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Thursday, May 7, 2009
Thomas Hunt and Grace Soncuya Make The Paper
Everybody go out and buy The Mindanao Gold Star Daily today: Thomas Hunt is the cover story. My own personal thanks to Editor in Chief Herbie Gonzalez for taking an interest in this tragic story. May I recommend that you go out and show your appreciation to The Gold Star by buying a copy? It's only 8 pisos.
Murdoch To Charge For Online News
Good luck with that.Rupert Murdoch, "within the next year" plans to turn all of the online versions of his news holdings into "members only" pay sites. He is doing this because his Wall Street Journal online membership is booming, and thinks he can replicate that success elsewhere.
The problem (and you would think that a billionaire businessman would see this) is that Murdoch is confusing data with details. The Wall Street Journal is a primary source (in some cases, the only source) for financial DATA that people NEED... especially need to do their jobs and maintain their fortunes. No other place on the planet provides the in-depth financial analysis, nor provides the numbers — at least as concisely and completely — as the Wall Street Journal does.
News outlets, on the other hand, provide DETAILS. Everybody knows about the plane crash... and they turn to a news outlet to get DETAILS about that event. People DON'T NEED the details... it is just helpful to further their understanding. They certainly aren't going to pay to get those details, especially when their jobs and fortunes don't depend on it... and super-extraspecially when they can go to some other news outlet and get those same details for free.
And, lets face it, even if every single newspaper on the planet decided to charge people to visit their websites, you will still have all the blogs and chat rooms and boards and other websites that will still pass on the news for free.
Fear and Ignorance Continued
OMFG! Terrorist Mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed is going to be knocking on your door soon to borrow a bowl of sugar if the Demoncrats have their way! Save yourselves! Vote Republican!!!1!!
Actually, I'm rather smug with imagining something that, while still a lie, would at least be marginally closer the truth: That Terrorist Mastermind Khlaid Sheik Mohammed might be dumped in an American penitentiary amidst a bunch of 7-foot tall armed-robbery homies, drug-dealing chulos, and cop-murdering neo-Nazi rednecks.
Unfortunately, the actual truth is that the terrorists will have their own special little wing of some deep underground military installation surrounded on all sides by 2-foot-thick reinforced cement where nobody... not even Allah... can reach them.
Oh well. Hilzoy comes up with the most proper retort to the Republican "commercial" above:
Actually, I'm rather smug with imagining something that, while still a lie, would at least be marginally closer the truth: That Terrorist Mastermind Khlaid Sheik Mohammed might be dumped in an American penitentiary amidst a bunch of 7-foot tall armed-robbery homies, drug-dealing chulos, and cop-murdering neo-Nazi rednecks.
Unfortunately, the actual truth is that the terrorists will have their own special little wing of some deep underground military installation surrounded on all sides by 2-foot-thick reinforced cement where nobody... not even Allah... can reach them.
Oh well. Hilzoy comes up with the most proper retort to the Republican "commercial" above:
Daily Report: Home Alone
Epril is out of town for 2 days. It's essentially the first time since September 28, 2007, that we've been apart from each other... aside from the occasional 10-hour overnight visit that Epril would do at her parents house when we were living in Camilla Homes.
She has gone to Osamis City for Honey Maeh's birthday party.
Last night, I chatted with her online by Yahoo Messenger. She was on webcam, which took me back to the time before I had met Epril in person, when we chatted online, first getting to know each other. It was a refreshing perspective, and made me miss her.
Epril left me with 2 babysitters however: Older sister Susan and best friend Fatima. They are keeping me company. Actually they are just watching the house and cooking for me. (Today was my favorite: Sweet and sour chicken.)
I watched one of my favorite shows, "No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain" on Discovery Travel & Living. If you've never seen it, check it out: It's a 1-hour program about a guy (retired chef) who goes to different cities around the world and samples the best food that they have to offer, and some culture and tourist attractions on the side. I like Anthony Bourdain because he is city-slicker cool (in New York City, he'd be from Tribeca), isn't afraid to smoke or get drunk in the course of filming, isn't afraid to be a prick... or an idiot... or a fool when the time is right, and all at the same time comes across as a guy you really would love to hang out with.
And, most importantly, he puts together a great show. Usually the show has an underlying tenor or running gag used to carry the show along. Last night, the underlying theme was Vancouver's constant rain. Bourdain decided to bring his new producer, a cute little Asian girl named Nari, out in front of the camera to be his sidekick for the show and then proceeded to (pretend to, obviously) make her life miserable for her having scheduled a trip to Vancouver at the height of rainy season.
Here is part 1 of 5 of the Vancouver show. (Don't know if it will be up forever... but the entire hour is up on YouTube now.) After watching, you'll be able to click your way through to the next 4 episodes, or click on 2, 3, 4, and 5, if you want to skip ahead. (Reader TMF is from Vancouver, and I'm sure will enjoy this immensely.)
She has gone to Osamis City for Honey Maeh's birthday party.
Last night, I chatted with her online by Yahoo Messenger. She was on webcam, which took me back to the time before I had met Epril in person, when we chatted online, first getting to know each other. It was a refreshing perspective, and made me miss her.
Epril left me with 2 babysitters however: Older sister Susan and best friend Fatima. They are keeping me company. Actually they are just watching the house and cooking for me. (Today was my favorite: Sweet and sour chicken.)
I watched one of my favorite shows, "No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain" on Discovery Travel & Living. If you've never seen it, check it out: It's a 1-hour program about a guy (retired chef) who goes to different cities around the world and samples the best food that they have to offer, and some culture and tourist attractions on the side. I like Anthony Bourdain because he is city-slicker cool (in New York City, he'd be from Tribeca), isn't afraid to smoke or get drunk in the course of filming, isn't afraid to be a prick... or an idiot... or a fool when the time is right, and all at the same time comes across as a guy you really would love to hang out with.
And, most importantly, he puts together a great show. Usually the show has an underlying tenor or running gag used to carry the show along. Last night, the underlying theme was Vancouver's constant rain. Bourdain decided to bring his new producer, a cute little Asian girl named Nari, out in front of the camera to be his sidekick for the show and then proceeded to (pretend to, obviously) make her life miserable for her having scheduled a trip to Vancouver at the height of rainy season.
Here is part 1 of 5 of the Vancouver show. (Don't know if it will be up forever... but the entire hour is up on YouTube now.) After watching, you'll be able to click your way through to the next 4 episodes, or click on 2, 3, 4, and 5, if you want to skip ahead. (Reader TMF is from Vancouver, and I'm sure will enjoy this immensely.)
Electric Vehicle Ignorance In Davao
Ahh: Fear and ignorance. The only tool some people possess to maintain their position and profit.
Mr. Lima's fleet of electric tri-wheeled taxis are still sitting in storage, banned from the streets of Davao. What a shame.
This is a great little "mini-example" of why The Philippines is so far behind today in relation to the rest of the developed world in terms of wealth and industry, development and progress: Hegemony and ignorance have suzerainty over progress and innovation... especially when it occurs at the grassroots level.
Instead of a new company growing in Davao that might someday employ thousands of people, shipping millions of low-cost electric vehicles to China and India... instead of a new company churning out a product that helps thousands of poor Filipino trike drivers triple their income... instead of a new company working to make Davao a cleaner, quieter, greener, more desirable place to live... the Davao government has shut that company down in its infancy... either because they are too dumb and lazy to do a Google search about the safety of electric vehicles, or because some other Davao business person with a little clout at city hall is too dumb and lazy to upgrade his own product to compete with Mr. Lima's electric alternative.
Filipinos, you do this to yourselves.
Businessman William Lima has created a line of vehicles that use electricity instead of fossil fuel to move forward. He has both four-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles, and in December last year he started manufacturing three-wheel drive tricycles powered by electricity. ...I'll put it at about a 50% chance that the city government in Davao was actually stupid enough to think that vehicles powered by car batteries (suddenly after 50 years of service) pose an electrocution threat... and a 50% chance that they did it because somebody who was going to have their gasoline-burning-vehicle business get pummeled by a better product complained about it.
The technology has helped a lot of trisikad and tricycle drivers. A "sikad" driver who earns P100 a day can earn P300 to P400 a day using an electric tricycle.
Last April 16, however, the city government banned the electric tricycles. "They decided to ban my tricycles for the thought that they might electrocute the passengers since they use electricity as power," he said.
Mr. Lima's fleet of electric tri-wheeled taxis are still sitting in storage, banned from the streets of Davao. What a shame.
This is a great little "mini-example" of why The Philippines is so far behind today in relation to the rest of the developed world in terms of wealth and industry, development and progress: Hegemony and ignorance have suzerainty over progress and innovation... especially when it occurs at the grassroots level.
Instead of a new company growing in Davao that might someday employ thousands of people, shipping millions of low-cost electric vehicles to China and India... instead of a new company churning out a product that helps thousands of poor Filipino trike drivers triple their income... instead of a new company working to make Davao a cleaner, quieter, greener, more desirable place to live... the Davao government has shut that company down in its infancy... either because they are too dumb and lazy to do a Google search about the safety of electric vehicles, or because some other Davao business person with a little clout at city hall is too dumb and lazy to upgrade his own product to compete with Mr. Lima's electric alternative.
Filipinos, you do this to yourselves.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Well, If You've Got Nothing Else To Cheer About
There was a point in time that my high school football team was so bad that we used to cheer completed passes as if they were actual touchdowns in order to keep team spirit up.
The Republicans just completed a pass, and the folks over at RedState have their big foam hands held high:
The Republicans just completed a pass, and the folks over at RedState have their big foam hands held high:
Democrats lost two seats on the Alexandria, Virginia City council: But the implications are bigger. Barack Obama won this county 72-27. Senater Mark Warner is from Alexandria. Democratic National Committee Chair Tim Kaine is the Governor of Virginia.Go team.
Barack Obama lost today. The Democratic National Committee lost today.
Amazon Kindle To Take Over Textbook Market
I remember when I was in college 15 years ago: Buying textbooks was always a wince-inducing experience.(To make matters worse, I was a serious heavy-loader: I always had to get special permission to take as many classes as I did... usually 19 to 22 credits per semester. The extra credits were language courses... one 3-credit French class, one 3-credit German class, and one 3-credit Portuguese class, plus a 1-credit piano independent study. I graduated with 200 credits in 5 years.)
Anyway, way back then I was easily spending $400 per semester on books. Here is (more or less) where my money went:
Amazon is coming out with a larger "Kindle" personal reader with a screen that is about the size of a proper sheet of paper. They are hoping to capture the $8 billion college textbook market.
Based on the chart above, using a new kindle to remove the costs of printing, storage, and retail, my $400 per semester would have actually been approximaly $135. (I took 10 cents out of the publisher's 15.4 cent marketing cost of free books.)
Sounds like a deal to me... although I think that the best part is not having to deal with 30 pounds of books every semester.
Daily Report: Urgings
I'm quite proud of my ability to yell. I'm not talking about screaming, but town-crier type yelling. I really am probably among the loudest 1% of human beings when it comes to that.
Last night when we got home from the beauty pagaent at 11:00, the neighbors' little terrier dog was in the yard next door, barking. He was still barking at midnight. Still barking at 1 a.m. Still barking at 2 a.m.
And I was still awake.
I woke up Susan and told her to go next door and tell the neighbors to quiet down their dog. "But they're asleep." "I know. That's the point. Wake. Them. Up."
