The People's Professor

The semester is now over. Graduating seniors are saying their good-byes and gathering up their things to head home. I get to spend the week grading final exams and research papers. My History 201 exams have a question on the importance of Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, who re-conquered Jerusalem and drove the Crusaders out of the Holy Land. One of the students answered the question with the following statement:

"Saladin was one of the greatest Saltines in the history of the Islamic world."

Another student answered the question about Leif Ericson by pointing out how he discovered 'New Finland.' For heaven's sakes, if high school aren't teaching kids how to spell Newfoundland, what are they teaching these days?!!

Ah, well. Perhaps they'll do better taking the class the second time around. But this week hasn't been only about painfully bad writing and historical inaccuracies. This morning I went down to Kaneohe with Kaddi, and when I returned to my office in the afternoon I found an envelope on my desk. Inside was a card from some students and this picture:



This the crew from my history 485 Class: Authoritarian regimes in Southeast Asia. It covers approaches to the end of colonialism, patron-client relationships, the 'failure' of democracy, and the rise of military dictatorships. We discussed all the great dictators: Ferdinand Marcos, Pol Pot, Ne Win, Suharto, Sukarno, and Sarit.

The class got off to a rough start as the laxadaisical BYUH approach clashed with my Wisconsin graduate school mentality. I've since learned that the students were really afraid of me for the first month (at least), but gradually they came to learn that I was not out to destroy them and began to appreciate the lessons of dictatorship, genocide, and revolution in SEA.

I now have that picture framed an sitting in my office. It has clever captions for each of the students reflecting their behavior and attitudes in class. I felt the drawing was amazingly real, especially the way it captured me as being both scholarly AND buff.


I'm still waiting for my card from the 201 students. I guess they must have mailed it.

Triumph of the Will

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Feel the Love

As our time in Hawaii grows short we've begun contemplating our third move in three years. Jake is counting down the days. Meg wants to live in a real house. Both are excited to see their cousins in California and Canada this summer. But whether we return to Madison or go some place new this year, the kids will probably have to start over yet again and make new friends.

The other day while we were in the car I was discussing this fact with Meg. I was asking is she was nervous to go to another new school next year. She said that she would like to go back to Madison to see her friends from kindergarten. So, I explained that I knew it was hard to start over, and I was sorry we had to move so often. She look at me with those tender little girl eyes I love so much.

"That's okay, dad" she assured me. "It's not your fault you can't find a job."

The burden of the past

The last Saturday that Rachy-Rach was still here in Hawaii we loaded everyone into the car and headed off to visit Pearl Harbor. It was nice to have an excuse to spend a day at the Arizona Memorial, since we've been here eight months already. I had hoped to go last month when another family member visited, but that anonymous person went without us. He's kind of a CEO bigshot and probably didn't want our little family slowing him down while he hob-knobbed with important state officials. Anyway, I'm glad Rachel didn't mind going with us.

As anyone who has visited it knows, Pearl Harbor is not a light-hearted experience. As we walked from the car towards the visitor's center a national parks official flagged us down to inform us that we couldn't take in any bags into the buildings. He also reminded us that the memorial was a cemetery and so we should instruct our children to act accordingly. After giving the kids a stern warning and stuffing my pockets full of diapers, wipes, and Desitin, we were ready to experience history.

Despite our best intentions to treat the proceedings with an appropriately somber demeanor, I had a hard time at the beginning of the film. Before watching the documentary on the events of December 7, 1941, a park official introduces the film. This guy delivered a dramatic monologue that combined an exagerated melancholy tone with a truly flamboyant sense of gay-ness. The effect was so comical it became impossible to listen to his account, and I had to look away in order to maintain my stoic expression. My mind recalled a similar experience once...long ago...at a ward talent show.

Still, for a history student Pearl Harbor is a fascinating site of memory. The film does an excellent job telling the narrative of Japan's decision to attack the United States naval base in Hawaii. The Japanese never intended to invade the U.S., only to put its navy out of commission for a period of eighteen months. They hoped to complete their conquest of Southeast Asia and China without American interference. By the time the US had rebuilt its navy, the task of dislodging the Japanese from their strongholds would hopefully be too daunting. But the attack at Pearl Harbor was actually a bigger disaster for Japan than for the United States. The aircraft carriers were not present, and the perceived treachery united public opinion in favor of war, while silencing the isolationists. There is mounting evidence that Roosevelt knew of the attack beforehand, but didn't warn his admirals because he felt America would need to get its nose bloodied before it could present a united front against the Axis.

