of the land in these Filipino American heavily-populated precincts. These are all highly valued skill sets that will allow us to flex our political muscle in any Congressional or local races to come.

On a grander scale, Filipinos for Obama stands 13 chapters strong across the country and at current record, has recruited almost 400 volunteers, registered 450 new voters, and reached over 12,000 households via canvassing and phone banking. While FFO has already begun the conversations regarding what the organization's focus will shift to post-elections, it is without a doubt that our hard work here in Virginia Beach will stand strong in 2010, 2012, & far beyond.

With utmost appreciation,

Jian! --

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This was better than a second cup of coffee for Tsismis.  Va. Beach councilman Ron Villanueva was quoted in a Capital News Service report about Asian American communities becoming more politically visible because of  Election 08.  He views our state, as well as the local Filipino community, as politically-leaning conversative.

The report Tsismis heard on NPR 'round 8:30 a.m. talked with  members of the Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino and east Indian communities in the swing Commonwealth of Virginia. The communities believe that their collective vote has and are making an impact  in the state.

Tsismis googled around and couldn't find an MP3 of the report but until then..  Read about the emerged trend of Asian Americans becoming more poltically visible for this election.

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Posted by Emiliano Fortunato “JoJo” Orencia, Jr.

            "The Daily Show" does a great job of juxtaposing the buzz words that have been poll-tested and focus-grouped in the political arena and showing the assiduous nature that each political party maintains in "staying on message".  Late in this election season, the McCain campaign's latest foray is their own judgmental litmus test for anti-Americanism - apparently there are parts of America that are "real America" and politicians who are "anti-American".  Naturally, this has filtered down to the lower reaches of the Republican Party and it has truly reared its ugly head.          

            Both the Obama and McCain campaigns have on numerous occasions straddled the ethical line of campaign rhetoric but this appears to be over the line of decency.  Vice-President candidate Sarah Palin suggested at a recent GOP fundraiser that she only likes to travel to "Pro-America parts of this great nation."  She has also said on another occasion, "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation."   She has been relentless in repeating similar statement ad nausea on the stump speech tour.  McCain spokesperson Nancy Pfotenhauer said last weekend, "I certainly agree that northern Virginia has gone more Democratic.  And as a proud resident of Oakton, Virginia I can tell you that the Democrats have just come in from the District of Columbia and moved into northern Virginia.  And that's really what you see there.  But the rest of the state, 'real' Virginia if you will, I think will be very responsive to Senator McCain's message."   Coincidentally, my god-daughter plays for a "fake Virginia" (McLean, VA) club soccer team which competed in Richmond, VA (fake or real Virginia?) last week in a STATE soccer championship game - I drove up from, I'm guessing, "real Virginia" (Virginia Beach, VA since it trends Republican) to watch her play.  Sadly, her team lost a hard-fought match to another “fake Virginia” team from Chantilly, VA but all of these geo-delineations left me in a state of “real confusion“.      

            There is a counter-productive and nonsensical component for political foes to commence to questioning the patriotism or pro-American stances of their counterparts.  On its face, this seems to be a preposterous notion because the default position for anybody who aspired to run for Congress much less the presidency of the United States would have to be steeped in a deep American patriotism - unless he/she was a character in “24“ or some other evil cell-related drama.  Granted, a politico might bring these McCarthy-like charges if their "offer of proof" was substantial and credible enough to warrant such an allegation.  Unfortunately, in this political season, the background hacks for John McCain have opted for "Operation Fear Factor" instead of providing real substance as their overall strategy in winning this election.  Ultimately, it is harmful because one of these candidates will be governing the UNITED States of America in two months so these diatribes only promote more resentment and alienation from large population segments in the near term. 

            That tenor has fomented downwards to others in the GOP who ascribe to these tactics of divisiveness such as Republican Congressional members Michele Bachmann and Robin Hayes.  Such demagoguery should be dealt with evictions by the voters from Congress on “GP” (that’s general principle for the hip-impaired). 

            Two weeks ago as a guest on Chris Mathews’ show “Hardball”, a Congresswoman from Minnesota’s 6th District was being interviewed regarding rhetoric which was emanating from the McCain campaign.  Below is the red meat of this conversation. 

            Mathews:   "So you think that Barack Obama might have anti-American views?" 

Bachmann:  "Absolutely, I am very concerned that he may have anti-American views.  That’s what the American people are concerned about.  I wish the American media would take a great look at the view of the people in Congress and find out, ‘Are they pro-America or anti-America.’”

(It was breaking news for me because, until Bachmann shared this revelation, I did not realize that there was such a surge of anti-Americanism both in Congress and in America.)  The above conversation continued for another four or five minutes but the damage had been done and after Bachmann had finally stopped digging, her opponent, Elwyn Tinklenburg, had raised almost $800,000 over the weekend.  The Republican National Committee (RNC) decided last week to pull all of their advertising dollars from this Republican district, possibly deciding that this congressional seat was not worth contesting but maybe, and this is a long shot, the GOP was flummoxed by such egregious un-American rhetoric.  Of course, as is par for the course for most politicians, she blamed Mathews for goading her and then opted to offer some form of manufactured contrition.  As a personal aside - I just wish that all of these politicians (on both sides of the aisle) would stop apologizing after the fact and, instead, either stand firm on what they articulate or put some cogent thought before emitting an audible message.