She did. The dog stopped barking. For 20 minutes... and then started again.
I had Susan walk next door again. The neighbors wouldn't answer the door. I looked out my bedroom window and saw Susan standing forlornly in the street. "They won't answer?" "No."
"HELLO TO MY NEIGHBORS NEXT DOOR WITH THE NOISY DOG. WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT YOUR DOG UP? THANK YOU."
Oh hell yes they heard it. I'm seriously about the same volume and timbre and pitch as a church bell. People indoors three hundred meters away heard it. The lights next door were on right about the time I said, "UP?"... hence the added, "THANK YOU."
I don't like to yell at people, or at the world in general like that (although at 2 a.m. my fuse was short enough that... well...), but the thing is it leaves one hell of an impression. This was the third night the neighbors' dog had kept me up where I had Susan go and say something to them; this was the 65th night since moving into the house 65 days ago where the dog had barked to at least some degree after I had gone to bed.
I'm quite sure that the memory of my voice (and the fact that all of the other neighbors in the neighborhood probably asked my dog-owning neighbors the next day, "What was that all about?) will ensure there isn't a 66th.
I decided to teach Tyson to go down stairs tonight. He came up the stairs indoors, and ― as usual ― got stuck there. Using a collection of leftover hotdog bits, I created a trail of yummy on the stairs. Tyson was funny, as extreme fear clashed with extreme desire to get his paws on all of that hotdog goodness. You could see his little brain was ready to explode. He whined, he hollared, he stomped his feet... and eventually found himself at the bottom of the stairs, as I cheered and congratulated him. (Seriously: Try crawling headfirst down some stairs and see if you don't think you should be congratulated for the accomplishment... I mean, after being called an idiot for crawling down stairs.) We repeated this 2 more times, and then I was out of hotdogs.
My friend William wants me to get a crate for Tyson to sleep in, and I can see the point... but I want Tyson to be a guard dog, and I want him (at nighttime especially) to be able to wander the entire house. Wherever there is a sound, I want him to be able to get there to investigate. So, I figure that the best thing to do is to help develop his wandering skills. When he learns that once our bedroom door is closed it will not be opening back up for him... and he can get back downstairs after stopping by out door and finding that out... he'll quickly move on.
Last night when we got home from the beauty pagaent at 11:00, the neighbors' little terrier dog was in the yard next door, barking. He was still barking at midnight. Still barking at 1 a.m. Still barking at 2 a.m.
And I was still awake.
I woke up Susan and told her to go next door and tell the neighbors to quiet down their dog. "But they're asleep." "I know. That's the point. Wake. Them. Up."
She did. The dog stopped barking. For 20 minutes... and then started again.
I had Susan walk next door again. The neighbors wouldn't answer the door. I looked out my bedroom window and saw Susan standing forlornly in the street. "They won't answer?" "No."
"HELLO TO MY NEIGHBORS NEXT DOOR WITH THE NOISY DOG. WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT YOUR DOG UP? THANK YOU."
Oh hell yes they heard it. I'm seriously about the same volume and timbre and pitch as a church bell. People indoors three hundred meters away heard it. The lights next door were on right about the time I said, "UP?"... hence the added, "THANK YOU."
I don't like to yell at people, or at the world in general like that (although at 2 a.m. my fuse was short enough that... well...), but the thing is it leaves one hell of an impression. This was the third night the neighbors' dog had kept me up where I had Susan go and say something to them; this was the 65th night since moving into the house 65 days ago where the dog had barked to at least some degree after I had gone to bed.
I'm quite sure that the memory of my voice (and the fact that all of the other neighbors in the neighborhood probably asked my dog-owning neighbors the next day, "What was that all about?) will ensure there isn't a 66th.
I decided to teach Tyson to go down stairs tonight. He came up the stairs indoors, and ― as usual ― got stuck there. Using a collection of leftover hotdog bits, I created a trail of yummy on the stairs. Tyson was funny, as extreme fear clashed with extreme desire to get his paws on all of that hotdog goodness. You could see his little brain was ready to explode. He whined, he hollared, he stomped his feet... and eventually found himself at the bottom of the stairs, as I cheered and congratulated him. (Seriously: Try crawling headfirst down some stairs and see if you don't think you should be congratulated for the accomplishment... I mean, after being called an idiot for crawling down stairs.) We repeated this 2 more times, and then I was out of hotdogs.
My friend William wants me to get a crate for Tyson to sleep in, and I can see the point... but I want Tyson to be a guard dog, and I want him (at nighttime especially) to be able to wander the entire house. Wherever there is a sound, I want him to be able to get there to investigate. So, I figure that the best thing to do is to help develop his wandering skills. When he learns that once our bedroom door is closed it will not be opening back up for him... and he can get back downstairs after stopping by out door and finding that out... he'll quickly move on.
Songcuya Sues Charity Who Cared For Dying Man
So, let us summarize:
(1) Thomas Hunt was an American lying alone in a hospital in Cagayan De Oro, Philippines... penniless and dying.
(2) The Expatriates' Ladies Charity found out about this poor man, and first started a blood drive for him, and then started collecting money to pay for his medications because Thomas Hunt could not afford them himself and nobody else would pay for them. This charity struggled for weeks to raise money to medicate and hospitalize this man, to contact any American governmental agency that could help, and to save his life.
(3) Thomas Hunt unfortunately, eventually, inevitably died.
(4) Grace L. Songcuya (aunt of the adultrous wife of the dying Thomas Hunt) decided to sue the Expatriates' Ladies Charity saying that the group raised money for Thomas Hunt and then kept it all for themselves. Does anybody want to guess where Ms. Songcuya thinks this "withheld" money should go?
That's it: This relative of the unfaithful wife of a dying man, part of a family who did nearly nothing to help the dying man, sues the charity that raised money and tried their best to save the dying man.
Now, I'll say for one of course that we expatriates are rightfully angry: These are our wives who this woman is suing; these are the ladies who spent weeks trying to save this man's life; these are the people who were at his side as he slowly slipped away... while Grace Songcuya and her family stood by and watched.
We expatriates are angry... but Grace Songcuya is from The Philippines. If anyone should be truly disgusted, it should be the Filipinos who are reading this article about this woman. It should be the Filipinos who are writing letters to the newspapers and local news stations about this woman. It should be the Filipinos who are rushing to this charity's defense against this woman.
UPDATE:
Since this post seems to be getting hits, I'll add these links at the bottom to create clearing house of Thomas Hunt related information:
External link: Original Yuma Sun Story
External link: Zink's Website about Thomas Hunt
My post: The Sad Story Of Thomas Hunt
My post: Thomas Hunt Died
My post: The Thomas Hunt Saga Hits A New Low
UPDATE 2:
According to this post at the Yahoo CDO Expatriates' Group (some information I thought might be kept under wraps, and thus I did not post until now) was made publicly available today: The information is that those people Ms. Songcuya is suing are aware of her prior record of official misconduct and abuse of position, and the fact that they are also aware that it is a further and renewed abuse of her position as a court clerk to summon a member of the expatriates community in to make a legal statement on Tuesday afternoon. It's not part of the coverage here, but has been covered on the Yahoo CDO Expatriates Group (1 and 2)
(1) Thomas Hunt was an American lying alone in a hospital in Cagayan De Oro, Philippines... penniless and dying.
(2) The Expatriates' Ladies Charity found out about this poor man, and first started a blood drive for him, and then started collecting money to pay for his medications because Thomas Hunt could not afford them himself and nobody else would pay for them. This charity struggled for weeks to raise money to medicate and hospitalize this man, to contact any American governmental agency that could help, and to save his life.
(3) Thomas Hunt unfortunately, eventually, inevitably died.
(4) Grace L. Songcuya (aunt of the adultrous wife of the dying Thomas Hunt) decided to sue the Expatriates' Ladies Charity saying that the group raised money for Thomas Hunt and then kept it all for themselves. Does anybody want to guess where Ms. Songcuya thinks this "withheld" money should go?
That's it: This relative of the unfaithful wife of a dying man, part of a family who did nearly nothing to help the dying man, sues the charity that raised money and tried their best to save the dying man.
Now, I'll say for one of course that we expatriates are rightfully angry: These are our wives who this woman is suing; these are the ladies who spent weeks trying to save this man's life; these are the people who were at his side as he slowly slipped away... while Grace Songcuya and her family stood by and watched.
We expatriates are angry... but Grace Songcuya is from The Philippines. If anyone should be truly disgusted, it should be the Filipinos who are reading this article about this woman. It should be the Filipinos who are writing letters to the newspapers and local news stations about this woman. It should be the Filipinos who are rushing to this charity's defense against this woman.
UPDATE:
Since this post seems to be getting hits, I'll add these links at the bottom to create clearing house of Thomas Hunt related information:
External link: Original Yuma Sun Story
External link: Zink's Website about Thomas Hunt
My post: The Sad Story Of Thomas Hunt
My post: Thomas Hunt Died
My post: The Thomas Hunt Saga Hits A New Low
UPDATE 2:
According to this post at the Yahoo CDO Expatriates' Group (some information I thought might be kept under wraps, and thus I did not post until now) was made publicly available today: The information is that those people Ms. Songcuya is suing are aware of her prior record of official misconduct and abuse of position, and the fact that they are also aware that it is a further and renewed abuse of her position as a court clerk to summon a member of the expatriates community in to make a legal statement on Tuesday afternoon. It's not part of the coverage here, but has been covered on the Yahoo CDO Expatriates Group (1 and 2)
Yeah, He's Going To Live Up To His Name
Doberman Puppy Tyson has given up gnawing on his toys and is now chewing on a rock. I'm pretty sure that means he's going to grow up to be the toughest dog the world has ever seen... although "dumbest" is running as a contender.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Miss Kimaya 2009 Contest In Jasaan
Tonight there was a beauty pageant in Kimaya. Kimaya is a little suburb/village (called a "Barangay" here in The Philippines) of Jasaan where my wife's family lives. Each Barangay is further divided in "Purok" which is basically a street or a neighborhood. Each Purok in Barangay Kimaya sent one contestant for a total of 9 girls competing for the grand and famous title of Miss Maya-maya Tourism 2009.
Well, much like kindergarten graduations, beauty pageants are roughly a monthly occurrence here in Jasaan. It draws out the whole village, everybody has a bunch of fun, the mayor and Barangay captain give some rousing speeches, and there is a festive atmosphere.
I was the victim of what we shall call progressive hospitality. First I wondered out loud if there was a place to sit down. Someone immediately (against my calls after them not to worry about it) ran off to find me a chair. The person in charge of the chairs was informed that the town's only foreigner wanted a seat and brought it out and motioned me to sit down in the "invited guests" section of the crowd. After a couple more "it's okay, I'm fine" gestures, I relented and went to sit. Then one of the event organizers saw me moving into the "invited guests" section and guided me over to sit in the front row with all of the dignitaries, and started introducing everybody to me... The Mayor, Redentor Jardin and his wife Grace, barangay captains, and directors of the local tourism association. Oops. That's one way to crash a party.
The Mayor is starting to get that, "This guy again?" look on his face every time we bump into each other... which is often. I'm kidding: Mayor Jardin is a nice guy, very cordial. (I remember sitting out on my front porch one Sunday night, and he walked by with some of the other folks in the local government... he was just walking around saying hello to people. That moment sticks in my mind as one of the instances that proves what a great and friendly little place Jasaan really is.)
