Recently in Journal Category

1. Proposition 8 - Gay Marriage

There was an article in the Wall Street journal about a "black list" of businesses that gay people were protesting due to their support of Proposition 8. It seems like these are extremists and such extremism isn't really supported by the community. The article told the story of a Mormon woman who although she employed quite a few gay people in her restaurant had supported Proposition 8. As her establishment was being protested she thought it a good idea to offer an apology but could not renounce her belief and thus was shouted at. It's good to hear however, that most of the gay population does not support this type of behavior and she is absolutely within her right to vote according to her beliefs.

I myself voted No on Proposition 8 (Gays have the right to marry = No vote) and it got me thinking about how we define marriage? I am still unclear on the answer.

Marriage is a traditional custom that transcends culture and is a custom found in almost every society. For tribes without a nation the marriage is upheld by the rules of tribal elders. In our society, the state recognizes marriage and affords married couples special privileges (and penalties). Another authority, Religion, also recognizes marriage.

Gay people are afforded special "domestic partnerships" in California which is very close to the rights of married couples. I'm not sure on all the details but to me it seems that it is simply a change in the word used to define a couple who have made their relationship permanent and public. Religion on the other hand comes in all shapes and sizes and spans every nation. Most religious leaders will not condone gay marriage.

However, if a gay person does not belong to a religion that does not condone gay marriage then who really cares what rules religion imposes. The only thing that matters are the rights afforded by the state and gay people have these privileges in more enlightened nationals and states (USA).

Thus, isn't this whole debate simply about a word which defines the relationship between two people (Marriage)? What if the word was simply changed? Or perhaps it is simply a matter of having the same exact privilege that straight people have and the gay population wants equal rights.

To demonstrate the point, I am in a straight relationship called "Marriage." However, I could care less if religious elders did not condone of it. The only thing that really matters is that the state affords me the benefits associated with it, should other people have special privileges as well. If the state provided no benefits, I could also care less if the state recognized it since it would give me no advantage. "Marriage" to me is a commitment I made to my wife and I could care less what any third party thinks unless it was disadvantageous in some way. We could call it something else like "the pact," "the bond," the promise," "you and me babe," etc.

However, this is from the mind of someone who studies language and the impact it has on mentality, thus may seem quite absurd to non language students. Further, it must hurt to not be included when the rest of the population is afforded something (even if it is only a word). In other words, Marriage is a long tradition and the word "Marriage" defines it and if everyone else is entitled to it then to not be included is discriminatory. But in the end, isn't it just a word if the same benefits can be received (religion excluded)?

2. Israel and Gaza

Israel has started bombing Gaza again. I listened to the Prime Minister of Israel and can understand his frustration. But haven't the policies of the USA and Israel been extremely unfair to the Palestinians? There are no jobs and the only thing that flourishes is the resentment of Israel. I have spoken with Israeli soldiers and even they have said policies towards the Palestinians have been unfair. It is such a mess there that countless intelligent people have failed at trying to find a lasting solution. In the end, Israel has the right to exist and not be shot at while the Palestinians have the right to prosper, be free and flourish. Seems to be a downward spiral and very hard for American policy to be balanced as it is shamefully pro-Israeli now. It is my opinion that America should not get involved in this mess or if they must then castigate both sides equally.

3. Christmas movies

To end the post on a trite note, I recognized this Christmas that there are still no good Christmas movies coming out. Hollywood continues to spew forth garbage with no end in sight. I'm dying for another good Christmas movie like one of the following:

1. A Christmas Story
2. A Christmas Carol
3. Old animation Rudolph, Frosty etc.
4. It's a Wonderful Life
5. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
6. Elf

I could do without the following"
1. Anything with Vince Vaughn
2. Bad Santa - The worst movie ever made
3. Tim Allen's Santa movies - I started watching the third in the series as it was the only one I could stream from netflix but turned it off after 15 minutes.
Reasons:
a.) Since when does Santa get people pregnant
b.) Santa's wife isn't happy but instead a whining middle class woman who just has to have her way.
c.) All the elves are just little kids with elf ears stuck on.
d.) They just run around from one catastrophe to the next -- Christmas is supposed to be full of happiness!!!!

Message to Netflix,,, please stream any version of "A Christmas Carol" to make your viewers happy. Hollywood monkeys running around screwing everything up is not a good Christmas movie.

