First a brief description about these shows. It seems the formula that works is to put opposite views (Republican, Democrat) on each side of the table and then they debate various topics such as Iraq. However, what occurred to me is that they are always different American views! The revelation was that I have never ever seen a citizen of the country being debated actually participate!!!!!

In this age of technology, wouldn't it be great to have differing views from citizens of the country in question included!! As there is no representation now, even two college students would do. From my experience abroad, I am always awestruck when I learn about how the other side thinks and what they teach which is always completely different from information I received in America. Take Vietnam for example,, even though I spent a large part of my life in American education I never once learned about the positive aspects of Ho Chi Minh and why he believed what he did. It was always one sided. The debates these shows have are simply two sides of the coin from the same American viewpoint. I'm sure a debate between educated Iraqis' about the American invasion would prove so much more enlightening than people in Washington DC defending the Republican and Democrat viewpoints and would garner a huge audience.

The only time I can think of that an extreme opposite view was given the chance to speak was that of the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was allowed to speak at Columbia University. The fact that he was even allowed to speak was EXTREMELY controversial and to play well with the home audience the President of Columbia University disparaged Ahmadinejad before letting him speak.

This quote really drives my point home.

"Think of the irony," said Mitch McConnell. "Columbia University, home of the core curriculum that prizes an in-depth understanding of Western civilization and the free exchange of ideas, is bringing to its campus a state sponsor of terror."

Think of the irony of using that statement and "the free exchange of ideas" then saying it is wrong to allow the President of another country to express his ideas. Mr. McConnell apparently does not understand what the word "Irony" means. It would be "ironic" for an institution that values "the free exchange of ideas" to NOT allow the ideas of an individual to be expressed!!!!!! But perhaps the telling phrase here is "an in-depth understanding of Western Civilization, which therefore only includes Western ideas and not that of any other. In which case his use of "Irony" would be correct in that "the free exchange of ideas" only encompasses those ideas which come from the West and therefore does not include any ideas from Iran.

To be sure, the President of Iran doesn't seem like such a good guy and the people of Iran hate their own government but he was democratically elected and the mantra of the USA has been to promote freedom and democracy. It just doesn't work out very well when the "free people" elect a baddy. I'm sure the politicians in Washington are at one moment very pleased with themselves and then after the election is over are quite consternated. At that point it would seem much better to revert back to the other quiet policy of supporting an American friendly dictator like Musharraf (Pakistan) who overthrew an elected government!!!

Message to the creators of these shows:

You would do well to include citizens of the countries you debate in your shows. To me, it currently seems like you include people who have achieved PhDs' on the subject but neither speak the language nor have ever been to the physical location of the subject of their studies. To simplify, it would be like a non English speaking Japanese who has studied about San Francisco but has never walked one of it's many hills. Why would I listen to him???

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.

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.

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 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..

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.

Not long ago, an "Environmentalist" might be seen as some tree hugging hippie from California. For some, the word still conjures up these images. However, the movement has gone from the hippies to corporate America and is constantly uttered in the media and every politicians lips.

Yet, is this crisis really taken seriously or is it just the "latest thing?" I would argue that the "Going Green" movement is still not taken as seriously as it should be. The reason being that people still do not really feel the effects of pollution on a day to day basis and "Global Warming" is still considered a "theory" to a large part of America.

Large polluting companies now put a picture of a plant on their advertisements in hopes that the population will see them as "green." Even worse, companies like Chevron which does horrendous damage to the environment now has advertisements that place the blame on the end user!! Such ads as "I will use less," and "Will you join us?" make me want to vomit. They are absolving themselves of their part in all this and placing the blame directly on individuals!!!

It is true that we as Americans consume entirely too much. For too long it has been the bigger house, bigger car, bigger portions, and so on. Further, under our capitalist system if we did not keep consuming more and more then the whole system would break down as we can see with the "Credit Crunch." The only way to go is up in terms of revenue which means selling more products which in turn creates more pollution and waste.

Politicians have joined in and just recently in California have tried to force energy companies to use more renewable energy. It did not pass though because the bill was "poorly written," "a waste of money," a "boondoggle" etc. While this might be true I would challenge the politicians to TRY HARDER!!

