Me too. Spike?

Foreign Banks In China Taking a Big Risk....

I wrote on this topic a while back and I feel that foreign banks are taking a huge risk buying stake of poorly run and corrupt institutions in China. And there are some that feel similar to me. I just think that it maybe a better strategy to build you own institution from the ground up rather than try to turn around one of the lumbering giants....mainly because they may not actually want to be turned around.

But some critics fear that global banks may be in for a rough road ahead.

William Gamble, principle at consulting firm Emerging Markets Strategy, said the Chinese banking market is rife with corruption and side dealings, as banks -- which are owned by the government -- lend money based on political connections and influence rather than sound economic practice.

In addition, there is no official credit bureau to highlight high-risk loan applicants and no solid regulatory oversight to insure that loans are paid back to banks.

"The problem with investing in emerging markets is that although the growth rates are often much higher than for companies in developed countries, the economically inefficient or nonexistent legal systems also increase the risk," he said. "If the profit potential is not commensurate with the risk, it might be a better idea to stay home."

All I have to say to these guys is good luck.

Female Brain...

Male Brain...

Ha Ha Ha....

The border patrol in Arizona weighs in on political posturing in Washington...

Does anybody really think Hillary Clinton is going to be a tough, enforcement minded leader on illegal immigration if she gets elected? Get real folks. We've got a little ocean-front property down here on the Arizona border we'd like to sell you too. It's peaceful, there is very little crime, very few illegal aliens, the smugglers are mostly under control, and best of all there is plenty of "good hearted, willing" cheap labor on hand at a moment's notice for those home improvement projects!

Ha!

There Is A National Strike In France....

A national strike in France? People aren't going to work? Really. How can you tell. The strike cripples business there? Business is crippled every day in France. French rarely work anyway even when they are employed. When you walk down the street, places are rarely open. Everyone stays home with their lights out. Bizarre people they are but good food and wine.

One Christian Man Stands Up For What He Believes...

At the risk of death, as clerics, the leaders of Muslims in that nation, scream and rant for his death, one man declares that he converted to Christianity. This is just an amazing feat, as this man get worldwide attention, and the bloodthirsty frothing at the mouth Muslim clerics cry out for his death. The reason that they want his death, is that it must be difficult, particularly after the barbarous Taliban, to keep people satisfied with the daily torturous life that 7th century Islam offers their people. These words of hope...

Andaryas runs a collection of Christian websites in Afghanistan's Dari-Persian tongue as well as daily radio programs and a weekly television program.

He is in daily contact with individuals in his homeland, and has been reporting for several years about the risks faced by Afghan Christians -- all converts from Islam and thus considered apostates worthy of death, according to Islamic law (shari'a).

He said one of the websites, which carries news on Afghan Christians, typically drew about 300 unique visitors every month, but since the Rahman story emerged it had attracted half a million visitors.

The number of emails received also has risen enormously, and 13 people are now tasked with responding to them.

The majority of emails are negative and many are abusive, coming from Muslims who felt that Rahman and other apostates -- including Andaryas himself -- should be severely punished.

But there also are many messages of support, he said.

And then there are emails coming from Afghans wanting to know more about Christianity, asking where they can get a Bible in the Dari or Pashto language, or sharing the news that they had become believers in Jesus Christ.

Among the most stirring messages are those from Afghan Muslims marveling about a faith for which a man was willing to die and wanting to study the Bible further.

"I strongly believe God is using this situation for His glory," Andaryas said. "One man's bold step has shaken the world."

Shaken the world he has, particularly of the Muslim cleric in Afghanistan. These bloodthirsty clerics just cannot seem to remember that we worship the same God and we are all children of Abraham.

Muslims Are Just Barbarians....

Even the religious teachers, clerics, march through the streets Chanting "Death to Christians."

On Monday, hundreds of clerics, students and others chanting "Death to Christians!" marched through the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif to protest the court decision Sunday to dismiss the case. Several Muslim clerics threatened to incite Afghans to kill Rahman if he is freed, saying that he is clearly guilty of apostasy and deserves to die.

Islam is a religion of zealots, stupidity and barbarism.

The true colors of Islam are showing themselves. It is a religion that can only keep people in line by threatening to kill them. It is not even close to being a religion of peace, but a religion of death and destruction.

Chritianity is a threat to Islam since who, if they learn about Christianity, would prefer such base hatred taught by Islam over the love taught by Christians?

Who Is Carlos Slim...

Sounds like a character in a movie. Imagine a dark skinned Latino wearing large sun-glasses and a bad looking plaid suit. Or how about the guy that hangs out in my buddy's neighborhood dealing drugs? No, amigo! Carlos Slim Helu...