Just yesterday I discovered the website "Meetup.com". It is a site where people can find others who share the same interests and then actually meet in groups to discuss that topic. I joined the Spanish, French and Japanese language groups and went to my first Spanish language one last night.

At first I was slightly apprehensive about going since I didn't know anyone and it was my first time to participate. However, it was in a very trendy SF bar, thus beer was involved and I really wanted to see what it was all about.

The group was about 25, some from Latin America but most had learned the language through study. It was the first time in a while I got a true language workout which got me thinking in general about language fluency and the real meaning of "being fluent."

In America, people will always ask if "you are fluent." This is a tough question for the language learner because there are various stages of fluency which differs depending on which country you are in. In America, fluency has the widest range because some claim to be fluent with only limited amount of study and really are not in my opinion. Fluency to me is to be able to converse in any situation without too much hesitation. However, in more difficult subjects such as the economy or international affairs my "fluency" would greatly deteriorate.

In England they have a much better description when assessing "fluency." They differentiate between "fluency" which means my description above and "bi-lingual" which is being able to speak both languages (mother tongue and learned) equally well. In this way, I am not bi,, tri nor quadralingual (sp?) but still consider myself reasonably "fluent."

I am most "fluent" in Spanish and am perceived to be so in ordinary conversation. The trick is that I can form the sentence in my head first and thus say it very rapidly. In this case even Spanish speakers will ask which country I am from. However, last night the conversation got a bit more complicated as we described our careers and I found myself to be less "fluent." I could still get-by but there were pauses of about 5 seconds as I had to search for the right word.

We often do not realize that we do this in English as well although it is no longer "fluency" we are concerned with as everyone reading this can speak English. Instead, if we speak well, one is considered "smart." This is most apparent when describing. For example one could say "John is really smart because he speaks English well." Or one could say "John's use of nuance is remarkable in that he conveys meaning with superb use of subtle undertones which displays an outstanding intellect."

Depending on how one describes an experience or idea through the medium of language opens a window into what is actually going on in that persons mind. Therefore, each of us has a level of fluency even in our native language. To illustrate the point, the English language is now passing one million words yet most people will not use even a quarter of the words.

For my own English "fluency," the study of Spanish/French has had a profound effect. Instead of learning each word as an individual entity, I am now able to make an educated guess on difficult English words which from my studies I know the meaning to be correct. Take for example the words "maelstrom, malevolent, malice." These words all contain the word "Mal" which is a common Spanish word and means "bad." Thus, I able able to determine that the above words mean something bad and in the context of the sentence can determine a more precise meaning. Further, the French word "mort" means "death." Therefore, "mortified", "mortgage", or the name Morticia from the Adams family take on a more profound meaning which mortgage being a humorous one in that we have to pay so much money.

Deriving meaning by breaking up English words did not occur to me until I had a conversation with a Japanese friend of mine. I was bashing the Japanese for not understanding the individual meanings of Chinese/Japanese characters "Kanji." In Japanese class they would draw the symbol and we were just to memorize the meaning outright. However, the Chinese students are able to break the symbol apart into individual meanings. For example, the Kanji for "beautiful" combines both the Kanji for sheep and for beautiful. The Kanji for train station can be broken to show a man on a horse. Yet the Japanese simply memorize the Kanji as a complete symbol whereas the Chinese see individual meanings.

As I informed my friend of this, he said we do the same thing in English and was correct. "Com", or "Con" mean to combine, (com-bine). Thus, "Computer", "Conference", "Construct", "Competition", all mean the combining of two or more things. I found this com-pletely fascinating.

Finally, there is always debate as to what is "correct" English. There are those who abhor bad grammar usage and take a very technical view of the language. For them the sentence "John didn't do no good things for nobody," would be like a punch in the gut. However, the English language is inherently a very impure mutt of a language since it has so many influences from a variety of sources. England, the home of English originally spoke Celtic until it was invaded time and time again to take on Latin, Germanic, Nordic and even Arabic words among many others. The language has evolved so much that we would not really be able to understand someone from the 15th century and English seem almost like a completely different language. Thus, the "Grammar-Nazis" are simply trying to freeze the language into the form they find acceptable in the current year. The French do this and have found it very hard to incorporate completely new words such as "internet, computer, mouse" etc. For me, the language will flow as an unbound river and thus accurately reflect the societies mass-consciousness. Just think of the new phrases "cliches" that have come into usage under the Bush administration:
1. Boots on the ground
2. Battle for hearts and minds
3. Cut and run
In fact, the phrases can be taken to mean more than they actually do!
2. Battle for hearts and minds - Support the American agenda
3. Cut and run - Not support the Bush administration.