The reason being is that I have experienced what it is like to live in constant air pollution. The air in Saigon is complete motor-scooter exhaust and catching a breath of fresh air is extremely rare. If the population of the USA were to experience an environment like this, I'm sure the Green movement would gain serious momentum overnight. Just driving around is like sucking directly on a tail pipe and I cannot even imagine how many cases of lung disease and emphysema are going to arise in the very near future in places like Beijing, Saigon and Thailand.

Yet, Americans are not yet overly concerned because pollution is not affecting the people on a large scale just yet. When it does, it will be too late to prevent serious harm.

Take the Bay Area for example, we are situated next to the ocean which has some very high air current and so one would think the air quality is good. This is not the case though, due principally from too many cars on the road, forest fires and even pollution from China. Further, the pollution to our water is so severe that I can no longer drink from the tap, but have various filters in place.

The "Green" movement has gained attention but we need to be taking it more seriously.

As a side note, calling it a "crisis" does not have the impact the word once used to carry. Listening to the media, it would seem everything is a "crisis" now days. Global Warming - A Crisis, the credit crunch - A Crisis, Katie Couric's interview - A Crisis, Sarah Palin - A CRISIS!!!

The gauntlet has been laid down and I challenge the media to stop using that word henceforth.

PS: Quit calling voter propositions a "boondoggle." It's a stupid word and makes me want to vote the other way.

The word "recession" is equal to the word "terrorist" in causing fear/anxiety but unlike "terrorist" is a word the politicians are afraid to actually say. If you look back at how many times the president and everyone else used the word terrorist vs recession the result would most likely be something like 1 billion to zero.

Instead, they simply changed the vocabulary to "slow down."

To add insult to injury Bush/McCain keep telling us "the Economic situation is stable," while the President keeps telling us everything is ok while all hell has broken loose. The DJI has lost a quarter of it's value, the housing/credit markets are in shambles, unemployment keeps rising, people have lost a good chunk of their retirement savings and so on and so on. Further, private banking institutions have been bailed out with public money to the tune of a zillion dollars which makes a mockery of our "Capitalist System," yet EVERYTHING IS JUST DANDY!!!???

As if anything the President says holds any weight anymore. Why does he even bother making such stupid statements? It seems to have the opposite effect!!!! Just yesterday the headline was "President reassures Americans on the economy," and today the DJI loses 300 points!! Mr. President,,, please HUSH!!

We have had Capitalism drilled into our brains ever since we were born. Now, with banks being bailed out,, aren't we now socialist? Public money for private sector screw-ups... This baffles me. Those institutions were extremely greedy which caused their recklessness and who gets hurt the most? The common person because he/she has her money tied up in this crap.

The new business model is take on as much risk as you can to make insane profits with other peoples money and should things go to hell, the common man will lose, write his/her congressman and the government will bail out the institution. Who wins? Those that took the risk, made a ton of money and left the common person high and dry.

How did this happen? Well, according to the President "Wall Street got drunk!!!" This would be extremely hilarious if it wasn't so serious. I propose from here on out we ban any sale of alcohol in the entire state of New York. If a banker tries to conceal a flask, he should be drawn and quartered.

Luckily for me, I have very little in the stock market and do not currently own a home. I also do not have much in a pension scheme so this "crisis" affects me very little.

On the news a few days ago, they were talking about how credit card companies can lower the credit limit of individuals without any notice or warning. These individuals were then complaining about how it is akin to taking their own money!!! This is CREDIT people, not your money, is money you do not have and are not entitled to! What happened to the notion of spending money you have? What happened to saving your pennies, and using that accumulated cash to purchase what you wish? When did credit become an absolute necessity?? Well, it became so when people got used to it and not paying their bills which lead to profits for the credit card companies who in turn marketed their cards like crazy, people got more cards which led to more debt!!!

So what impression has all this nonsense left on a relatively young person like me? Well, as mentioned in an earlier post, I can never vote for a Republican again and now I am leaning more towards Socialism!! I blame the banks/brokerage houses for this mess because the common person cannot understand that debt is a bad thing. Therefore, we either need to be a Socialist country with more regulation for the institutions or we need to let them fall flat when they fail. I am not comfortable with pretending to be Capitalist when it is a farce. All or nothing, no hypocrisy please!