Net Worth: $23.8 bil

Country of citizenship: Mexico
Residence: Mexico City, Mexico
Industry: Communications
Marital Status: widowed , 6 children

Just call him Midas. Latin America's richest man upped his wealth this year by an incredible $10 billion, thanks to a growing and diverse empire that includes holdings in retail, banking and insurance, and auto parts manufacturing. Shares of his flagship wireless telecom outfit, América Movil, soared 76% during the year. And his fixed-line operator, Telefonos de Mexico, or Telmex, is reportedly gearing up to double its customer base this year, primarily in Mexico, by signing up 600,000 broadband Internet subscribers. As one of its largest shareholders, Slim was purportedly contemplating taking MCI private—until Verizon bid to acquire the beaten-down phone company in February. Said to have one of Latin America's largest collections of Rodin sculptures; is also the founder of Foundation of the Historic Center of Mexico City, dedicated to restoring colonial buildings in Mexico City's historic city center.

How about the 3rd richest dude in the world. I'd be happy with 10% of what he's got. But, I never heard of him before. Apparently of Lebanese extraction.

Anti-Americanism Is Madness...

According to Tony Blair...

"Sometimes they can be difficult friends to have. But the strain of, frankly, anti-American feeling in parts of European politics is madness when set against the long-term interests of the world we believe in.

"The danger with America today is not that they are too much involved. The danger is that they decide to pull up the drawbridge and disengage. We need them involved. We want them engaged."

Hey who says we are difficult?

The Economic Benefits Of French Rioting...

The French automobile industry would be nowhere if it weren't for the thousands of cars that went up in flames every night. But I have some questions....Can the French auto industry survive without the riots? Can lemons burn? Do the cars run better before or after they are torched?

I Hate Driving In Hong Kong....

I hate driving in Hong Kong and Hong Kong drivers are among the most dense and self-centered drivers on earth. Besides being awful and obtuse drivers, they are flat out rude and inconsiderate. I guess since it is largely a luxury to drive and its the wealthy that own cars and since the wealthy here think that they are the center of the universe and everyone else exists to serve every desire that they have no matter how piddling or small, they feel no obligation what-so-ever to be even remotely neighborly.

It was an ominous sign on Friday that when I was driving down Garden Road and stopped at one of the traffic lights, that the Honda Odyssey in front of me had a vanity plate with just the numbers "666" on it! I know of no specific Chinese luck associated with the combination of digits even thought here are lot so those in the Chinese world. I just did not feel good about this. I moved up and passed him to get a look at this devil but his skin appeared to be a normal shade of yellow and wasn't green. I saw no horns on him and he may have put his trident for spearing souls in hell in the back of the vehicle.

Of course, when stopping in Wanchai to pick up my wife from her work, despite asking her to please please please not be late since it is so difficult to stop and wait, sometimes for as long as 10 minutes, while she dilly dallies around doing what ever it is while I steam in the car, despite me calling up to warn her 5 minutes before my arrival that I was arriving in 5 minutes and that for a change I would appreciate it if she got there before I did so I didn't have to jockey the car around... she was still late. I really don't like this. She is late 95% of the time and it is infuriating to me and she just doesn't get it when I tell her that I am sick of her being late in this situation. I have children in the car and have to stop and wait in an illegal double yellow line area with taxis and busses coming and going. One day I will get a ticket and then I will never do it again. She can take the bus.

So, while I was irritated that my wife can be so callous towards me in this situation I was driving in the drizzling rain towards Sai Kung. I am usually a very circumspect driver that takes all safety precautions and makes sure that the traffic both in front and behind me is acting rationally. So of course, when I wanted to move out of a lane I was traveling in that was behind a slow moving truck, into a faster moving lane, I looked over my right shoulder and into the mirror to see what the traffic conditions were in the other lane. There was one car maybe 50-75 feet behind me that I had been monitoring for several minutes giving me plenty of room to switch lanes and pass the truck. As a good driving citizen I signaled my intentions by using my right turn indicator and started my move. So what does the Hong Kong driver behind me do? Speeds up so that she is right besides me and give me a long unending horn honk.

You know, Hong Kong drivers are just the most rude people. Its as if taking that space "of theirs" is like robbing their money. Kill my children I can hear them say, but don;t take my money. Kind of like the Terns in the movie "Finding Nemo." Mine, mine, mine.... and of course this lady did not hit her brakes when it was obvious that I was changing lanes, she kept pace with me and continued to honk her horn and of course I held my ground a foot from her side. Finally, she moved 50 feet forward to the car in front and rode up the ass of that car. I guess she didn't appreciate the high beams that she got for the next few minutes since she flew away at a high rate of speed when the traffic bunch we were behind finally broke up.