Kid sister Inday.... I figure
she's a ringer for Miss Maya-
maya Tourism 2011. Forget it
guys... she's only 13 years
old. She and her sister Ednil
got together with their
cousins and did a nice dance
routine. There was also a
couple who did a tango, and
some little girls dancing too
who were very cute.Anyway, I borrowed Mike Bird's camera to take some snapshots of some of the contestants. Also, kid sister Inday and kid sister Ednil were dancing a halftime show with their cousins Lherma and David, and his boyfriend Luelmar. All in all, it was a pleasant... if kitschy and quaint... way to spend the evening out in the jungle.
And, on behalf of Jasaan and Kimaya Tourism: Everybody come and visit us here in Jasaan. Enjoy Agutayan Island, enjoy five water parks, enjoy Sagpulon Falls, and of course, if you are a foreigner, you can even stick around for a while and enjoy the best small town atmosphere to be found in the Province of Misamis Oriental, while living only a short 30 minutes away from the (relatively) big city of Cagayan De Oro.
(There are some nice rental properties out here, and quite a few Kano have built beach houses in the area.)
And, as you can see... Jasaan has more than its fair share of pretty ladies who will melt your heart with a single smile.
Above, from left to right, Inday, David, Ednil, Luelmar, and Lherma dance to "Boys" from Britney Spears.
Below, we have some of the contestants...
Well, much like kindergarten graduations, beauty pageants are roughly a monthly occurrence here in Jasaan. It draws out the whole village, everybody has a bunch of fun, the mayor and Barangay captain give some rousing speeches, and there is a festive atmosphere.
I was the victim of what we shall call progressive hospitality. First I wondered out loud if there was a place to sit down. Someone immediately (against my calls after them not to worry about it) ran off to find me a chair. The person in charge of the chairs was informed that the town's only foreigner wanted a seat and brought it out and motioned me to sit down in the "invited guests" section of the crowd. After a couple more "it's okay, I'm fine" gestures, I relented and went to sit. Then one of the event organizers saw me moving into the "invited guests" section and guided me over to sit in the front row with all of the dignitaries, and started introducing everybody to me... The Mayor, Redentor Jardin and his wife Grace, barangay captains, and directors of the local tourism association. Oops. That's one way to crash a party.
The Mayor is starting to get that, "This guy again?" look on his face every time we bump into each other... which is often. I'm kidding: Mayor Jardin is a nice guy, very cordial. (I remember sitting out on my front porch one Sunday night, and he walked by with some of the other folks in the local government... he was just walking around saying hello to people. That moment sticks in my mind as one of the instances that proves what a great and friendly little place Jasaan really is.)
Kid sister Inday.... I figure
she's a ringer for Miss Maya-
maya Tourism 2011. Forget it
guys... she's only 13 years
old. She and her sister Ednil
got together with their
cousins and did a nice dance
routine. There was also a
couple who did a tango, and
some little girls dancing too
who were very cute.Anyway, I borrowed Mike Bird's camera to take some snapshots of some of the contestants. Also, kid sister Inday and kid sister Ednil were dancing a halftime show with their cousins Lherma and David, and his boyfriend Luelmar. All in all, it was a pleasant... if kitschy and quaint... way to spend the evening out in the jungle.
And, on behalf of Jasaan and Kimaya Tourism: Everybody come and visit us here in Jasaan. Enjoy Agutayan Island, enjoy five water parks, enjoy Sagpulon Falls, and of course, if you are a foreigner, you can even stick around for a while and enjoy the best small town atmosphere to be found in the Province of Misamis Oriental, while living only a short 30 minutes away from the (relatively) big city of Cagayan De Oro.
(There are some nice rental properties out here, and quite a few Kano have built beach houses in the area.)
And, as you can see... Jasaan has more than its fair share of pretty ladies who will melt your heart with a single smile.
Above, from left to right, Inday, David, Ednil, Luelmar, and Lherma dance to "Boys" from Britney Spears.Below, we have some of the contestants...
 Fifth runner up. |  Fourth runner up. |
 Third runner up. |  Second runner up. |
 Runner up. |  Miss 2008, Lea. |
Miss Maya-Maya Tourism 2009, Christine Cantago.
Dialectic on Buddhism
Having lived in Thailand for 5 years, there was one thing that always troubled me about Buddhism: It was a religion which maintained a strong separation between those who are merely adherents and those who are practitioners. To put it succinctly, Buddhism is a religion in which to achieve the true recipe for salvation, i.e. that of "enlightenment", one must be (or at least act like) a monk.
In Thailand, the laity are only secondary recipients of the blessings of Buddhism: They receive blessing and protection from the monks... or from a statue of Buddha, or from other symbols, talismans, and rituals. There is very little direct mental or spiritual connection between a non-tonsured Buddhist and the mental concepts of Buddhism that constitute its core. What's more: The laity knows that their lot in life is not to gain enlightenment, and not to meet the ultimate goals of the very religion they practice.
It's the equivalent of believing that the only people who get to go to the Christian heaven are Catholic priests; how ever well one knows the Bible or adheres to its teachings, if one is not a priest... if one has not dedicated every facet of one's life to living as Christ taught, the best one can do is become a priest in the next life — or at least start off at a social station slightly advanced from the last.
But, knowing that there will be no memory in the "next life" of this one... knowing that one holds no moral or spiritual responsibility in the nonce to that ethereal "next life"... and knowing that blessings from monks and perfunctory merit-making activities can be stored up like antibiotics against any wrongdoing (accidental or otherwise) that may be committed... why bother to follow the tenets of Buddhism at all?
Of course, of course, of course: Many people do follow the Buddha's teachings, and derive their moral principles from it and attune their spiritual compass to it. But as far as the carrot-stick principles of religions go, Buddhism doesn't offer much carrot nor stick.
Or, more accurately: Buddhism is all carrot or... well... nothing. (But you have to sacrifice an awful lot to get that carrot.) To quote John Hargan on why he decided Buddhism was not for him:
Fortunately, of course, mankind can learn morals and upstanding behaviors in places other than a temple or church. It's just sad that many of us need... and apparently many Buddhists should have... the threat of hell or damnation to keep us in line.
In Thailand, the laity are only secondary recipients of the blessings of Buddhism: They receive blessing and protection from the monks... or from a statue of Buddha, or from other symbols, talismans, and rituals. There is very little direct mental or spiritual connection between a non-tonsured Buddhist and the mental concepts of Buddhism that constitute its core. What's more: The laity knows that their lot in life is not to gain enlightenment, and not to meet the ultimate goals of the very religion they practice.
It's the equivalent of believing that the only people who get to go to the Christian heaven are Catholic priests; how ever well one knows the Bible or adheres to its teachings, if one is not a priest... if one has not dedicated every facet of one's life to living as Christ taught, the best one can do is become a priest in the next life — or at least start off at a social station slightly advanced from the last.
But, knowing that there will be no memory in the "next life" of this one... knowing that one holds no moral or spiritual responsibility in the nonce to that ethereal "next life"... and knowing that blessings from monks and perfunctory merit-making activities can be stored up like antibiotics against any wrongdoing (accidental or otherwise) that may be committed... why bother to follow the tenets of Buddhism at all?
Of course, of course, of course: Many people do follow the Buddha's teachings, and derive their moral principles from it and attune their spiritual compass to it. But as far as the carrot-stick principles of religions go, Buddhism doesn't offer much carrot nor stick.
Or, more accurately: Buddhism is all carrot or... well... nothing. (But you have to sacrifice an awful lot to get that carrot.) To quote John Hargan on why he decided Buddhism was not for him:
[W]hat troubles me most about Buddhism is its implication that detachment from ordinary life is the surest route to salvation. Buddha's first step toward enlightenment was his abandonment of his wife and child, and Buddhism (like Catholicism) still exalts male monasticism as the epitome of spirituality. It seems legitimate to ask whether a path that turns away from aspects of life as essential as sexuality and parenthood is truly spiritual. From this perspective, the very concept of enlightenment begins to look anti-spiritual: It suggests that life is a problem that can be solved, a cul-de-sac that can be, and should be, escaped.It's not hard to understand why, given this either/or choice, Buddhists tend to find little reason to adhere to the precepts of their religion. For example, Buddhists aren't supposed to drink, but Thailand has an alcohol consumption per capita that is well above the world average. Murder by firearm in Thailand is third highest in the world.
Fortunately, of course, mankind can learn morals and upstanding behaviors in places other than a temple or church. It's just sad that many of us need... and apparently many Buddhists should have... the threat of hell or damnation to keep us in line.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Analyzing Pacquiao's Boxing Style
I watched the replay of the Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao's fight with Ricky Hatton. It's the first time I've sat down and really watched the guy box. Here is my take. (Admittedly this is based on only 5 minutes and 45 seconds of fight time. When I get around to watching some further fights, some of the "missing" attributes I note below may actually be there.) Manny Pacquiao is not much for finesse. I saw no fancy combinations, successful feints, or development/modification of his strategy based on his opponent's actions. (It could be that, from the opening bell, Pacquiao quickly saw — as I did — that Hatton was woefully unprepared for this fight, and that Hatton had not made any adjustment to Pacquiao's unique stance or arsenal, and therefore Pacquiao didn't bother to dig deeper into his repertoire.)
Here is what I did see: The most devastating southpaw left hook the sport of boxing has ever witnessed. It starts off normally, but then drops down to a point that puts his opponent's defensive right glove directly between Pacquiao's left and his opponent's eyes. Then, it comes up and around the opponent's right glove so quickly that it is only visible for a tenth of a second before it connects.
I've never seen a hook move that fast. It's superhuman.
A right handed opponent can only block that punch by guesswork: If he's boxing along and suddenly can't see Manny's left glove? Duck. Bob to the left. Fast. And hope. That's it.
And heaven help his opponents if Manny ever learns to put that left hook on somebody's kidneys and ribs instead of using it to throw one haymaker after another.
An opponent who adjusts his right glove down, and closer in a bit more to his chin would have a better look at Manny's left hook, but that opponent would be sacrificing his right eye and temple to Manny's left hook to save his jaw. It might delay one from getting knocked out... long enough to land a few punches of one's own: Obviously, Pacquiao's left glove — when not taking people's heads off — is blocking his own view of an opponent's similar right hook (should a "similar" speed and style of punch ever be achieved by another boxer... which I doubt).
Anyway, for a boxing purist, you won't see Pacquiao put on any art-of-pugilism displays. Instead, you watch a boxer like this and realize that he has placed "art" down on his list, and supplanted it with a ton of physical prowess and natural skill... and then to top it off, goes mirror-image with it. It's untouchable, brutal, and the most amazing boxing I've ever seen.
Oh... one other thing: Manny Pacquiao is the first boxer I've ever seen to walk into an arena shoulders back, head up, smiling, laughing, and waving (well... except for Apollo Creed). It was rather charming: You instantly like the guy.
Daily Report: New And Old Vistas
My stomach is still a bit buggy. It's the same kind of cramps I get when I drink a whole bunch of milk: About every 20 minutes, a wrenching, twisting sensation that makes me stop and hold my breath until it passes.
After the Pacquiao fight, it started raining, with a low and thick sky, and heavy cold air. Definitely an indoor kind of day. Perhaps the vindictive spirits of Albion brought their damp brume to the happy island home of Pacquiao in retribution for their hapless warrior's defeat today.