For Hawaiians, Pearl Harbor represents a different type of loss. During the war between the states, Hawaiian planters grew rich from selling sugar cane to the Union. After the war, Louisiana sugar barons moved to protect their domestic market by demanading that the federal government place tariffs on all imported sugar. In desperation, the sugar lobby in Hawaii offered Washington Pearl Harbor as a naval base in exchange for free access to American markets. Under pressure from white planters, the king signed Pearl Harbor over to the US navy. Many Hawaiians have still not forgiven whites for this historical injustice.

Some of them periodically exact revenge by beating up little red-headed fifth graders.

Auntie Rachel

At long last I have time to post the events that have been so highly anticipated by 301NIB viewers in the metropolitan Vancouver area - Rachel's visit to Hawaii. It's the first time I've seen my little sister since Christmas 2005. Also the first time she's come to visit us since we lived in another tiny apartment in Provo. She and I once worked as illegal immigrants at an Asian buffet restaurant that no longer exists, where she proceeded to consume vast amounts of fried chicken-based products (and avoid the croutons).

It was great to have Rachel around for the week. In some ways, it was just like when we were kids. She'd pass out in front of the Letterman show with cheese-doodle dust all over her face. Then sleep til noon. Then wake up and start eating my mini-eggs. Then she'd sit and 'bounce' on the couch while I practiced piano. Then when she got really fussy I'd lock her in her room.

*sigh*....good times.

Bright Copper Kettles

Last weekend one of our favorite movies aired on abc family, The Sound of Music. Meg saw the previews for it and begged to watch it, yet again. One of the kids favorite parts of the movie is when the Vontrapp children are frightened by the storm and run into Marias room. She then settles them all down with a song about her favorite things. I am always flabbergasted when I hear the line about bright copper kettles. How in the world could that be on someones list of favorite things? I guess if you were preparing to enter into an abby and become a nun that a shiny kettle might brighten your day. But I wonder if this song would have been sung towards the end of the movie if Maria would have been singing about kissing Captain Von-hottie in the garden? Anyway this got me to thinking about some of my favorite things. Specifically my favorite things about living in Hawaii. I'll start with number 11 and work to number 1 (which I'm sure will be no surprise)

11. I love that Shane is only a 5 minute walk from home, that when I need a break from Lucky Lukie or whatever the case maybe that he can be home quickly.

10. I love that my kids can wear old t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops to school and not worry if they are in fashion.

9. I love that everytime there is a church, school or community function there is always a musical program.

8. I love how Hawaiians make pork. Yuummm! They bury a pig underground and then several other steps which I can't recall, anyway when I get it it's shredded and is absolutely terrific.

7. I love the fact that we have a perfect view of the temple right outside our apt. window.

6. I love our tiny movie theatre in our little Laie shopping center. It only shows two movies, but they are always family movies and it's only $3.00

5. I love that it is green year round. It's always beautiful.

4. I love visiting the PCC. We went there a couple weeks ago with Shanes parents. WE enjoyed their Luau and nightshow as well. It was kind of an ephony. It wasn't until that day that I felt like I was in Hawaii. I actually felt like I was on vacation. We have been here since August 07, but we have been doing so much day to day stuff that I often forgot where I was living. Anyway it was great.

3. I love that everyone wants to come and visit us. Wisconsin was not very tempting for some, Thailand was a little far, expensive and unknokwn, but Hawaii, who doesn't want to come to Hawaii.

2. I love the fact that my kids can play outside all day everyday. Wow it makes such a difference. Thailand was unbearably hot and humid, Wisconsin had too long of a winter and got dark very early. Hawaii is just perfect. There is a pleasant breeze almost everyday and if it get's too hot theres always the beach close by.