A fine example of the utter senselessness of Hong Kong drivers is on a road near my home. On Friday traffic congestion backs up about a kilometer or so past my home. Opposing traffic attempting to make a right turn onto a road on the other side have to wait in a jug handle to join the downward flow of traffic only to then make their turn off the main artery onto the side street. Despite the fact, that these people will only temporarily join your lane of traffic only to immediately turn off, causing no delay at all in your journey down the hill but would save the other people time. Hong Kong drivers rarely let the other people go. They just pull right up behind the car in front and block all progress of the others. Its just rude and unnecessary but as the Terns said... Mine, mine, mine...

Why There Will Never Be Peace With Muslims...

The clerics, or the people that are the leaders of the flocks in the Islamic world lead their people to be violent bloodthirsty animals...

"Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be humiliated. This man must die," said cleric Abdul Raoulf, who is considered a moderate and was jailed three times for opposing the Taliban before the hard-line regime was ousted in 2001.

What is so incredibly stupid by these people is that there is no way that we lowly humans can insult the omnipotent God. This is just absurd. If it wasn't so deadly serious, it would be funny. Its not a conceptual difference between the Muslim world and the West but between being human and a barbarian. Additionally, these so called clerics say that the if he is released, then the people will....

warning that if the government caves in to Western pressure and frees him, they will incite people to "pull him into pieces."

Yea, Muslims clerics are saying that he should be killed for his own good! That people will pull him apart if he abandons the religion. He probably is sick of the lunacy in Islam today and that is why he wants to convert, so instead of clerics looking at themselves, they try to solve the problem by murdering their problems. These clerics are teaching the most disgusting forms of religion, where one or even one's family will be physically abused or killed if this man changes his mind. This is by no means a religion of peace, but one that holds one hostage for fear of death.

All this hogwash is the result of a lowly single man declaring that he has converted to Christianity in Afghanistan. Despite all the hoopla surrounding this, it could be just ploy by somewhat intelligent people to drag the 7th century world of Islam a few centuries forward by exposing the incredible silliness, violence and hatefulness of their lives.

I read an autobiography of a famous commodity trader that made hundreds of millions in the 70's and 80's, Richard Dennis. He was born and raised a fundamentalist Christian and his father and mother went to Afghanistan as missionaries to help out the poor people in that country. They were strictly forbidden to teach or attempt to convert residents to Christianity under the threat of death. Unfortunately, his parents were killed in an automobile accident and he and his siblings had to go to Afghanistan to recover the bodies. He had the chance to speak and talk to the local tribal people, some of which were interested in Christianity since these people were there to assist the Afghan people despite the risk of arbitrary death under the guise of attempted conversion of Muslims. However, the people there were scared to even talk to them unless it was alone. The strict Muslim fundamentalism in Afghanistan is so afraid that people will find that their hard-line religion is not very satisfying that they have to keep people in-line under the threat of death. This tactic is similar to what cults do. They keep people in line under physical threats and not under the "threat" of risking salvation after death.

Islam has become a religion of nonsense, one that values form over substance, kills if the prophet Muhammad pictures get drawn in Denmark and breeds contempt of human life. Islam deserves to be disrepected due to the utter inhumanity of what it teaches. Killing, is the solution to every problem in Islam. Killing in the name of God is not something that I think that God wants associated with himself. I just do not see any future nor do I see where we can avoid having a major confrontation with these people that behave more like animals than people. I fear that if we don't confront these fanatics head-on today that my children will suffer in a world where Islam has turned everything upside down in the name of God. Sorry boys and girls, but the God that you Muslims worship reminds me more of the Satan that we fear in Christianity than the God we love.

Taxes In China?

In addition to the taxes on wooden chopsticks and golf balls and equipment as I reported a couple of days ago, the tax regime in China is probably one of the most confusing and cumbersome ones in the world. Probably designed so that there is no way that one can comply totally legally without making some mistake, like the legal system, maybe it was designed as just another way for the CCP to be able to throw people in jail or make their lives miserable if they don't toe the party line.

Additionally, as reported by Forbes, China as the 2nd highest tax regime slightly better than France! So what to do about all of this mumbo-jumbo? How about this?

Hutch Hired To Operate Radiation Detection Equipment For US Port Security....

Port security in the US is a hot topic after the failed bid by a UAE company to operate the loading and unloading operations in several US ports failed on security concerns. The Bush Administration was criticized by Democrats on what they called laxness on port security particularly on the inspection of incoming cargo. The contract is designed to as early detection of cargo that emits any kind of radioactive footprint.

Supervised by Bahamian customs officials, Hutchison employees will drive the towering, truck-like radiation scanner that moves slowly over large cargo containers and scans them for radiation that might be emitted by plutonium or a radiological weapon.

