Arrg.
The latest development of spamming takes the form of blog comment spammers.... Must...delete spam comments.

Unbiased Hurricanes, Biased Politics
President George W. Bush cannot please the American people. He was accused of doing too little, too late for Hurricane Katrina and now a political pundit warns that Bush has done too much to prepare for Hurricane Rita and runs the risk of being a "political opportunist." When did learning and adapting become bad form?

I spoke with a physician from Japan. He said the Japanese media heard & reported that the Bush administration acted racist in its response to Katrina. He asked me if that was true. I look at the diverse Bush cabinet and think, "No way is he racist." The slow response was a fact of being unprepared. Because Katrina did not make a direct hit to New Orleans; people did not expect the storm surges to be so large, so devastating. A WGN radio announcer noted how ridiculous it was to make the blacks victims of racism when most of the people in power in Louisiana and Mississippi are black; the mayor of New Orleans is black. The New Orleans buses were available to evacuate people before the storm but they were not used. What about the non-black people in New Orleans; they did not receive any better, faster treatment.

Stupid Jesse Jackson: is he always a provocateur? And Kanye West, why?... I expected more from Kanye, very stupid me; he has a reputation for being cocky. [Truth is, the "fewer" half of the nation that lost the 2004 presidential election will not change overnight (or over a year) to accepting the re-elected president. This is just another chance to gripe.] Who is the real political opportunist? Such racism accusations have given misleading fodder for the national and international media to chew on. It was ugly enough with reports of looting and shooting at helicopters.

At home, I am thankful and warmed by our nation's generosity in response to these disasters. Let us be thankful that there were fewer injuries and deaths with Rita, but the suffering is disheartening. It's not going to be over for a long while. Please keep the hurricane victims and relief workers in prayer. Humans are weak, needy, small creatures ... "waves tossed in the ocean, vapors in the wind" (where's that from?). One cannot over prepared for natural disasters.

The Silencing Effect of Money
Since China entered the WTO, it has reverted back to or continued in its ways of human rights violations and information control. Now that so many companies have stakes in this sizzling hot economy, foreign investors seem willing to overlook the wrong done for the sake of money. This superficial layer of progress disguises the fact that China is still a communist government with an extensive secret police network that monitors and disciplines its people's devotion to the Party. I myself was fooled and enchanted by the current boom to mistake economic progress for moral progress.

I suspect the irony to this is that all the money, technology, training, and intelligence that other nations pour into China now, will be taken; and eventually the Chinese will discard foreign ties and become competitors against the very companies helping them now. The Chinese have more engineers graduating each year than the United States does; they have a longer history of producing business men and women; they are able to draw from the world's largest body of manpower; and the people are willing to work harder, longer, for less return. China is too shrewd to completely sever foreign ties-- they still need distributors in other countries; this may be a small issue since China's largest market will probably be its own citizens. For now it may look like history repeating the Spheres of Influence, but this time China is dictating its future and its people.

Skybox!
Yesterday, I went to a White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians game in the Diamond Suite at Comiskey Park (AKA U.S. Cellular Field) courtesy of a friend's farewell party. Awesome view of the field. Sorry, I don't have a picture of the view. Sadly, the Sox lost 7-0 that day but they're still ahead by 2 1/2 games. The Sox hit a ridiculous amount of pop-up fly's (correct term?), an average of 2 an inning I suspect. That did them in. Cleveland should change it's logo... it's a stereotypical goofy red faced caricature representing an American Indian. I still had a good time; just nice to be at a game. This was my 1st night game, 1st skybox game.

Sharp or Dull

Knicked myself while chopping vegetables. A dull knife slips more easily, but a sharp knife cuts cleaner and deeper. Which would you risk?

Prius mimic?

At first glance the 2006 Honda Civic Si looks

inspired by the Toyota Prius (lower image), as the Civic also shows a shallow sloping transition from windshield to hood though not as severe as Prius. The Prius still has more of a teardrop contour. Take the 2006 Civic Hybrid and you have the sibling to the Prius.

Why does new Civic logo have a backwards C? To create a visual palindrome?

Scorched Earth
Here's an appropriately titled article Power-dressing man leaves trail of destruction.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare composed poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper, who did his job well.'"

The corresponding verse in the Bible would be, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Nano, nano!

The next generation coolest MP3 player to date was unleashed on Sept. 7. Weighing in at 1.5 oz. (42 g), bearing tiny dimensions of 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.27", but fully functional as a color photo iPod -- now the case for all iPods with displays -- the iPod nano is definitely hot.

Sony, Nokia, and Samsung each have seperately announced plans to absolutely dominate the MP3 player market (i.e. overtake Apple's 80% market) within the next 3-5 years, but Apple makes it hard for them to beat. Offer the highest possible features that technology allows with an intuitive friendly interface and people are willing to buy it or at least desire it. The steep cost does not dampen the wanting if it is (or is marketed as) the best possible item out there.

Our ability to compartmentalize is evident everywhere as demonstrated by the Apple website which currently shows a large photo of the iPod nano (held between the thumb and index finger in all its sleekness) and a tiny blip on the bottom saying "Hurricane relief. Donate in iTunes + Support the American Red Cross." Business goes on.

Japanese Lesson 1
Of late, I've been learning a lot about Japanese culture from Japanese physicians visiting from Japan. In terms of religion it seems like it is at best a cultural exercise. Though I have a small sample size, I draw from the generalizations that these physicians provide themselves. Whether Shintoism or Buddhism, many Japanese know little about their "national" religions. The other alternative is they're feigning ignorance because religious devoutness is strange anywhere in the secular world, especially among the highly educated. From the surface the Japanese claim no religion. Yet before they eat a meal they sometimes put their hands together and say "Itadakimasu," which they tell me is a prayer of thanks. But thanks to whom? It is unclear to them. One suggests that it's perhaps thanking the provider of the food (i.e. farmer or chef). Another says they don't know but it's just tradition.

Going back to the comment about feigning ignorance, maybe it is true ignorance. Most U.S.-grown Americans know little about Christianity and relegate Bible stories to mythology.

Evolution vs. "Intelligent Design"
Many people who have had higher education look down upon religion ("opium for the masses"). An exception lies among the exceedingly smart astrophysicists. There seems to be a significant number of them who believe in God -- the Christian God. This is interesting considering these scientists study the origins and composition of the universe at the highest levels. This recognition of a creator may be motivated by the grandness of the universe-in-balance or the incomprehsible orchestration of it's formation.

In contrast, many anthropologists and biologists form a stronghold of atheism because the existence of a god threatens their beloved theory of evolution. The irony is neither astrophysicists nor biologists have rigorous scientific explanations of the origin of the universe or the origin of life; but many have taken opposite sides.