            This “open mouth, insert foot” syndrome continued later that week as Congressman Robin Hayes from North Carolina’s 8th District, while opening a rally for McCain in Concord, North Carolina, said, “Liberals hate real Americans that work and achieve and believe in God."  He then vehemently denied making such vitriolic statements but when a videotape appeared, he denied the denial.  I’m wondering what he will do when confronted with a transcript of his initial denial.  Both of these races appear to be tight in strong Republican districts but maybe the voters in those areas will feel enough outrage, even against their own party and rebuke the favored candidates by installing the opposition party as an overall referendum of even questioning one's patriotism.    

            If on election day, the exit polls reflect a disdain by the American voters for the mudslinging promulgated by the McCain campaign, then that will be a muddled sign that a new day in politics may be ensuing because of their overall "throw the kitchen sink" strategy.  If Bachmann and Hayes, in particular, both lose their seats, because of their xenophobic musings, then that might be an even larger affirmation of the repudiation that might lay if political candidates engage in such senseless discourse going forward.  It seems rather UN-American to question anybody's patriotism or pro-American values without any backing.  So on November 4, I will have my eyes transfixed to the ticker tape roll on the bottom of the screen looking for the results of Minnesota's 6th and North Carolina's 8th Districts.  “Tinklenburg for Congress, more and more, seems to have an American sensibility to it.”

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Posted by Tsismis' political watchdawg Emeliano ''Jo Jo'' Orencia

           Amid all of the excitement and historical nature of the 2008 general election, there is wide-ranging agreement that "change" and "progress" and "results" occur more likely on the local scene than the national.  What with all the partisanship, a dysfunctional Congress, special interests, lobbyists and, did I mention, hyper-partisanship, it has become patently clear that Washington, D.C. is, indeed, a gravesite for the aforementioned terms in quotations.  If you're looking for answers to every day and real life issues, then:  look at and participate in the grass-roots movement of community; stay on top of decisions made by City Council and the Mayor; seek out appointed positions in the city; and you will likely recognize that the real difference is within our fingertips or, at least, a short bike ride away.

            Last Friday, I was invited to attend a "Meet and Greet" for Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf at a local resident's home and the house was filled with about 100 guests, mostly Filipinos with varying degrees of age, economic status and party affiliation.  Now, this is when the milieu can become toxic because, at times, the third rail of social discourse is sports, religion and, oh yes, politics, particularly when the diversity of ideology moves toward collision.  Surprisingly, as I made my way around the room and spoke with the attendees, not espousing any allegiance save for the perception of where my politics rest and organically making conversation but not geared or having to touch on politics, I found the group to be very even-handed and focused on how our community of Virginia Beach could be improved.  When discussions moved towards the general election, most of my interviewees may have had differences with either of the candidates but none of them were fanatics or unwilling to listen and respect another's views.  This despite the fact that for brief moments, I had to fend off the "So how does it feel to be a socialist?" attacks from someone who I am assured was sent by my childhood friend and Councilman Ron Villaneuva - but that is a story for another day and another blog. 

            After the enjoyment of really great cuisine - what would a Filipino soirée be without this feature? - Mayor Oberndorf spoke and did so with a naturalness and impolitic style which we could only dream of in our other more ballyhooed national and state politicians.  She was literally speaking from a place of citizen to citizen - no talking points, teleprompters or note cards, just from the heart.  In that "she had me at hello" moment, arose when she said, "I was born an only child but having been associated with the Filipino community for so long makes me feel like this is my extended family."  This is not pandering at all because I have seen the Honorable Mayor at events, not just Filipino-related, whether small or large and she is always humble and willing to just be a part of the tapestry rather than make some audacious appearance and I have not seen photographers or press accompany her.  Her humanity, sincerity and sensibility of being a fellow citizen are why I have always been an admirer - I could just pinch her every time I see her.  I would be an ardent supporter no matter her status as mayor or otherwise but it is the tangible things that she has helped accomplish and speaks of going forward that motivates me, along with many others, to support her candidacy.  Real issues with real results.  Not just some amorphous, warm and fuzzy, hard to measure mantra. 

            As Mayor Oberndorf moved to the heart of her speech, she spoke of economic development, quality of life issues and education - of her past record and future aspirations if bestowed the honor of serving our community and for me, it was conspicuous in that her presentation did not occupy the typical politics of today.  She did not attack her opponents nor did she ascribe to social issues - that while they have a place in politics because of their possible legislative consequences - they should not and were not the forefront of what regular citizens care about every day - jobs, health care, energy costs, improvements to our educational system, etc. and for this, I was most appreciative as were the gathered company on this evening.  Her fifteen minute soliloquy plainly presented an agenda of those long-lost attributes in politicos of substance, competence and a real vision for her constituency. 

            Maybe one day the historians will look at the tenure of Mayor Oberndorf and her ilk of grass-roots politicians and write kindly of a person who should be amongst the gold standard for the aspirations of the future and how their works should be tied to the community and not their own self-interests.  But before that happens, let's affirm her request in that living room of "Please renew my contract to serve you for another term."  And no - there was nary a "wink", "you betcha" or even the hint of "Joe the Plumber" to be found. 

           Small miracles do exist.    

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