Any positive reading would set off alarms monitored simultaneously by Bahamian customs inspectors at Freeport and by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials working at an anti-terrorism center 800 miles away in northern Virginia. Any alarm would prompt a closer inspection of the cargo, and there are multiple layers of security to prevent tampering, officials said.

"The equipment operates itself," said Bryan Wilkes, a spokesman for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, the agency negotiating the contract. "It's not going to be someone standing at the controls pressing buttons and flipping switches."

A lawmaker who helped lead the opposition to the Dubai ports deal isn't so confident. Neither are some security experts. They question whether the U.S. should pay a foreign company with ties to China to keep radioactive material out of the United States.

"Giving a no-bid contract to a foreign company to carry out the most sensitive security screening for radioactive materials at ports abroad raises many questions," said Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y.

Hutchison Whampoa, a global leader in the ports business is being paid to install and operate their equipment in the Bahamiam port. Rest assured, however, that as indicated by hyper-partisan Chuck Shumer's remarks [one of my hometown legislators that used to represent a district in central Brooklyn and is now the senior senator from New York State, and judging from comments that he made in the past in his representitive capacity, is amongst one of the most stupidest and most socialist members of US legislative bodies. Additionally, he along with Senator Graham are sponsoring legislation to slap huge tariffs on Chinese exports to the US in pyrrhic and useless push to preserve low paying manufacturing jobs in the US], that the do nothing Democrats will be using this as another wedge against Bush Administration in this election year.

The way that I look at this, is in fighting against terrorism, their is no silver bullet or perfect defense. But one can attempt to cut down the avenues of attack and work towards the ultimate goal of protecting the American homeland. If a foreign entity is hired to assist in this, and there is no American counterpart that is prepared or equipped to do the job, then foreign operated firms must be hired to do these jobs.

China Imposes Tax On Wooden Chopsticks...

Huh?

Yes, China's new emerging conservation movement has hit a home run by imposing a 5% excise tax on wooden chopsticks...

The Finance Ministry said chopstick production used up China's forests at a rate of 70 million cubic feet a year, a waste that it wanted to discourage.

So, here is a market based solution to lowering demand for wooden disposable chopsticks. Capitalism with a Chinese face. Of course, this will mean that the chances of catching a disease through the 'recycling' of chopsticks and the fake wooden chopstick industry increases. People will collect these things, painstakingly glue them back together and package them so that they look like new. Yuck.

Chopsticks were not the only targets of the regulations, an early fruit of the government's new five-year plan, which stresses energy conservation, efficient use of resources and an end to the environmental despoliation that has accompanied its rapid growth.

A 10 percent tax on golf balls and clubs, part of a wider assault on luxury items, might seem to be unconnected, but there is growing concern in Beijing that many municipal drives to attract business by building golf courses are sacrificing land, trees and water supplies for what remains a relatively tiny market.

Yes, taxing golfballs and clubs will theorectically increase the cost of the game. But these items are only a small part of the cost of play where greens fees account for the lion's share of the expenses. Just how far will that go towards discouraging the building of golf courses though? Of course, golf course designers could put less water hazards to reduce the number of lost balls, or it may just increase the demand for golfing schools since better play will reduce the lost ball charges.

It seems a silly tax that will only encourage illegal golfball production and a black market developing. In fact, how difficult will it be to tax the illegal copy golfclubs that can easily be purchased cheaply almost anywhere?

It all seems somewhat silly to me. It seems as if there may be easier and more productive solutions to the conservation problems facing China today.

Hillary Clinton Invokes In The Name Of Jesus...

Immigration reform is not really a big deal for me, its just not one of my hot-button issues. But it appears as if elucidating a policy for people that come into the US either illegally or overstay their tourist visas in order to work makes some kind of sense. The stricter House bill [as opposed to the less "sinister" Senate version] has caused some groups to decry it since...

The bill, House Resolution 4437 or the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, is an attempt to strengthen enforcement of the immigration laws and to enhance border security. The bill indicates it's a felony to shield or offer support to illegal immigrants.

As I understand it, this part of the legislation is attempting to deal with the smugglers, more commonly known as "snakeheads," of humans into the United States some that are sold into virtual slavery as prostitutes and the like. However, some religious oriented groups are saying that it will hamstring their efforts to provide support to needy illegals. Maybe they are right but the graver concern, in my humble opinion, is to cut down on the illegal trafficking of human beings.

But Hillary Clinton makes some biblical hay out of this issue by using biblical ideas in her unknown position on this issue. If a Republican said these things, the press would be screaming American Taliban and making all kinds of commentary on the inappropriateness of biblical references on the setting of American policy and elucidating objectives...

Surrounded by a multicultural coalition of New York immigration advocates, Clinton blasted the House bill as "mean-spirited" and said it flew in the face of Republicans' stated support for faith and values.

"It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scriptures," Clinton said, "because this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself."