Mike Bird stopped by for a visit and we watched the replay of the fight together. The fight was so short that the Filipino TV station was stuck airing 2 minutes of coverage and then 5 minutes of commercials: Hatton walks in... 5 minutes. Pacquiao walks in... 5 minutes. Let's get ready to rumble!!!... 5 minutes. They even played the entire fight twice on a loop. (I'll bet that TV stations who purchase Pacquiao broadcast rights from the promoters start insisting that they pay by the minute from this point forward.)
At about 2:00 I climbed into bed. Out of boredom, I picked up and read through 2 of The Chronicles of Narnia which I had purchased for Ednil last year: "The Magician's Nephew" and "The Horse and His Boy". The last time I read those, I was 12 or 13 years old. It was interesting to note how I had forgotten much of the stories, but remembered perfectly individual scenes or even specific lines verbatim.
I mentioned earlier that Puppy Tyson had learned to make it up the stairs today: He made it up the cement outside stairs from the garage to the laundry balcony and from there up to the rooftop garden. But he still couldn't conquer the wooden stairs inside: He could get his front paws up, but his long toenails on his back paws would zing out from under him when he tried to step up, losing all purchase, and he'd go chin-down belly-flop on the stairs and slide back down.
Well, he overcame that obstacle later in the day as well: Now he can make it up the inside stairs to our bedroom and the TV room. Of course, he can't get down. This meant that he would run up the stairs, and then get stuck wuffling and scratching and moaning outside our door, a prisoner of his own ascent. We finally had to put him on his leash and attach that to a leg of the couch so that we could go to sleep.
Tomorrow, we'll go out and get some chicken wire to fashion a nighttime barrier to keep Tyson from performing any late-night visits... at least until such time as his stairway sojourns can go both up and down.
After the Pacquiao fight, it started raining, with a low and thick sky, and heavy cold air. Definitely an indoor kind of day. Perhaps the vindictive spirits of Albion brought their damp brume to the happy island home of Pacquiao in retribution for their hapless warrior's defeat today.
Mike Bird stopped by for a visit and we watched the replay of the fight together. The fight was so short that the Filipino TV station was stuck airing 2 minutes of coverage and then 5 minutes of commercials: Hatton walks in... 5 minutes. Pacquiao walks in... 5 minutes. Let's get ready to rumble!!!... 5 minutes. They even played the entire fight twice on a loop. (I'll bet that TV stations who purchase Pacquiao broadcast rights from the promoters start insisting that they pay by the minute from this point forward.)
At about 2:00 I climbed into bed. Out of boredom, I picked up and read through 2 of The Chronicles of Narnia which I had purchased for Ednil last year: "The Magician's Nephew" and "The Horse and His Boy". The last time I read those, I was 12 or 13 years old. It was interesting to note how I had forgotten much of the stories, but remembered perfectly individual scenes or even specific lines verbatim.
I mentioned earlier that Puppy Tyson had learned to make it up the stairs today: He made it up the cement outside stairs from the garage to the laundry balcony and from there up to the rooftop garden. But he still couldn't conquer the wooden stairs inside: He could get his front paws up, but his long toenails on his back paws would zing out from under him when he tried to step up, losing all purchase, and he'd go chin-down belly-flop on the stairs and slide back down.
Well, he overcame that obstacle later in the day as well: Now he can make it up the inside stairs to our bedroom and the TV room. Of course, he can't get down. This meant that he would run up the stairs, and then get stuck wuffling and scratching and moaning outside our door, a prisoner of his own ascent. We finally had to put him on his leash and attach that to a leg of the couch so that we could go to sleep.
Tomorrow, we'll go out and get some chicken wire to fashion a nighttime barrier to keep Tyson from performing any late-night visits... at least until such time as his stairway sojourns can go both up and down.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Cheering The Champ
Filipino Manny Pacquiao is boxing against Ricky Hatton live right now (11:40 a.m. Sunday morning). There is a big-screen set up in the town park just behind my house, and about 5,000 people are there watching.
Every time Pacquiao lands a punch, the crowd roars. It's so loud that I've actually had to close my windows so I could hear my work.
In related news: Puppy Tyson can now make it up the stairs. One second he was sitting at the bottom whimpering, the next second, he screwed up his courage and came gallumphing up the stairs, happy as a clam. Three cheers for my boy. We'll save getting down the stairs for another day.
UPDATE
A big loud triumphant roar rattled the windows for 30 seconds, and now crowds of jubilant Filipinos are walking by the house. Hmm... care to guess who won?
UPDATE II
Knockout 3 minutes into the second round. Hatton was out cold for enough time to make people anxious. Experts have been saying that Pacquiao is the "best fighter pound for pound"... I'm starting to see why they think that.
Every time Pacquiao lands a punch, the crowd roars. It's so loud that I've actually had to close my windows so I could hear my work.
In related news: Puppy Tyson can now make it up the stairs. One second he was sitting at the bottom whimpering, the next second, he screwed up his courage and came gallumphing up the stairs, happy as a clam. Three cheers for my boy. We'll save getting down the stairs for another day.
UPDATE
A big loud triumphant roar rattled the windows for 30 seconds, and now crowds of jubilant Filipinos are walking by the house. Hmm... care to guess who won?
UPDATE II
Knockout 3 minutes into the second round. Hatton was out cold for enough time to make people anxious. Experts have been saying that Pacquiao is the "best fighter pound for pound"... I'm starting to see why they think that.
Beware: Soporific Senatorial Rules Talk Ahead
Severe 5th level political nerd alert. Feel free to scroll down past this.
But for those of you who find the trifles of governance interesting... check out this Senate Judiciary Committee rule:
Okay it gets tricky, so stay with me and read slowly:
All Supreme Court nominations must first go through the Senate Judiciary Committee and be discussed and debated there.
Therefore, according to the above, a Supreme Court nomination needs at least at least one Republican vote to get out of committee so that it can go before the full Senate for confirmation hearings. No supreme court nomination will get out of the SJC committee without at least one Republican member of the committee voting to do so. As long as no Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee "votes in the affirmative", the Republicans can "filibuster" any judicial nomination.
Now for the tricky-dicky part:
Senator Arlen Specter was a Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He always voted with the Democrats though: He was always guaranteed to be that one "Republican vote in the affirmative" to get things out of the SJC. Now that he is a Democrat, that isn't the case: There is no guranteed Republican vote to "break a filibuster".
So, even though Republicans are so far in Minorityland that they can't even see the clouds above Majorityland, they can still gum shit up in Committee... including any Supreme Court Nominee of President Obama's whom they do not like.
Like I said: Who the hell comes up with a rule that so long as there is still one Republican left in the Senate, he or she alone can block all kinds of shit from getting done? I'm all for equivalency and balance and forced bipartisanship, but jeez... lets get some perspective people.
Now, to drop all the way down to the 10th level vagaries in an attempt to really fry your brain:
The Democrats can decide not to reorganize the Senate Judiciary Committee until after the Senate adjourns, leaving Specter filling his "R" spot on the SJC until the end of the current Congress even though he has officially declared himself a "D". It's the equivalent of forcing the other baseball team to keep their second baseman in place until the end of the game, even though he's already decided to play for your team.
This maneuver would be flipping off the Republicans in the harshest way possible... but the interesting part is that the Republicans were thinking of "blocking the organizing resolutions" (the move I just described) earlier in the year for different reasons. It would be a bit comical (in a 10th level kind of way) for the Democrats to turn around and use the tactic on the Republicans instead.
(Okay... For those of you who made it through this post without going walleyed, you can now apply for your Senatorial Frippery Merit Badge.)
But for those of you who find the trifles of governance interesting... check out this Senate Judiciary Committee rule:
IV. BRINGING A MATTER TO A VOTEBut what does it all mean Jil???
The Chairman shall entertain a non-debatable motion to bring a matter before the Committee to a vote. If there is objection to bring the matter to a vote without further debate, a roll call vote of the Committee shall be taken, and debate shall be terminated if the motion to bring the matter to a vote without further debate passes with ten votes in the affirmative, one of which must be cast by the minority.
Okay it gets tricky, so stay with me and read slowly:
All Supreme Court nominations must first go through the Senate Judiciary Committee and be discussed and debated there.
Therefore, according to the above, a Supreme Court nomination needs at least at least one Republican vote to get out of committee so that it can go before the full Senate for confirmation hearings. No supreme court nomination will get out of the SJC committee without at least one Republican member of the committee voting to do so. As long as no Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee "votes in the affirmative", the Republicans can "filibuster" any judicial nomination.
Now for the tricky-dicky part:
Senator Arlen Specter was a Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He always voted with the Democrats though: He was always guaranteed to be that one "Republican vote in the affirmative" to get things out of the SJC. Now that he is a Democrat, that isn't the case: There is no guranteed Republican vote to "break a filibuster".
So, even though Republicans are so far in Minorityland that they can't even see the clouds above Majorityland, they can still gum shit up in Committee... including any Supreme Court Nominee of President Obama's whom they do not like.
Like I said: Who the hell comes up with a rule that so long as there is still one Republican left in the Senate, he or she alone can block all kinds of shit from getting done? I'm all for equivalency and balance and forced bipartisanship, but jeez... lets get some perspective people.
Now, to drop all the way down to the 10th level vagaries in an attempt to really fry your brain:
The Democrats can decide not to reorganize the Senate Judiciary Committee until after the Senate adjourns, leaving Specter filling his "R" spot on the SJC until the end of the current Congress even though he has officially declared himself a "D". It's the equivalent of forcing the other baseball team to keep their second baseman in place until the end of the game, even though he's already decided to play for your team.
This maneuver would be flipping off the Republicans in the harshest way possible... but the interesting part is that the Republicans were thinking of "blocking the organizing resolutions" (the move I just described) earlier in the year for different reasons. It would be a bit comical (in a 10th level kind of way) for the Democrats to turn around and use the tactic on the Republicans instead.
(Okay... For those of you who made it through this post without going walleyed, you can now apply for your Senatorial Frippery Merit Badge.)
Hate Crimes Going To Be Federal Law
I've never liked "hate crimes laws". I don't think that punishing people for their thoughts is wise. It complicates the uncomplicated: Evil.
If somebody beats a person to death, why must their motivation be questioned? Isn't killing a person enough in and of itself?
If I'm accosted on the street and beaten by Dave, then Dave faces jail time; but if Dave shouts "nigger" or "faggot" while he beats me, that somehow makes it what? Worse? More wrong? More illegal? More detrimental to society as a whole? Does it even matter if I'm not black or gay?
Age isn't covered in the new or existing hate crimes legislation. If Tom murders my father because he hates old people... then what? Tom hasn't commited a hate crime because age simply isn't "on the list"?
But, if my father is walking with a cane at the time, then he's a hate crime victim because of physical disability which is on the list, right? Or does Tom have to shout, "Die you cripple!" before it becomes a hate crime?
What if Bob beats up a gay person, and yells "faggot" while he does it... but he doesn't really hate gay people? How can Bob prove he doesn't actually hate gay people, and is therefore innocent (at least) of the charge of "hate crime"?
What if Steve beats up a black person while yelling "nigger" and is himself black? Can "hate crime" automatically be dismissed against Steve because no black person could hate black people? Go ahead and prove to me Steve doesn't or can't hate black people.
Do you see the problem here? Hate crimes target thoughts: either those voiced or somehow presumed based on actions taken. It is generally impossible... at least without reasonable doubt... to know a person's thoughts.