This is not a post on politics however and returning to language, there is one caveat to my idea that language should be allowed to flow and change. As I mentioned above, language is a window into the speakers mind and if simplified "dumbed-down" too much it actually produces a less intelligent mind. Therefore, I'm ok with the language changing and breaking grammar rules but not to the point that it actually decreases mental capacity.

Everyday, I check a variety of news sources on the net, TV and radio and have found similar patterns in all of them.

1. CNN
Headlines:
a.) Brittney Spears did something again!!!
b.) Paris Hilton also did something!!
c.) Why isn't Nicole Richie doing anything?
d.) Christine Amanpour is desperately looking for a war zone to run around in and try out her new cross training Prada heels!
e.) Grace Under Fire is livid once again!
f.) Grace realizes that being angry all the time makes her tired.
g.) Wolf Blitzer admits his name is made up. And he is mad at Stone Philips for also making up his name.
h.) CNN admits that yes, they have been hiring from the Playboy Mansion.
i.) Man finds image of Jesus in his breakfast burrito.

3. Fox News
a.) The Democrats did something stupid again
b.) George Bush is the best EVER!!!!
c.) Announces results of Presidential election for 2012 and the Republicans win... What do you mean it's too early???

2. French News - Le Monde
a.) The farmers are on strike.
b.) The transportation workers are also on strike.
c.) Protesters take over McDonalds and demand name change to Le McDonaldeau.

3. American news in general
a.) There yet another CRISIS
b.) SCANDAL!!!

4. Midwestern News
a.) The weather today is hot.
b.) Tomorrow will be rainy.
c.) Thursday will be hot again.
d.) Tune in at 6:00 for the latest on the weather.
e.) "Quiet Communities Count on Blasts of Noise to Scare Crows" (A real headline) - Realize the communities are longer quiet and are investigating into the cause of the mysterious noise.
f.) Evangelical from World Harvest Resurrection Hope of the Savior wants all Muslims to quit being silly and convert.

5. San Francisco News
a.) Gay people still really mad about Proposition 8. (Took away right to Marry)
b.) George Bush is an idiot!
c.) Homeless people have taken over our newsroom and are demanding "just two dollars for Alcohol Research."
e.) Mayor Newsome -- All your policies are stupid,, but you are still handsome.

6. Oakland News
a.) Three dead in gang violence
b.) The mayor chooses Yellow as gang color and is exploring corresponding hand sign.
c.) Police arrest mayor for being gangster but is then released as he dissolves police force.

7. Berkeley News
a.) Man sues for right to marry Oak Tree.
b.) Spiritual Leader known as "Moonbeam" arrested for living in tree.
c.) Moonbeam elected mayor.
d.) We should leave our houses and give them to homeless people.
e.) We are the most peaceful city on Earth.
f.) We created the Nuclear bomb but let's not talk about that.

6. The Economist
a.) Why poor countries should listen to our advice about how to fix all their dumb mistakes.
b.) Zimbabwe's Mugabe is still the worst leader in the world.
c.) Why aren't the poor countries listening to our expert advice?
d.) We Brits found something else that is wrong with those poor countries.

7. Japanese News - Asahi Shimbun
a.) Why doesn't the rest of the world understand that whaling is a good thing??
b.) Something happened but we will not say why nor give any details.
c.) Try the Ramen at "Murasaki" in Ikebukuro... It's really really good!
d.) Foreigners just don't understand.

8. China News
a.) All our policies are good.
b.) We have never done anything bad.
c.) Please leave our Olympic torch alone.... and don't even think of trying to do that nonsense here... you saw what happened to Tibet when they tried.
d.) You can't read this article because it never existed.

9. Latin American News
a.) New political party formed, has "Revolución" in the title.
b.) President want to change constitution so as to remain in power for life.
c.) President can't change constitution so people elect his wife as next president,, currently working on male heir.

10. BBC
a.) Retains title as best news source ever!!!!

11. Market Watch
a.) STOCKS POST RECORD GAIN CAUSE THE PRESIDENT SAID ECONOMY IS OK
b.) STOCKS PLUMMET AS INVESTORS REALIZE REALITY IS "REAL."
c.) STOCKS RALLY CAUSE THE PRESIDENT SAID REALITY ISN'T "REAL!"
d.) STOCKS PLUMMET AGAIN AS INVESTORS REALIZE THE PRESIDENT IS FULL OF CRAP!