1. I'm sure this is not too surprising to anyone, but my most favorite thing about living in Hawaii is the beach. It is absolutely gorgeous. It's so close, it's free and it's a great activity for the family. I love the fact that when I drive down Kamehameha hwy. that the ocean and beach are 20 feet away. I love living so close to such natural beauty. Sometimes you can look out at the ocean and the water is 5 different shades of blue. If any of you have ever been here my most favorite beach is Waimea bay. The water is mostly calm and the surrounding mountains and trees are breathtaking.

Our time here is almost up and I know that I will not be sad to say goodbye to our shoe box apt but we have made some great memories here and I know that I will miss it.

Frightening Miss Muffet Away

Two days ago I was sitting in my office and got a frantic call from Kaddi. She had just returned home from picking the kids up at school. Upon getting out of the car she turned around to shut the door and noticed a cane spider crawling on outside of the car near the wheel well. This was enough to induce panic. She had Jake go into the house to get some Raid, but when she attempted to spray the spider it disappeared. Now she was uncertain whether the spider was actually in the car, or underneath, or where it had gone.

The cane spider is actually know as the Huntsman Spider, which came to Hawaii from Asia. They are reportedly quite timid, but will bite if attacked or sprayed with Raid. They like hanging out in the sugar cane fields and are really quite beneficial to humans because they eat cockroaches and silverfish. They have a knack for crawling into homes, sheds, or even vehicles before a storm. The night before we had a long rainstorm, and I would guess the spider found refuge by crawling up into the undercarriage of our car, and then inadvertently became a passenger on the way to school.

When I got home I checked over the car but couldn't find him. I hope he's gone back to the cane fields now. One day Kaddi might be traveling down the H-1 and look back to see Luke trying to force a big hairy brown spider into his mouth. That would be bad.

How charming am I?

Apparently, so charming that people love me even when I show up where I'm not invited and tell them things they don't normally like to hear.

Take Friday for example...

I was scheduled to meet Rachy-Rach, Kaddi and the kids at the activity center to do a little bowling. I arrived before everyone else and noticed the center was much more crowded than usual, but since there were still several lanes open I wasn't too concerned. As I watched a duo play Nintendo Wii tennis (I've got to get one of those) someone came up and said, "why don't you help yourself to some of the refreshments at the table?"

So I did. I sat munching my rice-crispie treats and looking around to see if the family had arrived. It was then that I noticed everyone else in the room seemed to share an similar ethnic heritate. Then I thought, "Hmmm...I don't remember anyone ever offering me refreshments any of the other times I camr bowling." On a hunch, I went back outside and looked to check for any announcements. There was a sign posted on the door that said:

"Closed for Private Party"

Just then the rest of the crew rolled up. While Kaddi and Rachel tried to decide on a backup activity, I sat catching up with Chalong. I noticed the little chubber had been bulking up big time and pointed this out to him. Normally this topic can lead to an awkward pause in the conversation, but for some reason (most likely my impeccable timing and delivery) he found this to be hilarious.

I'm a people person.

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Waimea Falls

On the final day of my parents visit we wanted to take full advantage of a beautiful day and head to Waimea Bay. It didn't go so well. The waves were so big that no one dared to get into the water. The trade winds came in and destroyed one of our beach umbrellas, then attempted to highjack the other. At one point I held onto Luke with one hand and our good umbrella with the other, while watching the tattered umbrella roll down the beach thinking "Hmmm...I hope that doesn't impail someone." As a final straw, Luke transformed himself into a crabby patty (with cheese) and decided to cry incessantly while not sleeping.

So we packed up our things and headed up the nearby canyon to a retreat called Waimea...something. There's nothing like a good botanical garden to salvage an otherwise disappointing day. It combined two of my favorite past-times: looking at strange plants and physical exercise. The waterfall at the end was very cool, but it was a good 3/4 mile hike to get there.

I got nature all over me.

We're all here for you - this is a safe place

It was wonderful to have my parents here and enjoy their company for two weeks. I'm very proud of my dad for building a successful assessment firm and grateful that it gives them the flexible schedule and available means to travel around to visit us wherever we happen to be living. Here in Hawaii they enjoyed their new prosperity by renting a silver convertible to cruise around the island. It made me a little uncomfortable that Morg was constantly pointing out how much better his Sebring was than my Saturn. I winced a little at his constant references to my being a 'professional student' who couldn't make it in the real world. But, for the most part, I just tried to enjoy the visit and overlook the various ways I don't measure up. Monday afternoon we waved good-bye as they drove their convertible to the airport.