Her contentions are silly on their face and sinister in its deepest thoughts. But my cynical side thinks that you will be hearing a lot more biblical references from her approaching her run for the US Presidency as the Democrat needs to attract centrist, religious oriented voters.

Also, the Democratic party has in its narrow little mind that immigrants vote Democratic, which is patently absurd. Immigrants, particularly illegal ones are not allowed to vote. But they also think that immigrants, upon gaining citizenship are a naturally constituency of theirs, another silly thought.

But lets look at the story of the Good Samaritan. In this biblical story, a man gets robbed and beaten and is laying by the side of the road bleeding and unable to care for himself. In the story a priest and a Levite [a temple teacher] pass him by, people that one may think will or almost are compelled to help this person. But they pass him by. Then a person from Samaria, people that locals don't even like, stop and treat the injured man, take him to an inn and pay for his convalescence.

So how is the illegal immigration issue even remotely related with the story of the Good Samaritan? This is about taking the time out of your busy day to help your neighbors. The victim in the story was not a foreigner and so the good Samaritan would not be criminal in his actions. Is she trying to say that the new employment rules or the entitlements to government benefits being disallowed to illegal immigrants is anything like the story of the Good Samaritan? Or is she just using biblical references in a cooly calculated attempt to make her more salable to the mass electorate? Well, I am not too sure how much her obtuse biblical references will impress those that know anything about the bible. But it could be that she is playing to her base, leftist Democrats who are statistically more agnostic and are getting all fired up that she can play well to the more centrist religious crowd? I say that she won't fool anyone.

Its Not The Employable That Are Rioting in France....

Those that are employable, know that they can get a job somewhere else like England, so, its really the dead-enders that are rioting in France. Just what does that tell you about the prospects there for young people? Its just not very pretty these days is it?

Air Pollution Problem, Cited As Problem For Tourism In Hong Kong, Cannot Be Completely Blamed On China, According To Some...

Hong Kong people love to blame the air pollution here on China. China does contribute significantly, but the street level air pollution that we have to endure is not caused by Chinese factories. Its by our own output. People here love to wash their hands of the problem and China is an easy target since things there are so bad. But....

The government has said most of the pollution rolls in from mainland China's heavily industrialised Pearl River delta region, which has seen huge economic growth in the past decade.

However, Friends of the Earth Hong Kong and local campaigners Clear the Air say local power producers are also major culprits.

"The pollution is not 'coming down from China'," said Annelise Connell, chairperson of Clear The Air, in a statement.

"The sulphur dioxide levels are really bad ... which shows that our own power plants are involved in regional pollution," she added.

Lau said Hong Kong's two major power plants, which use a high level of polluting coal, and the city's bus companies, which rely on vehicles with poor emissions controls, were the major sources of pollution.

By claiming that the problem comes from outside, people here are absolved from responsibility.

My young daughter, only a little over 2 and a half years old, is suffering from coughs and is constantly getting sick. The doctor says that it could be allergies and it could be caused by the pollution, we just don't know.

The government's weak claim that the air pollution is caused exclusively by outside forces, is callously washing its hands of its social responsibility to the people in favor of the greedy tycoons that run the bus companies and two monopoly power companies. Government here represents just the powerful interests and is not interested in the welfare and health of the people on this rock.

But Kids Don't Vote.....

Maybe in some places along with the dead, they do!

Just A $7 Fine...

Cheney only got a $7 fine for shooting his hunting buddy in the face. Not the imbroglio that the left and the media were hoping for.

One Train Of Thought In Islam...

In response to this post a while back, I got this comment response....

At 8:29 PM, Alleyah said...
With all do respect, and that's pushing it, you do know that there are several sects of muslims I assume? You are also aware, when mentioning the killing of children in school, that the Israeli's have more than killed their share? What about the orphanage they bombed 3-4 years ago in Palestine? There weren't any men there, they killed homeless children, and selfless women who had dedicated their lives to caring for these children, and an American school girl who was in Palestine to show American's what it was really like and to help out. They killed her when she tried to stop them and was yelling that there were children in there. What about the children in Palestine that can't go to the store for food or go to school unless the Israeli's appove it? What about the many houses that have been blown up or demolished because a mother went out to get milk for her child but it was too close to curfew? Many of these people were desperate, desperate for their lives, their families, their freedom... Not that killing is ever ok and if you did your research before typing, you would know that Islam specifically says you cannot harm anyone unless you are defending youself. I have researched more than 7 religions thoroughly, and I can honestly tell you that so many people call themselves a certain religion, yet they don't even know what it is their religion believes. Try looking at more than one side before passing judgement, if you're speaking in the name of religion, isn't that what most religions believe?

My previous post was that Muslims should be outraged by some of the egregious behavior of their fellow worshippers when they wrap themselves in the name of God and slaughter innocents. Such as....