12. The Bill O'Reilly show
a.) Bill is complimented on being "A Great American" for the 1000th time.
b.) Anything the Democrats have done recently or ever done is simply a bad idea.

13. Rush Limbaugh
a.) Rush realizes he really likes to hear himself talk.
b.) Rush has set record for longest elongation of the "S" sound at the end of his words and is wondering if he sounds gay.
c.) Everything I have ever said is right and please don't listen to any traitor Republicans who are telling you guys not to listen to me.
d.) I have intimate dreams of me with Ronald Reagan.

I find it hard to believe that it has been 13 years already since the internet became mainstream. However, in those thirteen years I have only come across a few applications that I have found extremely useful. First a brief history.

I first started using a computer around age 13 on an Apple 2C to catalog my movie and CD collection in a simple database. I also kept a journal in the word processor which makes for some very interesting reading now.

In my first years of college, the internet was not mainstream and surfing mediocre. We had a computer in our dorm room but I used it mostly for video games and to write papers. I did create a simple website using Microsoft word and figured out the code by trial and error. However, nobody really used the internet and the page had nothing but a few pictures on it. The only fun application was AOL and venturing into the chat rooms and "chatting" with random people.

Towards my senior year I learned how to use Dreamweaver to create better pages with "frames" yet the only use seemed to be to feel special. I felt like I was part of a select group of people "computer nerds" that could do this sort of thing.

Only recently however have I discovered applications that really change everything.

1. Google - Google is like having all the knowledge of mankind at your fingertips. I remember having a video game called "Phantasy Star" in which there was a futuristic life and everyone depended on "Mother Brain." Google seems like that mother brain now in that we can access almost all knowledge at our fingertips. I find this completely fascinating.

2. Wikipedia - Another manifestation of having knowledge at your fingertips. There was discussion about it not "being accurate" which over time has faded away. With everyone being able to edit it I feel we can obtain a more complete view of any subject in that the knowledge comes from different viewpoints. One can experience the same event/thing but perceive it in different ways. I feel I'm getting a more accurate viewpoint when everyone contributes. However, it is mostly in English and that creates challenges too as language begets mentality. This is a difficult hurdle to overcome and I don't believe it will be resolved anytime soon as there are simply too many languages to learn and thus we view events/things from a limited point of view.

3. PDA phones - The internet is now mobile and I can access mankind's knowledge from anywhere. I was astounded when asked a question I can now simply press a few buttons and have the answer. Amazing

4. Netflix - Entertainment,,, I can now press a button and watch a movie by having my computer connected to my T.V. Netflix has just started offering "streaming movies." Now, no more trips to the video store and I am no longer captive to what is showing on T.V.

5. Facebook - I have made so many friends in so many countries and would have lost touch if it wasn't for Facebook. Before this application those friends would have faded from memory but now I feel so connected to the rest of the world simply by being able to keep in touch.

6. WebMD - If I feel like something is wrong with my body I can usually find the answer/cure on the internet. I did this to check out my physical results then went to the doctor. I found that the doctor didn't tell me anything I didn't already know!!!!! The difference was that the doctor charged me $150 for information that I had received for free.

The only downside is now I have so much information to process in my brain on a daily basis I find that I can no longer clear my mind easily. If I try to think of nothing a thought will pop into my head and I have to shake it away only for another thought to appear.

Now for applications that are being developed but not yet mainstream

1. Online courses to learn how to do anything - I recently learned of the Khan Academy which is one genius who created YouTube videos on everything from Caculus to the current credit crisis and explains them in a very simple way. It almost seems like something out of the Matrix when Neo sits in his chair and "downloads" martial arts and then can kick somebody's butt. It will be neat when one day I can watch a short video and then have the revelation "Whoaa,,, I know Physics!!" LOL

2. Language - I found a website where you can write in another language and native speakers correct it for free. The trade off is they can post as well and have a native correct their language practice. A true exchange where a third party (Money) is not involved. Fantastic!!!

Unfortunately, the internet has mostly been used for the buying and selling of goods, but there are so many other areas that need to be developed.

Now, if I could only stop playing video games.... It's hard to give up being a level 80 "Night Elf Rogue" with excellent gear though. If that sounds silly, it really isn't. Life is starting to resemble a video game if you know that Predator drones are controlled from a military base in the United States. The main difference is that those guys are killing people in real life without the psychological impact of actually seeing it happen in real life. It is just like a video game to them. Scary..