In Vietnam especially the people are exceptionally warm and friendly. It is impossible for a Vietnamese not to be able to have a very large, sincere smile on their face when you meet them. They are very poor yet seemingly never unhappy. Even the woman carrying 100lbs of stuff on her shoulder does so with a smile. It seems like they are living the perfect life with little to no money and have found happiness.

I believe a big part of this is that family is very important to them and even in the face of extreme hardship and even war they can see the beauty of life and have an great appreciation for it.

However, here in America it seems we are constantly striving towards the same end which is simple happiness. Unfortunately we go about it in the entirely wrong way and never get there. We do things that we think will bring happiness such as work for a lot of money, cars, vacations and although these things do bring temporary happiness it never lasts as we need to continue getting more more more to sustain it.

In this way, I think a good analogy is that of a Desperate Housewife.

1. Concern with image - Our culture is always telling us we are not good enough. We always have to "get to the next level" whether it be better looking, more money or higher social status.

a.) concern with image - The cosmetic companies always tell us we are not beautiful/hansome enough and need their products to have a reasonable appearance. The clothing companies also do the same and change the styles every single season so that we are constantly out of fashion and must spend more to keep up. The Desperate housewife is the same, always trying to outdo each other in terms of appearance. Yet, they can never win as there are always more clothes to buy, different creams/makeup to make the skin smoother etc. Therefore, they will never reach the goal and just be able to stop and be comfortable with their image.

2.) Medication - America IS on drugs. We are so overly medicated that now there is even estrogen in the water supply. If you have a problem then there must be some sort of medication to treat it. A wise man once said that in America we are always treating the symptom and not the underlying causes. The cause being stress, not at peace, always running around and never at peace. In every religious tradition, peace and happiness is the goal yet we in America can never seem to get there. Therefore, we take drugs, have them advertised to us daily and consume consume consume.

3. Money - We can never get enough. Even if we do get that great job and reached a goal, then we simply have to get to the next level continuously unsatisfied with what we have achieved. In other words, we are always looking up and never how far we have come. In this way too we are never satisfied with what we have just like the Desperate Housewife. They always need more more more.

I sometimes think a good slogan for newcomers in America would be, "Welcome to America, now go buy something!"

4. The credit crisis - We are a capitalist country which by nature requires people to buy more stuff continuously. In this "credit crisis" we are shaken to the core because we will not have the ability to continually spend.

Now there are those who really are suffering like those losing their homes who have worked hard. Yet on the other end of the spectrum, we read stories about people who just bought more than they could afford and those that mortgaged their already owned homes so they could spend more. I wonder if there was a "fairness index" which could show those that really do need help and have worked hard vs those that just wanted bigger and better in terms of housing. Nancy Pelosi said we must "tighten our belts" but it would seem that the tightening is around a size 43 waist and that we cannot simply spend like madmen anymore.

I guess that after being in Vietnam and seeing people so happy who have nothing, I have trouble reconciling the fact that we should be feeling sorry for ourselves when we have become little more than constant consumers. I also think a result of this has been the mass evangelical movement for people who are looking for more meaning out of life than to simply consume. Not inherently bad, but unfortunately it hits mostly the uneducated and they start telling other people how to live and how to be fanatical.

Desperate Housewives we are indeed.

1. Sara Palin - While I still maintain a small modicum of respect for McCain, that too has nearly dissipated in his choice for running mate. A lady that stands up there and speaks like Ned Flanders (okaly dokaly, golly gee) in such a slow, dumb manner makes me want to jump off a building. I suppose the rouse is to "connect" with the idiots in America. If we are looking to rebuild our image in the world, it simply will not do to have a VP who thinks she knows foreign policy because "Russia is close to Alaska." I can just imagine it now how she would explain the problem of Iran to her supporters. "Iran has been naughty-waughty and my son is in the military so if you don't support my son who is fighting the baddies then you hate America!"

Just thinking about her conjures up an image of some 40 something blond bimbo in an SUV who agrees we should attack everyone so she can buy cheap oil to take her litter to soccer practice and believes that her faith in Jesus justifies that America is correct in everything it has ever done.

Living abroad has been so beneficial yet such a curse because those that have experienced other cultures can see very clearly how stupid our leaders can be.

I about blew a blood vessel when I read the headline "Sara Palin accuses Barack Obama of associating with terrorists."