The next morning I walked into the bathroom to discover our toothpaste was missing.

It was a surreal moment. Could Morg possibly have taken my toothpaste? Why would anyone do such a thing? My mind reeled as I tried to understand such a senseless act of cruelty. It was a brand new bottle of Crest - the expensive kind that stands upright. We spent the extra money because the kids make such a mess with the tube.
I know the extra money means nothing to a successful business owner like my dad, but for a struggling PhD candidate it's quite a lot.

Then I remembered the proverb from the Bible about the poor man who lived next to the estate of a wealthy landowner. The rich man had his friends over for a party where they all ate candy. When it was time for everyone to brush their teeth, instead of using one of his own many tubes of toothpaste (from his many bathrooms), the landowner went into the tiny bathroom cabinet of the poor man and took his small tube of toothpaste to give to his guests. I don't quite remember the end of the proverb, but I'm pretty sure the poor man got gingivitis.

I'm genuinely worried for my father. Successful people become accustomed to staying in fine hotels and being able to take whatever they want. What's going to happen the next time he stays with me, or my sister? Instead of toothpaste it might be an electric razor that's missing. Or possibly even a kitchenaid. Or a DVD player. There's no end to the damage he could do if these kleptocratic impulses go unchecked.

So I've decided to act. This year at the Strate family reunion my family and I are going to stage an intervention. We'll collectively confront my dad and explain that we love him, and we're glad he's successful, but he can't continue to plunder our bathroom cabinets in this manner. It's just not right. I'm confident that our combined love and devotion can break him of this destructive tendency.

I just hope it's not too late.

The Culture-iest Place on Earth

It's nice to have family in town because you have an excuse to take time out to all the fun things you never make time for otherwise. Friday we went with my parents to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Normally cultural means boring things like symphony's and art exhibits and monotonous museums. But this was good cultural, hula dancers, spear-throwing, and guys playing with fire.

The PCC has many different villages representing peoples from Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, Hawaii, New Zealand, and Marquesas. We watched a documentary in the IMAX theater which informed us about how coral reefs are dying due to climate changed and made us promise to write-in Al Gore's name for President. We watched the amazing canoe pageant go by demonstrating many traditional dances. For dinner, it was the traditional Hawaiian Luau experience. At the beginning employees dug up a pig that had been slowly roasting for hours. Then I ate it. To cap off our experience, we watched the night show performance, featuring music and dance from around the Pacific.

Note: This video has been re-edited to exclude photos that certain individuals have found objectionable.

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No Three-Peat

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This year the winner will receive the envy and admiration of as many as 3-4 fellow players.

I'm easy like Sunday morning

Last Sunday we blessed Luke in Sacrament meeting. We waited a few months so that parents could be here and it was great to have my dad with me in the circle. Luke seemed to enjoy being the center of attention, and at three months old he was big enough to hold the microphone for me. So that worked out nicely.

And somehow the day got even more special when we spent the hour after church standing out in the hot sun taking pictures. The temple is right next door to our Stake Center, so we made the short jaunt over for our photo shoot. Despite the heat I was patient and considerate of others, as is my nature.

The sea was angry that day, my friends

My parents arrived in Hawaii last week. They've been staying in a beachside bungalow and spending their days walking around Laie and enjoying the pleasures of the nearby beaches. Finally on Saturday I thought we might be ready to take it up a notch (Emeril). It was time to introduce them to the realsurf. We headed up to Sunset Beach, rented some flippers, and prepared ourselves for a confrontation with the North Shore.

The confrontation didn't last long. After Morg and I had been floundering in the water for no more than fifteen minutes or so, the ocean threw our carcasses up on the shore like two pieces of sun-burned driftwood. We had been weighed. We had been measured. And we had been found wanting.

My neck will be sore for days.