Once again the urge to write has been slowly and steadily building over the course of these past few weeks as I read the headlines. After reading today's newspaper this urge has finally bubbled over and if I do not write to release frustrations and disbeliefs I feel that my health might suffer. Each of these issues deserve an entire post but I will do my best to shorten my thoughts on each topic although will most likely be unsuccessful.

1. American Automakers
After seeing a photo of the four chiefs sitting next together at a congressional hearing I could not help but think of the three stooges plus one. They show up in individual corporate jets with no specific plan and demand money as though they deserve it along with their multi-million dollar salaries. It was heartening to learn that they were rebuffed and ridiculed for such nonsense.

However, they now pull publicity stunts such as driving to DC in fuel-efficient cars and stating they will work for $1 for a year as though it is a great sacrifice. They should know that $1 is far too much of a salary for driving their companies into the ground and their failed business models. Regular people get fired for far less but they seem to think they still deserve a salary and should get free money from taxpayers!!

The downside to all this is the hard working people who will lose jobs due to their incompetence. Their main job function and large salaries as CEO are specifically to prevent the entire business from failing which they have failed to do. It seems illogical that a normal sales person will lose his job should he fail to produce but when a CEO crashes his company into the ground they start crying to congress.

I believe that the public recognizes that throwing money at companies whose products nobody wants to buy is a bad idea. On the other hand it would incredibly damage the economy as these giants are deemed "too big to fail." I guess the old adage "the bigger they are, the harder they fall," is perfect for this scenario.

The auto companies have done their best to stop fuel-efficient cars and public transportation development for far too long. Now the price is being paid and they believe the American public will get them off the hook. Let them burn but hopefully Obama will come up with some plan to lessen the impact on the American worker.

2. Capitalism
Just a short note that for all the demagoguery on how Capitalism is the "American" way and anyone who thinks otherwise is a Communist, let them be drawn and quartered. Capitalism does not involve asking the government to provide free money to help them make a profit. Capitalism involves failing if the business is inefficient and nobody wants the products produced. Yet, businesses obviously consider hypocrisy to be OK when their business is the one asking for money.

3. India
I was surprised to see the headlines "Terrorists targeting Americans and Britons!" splashed across the headlines last week. If one read the information carefully, that information came from a British diplomat who overheard one guy as an Italian if he was American or British. From that, it morphed into the whole operation was "TARGETING AMERICAN AND BRITISH!!"

Yet, the casualties where over 100 Indian nationals and less then 10 American and British wounded or killed. This makes no sense to me. Imagine if the situation were reversed, the attack happened here, with close to 200 Americans killed and only a few Indians, yet the Indian newspapers shout that the terrorists are TARGETING INDIANS!! I'm certain that the Americans would be up in arms and throwing a fit.

To come to a point, if one American is killed in a "terrorist act" it will spawn hundreds of articles, debates and so on. Yet, when it involves foreign nationals only a handful of articles will be written and soon forgotten. Unacceptable.

3. Christmas
It would seem that I am having a very difficult time getting into the "Christmas Spirit," these days. The dire economic news plays a small part, but much more it is the society which I have come to not like very much since coming back from Asia. Perhaps the pinnacle example of this is the Wal-Mart employee that was crushed by hordes of animals trying to get a good deal on some trinket. This once act really defines a society at large which has become nothing more than a consuming monstrosity. The point of life in America seems to be to "purchase" to "consume" and to continue doing so in larger and larger quantities.

It has come to the point that when I hear a Christmas song playing on the radio I expect it to be combined with a Gap or Starbucks commercial trying to hawk me some sweater or fancy coffee. The magic and feeling of goodwill has gone out of Christmas and been replaced by cheap sales pitches. When did we let these stupid companies hijack a very special time of year??? I guess it goes right along with being a Capitalist society and the belief that greed and every man for himself is a good idea. Consuming is what matters and any who disagree better get out of the way as exemplified by that unfortunate Wal-mart employee.

The fact is I hate what society has become but am heartened by the fact that Americans in general are great rational people and a backlash is sure to come. America has the amazing ability to correct itself as shown by the election of Barack Obama. I believe that people of any nation are inherently good but it is in America and it is in the basic nature of our traditions and character to be able to change at a more rapid pace than other countries.

However, greed and the constant pursuit of profits are formidable enemies and it may take some time to rediscover that caring for others is what is important in life.