Muslims murder teachers trying to teach Muslim children in Iraq. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder over 80 tourists with car bombs outside cafes and hotels in Egypt. No Muslim outrage.

A Muslim attacks a missionary children's school in India. Kills six. No Muslim outrage.

Of course the clown that wrote the above comment focuses completely on Israel. A religion and a billion people that think that they can suspend being human because of 6 million Jewish people living on a piece of desert on the east coast of the Mediterranean? How just unbelievably weak is that? Anything happens, blame Israel. Just so juvenile, like the rest of world can take you people seriously at all? Muslims are cold blooded killers and some that do feel some pangs of remorse have to come up with twisted reasoning as to why they are justified in their murderous behavior. Jeez.

The Latest In Camera/Handphone Technology....

Ho Lat!!!!!

I love to eat spicy food, but I am not as good at it as I was in my younger days. But I do a pretty good job at it.

Well, there is good news in this recent health report...

According to a team from the University of California at Los Angeles and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the hot stuff in peppers -- capsaicin -- caused 80 percent of active prostate cancer cells growing in mice to "follow the molecular pathways leading to apoptosis," or cell death.

The cancer cells literally committed suicide. What's more, the cancer tumors of the mice treated with a hot pepper extract were one-fifth the size of untreated mice.

There is prostate cancer in my family. My Dad got it when he was in his late 50's and my great-grandfather died from the disease. So I guess I will continue to eat and sweat.

But all this is making me wonder. After a big spicy meal the night before, my bowels can barely wait till I wake up to vacate the offending post meal digestion. And it is sometimes as painful on the way out as on the way in. So, obviously, my prostate must be getting quite a benefit of all these irritating chemicals.

You Have Heard Of The Dreaded Disease BDS?

After BDS, there is now the dreaded SJS.

Negative Perception Of Islam Increasing in USA....

According to the Washington Post, the negative perception of Islam has been increasing as of late and is even higher than post 9/11...

As the war in Iraq grinds into its fourth year, a growing proportion of Americans are expressing unfavorable views of Islam, and a majority now say that Muslims are disproportionately prone to violence, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The poll found that nearly half of Americans -- 46 percent -- have a negative view of Islam, seven percentage points higher than in the tense months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, when Muslims were often targeted for violence.

Americans are a tolerant people and its codified in our laws, particularly when it come to the rights associated with religion. But it not the mamby-pamby scaredy-cat tolerance that has enveloped most of Europe and has allowed religious extremists there to set-up camp and is now haunting the very societies that originally accepted them. The US does not have the level of Muslim street crime as indicated by the cold-blooded murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh, the weeks of rioting fomented by juvenile Muslims in France or the potentially violent street protests in many cities in Europe on the innocuous Muhammad cartoons. The incredible violence associated with both the Sunni-Zaraqawi and the Shia-Sadr extremists in Iraq, the wild 7th century Taliban society in Afghanistan that pursued destructive world intervention through its ward bin-Laden and the potential horror offered by Iran in its all out pursuit of nuclear weapons to destroy Israel and others that threaten its desired regional domination are wake up calls to all of us that hold our lives and those of our children, precious.

But Americans know that our time may come as we see the Muslim world erupt in orgies of uncontrolled violence and mayhem. The USA had our 9/11 and Europe has been enduring a low level 9/11 and it is becoming painfully obvious that inclusionary policies of Western governments have done little to assist those that don't want to be included.

We have seen the enemy and we know who they are. We do not have to accept violence and threats or have to worry about the future of our children or our hard fought and won liberty. We can defend it now by dealing with the problem as soon as possible. Islam appears to be a violent, deadly and hate filled religion. Prove us otherwise. We have to demand that they adjust their way of life if they want to live in peace with us. Or we have to be prepared to fight.

Researchers Say That College Spring Break Is An Unhealthy "Binge-fest"....

Apparently, spring break for college students has become such a raucous affair that some researchers are concerned about the effect on our youth by this behavior...

Many spring break promoters spend months marketing trips to college students that tout opportunities for drinking alcohol, he said. For example, one promoter's Web site told students not to worry about the quality of water in Cancun, Mexico, "because you will be drinking beer."
In the AMA survey of 664 women, ages 17 to 35, who are current or former college students:

-More than 90 percent said it was "easy" for underage students to drink on spring break.
-Seventy-four percent said women used drinking as an excuse for "outrageous behavior," such as public nudity, dancing on tables and participating in drinking contests.
-Eighty-three percent said they had friends who drank most nights while on spring break.
-Fifty-nine percent said they knew people during spring break who had been sexually active with more than one partner.

What? Sounds like an excellent time to me. Maybe I should try to make a trip there one of these spring breaks. Why "fix" what's not broken!