Some people will think I'm missing the point: Hate crimes are supposed to be a deterrent; they are supposed to make people think twice before targeting some minority for crime. They are supposed to provide justice to an entire community because when "hate crimes" are committed, they instill fear and anguish in the entire [black / gay / Jewish / French / female / paraplegic] community as well.
That's fine on the surface, but all crimes against a community scare that community. If someone is murdering Chinese people in a city, Chinese people have every right to be scared... but why should the relief the Chinese community experiences be any different when that person is caught... if it is proven that that person's crimes were somehow not "hate crimes"? Will the Chinese community be better served, better protected, or more satisfied by punishing "Sergio Gonzalez" more severely than "Wu Li Hong" for the same crime?
More importantly, there are constitutional considerations to be made as well: First off is equal protection under the law. Does unequal punishment depending on the victim of the crime constitute unequal protection of victims of otherwise equal crimes? It does if the possibility of being charged with a Hate Crime deters somebody from committing that crime against one person but not another. Does punishing Sergio more for the same crime than Wu constitute unequal treatment under the law? It does if both... for whatever reason... were specifically targeting Chinese people because of their race.
And really: Does a hate crimes law really deter hate crimes? Does the prospect of 10 years in jail deter a criminal whereas 5 years might not? Does a Hate Crime law cure racism or homophobia? Does a person, when overcome with bigotry and xenophobia, stop to ponder legal ramifications before exploding in violent rage?
Maybe violent criminals now will know to keep their mouths shut when they set out to go gay bashing, or Jew hunting, or lynching... so that they don't incriminate themselves as being really hateful and evil bastards... instead of just average, run-of-the-mill bastards. After all, if — by their lack of incriminating statements to the contrary — they can claim that they would rob / beat / rape / murder anybody they could get their hands on, regardless of race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or gender, who's to argue? And as an added benefit... won't all of the blacks, Chinese, Muslims, gays, and women feel better with those equal-opportunity reassurances?
If somebody beats a person to death, why must their motivation be questioned? Isn't killing a person enough in and of itself?
If I'm accosted on the street and beaten by Dave, then Dave faces jail time; but if Dave shouts "nigger" or "faggot" while he beats me, that somehow makes it what? Worse? More wrong? More illegal? More detrimental to society as a whole? Does it even matter if I'm not black or gay?
Age isn't covered in the new or existing hate crimes legislation. If Tom murders my father because he hates old people... then what? Tom hasn't commited a hate crime because age simply isn't "on the list"?
But, if my father is walking with a cane at the time, then he's a hate crime victim because of physical disability which is on the list, right? Or does Tom have to shout, "Die you cripple!" before it becomes a hate crime?
What if Bob beats up a gay person, and yells "faggot" while he does it... but he doesn't really hate gay people? How can Bob prove he doesn't actually hate gay people, and is therefore innocent (at least) of the charge of "hate crime"?
What if Steve beats up a black person while yelling "nigger" and is himself black? Can "hate crime" automatically be dismissed against Steve because no black person could hate black people? Go ahead and prove to me Steve doesn't or can't hate black people.
Do you see the problem here? Hate crimes target thoughts: either those voiced or somehow presumed based on actions taken. It is generally impossible... at least without reasonable doubt... to know a person's thoughts.
Some people will think I'm missing the point: Hate crimes are supposed to be a deterrent; they are supposed to make people think twice before targeting some minority for crime. They are supposed to provide justice to an entire community because when "hate crimes" are committed, they instill fear and anguish in the entire [black / gay / Jewish / French / female / paraplegic] community as well.
That's fine on the surface, but all crimes against a community scare that community. If someone is murdering Chinese people in a city, Chinese people have every right to be scared... but why should the relief the Chinese community experiences be any different when that person is caught... if it is proven that that person's crimes were somehow not "hate crimes"? Will the Chinese community be better served, better protected, or more satisfied by punishing "Sergio Gonzalez" more severely than "Wu Li Hong" for the same crime?
More importantly, there are constitutional considerations to be made as well: First off is equal protection under the law. Does unequal punishment depending on the victim of the crime constitute unequal protection of victims of otherwise equal crimes? It does if the possibility of being charged with a Hate Crime deters somebody from committing that crime against one person but not another. Does punishing Sergio more for the same crime than Wu constitute unequal treatment under the law? It does if both... for whatever reason... were specifically targeting Chinese people because of their race.
And really: Does a hate crimes law really deter hate crimes? Does the prospect of 10 years in jail deter a criminal whereas 5 years might not? Does a Hate Crime law cure racism or homophobia? Does a person, when overcome with bigotry and xenophobia, stop to ponder legal ramifications before exploding in violent rage?
Maybe violent criminals now will know to keep their mouths shut when they set out to go gay bashing, or Jew hunting, or lynching... so that they don't incriminate themselves as being really hateful and evil bastards... instead of just average, run-of-the-mill bastards. After all, if — by their lack of incriminating statements to the contrary — they can claim that they would rob / beat / rape / murder anybody they could get their hands on, regardless of race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or gender, who's to argue? And as an added benefit... won't all of the blacks, Chinese, Muslims, gays, and women feel better with those equal-opportunity reassurances?
Friday, May 1, 2009
Interesting Thought On Reagan And Conservatism
Josh Marshall at TPM makes an interesting observation: Republicans are now coming around to eviscerating George W. Bush for "betraying conservative principles", and making comparisons to their "true conservative hero", Ronald Reagan.
Which one of these presidents (Reagan or Bush) pushed through big tax cuts while increasing domestic discretionary spending, ballooning military spending, and leaving the nation with massively increased debt?
Right: Both of them.
The difference? When Reagan did it, he more or less managed to leave the country (and the Republican party) in a better position than it was when he took office. When Bush did it... epic fail.
It really has been decades since "Republican" and "conservative" (in the Burkean sense that I know and love) have occupied the same space.
Which one of these presidents (Reagan or Bush) pushed through big tax cuts while increasing domestic discretionary spending, ballooning military spending, and leaving the nation with massively increased debt?
Right: Both of them.
The difference? When Reagan did it, he more or less managed to leave the country (and the Republican party) in a better position than it was when he took office. When Bush did it... epic fail.
It really has been decades since "Republican" and "conservative" (in the Burkean sense that I know and love) have occupied the same space.
Justice David Souter Is Retiring... Looking Forward
President Obama will be getting to make his first Supreme Court nomination this summer... an-on-average-twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a United States President. (Bush Junior appointed 2 justices, Clinton 2, Bush Senior 2, Reagan 3, Carter 0, Ford 1, Nixon 4, Johnson 2, and Kennedy 2. Given that Justice Stevens is 89 years old, it's very possible that President Obama will get his 2 appointments in short order... and if he serves a second term, maybe even 3.)Obviously Obama will be appointing liberal-minded Justices.
Surprisingly, today's Supreme Court is the most conservative it has ever been: By a study of judicial decisions, 4 of the 5 most conservative Justices to ever sit on the Supreme Court (and 5 out of the top 10) are on the court today.
Retiring Justice Souter has tended to be more liberal. This probably means that he withheld his retirement during President Bush's administration in order to avoid having a conservative Justice take his place. The 89-year-old Justice Stevens is also considered to be on the "liberal side" of the court, which means that he likely will chose to retire under Obama's presidency as well.
The five "conservative" Justices of the Supreme Court (Thomas age 60, Scalia age 73, Roberts age 54, Alito age 59, and Kennedy age 72) are all young enough that they will probably serve through Obama's first term — and likely even a second term should he receive it — in order to ensure that their seats do not go to a liberal Justice appointed by Obama.
The 2 remaining "liberal" Justices (Ginsburg age 76, Breyer age 70) may or may not retire during Obama's tenure. If they do not, obviously their retirement — as well as the potential retirements of Justices Scalia and Kennedy, who will be age 81 and 80, respectively, 8 years from now — will be the most likely upcoming chance to shift the balance of the Supreme Court... an opportunity that would be granted to the President who is elected after Obama.
In other words, the one thing that that will not change during the Obama presidency — barring an unexpected retirement of one of the 5 conservative justices — is the conservative/liberal makeup of the Supreme Court.
If Ginsburg and Breyer do not retire during Obama's 4-year or 8-year term, the next president may likely replace them, and Justices Scalia and Kennedy as well. So if the next President after Obama is a Democrat, there may be 3 conservative justices and 6 liberal justices at the end of his or her term. If the next President is a Republican, there may be 7 conservative justices and 2 liberal justices at the end of his or her term.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Interesting Article On Far Right Thinking
Orcinus has a hugely interesting article up regarding the thought-and-act process that radicalized groups go through to eventually arrive at their apocolyptic vision... and how there is plainly visible evidence of the beginnings of that thought-and-act process going on all around America today.
The outline of the process that all fringe groups (cults, racist organizations, extremist militias) take to go from "back burner" to "full boil" is this:
Note: The links above that demonstrate evidence of "indicators" are not all links to extremists themselves, but links to events and examples that extremists watch as fuel for and evidence of their "time is now" decision-making progress to move to the "go" stage.
The outline of the process that all fringe groups (cults, racist organizations, extremist militias) take to go from "back burner" to "full boil" is this:
- "Ready" (The foundation. Always there.)
- There is a belief of upcoming calamity... The end of their world as they know it.
- Their world is divided into "us versus them."
- Their reality and information have been manipulated in order to confirm their worldview.
- They posess a feeling of being persecuted.
- They posess strong desires to implement their worldview.
- "Set" (The indicators. What is being seen now.)
- Shifts in rhetoric that indicate tentative attempts at rationalizing violence.
- Disinformation begins to spread that requires further warping of worldview.
- A sense of humiliation begins to bubble up.
- A new sense of urgency is expressed.
- Demagogues and polemicists seize control of the dialogue.
- Members place themselves in direct opposition to state power, and declare government the enemy.
- Begin purchasing weapons.
- Begin flexing muscles with threats and petty violence.
- "Go" (The result. What happens next.)
- Further (physical) separation... The "compound".
- Overt lawlessness... answering to a "higher law".
- And ultimately: Picking fights with authorities.
Note: The links above that demonstrate evidence of "indicators" are not all links to extremists themselves, but links to events and examples that extremists watch as fuel for and evidence of their "time is now" decision-making progress to move to the "go" stage.
Why I Wouldn't Worry About The Swine Flu
(Well... we'll know in a week or so... but...)
The last great flu pandemic to hit the world was in 1918. That flu killed 2.5% of all people it infected. This new swine flu is killing 6%.
So why not worry?
Think about 1918. There were no anti-flu medicines. There were no widely-available face masks. There were no quick diagnostic tests. There were no governmental early warning systems. There was no widespread knowledge of how to avoid infection, or quick access to medical personnel if one did have an infection.
Today, people — even in the relatively poor country of Mexico — are being screened weeks earlier, preventative measures are being taken, quarantines are being put up when they can still be effective, and information about this situation and how to prevent it is a knowledge that pretty much everybody on the planet now possesses. We are a cleaner and healthier race than we were 90 years ago, and the immediacy and quality of our medical care is vastly improved in even the poorest corners of the planet. The United States alone handles millions of flu cases per year, and while the swine flu is a specially bad version of the flu, it is still the flu.
Can a disease still come along that will again wipe 40 million people? Possibly... but if it does, it will be something new and unexpected to which the tried and true methods of infection avoidance prove to be ineffective.