So to sum up the Republican argument

a. If my son is in the military, you better support it or you hate America
b. America has never and will never do anything wrong.
c. Jesus loves America
d. We Deserve to have big houses, big cars and will go to war to ensure it.
e. If you don't agree with us, you are a possible terrorist

I have posted about this before, but just to refresh, I find it very sad how in the American mind, any country that has religious leaders is usually considered a "fanatical" country. Yet, Palin is an Evangelical Christian (see crazy ass) and often refers to her faith. I see no difference between crazy religious leaders of another country or our own.

2. Rush Limbaugh - Just saying his name should make people roll their eyes. I listed from time to time just to get the blood going. Last I did, he was talking about news reports that said John McCain's stay at the Hanoi Hilton "wasn't all that bad." The media interviewed the director of that prison who said he had "amiable chats with McCain," and "McCain often gave him impromptu English lessons."

He was speaking in Vietnamese and Rush's argument was "if that's the case, why doesn't he speak in the so called English McCain has taught him.

Letter to Rush.

Dear Fat Ass,

As I'm sure you cannot speak any other language I'm sure it would be very hard to comprehend through that fat skull of yours the difficulty of learning another language. Just because many immigrants have learned English rather easily does not mean that it is easy to do so. They have achieved it because they are surrounded by it day in and night for years. A few "impromptu lessons" will simply not do the trick and anything learned would most likely be forgotten in 40 years.

Your entire career has simply been to speak English while you grew fatter in your chair while fantasizing about what you could do to yourself with that microphone. You have spoken English everyday of your life so of course English seems easy to you. If you could complete three sentences in any other language you might be forgiven and no "Yo quiero Taco Bell," Mi cumpleanos es..." or "Mi nombre es.." does not count.

You are a fat biased prick and should I ever become president, my first act will be to deport your sorry ass to Antarctica.

3. OHIO - The Republicans of Ohio have been acting up lately and trying to deny people the right to vote. They finally got a boot put in their ass by the Supreme Court and "praise Jesus" for that. Just goes to show how vile that party has become when they resort to taking away liberties afforded to every American. I fail to see the difference between that and the tactics some dictator countries use. The Republicans won before by not counting votes and are trying again.

For me, the issues do not even matter anymore. I've clearly seen how evil the Republicans can be and no matter how many times they try to scare me by using the word terrorist, I will never vote for you again. In fact, I don't care if Gandhi comes back to life and runs for office,,, if he is a Republican I will not vote for him. From this day forward, I'm voting only for Democrats on every single issue, in every single campaign. I will join the Communist party before I vote for another damn Republican.

However, it has also been quite a culture shock switching from a Japanese corporation to a pure American one. Not only must I get used to a more aggressive nature, but also a language I am completely unaccustomed to. This language is known as "corporate speak," and is characterized mostly by phrases which emphasize action, positive results etc. One phrase in particular I would like to address is "Moving Forward."

I'm not exactly sure which grammar category it would fall into but it is used to convey a meaning of "getting better," "positive results," "the future," etc. The problem is that it is extremely addictive and thus akin to the teenage use of the word "like." Thus, it can be used innumerous times but when used in excess really loses any and all meaning.

For example, one could say, "and moving forward, I really should come to a point with this post." Or one could use it at the end of a sentence "I should really come to a point with this post, moving forward." Or even, "I should really come to a point, moving forward, with this post. "Moving Forward," is very versatile in nature but must always convey a meaning of a positive result in the future.

Another problem is that it has no opposite. One could never say, "Moving backward" or even "Moving Diagonally." This would make no sense at all to any business person. It almost reminds me of a chess match in that the Pawns are the only ones that can move forward. Perhaps only a CEO of a company could say "Moving Sideways." Therefore, "Moving Forward" is definitely not very agile of a statement. You "move forward" and that is the only direction you can go. If one did mention "moving backward" or even "standing still" they might get fired.

What I cannot understand however, is how this (verb?) became such a stalemate of business English. It is perhaps the most used in B.S. business card bingo which is a game where you check off the cliche business speak on your card, and should you get them all during a meeting you actually stand up and yell bingo!!!

Therefore, moving forward, I would like to propose a few other phrases in the hopes that they will dilute the plague of this too often used phrase.