*****BARGIRL-ESE TRANSLATION GUIDE*****

As a service to prospective visitors to Angeles and other Philippine locations, I thought I'd present a rather detailed translation guide for "Bargirl-ese," the dialect of mixed Tagalog and English that the Bargirls speak. Hopefully this will help some of you navigate more easily through the often difficult world of the bargirls. The writer [that I stole this from], having spent many weeks examining the bargirls (often orally and rectally), wanted to share the benefit of his studiously acquired knowledge with the rest of the world.

"PHRASE" (TRANSLATION) -------------------------------------------------------

"Hello, Honeyko!" (Hello, Moneybag!)

"Kumasta Ka Na?" (How are you, future boyfriend?)

"You Boboy!" (You're a fat pig!)

"Miss na miss kita!" (I miss your money!)

"Mahal na mahal kita!" (I love your money!)

"I come!" (Would you hurry up and come, I'm tired and I want to watch TV.)

"We go boom boom?" (I'd like to watch TV.)

"Where you staying?" (Where am I staying tonight? Does it have aircon, minibar, and nice pool?)

"Where you from?" (Where will you move me and my family?)

"What your job?" (I have a large family, so you better be able to support them!)

"Will you support me?" (Will you support me, my Filipino boyfriend, our two children, and sixteen relatives?)

"You buy me ladies drink?" (May I have 50 pesos, please?)

"You pay my barfine?" (May I have 500 pesos, please?)

"You barfine my friend?" (May I have 1000 pesos, please?)

"You cute!" (I'm cute, you're an ugly, bald slob)

"You handsome!" (You have some hair left, how nice!)

"You healthy!" (You're fat and your breath smells!)

"You kind man!" (You're a stupid fool who pays me too much!)

"You barfine me tomorrow?" (Are you my gravy train?)

"You butterfly?" (Are you smart?)

"I'm 18" (I'm 16.)

"I'm 21" (I'm 32.)

"I work here four months only" (I've been here for four years.)

"I work at [another bar] before" (I was kicked out of [another bar] for showing up drunk and late every day.)

"I'm bangith" (You're bangith [ugly]).

"We go barhop?" (We need to stop at my friends bars so I can show off.)

"We go dance?" (I want to dance with my friends while you make a fool of yourself.)

"I have one baby" (I've got stretchmarks under my shorts.)

"I have two babies" (My vagina looks like a train tunnel.)

"I have no babies" (I have two babies but no stretch marks.)

"I don't like blowjob" (Quiet, my friends will hear. Of course I'll give you a blowjob.)

"I don't like Filipino men" (I like Filipino boys.)

"I don't like German/American/Italian/etc. men"
(My last boyfriend was German/American/Italian/etc. He dumped me.)

"Up to you [regarding tip]" (As much as you can afford)

"Up to you [regarding what to go do]" (Take me dancing. Now, fat boy!)

"I Cherry Girl." (I haven't been fucked up the ass or in my ears or nose yet.)

"I Cherry Girl (alternate 1)." (My Filipino boyfriend won't let me spend the night with a foreigner...yet. How much money do you have again?)

"I Cherry Girl (alternate 2)". (I haven't screwed for a whole week...and we used a condom.)

"I'm good girl" (I only go with other men for money)

"You're my only boyfriend" (One more and I'll have a dozen)

"You hard on puuusey" (The 2" X 4" strapped to your ass chafed my thighs)

"I have menstruation" (Buy me drinks then get lost elephant man)

"I'm shy to you!" Basically, it's what the girl often says when you say to her "Take off your damned clothes" or "Lemme see those breasts, baby" or "Leave the light on while we do the nasty thing because I want to see my *** go in your ***!" "

Hope you enjoyed it and feel free to add your own experiences and additions to the unique and lovable language of "BARGIRL-ESE

Funny picture. But not very becoming for an enlightened monk.

Abortion Debate....

The big news for abortion debaters these days is that the South Dakota legislature has passed a law outlawing abortions in the state except where the life of the mother is in jeopardy. HB1215.

This will go all the way to the Supreme Court to test the Roe and Casey abortion precedents. And I am sure that this is what is desired even if it gets defeated at SCOTUS.

Some background, as I read, South Dakota is one of the most restrictive states in the nation on abortions currently and only 800 were performed last year at its single clinic is in Sioux Falls. So, although it is a change, it isn't as drastic as one would imagine in the state. However, this is not really a relevant issue to the debate since the new legislation disallows abortions and this is a drastic change.

I have always had a problem with arguments on both sides of the abortion debate. Abortion rights advocates that take the brittle position that its a woman's body and its her right decide just doesn't make intellectual sense to me. So, under that argument, they should be allowed to abort at anytime before birth. This is obviously a preposterous statement on my part, aborting a healthy baby from a healthy mother would only be successful if the fetus is killed since after 25 weeks, fetuses have a good chance of survival outside of the womb.