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All religions teach you to be good

This year I spent my Valentine's Day down at the University of Hawaii presenting a paper at their International Graduate Student Conference. UH has the East-West Center, a pretigious area studies program that focuses on all aspects of Asia. I was one of 135 presenters from all over the United States, Canada, the PRC, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Japan, and yes - Hawaii.

It was my first opportunity to present some of the research I conducted in Thailand last year, in between sight-seeing trips. Last month I completed a the first rough draft of a chapter to the dissertation. It examines the Thai government's attempts to eliminate the Catholic Church from Thailand. From 1940-1944, Thai authorities banned Catholic meetings in most provinces, seized or destroyed Church property, and deported or imprisoned many clergy. This campaign of persecution lasted until 1944 when it became apparent that Japan would lose the war and the Thai decided to begin preparing for an Allied return to Southeast Asia. I argue the Thai attacked the Catholic Church as one of the most prominent symbols of the old colonial order they wanted to replace. Despite never being colonized, Thai nationalism from this era was extremely anti-colonial.

It was quite possibly the greatest academic presentation in the history of the modern university. I received some very positive feedback and interesting queries from other particpants during the question and answer session. I also enjoyed other panel sessions involving a diverse array of topics including Cham inscriptions and the resurgence of identity among Taiwan's indigenous peoples. The most important part, of course, is to get the conference on your academic resume.

Next step, revise the article and send off to a journal for rejection...or, possibly publication.


I think I really connected with other students by using their question-answer time to explain why my work was so much more interesting than theirs.

I see great things in baseball

Right now Kaddi's life consists of two activities. Providing a source of food for Luke and driving Meg and Jake all over Oahu for their baseball practices and games. I'm a little worried that her demanding schedule might be leading to over-exhaustion.

When Suzi was visiting us she forgot to bring a bottle of lotion, so she asked to borrow some. Kaddi provided an extra large bottle of Dove. As Suzi rubbed it onto her hands and arms she noticed that it didn't absorb like her regular lotion at home. So she looked at the bottle and discovered it was Dove hair conditioner. Could that be a sign someone is mentally fatigued?

On the bright side, Kaddi's arm hair has never been more manageable.

Saturday we were down in Mililani for Jake's game. The weather was cooperative.

For several innings Jake was stationed at the hot corner. Of course, in this league where kids don't really hit the ball that much, they call it the lukewarm corner.

The confident batsman.

The conscientious base runner.

Due to the intensity of the Hawaiian sun an umbrella is an essential item, even when its not raining.











In fairness, Kaddi is not the only one whose decision-making can be called into question. A few weeks ago I had to drive down to Kaneohe to get some diapers. Kaddi sent me off with instructions to get 'Huggies or Pampers - the brand name doesn't really matter.' I thought: if the brand doesn't really matter then I'll buy Safeway diapers for 9.99 instead of Huggies for 23.00.

My shoddy attempt at frugality backfired. Kaddi wouldn't put Safeway diapers on the baby, and in fact they're still sitting in our room. Instead of saving thirteen dollars, I wasted ten.

Happy Birthday, George

Many of you know me as a talented complainer. It has been a past-time that has brought meaning into my life. I can even complain about Hawaii. I complain about our apartment. I complain about coin-operated laundry. I complain about not having a car. I complain about the nearest store being an hour away.

And then comes a day when there's nothing to complain about. What's a guy to do?

Monday was just such a day. It was warm, but not hot. There was a breeze, but it wasn't windy. We packed up the chitlins and headed off to the beach Since we had Luke with us we decided to stay close to home and enjoy Hukilau.

It was a day not soon to be forgotten. Many other families were there enjoying the surf, but it was not crowded. We sat on our towels staring at the blue water as we listened to the waves. And the children played. And Luke slept.

And somewhere in the recesses of my memory rested blurred images of winter in another place and time. Bone-chilling walks home from the bus stop. Wiping condensation off the windshield with frozen hands as we returned from a friends house late at night. Trying to warm my ears after arriving at class. But those memories are worn and sun-bleached

In a few months they'll be gone.





"I think we're going to need a smaller strap"



"So, when you set your VCR to record, the television doesn't have to be on the channel you're recording..."