1. Looking ahead
2. as we progress
3. as we proceed
4. moving along (well maybe not this one as it might convey something someone might say to a vagrant.)
5. with the future in mind
6. concerning the future
7. addressing the future
8. etc.

It has been a wonderful couple of weeks, but I'm afraid it is too soon to address this issue with my peers. I wonder if they would realize what I am doing should I start a meeting with, "moving forward, the company direction, moving forward, is one of great hope, moving forward, and we should all, moving forward, be cognizant of the fact that, moving forward, our paradigm has shifted so that, moving forward, we are all toeing the company line and moving forward.

Would they all nod in agreement I wonder? Would I perhaps get a standing ovation?

For further reading on this phenomenon, please see the following:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7453584.stm

The new rule apparently targets the large number of lady Korean golfers who are making enormous strides in the sport. I was in disbelief especially after the Olympics which is such a world unifying event and the entire program is based on athletic merit which it should be. I had assumed that professional sports in the USA would also adhere to this same principle but I guess one can always be surprised. I know the male sports look only at ability such as the MLB and NBA and it's too bad that the snotty LPGA can't figure this out as well.

I am relieved however that by doing a quick search in Google there is a lot of backlash and golf.com has an article that says "LPGA's English-only policy is unsportsmanlike and un-american.
http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1836266,00.html?cid=feed-tours_news-20080826-1836266

After seeing that article, the steam stopped coming out of my ears and really deflated what would have been a much longer rant since I can see that people with common sense are attacking this policy.

However, it still seems that in America there is the concept that people who do not speak English are 'lesser' or dumb. This was certainly the case when immigrants first arrived in America in the 1800s' but one would think that we have become much more intelligent by now.

A good example of the hypocrisy is to use the French in Paris who give Americans the short shrift when they are unable to speak French which would probably make the snobs in the LPGA very upset. Yet they are doing the same thing to these Korean ladies in the LPGA only now it is not French but the English speaking women who are being uppity.

One could also make the case that they simply are afraid of being beat by the Koreans and thus institute a retarded rule like someone in Kindergarten.

But again, there does seem to be some serious backlash which is already on the web so I don't think I need to make this post very long as the opinion is already out there in mass posts.

The only other news article I do need to comment on however which I couldn't believe was actually shown on CNN is the story of a hillbilly in Texas who claims he saw an image of Jesus on a moth. Will these ridiculous news stories ever end? One would think Jesus has more important things to do than create his image on a moth, a burrito or somebody's Dunkin Doughnut. Or perhaps it is a conspiracy by CNN to dumb down their viewership. Nothing like waking up in the morning to one of CNN's playboy bunny reporters reporting on images of Jesus in some hilljack's happy meal.

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/updated-disability-advocates-call-for-tropic-thunder-protest-stiller-responds/11875

This is a perfect case to understand how one's viewpoint changes due to international experience and my experience in Vietnam. It also showcases the ignorance of film makers concerning international affairs.

Having lived in Vietnam, I saw the affects of the war that still continue today from Agent Orange and the image of severely deformed children from this poison is burned into my brain. Yet, American film makers have the gall to make a comedy about the war????

Imagine if you were Vietnamese, and saw the add for this movie. Of course America was "assisting" the repressive southern regime but by most viewpoints today America should have stayed out of Vietnam's affairs. Further, as one reads Ho Chi Minh's literature one would call into question the true motives for America's actions.

To see on the news that the people with disabilities are offended isn't the only problem here. It is extremely disheartening (Horrendous!) to see that there were not protests about making comedy out of such a tragic and sad affair. I'm completely baffled as to how the entire American public has not called attention to this grossly insensitive film. Has America forgotten the pain that both nations suffered during this conflict? How can people go to see this movie and laugh??!!!!!!!

Having lived in America (again) for the past two years I have again integrated into the society. But shit like this brings me back to the same level of anger as when America started the Iraq war and everyone followed it blindly (which now people are starting to realize as a mistake). Make a comedy about an awful war yet they decide to only protest about the disabled. It only shows how short collective memory can be and further how little the American public knows about international affairs. Why not start another war, kill a bunch of people and then make a comedy about it 40 years later???????

I'm pissed off about this. God love Vietnam and the Vietnamese people.