So, if the woman has the right to abort, then at what point, morally or objectively can this be allowed by a thinking society? I am sorry, but I just don't know. But a fertilized egg has its own unique DNA, has a heartbeat after only 3 weeks and has a good natural chance to develop into a healthy, laughing and wonderful child. For me, this is a fantastic blessing.

But idea that women have this "right" is something that I am just not convinced about. Le Shawn Barber has written about bogus rights, here. In the Declaration of Independence, we can find this phrase....

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men.

The concept of the "right" to abortion circulates around the idea of the right of privacy and subsequently, in the Casey case, the concept of undue burden. However, if one believes that conception is the beginning of life, then the right of the mother, to privacy or undue burden denies the unborn the "unalienable" right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It tried to read some material by philosopher John Locke on natural rights but I have always had trouble deciphering sometimes dense philosophical writing. Natural rights are universal rights derived from natural law.

John Locke, for example, argued that these rights are integrated with the very definition of what it means to be human. Many philosophers and statesmen have designed lists of what they believe to be natural rights; almost all include the right to life and liberty, as these are considered to be the two highest priorities. R. M. Hare has argued that if there are any rights at all, there must be the right to liberty, for all the others would depend upon this.

On the pro-life side, I just don't think that by making abortion illegal, that it won't risk driving the medical procedure underground. I read a book by Jean-Paul Sartre, "The Age of Reason" that said it all to me. The character got his girlfriend pregnant and naturally expected her to get an abortion. However, as he thought through this prospect and discovered the awfulness of the back-alley abortion clinics, he figured that he was now old enough, age 26 if my memory serves me right, to take the big step towards parental and societal responsibility.

Its just not reasonable to expect people to behave completely rationally and I do not believe that by outlawing abortion, that one will legislate it away. That is just a dream.

Lots of people argue that the South Dakota legislation does not do enough to protect the health of the mother but if abortion is allowed in unusual cases where the life of the mother is threatened, then what other health circumstances should allow abortion? And furthermore, there are arguments that abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest. I don't know about these since I really haven't thought deeply about this kind of situation. These issues seem to be fairly limited in scope since I guess that the number of these kinds of situations is a very small percentage of all the abortions performed now. But from a human standpoint, the young life in the womb should not also be a victim of the crime of rape and incest. What kind of balance should be given to the young life over that of the victim of the crime of rape or incest? Le Shawn Barber says this well....

There was a discussion in this thread about a woman’s “right to choose” in cases of rape and incest. Killing babies conceived during rape or incest is supposedly a “tough” issue for Christians, the commenter says. Since the day I realized I was a Christian, I was never torn about this issue. The life of the unborn is precious and worthy of protection no matter how that life is conceived. It really isn’t more clear than that. What’s unclear is whether Christians are willing to live as the world does or as God requires.

And has much to say on the abortion debate, here.

I am sorry, but I just don't know. But I figure that the issue is up for debate once again. And I welcome it.

What NOT To Say To Stangers....

A guy was in the line at the supermarket, when he noticed a beautiful blond woman smiling and waving at him. So he says, "Do I know you?"

She replies. "Actually, I think you may be the father of one of my children."

Instantly his mind shoots back to the one and only time he had been unfaithful. "Christ!" he says. "Are you the stripper from my bachelor party that I had sex with on top of Joe's pool table in front of all my buddies while your girlfriend spanked me with a wet celery and stuck a cucumber in my ass?"

"No" she replies. "I'm your daughter's second grade teacher."

Going Postal....

I went down to the post-office today to get my mail forwarded to my new address. I handed the form into the postal employee who promptly asked me dozens of questions. Of course I asked why, as I usually do since I am just not an expert in everything under the sun. So the postal employeee glared back at me annoyed that I even dared to ask a question and that I did not take the time to read the many terms and conditions on the back of the form.

In typical passive-aggressive post office form, she used her body language and silent responses to my question as to what I can do and cannot do to communicate to me that I am just another foreign devil. It ends up that I crossed out all the individual names and just used our surname since all household members of the age of 11 or older have to sign the form and provide their ID card number. So hopefully just using the family name will suffice to have all the mail forwarded.

Also, hopefully, the change of address will also prompt my wife to change some fo the accounts that she has in her maiden name to her married name since we have been betrothed for over 15 years already.

I Have To Start Posting Again.....

After moving and having a busy week, workwise, my posting on the blog has suffered. Someone was asking me last night how I have time to do so much work on this. It actually doesn't take an extraordinary amount of time and effort since most of the composition and ideas for my posts are formulated when I am doing other things, thinking and observing.