UPDATE:
A little swine flu humor added in for levity's sake:
The last great flu pandemic to hit the world was in 1918. That flu killed 2.5% of all people it infected. This new swine flu is killing 6%.
So why not worry?
Think about 1918. There were no anti-flu medicines. There were no widely-available face masks. There were no quick diagnostic tests. There were no governmental early warning systems. There was no widespread knowledge of how to avoid infection, or quick access to medical personnel if one did have an infection.
Today, people — even in the relatively poor country of Mexico — are being screened weeks earlier, preventative measures are being taken, quarantines are being put up when they can still be effective, and information about this situation and how to prevent it is a knowledge that pretty much everybody on the planet now possesses. We are a cleaner and healthier race than we were 90 years ago, and the immediacy and quality of our medical care is vastly improved in even the poorest corners of the planet. The United States alone handles millions of flu cases per year, and while the swine flu is a specially bad version of the flu, it is still the flu.
Can a disease still come along that will again wipe 40 million people? Possibly... but if it does, it will be something new and unexpected to which the tried and true methods of infection avoidance prove to be ineffective.
UPDATE:
A little swine flu humor added in for levity's sake:
Daily Report: Jungle Jumpers
An old friend from Thailand is visiting Epril: Honey Mae. She arrived today and will be leaving tomorrow to go home to her parents in Osamis City. She is back in The Philippines for her birthday. She and her hubby Geoff are now living in Viet Nam, having left Pattaya about 4 or 5 months ago.
There are regular basketball games going on at the local pavilion in the town square near my house. It's a regional thing I guess, with various local towns competing. I stopped by and watched a little bit the other night while I was walking Tyson. I think the teams could give my old high school team a run for their money... or at least the JV squad.
Anyway, it's drawing several hundred people per night, with announcers and cheerleaders and everything. Constant cheering and screaming.
They asked for donations for uniforms: The first person to donate $60 gets to name the team. Can anybody think of something better than "Jungle Jil's Jasaan Jumpers"... or "Jungle Jumpers" for short?
I've got a bad stomach again. Probably undercooked chicken at dinner last night. I spent the afternoon in bed moaning about it.
J.M. is home from the hospital. Seems Fanny Adams is skewiff in the bonce. (That's British for "Apparently nothing is wrong with his head.")
There are regular basketball games going on at the local pavilion in the town square near my house. It's a regional thing I guess, with various local towns competing. I stopped by and watched a little bit the other night while I was walking Tyson. I think the teams could give my old high school team a run for their money... or at least the JV squad.
Anyway, it's drawing several hundred people per night, with announcers and cheerleaders and everything. Constant cheering and screaming.
They asked for donations for uniforms: The first person to donate $60 gets to name the team. Can anybody think of something better than "Jungle Jil's Jasaan Jumpers"... or "Jungle Jumpers" for short?
I've got a bad stomach again. Probably undercooked chicken at dinner last night. I spent the afternoon in bed moaning about it.
J.M. is home from the hospital. Seems Fanny Adams is skewiff in the bonce. (That's British for "Apparently nothing is wrong with his head.")
The Thomas Hunt Saga Hits A New Low
I was going to stay out of the dirty details of the sad case of Mr. Hunt because they didn't bear directly on the survival and rescue of Thomas Hunt, a foreigner who recently died penniless and without needed medical treatment here in The Philippines. However, certain people involved in this man's situation have stooped to a truly low level, and I cannot stand by without shining a spotlight on their actions.
The reason that Mr. Hunt received no help from the American government was because he was not officially destitute. (We'll get to that part.) Thomas Hunt had a Filipino wife, named Janelaze Hunt. Thomas Hunt left Yuma, Arizona for The Philippines by himself to try to find a home for himself and his wife. His wife stayed behind in America because she was supposedly waiting for her green card to "mature" at which point she would be able to follow along.
Instead, as best as can be determined, after Mr. Hunt left for The Philippines, his wife immediately left Arizona and went to live with another man in Virginia.
Janelaze never got on a plane to visit her dying husband. Thomas Hunt died without ever discovering his wife's infidelity. All parties involved decided that was best for Mr. Hunt.
If someone ever was guilty of "green card fraud", it would be Janelaze Hunt. She obviously married this poor old man for no other reason than to get residency in America. That was bad enough in and of itself, but according to one reportFrom an e-mail written by Thomas Landry on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, at http://zinkhome.net/tomhunt/thpg1.html.,
So that was the tawdry story of what went on in America. Now we come to The Philippines...
Janelaze Hunt's family here in Cagayan De Oro was taking care of Thomas Hunt. He stayed at their home until his condition deteriorated to the point where he needed hospitalization. From that point, Janelaze's family visited Mr. Hunt occasionally in the hospital, and reportedly paid certain expenses from money that Janelaze was sending from America... though exactly how much of Janelaze's money (and Thomas Hunt's social security money) made it to Thomas Hunt's care is open to debate, and will probably never be known since no record exists either of what was sent or what was received by Janelaze's family.
However, records or no records... it was enough money to keep the American Government from getting involved: Thomas Hunt had people here in Cagayan De Oro that were responsible for him, and therefore he was not officially destitute. However, Mr. Hunt's in-laws were not able or not willing to contribute substantially to Mr. Hunt's medical bills. His condition deteriorated.
Along came The Expatriates' Ladies Charity ("The ELC"). They started raising money for Mr. Hunt's care. They started buying everything that Mr. Hunt needed out of their own treasury funds. (They provided regular receiptsSee e-mail from Daisy Kline on April 13, 2009 at http://zinkhome.net/tomhunt/thpg3.html. and expenditures by e-mail to all involved parties.) They scoured websites and legal sources and government agencies for information to help Mr. Hunt, and pleaded with Janelaze to get more involved. (I'll make a personal hat tip to Janelaze's new boyfriend in Virginia, because he was actually somebody who did get involved to help Mr. Hunt.) The ladies of The ELC got in contact with everybody they possibly could to help Mr. Hunt.
To no avail.
Mr. Hunt finally succumbed last week. The ELC made one final effort on Mr. Hunt's behalf to try and arrange to have the body shipped back to Arizona for burial, but Janelaze's family here in The Philippines insisted on burying the Mr. Hunt here. (I won't argue with that: An old man wouldn't move to The Philippines without the expectation of dying and being buried here.)
Now is when things take a turn that is truly remarkable: The ELC ladies tried to go to Mr. Hunt's funeral yesterday, and were yelled at by Janelaze's family, called awful names, accused of somehow making a profit from Mr. Hunt's illness and death, escorted out of the funeral home by security, and threatened with a lawsuit.
These wonderful ladies who spent weeks of their time helping a dying man — with no expectation of anything other than the results of their good works — were repaid with insults and threats. If evil needs an example, that is it.
Janelaze, this is a personal message to you: You make for a poor human being, and your family is truly despicible. If this situation continues on without abatement and apology, the full force of a united and insulted expatriate community will be brought to bear upon the legal defense of our wives and to make a concerted effort to ensure any condign punishment the judicial system may inflict upon your family for their awful actions.
Even if these threats and animosity against The ELC die quietly, I personally still hope that as a result of your actions, you and yours come to regret that you were ever born. If disease and cancer were ever to be attracted by moral turpitude, I am sure they will infect each and every one of you.
I'm not a religious man, but if there is a God I hope he hears this imprecation: may he punish you and your family with sorrow and misery beyond imagination. Fuck you all.
God bless the poor Thomas Hunt and his real friends and family.
UPDATE:
Janelaze and her boyfriend write an apology on behalf of Janelaze's shit-for-souls family. As far as I'm concerned, apology not accepted. Apologizing for that kind of behavior is like spraying air freshener at a fart: It doesn't change shit. That woman's family said what they said, did what they did, and threatened what they threatened... and they meant every word of it when they said it... with full knowledge of who the people they were saying it to were, and the good deeds that those people did. And it still doesn't change the person that Janelaze is, what she did, who she did it to, and why.
The reason that Mr. Hunt received no help from the American government was because he was not officially destitute. (We'll get to that part.) Thomas Hunt had a Filipino wife, named Janelaze Hunt. Thomas Hunt left Yuma, Arizona for The Philippines by himself to try to find a home for himself and his wife. His wife stayed behind in America because she was supposedly waiting for her green card to "mature" at which point she would be able to follow along.
Instead, as best as can be determined, after Mr. Hunt left for The Philippines, his wife immediately left Arizona and went to live with another man in Virginia.
Janelaze never got on a plane to visit her dying husband. Thomas Hunt died without ever discovering his wife's infidelity. All parties involved decided that was best for Mr. Hunt.
If someone ever was guilty of "green card fraud", it would be Janelaze Hunt. She obviously married this poor old man for no other reason than to get residency in America. That was bad enough in and of itself, but according to one reportFrom an e-mail written by Thomas Landry on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, at http://zinkhome.net/tomhunt/thpg1.html.,
"After speaking to the family of Thomas, they stated that since Janelaze arrived in 2006 she spent money recklessly and traveled to a number of states visiting friends and left Thomas in Yuma. It is my understanding that to accommodate the excessive spending Thomas re-financed his home of many years a couple of times and sold vehicles and equipment. Apparently he had adjustable rate loans that after about one year he could no longer afford and lost his home."So after Janelaze purportedly took this man for everything he had, she then left him on his deathbed while she shacked up with another man... Frankly, that's morally criminal.
So that was the tawdry story of what went on in America. Now we come to The Philippines...
Janelaze Hunt's family here in Cagayan De Oro was taking care of Thomas Hunt. He stayed at their home until his condition deteriorated to the point where he needed hospitalization. From that point, Janelaze's family visited Mr. Hunt occasionally in the hospital, and reportedly paid certain expenses from money that Janelaze was sending from America... though exactly how much of Janelaze's money (and Thomas Hunt's social security money) made it to Thomas Hunt's care is open to debate, and will probably never be known since no record exists either of what was sent or what was received by Janelaze's family.
However, records or no records... it was enough money to keep the American Government from getting involved: Thomas Hunt had people here in Cagayan De Oro that were responsible for him, and therefore he was not officially destitute. However, Mr. Hunt's in-laws were not able or not willing to contribute substantially to Mr. Hunt's medical bills. His condition deteriorated.
Along came The Expatriates' Ladies Charity ("The ELC"). They started raising money for Mr. Hunt's care. They started buying everything that Mr. Hunt needed out of their own treasury funds. (They provided regular receiptsSee e-mail from Daisy Kline on April 13, 2009 at http://zinkhome.net/tomhunt/thpg3.html. and expenditures by e-mail to all involved parties.) They scoured websites and legal sources and government agencies for information to help Mr. Hunt, and pleaded with Janelaze to get more involved. (I'll make a personal hat tip to Janelaze's new boyfriend in Virginia, because he was actually somebody who did get involved to help Mr. Hunt.) The ladies of The ELC got in contact with everybody they possibly could to help Mr. Hunt.
To no avail.
Mr. Hunt finally succumbed last week. The ELC made one final effort on Mr. Hunt's behalf to try and arrange to have the body shipped back to Arizona for burial, but Janelaze's family here in The Philippines insisted on burying the Mr. Hunt here. (I won't argue with that: An old man wouldn't move to The Philippines without the expectation of dying and being buried here.)
Now is when things take a turn that is truly remarkable: The ELC ladies tried to go to Mr. Hunt's funeral yesterday, and were yelled at by Janelaze's family, called awful names, accused of somehow making a profit from Mr. Hunt's illness and death, escorted out of the funeral home by security, and threatened with a lawsuit.