"No, I don't think that hat makes you look like girl"

Ich bin ein Swapper

Last weekend Kaddi's sister Suzi came out to visit us here in Laie. It was a whirlwind trip, and since it rained most of the time we didn't even get to go to the beach. No matter. It was just as much fun to stay in our apartment and watch The Mummy Returns. Again.

The highlight of the trip was to be Oahu's famous swamp meet. Every weekend they set up a huge outdoor market at Aloha stadium where you can buy as second-hand merchandise to you heart's content. As we drove down to Honolulu, all packed into the Saturn, we dreamed of the fabulous bargains we might find on stuff we wouldn't really use. I was planning to get a baseball hat with flames streaking down both sides.

Imagine our disappointment when we arrived at the stadium to find our beloved swap meet displaced by the NFL's Pro Bowl. I tried to console the family and explain that this was a good thing. Instead of wading through crowds of human roaches digging through each other's garbage, we could spend the afternoon watching the best of the National Football League sleepwalk their way through a game whose ultimate objective was not to get injured. Alas, there were no takers. Our group opted instead to spend the day at the Ala Moana Mall.

After a couple hours of browsing through the ABC stores, we decided it might be exciting to find the bail bonds location owned and operated by Dog the Bounty Hunter. But, since we didn't know where that was, and since we didn't even know where we were, that ultimate prize proved elusive. Our day has started out with such promise, and yet we had failed to realize our most important objectives.

Was it worth missing church? That is for history to decide.

I don't know what you're talking about

I'm watching Mike Huckabee on CNN right now explaining how he's not dropping out of the race because the country needs a choice.

The country made its choice, Mike. And it wasn't you.

Anyway...

Today I had to send out an email to one of my classes. I have a section with only seven students in it, and none of them seem particularly excited about history. For last Thursday's discussion I had only two students show up on time and neither of them had looked at the assigned readings. So, I sent out an email to the class list explaining my expectations, and how their grades reflect participation and attendance.

A few minutes later I received an email response from one of the students which said:

"You sent this to the wrong student. I have no idea what you're talking about."

So I doubled checked my class list, and yes - in fact - this person was in my class. They hadn't attended class all semester. So I responded explaining that they were still listed on the class roster, and they might want to think about dropping the class.

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock at my door. A panicky student sat down and explained that she'd been attending another section of 202 for over a month now and handing in assignments to another instructor. Now she realized that she was actually registered in my class. We're six weeks into the semester now. It's too late for her to drop my class, and even if she could there'd be no way she could catch up with all the assignments.

*sigh*

I should be glad of another death

This week I read Chinua Achebe's No Longer At Ease in preparation for the weekly discussion portion of my History 202 course. Although its not as well regarded as Things Fall Apart, another of Achebe's books, I found it to be a very interesting read. I highly recommend it to those of you looking for an example of good post-colonial literature.

No Longer at Ease relates the experiences of Obi, a young man who returns to his native Nigerian after spending four years at university in England. He arrives in Lagos with dreams of lifting his homeland out of bonds of colonialism, but becomes increasingly disillusioned as his idealism is frustrated by both traditional and modern barriers. At its core, the book is a tale of alienation. Obi struggles to reconcile the demands of family and acquaintances with his new position and status in the government ministry. He becomes aware that his experience abroad, along with his Christian upbringing, has made him a stranger in his own country. He loves and hates Nigeria as he loves and hates himself.

Achebe is both insightful and impartial in his discussion of how racism immobilizes and embitters a society. Obi experiences racism while in England and again from his white superiors in the government ministry. But on arrival in his home village, his relatives express their joy that he has not married a white woman. Most tragically, Obi is to distraught to learn that his family and community reject his fiance Clara because of her disreputable tribal origins. By attempting to defy these social conventions he brings disaster on himself and Clara.

Within this narrative Achebe explores the unintended effects of educating young Africans in the western model. He asks "What is the purpose and result of this education?" Obi's supervisor, Mr. Green, denounces the practice of educating Africans, claiming they only use their diplomas to grab all they can for themselves and their kin. Obi himself believes knowledge is a power to be utilized in modernizing his country, but he feels overwhelmed and inadequate at the impossibility of his task. In the end, he is slowly crushed between traditional expectations and modern limitations.