These wonderful ladies who spent weeks of their time helping a dying man — with no expectation of anything other than the results of their good works — were repaid with insults and threats. If evil needs an example, that is it.
Janelaze, this is a personal message to you: You make for a poor human being, and your family is truly despicible. If this situation continues on without abatement and apology, the full force of a united and insulted expatriate community will be brought to bear upon the legal defense of our wives and to make a concerted effort to ensure any condign punishment the judicial system may inflict upon your family for their awful actions.
Even if these threats and animosity against The ELC die quietly, I personally still hope that as a result of your actions, you and yours come to regret that you were ever born. If disease and cancer were ever to be attracted by moral turpitude, I am sure they will infect each and every one of you.
I'm not a religious man, but if there is a God I hope he hears this imprecation: may he punish you and your family with sorrow and misery beyond imagination. Fuck you all.
God bless the poor Thomas Hunt and his real friends and family.
UPDATE:
Janelaze and her boyfriend write an apology on behalf of Janelaze's shit-for-souls family. As far as I'm concerned, apology not accepted. Apologizing for that kind of behavior is like spraying air freshener at a fart: It doesn't change shit. That woman's family said what they said, did what they did, and threatened what they threatened... and they meant every word of it when they said it... with full knowledge of who the people they were saying it to were, and the good deeds that those people did. And it still doesn't change the person that Janelaze is, what she did, who she did it to, and why.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
More Fun From Great Republican Spokespeople
They are really racking up the hits this week. Republican columnist and author Byron York had the following to say about Obama's popularity:On his 100th day in office, Barack Obama enjoys high job approval ratings, no matter what poll you consult. But if a new survey by the New York Times is accurate, the president and some of his policies are significantly less popular with white Americans than with black Americans, and his sky-high ratings among African-Americans make some of his positions appear a bit more popular overall than they actually are.Of course, the solution to this is simple: If you want to get a true measure of the real American opinion of President Obama, stop including black people in surveys. I mean, of course they skew the results away from what Americans are actually thinking. Better yet... just stick to surveying white male land owners*. Then we'll really know where America stands on Obama.
When I realized that America's next president would be a Democrat, one of the things I was looking forward to most was the daily dose of schadenfreude I'd get from listening to Republicans complain about the new president. But honestly? Even if you told me this is what it would be like, I wouldn't have anticipated it would be this f**king awesome.
* thanks for the line.
Oh Wow
Listen to this kid and then I dare you to try and make the argument that he is a less-skilled vocalist than Bocelli or Pavarotti himself, or that his talent is any less rara avis than theirs.
Daily Reports: Accidents and Mishaps
Puppy Tyson got a bath today, and now the kid is all wound up and ready to party. He's definitely a water dog.
My new $25 phone got stolen again, along with Epril's old $25 backup phone. Three houses in the neighborhood have been broken into recently. Susan and Ednil and Epril's best friend Fatima are now doing shifts standing watch overnight until we can hire a night watchman. Three out of the last 4 houses I lived in have been visited by thieves... but this is the first repeat visit we've had. One of the locks on the doors in the living room is broken, but the girls didn't realize it (and I never checked) because the roller on that door is also broken so it can't be opened without a strength which the girls lack.
It's pretty easy to get a picture of the kind of thief we have though: He walked past Epril's $800 laptop computer, my $500 Playstation 3, and stole 2 phones that were (very obviously) worth $25 each, plus a loaf of bread and chicken out of the refrigerator.
Mike Bird's 2-year-old nephew, J.M., took a header over the railing of Mike's porch today: That's about an 8-foot drop onto hard packed dirt... head first as best Mike can tell. Kids bounce well, but even for a rubbery toddler, that's a pretty fair distance. No broken bones apparently, but the hospital is keeping him overnight and is going to do a CT scan in the morning. (BTW: $150 for a CT scan here.) Why they are waiting until the next morning to find out what injuries this child's brain may have is beyond me: Fire that damn thing up and start checking now.
Well, not my call... though I did tell Mike my opinion.
Other than that, things are plodding along.
My new $25 phone got stolen again, along with Epril's old $25 backup phone. Three houses in the neighborhood have been broken into recently. Susan and Ednil and Epril's best friend Fatima are now doing shifts standing watch overnight until we can hire a night watchman. Three out of the last 4 houses I lived in have been visited by thieves... but this is the first repeat visit we've had. One of the locks on the doors in the living room is broken, but the girls didn't realize it (and I never checked) because the roller on that door is also broken so it can't be opened without a strength which the girls lack.
It's pretty easy to get a picture of the kind of thief we have though: He walked past Epril's $800 laptop computer, my $500 Playstation 3, and stole 2 phones that were (very obviously) worth $25 each, plus a loaf of bread and chicken out of the refrigerator.
Mike Bird's 2-year-old nephew, J.M., took a header over the railing of Mike's porch today: That's about an 8-foot drop onto hard packed dirt... head first as best Mike can tell. Kids bounce well, but even for a rubbery toddler, that's a pretty fair distance. No broken bones apparently, but the hospital is keeping him overnight and is going to do a CT scan in the morning. (BTW: $150 for a CT scan here.) Why they are waiting until the next morning to find out what injuries this child's brain may have is beyond me: Fire that damn thing up and start checking now.
Well, not my call... though I did tell Mike my opinion.
Other than that, things are plodding along.
Interesting How We All Do That From Time To Time
I was reading an old high school friend's blog today. We've kept in touch... although I suspect that this is only until he gets back the Men In Hats album I stole from him. I value my friends, which is why I will keep his album until I die. (He's been supplying me with dog training tips for Tyson, which have been fantastic.)
He talks about nostalgia. I've been a bit nostalgic lately myself... looking around my grandparents old house yesterday.
The day before that, I did a Google Search for an old high school friend. (I do that sometimes... think of somebody from my past, and then Google their name to see what comes up. Don't we all do that though?) I only got one hit on this old and close friend: A police report that he was arrested for DWI... passed out in his car in a ditch. I'm sad to say I gave him his first beer ever. Sorry about that.
One thing my friend's blog brought up was the subject of "going back and doing it all over again knowing what you know now" if you could. I've always been a part of the majority "hell-yeah" group of respondants when asked if I would go back and live my life over again getting to keep my complete memory and knowledge... with all of the missteps and missed opportunities.
One thing has changed recently though... I still daydream about going back and becoming a billionaire by the age of 20 with memorized lottery numbers and stock tips, but now I always think, "and then on September 1, 2007, I'd make sure I introduce myself to Epril."
Aww... you weren't expecting that sappy ending were you? Heh.
He talks about nostalgia. I've been a bit nostalgic lately myself... looking around my grandparents old house yesterday.
The day before that, I did a Google Search for an old high school friend. (I do that sometimes... think of somebody from my past, and then Google their name to see what comes up. Don't we all do that though?) I only got one hit on this old and close friend: A police report that he was arrested for DWI... passed out in his car in a ditch. I'm sad to say I gave him his first beer ever. Sorry about that.
One thing my friend's blog brought up was the subject of "going back and doing it all over again knowing what you know now" if you could. I've always been a part of the majority "hell-yeah" group of respondants when asked if I would go back and live my life over again getting to keep my complete memory and knowledge... with all of the missteps and missed opportunities.
One thing has changed recently though... I still daydream about going back and becoming a billionaire by the age of 20 with memorized lottery numbers and stock tips, but now I always think, "and then on September 1, 2007, I'd make sure I introduce myself to Epril."
Aww... you weren't expecting that sappy ending were you? Heh.
Cybersex Den Operators... What Crime?
I was reading through the relevant statutes here, and to my surprise, Cybersex establishments are very much illegal in The Philippines.
But... don't expect the local government to ride this cybersex-busting parade float for too long:
The Philippines earns $1 billion per year from the sale of pornography. That's #8 in the world, for those of you keeping score. That means that almost 1% of all the money earned in The Philippines is earned through pornography.
To put that in perspective, more money is paid for pornography in The Philippines every year than is spent at Jollibee. (And that doesn't include go-go bars.)
So, although this whole "cybersex den" thing is illegal, do not be surprised, dear readers, when the local government discovers that they have hooked a fish larger than their boat can hold, and these Swedes and their "rescued models" who were rounded up all go home with without the slightest slap on the wrist.
Sec. 4. Acts of Trafficking in Persons. — It shall be unlawful for any person, natural or judicial, to commit any of the following acts.I have to admit, that's pretty straightforward.(e) To maintain or hire a person to engage in prostitution or pornography;
But... don't expect the local government to ride this cybersex-busting parade float for too long:
The Philippines earns $1 billion per year from the sale of pornography. That's #8 in the world, for those of you keeping score. That means that almost 1% of all the money earned in The Philippines is earned through pornography.
To put that in perspective, more money is paid for pornography in The Philippines every year than is spent at Jollibee. (And that doesn't include go-go bars.)
So, although this whole "cybersex den" thing is illegal, do not be surprised, dear readers, when the local government discovers that they have hooked a fish larger than their boat can hold, and these Swedes and their "rescued models" who were rounded up all go home with without the slightest slap on the wrist.
Swine Flu Can Cause Headaches
An emergency room doctor from my work:
Seriously people, don't freak out. Save your money and some nice doctor's sanity. At least wait until you have some of the symptoms that the doctor was looking for (fevers, chills, runny nose, diarrhea, light-headedness, dizziness, or headaches) before you run out to the nearest emergency room for your salvation.
"This patient presents having just come back from Spring Break. She says that the media tells her that she should come to the hospital because she has a cough.Heh: It's going to be a long and frustrating couple of weeks for emergency room doctors around the world.
She has no fevers, no chills, no runny nose, no diarrhea, light-headedness, dizziness, or headaches. She has absolutely no symptoms other than a cough. She coughed 3 times today, she said.
Medical Decision Making: This patient presents with absolutely nothing concerning. She is discharged from triage. She refused to sign her discharge papers because she said that it was not worth the money she was charged."
Seriously people, don't freak out. Save your money and some nice doctor's sanity. At least wait until you have some of the symptoms that the doctor was looking for (fevers, chills, runny nose, diarrhea, light-headedness, dizziness, or headaches) before you run out to the nearest emergency room for your salvation.
The Irony and Hypocrisy Is Lost On These People
Here is Michelle Malkin complaining about the recent "Air Force One Photo Op" over Manhattan. Yes... one of the "great pundits" of the Republican party really wrote this... in earnest... with no sense of irony:
"Using military resources for a cheap photo-op..."
"Scaring the pants off the public..."
"Exploiting 9/11 imagery for self-aggrandizement..."
"Keeping secrets..."
"and causing mass panic..."
"Um, can you imagine if a GOP administration did this?"
No Ms. Malkin... I tried. I couldn't imagine such a thing.
"Using military resources for a cheap photo-op. Scaring the pants off the public. Exploiting 9/11 imagery for self-aggrandizement. Keeping secrets and causing mass panic.Hmm... lessee...
Um, can you imagine if a GOP administration did this?
Can you imagine?!"
"Using military resources for a cheap photo-op..."
"Scaring the pants off the public..."
"Exploiting 9/11 imagery for self-aggrandizement..."
"Keeping secrets..."
"and causing mass panic..."
"Um, can you imagine if a GOP administration did this?"No Ms. Malkin... I tried. I couldn't imagine such a thing.
Dog Training Problems Specific To The Philippines
Problem #1: Filipinos refuse to talk to dogs. I don't know why this is, but getting Epril and her family to talk to Tyson is impossible. Even when I'm sitting there telling them to talk to the dog, they won't do it. Perhaps they think it's like talking to rocks: A sign of mental illness.
Problem #2: Houses here merge the inside with the outside much more than in the west. When the doors are always open, when the floor is tile and the front porch and walk are tile, when the sounds and smells and breeze from outside are found in equal amounts on the inside, it is going to be a real pain to housebreak Tyson.
Problem #2: Houses here merge the inside with the outside much more than in the west. When the doors are always open, when the floor is tile and the front porch and walk are tile, when the sounds and smells and breeze from outside are found in equal amounts on the inside, it is going to be a real pain to housebreak Tyson.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Here's One To Make You Stop And Think
From one of Sully's readers:
I sort of think of torture like rape: It may not kill the victim, but it gives so much power to the person inflicting it and causes so much trauma to the victim that it's obviously beyond moral second-guessing: it's wrong beyond the pale. Rhetorically, I suspect that if we were officially raping females suspected of terrorism, there would be legitimate outrage.
Though one can't be sure. I'm constantly surprised by what we tolerate in this country.
Specter Switches Party, Gives Dems 60 Senators
Moderate Republican Senator Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania has switched his party affiliation to Democrat.His unstated-but-obvious reasoning for his switch was simple: He was too moderate a Republican to survive his upcoming primary fight against the very immoderate Pat Toomey. What is left of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania has moved so far to the right now that polls showed they prefer as their candidate someone who toes the Republican party line over somebody with 30 years Senate experience. As a Republican, Specter would have been voted out of office by his own party in the election primary, even if the entire voting population of the State of Pennsylvania would have easily reelected him in the general election.
Senator Specter can see what is obvious: He faces a better chance of winning a primary challenge by taking his moderate record into the ring against a Democrat primary challenger with Democrat primary voters... and then fighting Toomey in a general election that involves all Pennsylvanians.
Also, although Senator Specter gave the usual party-switcher pablum about "not being an automatic vote for Democrats", we all know better: If his next stop is Pennsylvania's Democrat party senate primary, he better show up with at least a pretty big pocketful of "I'm-one-of-you-isms" to throw out to doubtful Dems.
To sum it up: The filibuster has officially been broken*. The job of governance can now move forward at its proper plodding pace.
Let the party begin.
Oh... Quote for the day goes to John Cole at Balloon Juice:
"At this point, the GOP might want to re-introduce the Schiavo legislation, just replacing the name "Terri Schiavo" with Republican."And Republican leaders are telling the GOP faithful to clap louderIn the play "Peter Pan", the audience is told that Tinkerbell will die if they don't clap louder. "Clap louder" is now a quip for the misplaced expectation that poor outcomes can be avoided merely by optimism and empty gestures., that Arlen Specter's departure is a good thing. (Or, to parapharse one commenter at SadlyNo, "Republicans on their sinking ship: 'Yay! No more rats!'")
* once Al Franken shows up.
"Staggering Numbers" Are Really Tip Of The Iceberg
In yet another example of poor description, The Sun Star calls the 50,000 traffic citations issued in 2008 in Cagayan De Oro a "staggering number."
I will say without hesitation (and I can't imagine that anybody would disagree with me) that for every ticket that was handed out in CDO in 2008, another 199 traffic violations went unpunished.
Get this: From those 50,000 traffic citations, the police department collected 2.4 million in fines. In case you're a little slow in math, that is 50 pisos... $1... per violation. Holy shit!
I talked with Mike Turner about this very subject. You could solve police corruption, bad traffic, and the city's empty coffers in the simplest way possible: The same thing they do in Pattaya, Thailand. Give every police officer in Cagayan De Oro a ticket book of 50 tickets, and send him out to a street corner for the day and have him write tickets on any traffic violations he sees. Have that police officer take the keys to the vehicle of the driver that broke the law, and keep those keys until the driver returns with a receipt from the police station saying that the fine is paid. Let the police officer keep 20% of every fine paid on tickets he writes.
One police officer writing fifty 200-piso tickets per day, 5 days per week, would make an extra 50,000 pisos per month.
If, instead of 1-in-200 traffic violations were cited in the city, that level rose up to 1-in-20, and every ticket fine was an average of 200 pisos, instead of 2.4 million, the police department (and the city) would write 500,000 tickets for a total of 80 million pisos (after the citing officer gets his 20%)... a 40-fold increase... definitely an amount of money that would probably do some good in CDO.
And, of course, all of those shitty drivers would instantly clean up their act, and traffic would flow better.
So, to my friends at The Sun Star: 50,000 tickets written is not staggering. What would be staggering is to implement my plan: Enforce the law for real, give every police officer in Cagayan De Oro an extra 50,000 pisos per month (earned legally), put an extra 80 million pisos in city coffers for civic programs, and clean up the godawful traffic snarls and dangerous driving of Cagayan de Oro caused by the other 199 drivers who didn't also get tickets.
I will say without hesitation (and I can't imagine that anybody would disagree with me) that for every ticket that was handed out in CDO in 2008, another 199 traffic violations went unpunished.
Get this: From those 50,000 traffic citations, the police department collected 2.4 million in fines. In case you're a little slow in math, that is 50 pisos... $1... per violation. Holy shit!
I talked with Mike Turner about this very subject. You could solve police corruption, bad traffic, and the city's empty coffers in the simplest way possible: The same thing they do in Pattaya, Thailand. Give every police officer in Cagayan De Oro a ticket book of 50 tickets, and send him out to a street corner for the day and have him write tickets on any traffic violations he sees. Have that police officer take the keys to the vehicle of the driver that broke the law, and keep those keys until the driver returns with a receipt from the police station saying that the fine is paid. Let the police officer keep 20% of every fine paid on tickets he writes.
One police officer writing fifty 200-piso tickets per day, 5 days per week, would make an extra 50,000 pisos per month.
If, instead of 1-in-200 traffic violations were cited in the city, that level rose up to 1-in-20, and every ticket fine was an average of 200 pisos, instead of 2.4 million, the police department (and the city) would write 500,000 tickets for a total of 80 million pisos (after the citing officer gets his 20%)... a 40-fold increase... definitely an amount of money that would probably do some good in CDO.
And, of course, all of those shitty drivers would instantly clean up their act, and traffic would flow better.
So, to my friends at The Sun Star: 50,000 tickets written is not staggering. What would be staggering is to implement my plan: Enforce the law for real, give every police officer in Cagayan De Oro an extra 50,000 pisos per month (earned legally), put an extra 80 million pisos in city coffers for civic programs, and clean up the godawful traffic snarls and dangerous driving of Cagayan de Oro caused by the other 199 drivers who didn't also get tickets.
A Place From My Dreams
We all have places that we recurrently visit in our dreams. For me, one of those places is a beach. I walk it with my father. We walk down this beach with a thick forest on our right. Then we come to grand houses in the distance, with a huge sloping lawns coming down to the beach. We have to scramble up a wall and scamper across the lawn and past a dock to the other side without being seen by the people in the houses. Then there are more woods on our right. The trees press in close and hang low, making the beach thin, thrilling, and just a little scary, like we might be pushed into the water.Finally, the woods give way and there opens up a huge lawn with a house in the distance. I'm convinced that the farther you walk down this beach, the more thrilling it will become. But right at that point, the beach ends and we are faced with a drop into an eerie, broad, slow-flowing river of thick black water. Beyond that is a foreboding empty field of marshland.
I know that we have now reached the end of the explored world. Nothing exists beyond this point. I remember thinking turning around meant having to go back through the part where the trees come close to the water, which wasn't something I wanted to do.
I never knew why I dreamed of such a place. Now I do:
I just discovered that beach while wandering around the online version of the twisting coastline near my grandparents old home. I must have gone for a walk on it with my father in my earliest childhood and had no memory of it anyplace but in my deepest subconscious, where it still lives after almost 40 years.
It was a cool feeling: Sitting there realizing that I was looking at the real-world version of a place from my dreams, and I thought I'd share it with you.
Monday, April 27, 2009
To Those Who Defend The Torturers
A quote posted without further comment:
Every apology for torture is a denial of the separation between us and them, and between the modern and ancient West. Every attempt to re-define what constitutes torture is an attempt to re-define what makes us American. Every denial of wrong-doing is an admission that the very forces we seek to defeat have in fact sullied with fear our higher ideals, have achieved a terrible victory at a terrible cost.And this from Newsweek:
That’s the point of terror, after all — not to merely kill, but to transform the world through fear.
Beyond that, it seems very foolish — very short-sighted — for torture apologists to continue this charade. It may seem necessary now, to many of them, to rewrite history or clean the slate or whatever — but in the end can this really be anything more than political suicide? Maybe for the architects — the Cheney’s and the Yoo’s — it makes sense. They face a real (if unlikely) chance at prosecution. When the media finally starts using the word "torture" instead of "harsh interrogation tactics" and all of this comes spilling out — the pictures, the video recordings, etc. — is this the side you want to be on? Standing over there in the spotlight with Cheney and Bush and Bybee and Yoo?
History is merciless.
But Soufan had poured through the bureau's intelligence files and stunned Abu Zubaydah when he called him "Hani" — the nickname that his mother used for him. Soufan also showed him photos of a number of terror suspects who were high on the bureau's priority list. Abu Zubaydah looked at one of them and said, "That's Mukhtar."
Now it was Soufan who was stunned. The FBI had been trying to determine the identity of a mysterious "Mukhtar," whom bin Laden kept referring to on a tape he made after 9/11. Now Soufan knew: Mukhtar was the man in the photo, terror fugitive Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and, as Abu Zubaydah blurted out, "the one behind 9/11."
As the sessions continued, Soufan engaged Abu Zubaydah in long discussions about his world view, which included a tinge of socialism. After Abu Zubaydah railed one day about the influence of American imperialist corporations, he asked Soufan to get him a Coca-Cola — a request that prompted the two of them to laugh. Soon enough, Abu Zubaydah offered up more information — about the bizarre plans of a jihadist from Puerto Rico to set off a "dirty bomb" inside the country. This information led to Padilla's arrest in Chicago by the FBI in early May.
But the tenor of the Abu Zubaydah interrogations changed a few days later, when a CIA contractor showed up. Although Soufan declined to identify the contractor by name, other sources (and media accounts) identify him as James Mitchell, a former Air Force psychologist who had worked on the U.S. military's Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training — a program to teach officers how to resist the abusive interrogation methods used by Chinese communists during the Korean War. Within days of his arrival, Mitchell — an architect of the CIA interrogation program — took charge of the questioning of Abu Zubaydah. He directed that Abu Zubaydah be ordered to answer questions or face a gradual increase in aggressive techniques. One day Soufan entered Abu Zubadyah's room and saw that he had been stripped naked; he covered him with a towel.
The confrontations began. "I asked [the contractor] if he'd ever interrogated anyone, and he said no," Soufan says. But that didn't matter, the contractor shot back: "Science is science. This is a behavioral issue." The contractor suggested Soufan was the inexperienced one. "He told me he's a psychologist and he knows how the human mind works." Mitchell told NEWSWEEK, "I would love to tell my story." But then he added, "I have signed a nondisclosure agreement that will not even allow me to correct false allegations."
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