I don't mean to turn this blog into a media watch, but I found the following interesting. As you may know, a number of civilians were killed when they approached in a car to a US checkpoint today.

NY Times have an article on it, mostly parroting what was said by official briefing. Washington Post's article features on the scene interviews with the American soldiers involved in the incident, and their version is quite different from the sterilized official Army version. Even the number of dead is significantly different.

Here is a very gripping article written by a British reporters on the scene at Nasraya on last last Sunday, describing in vivid detail the battle during which many Marine died.

Here is a interesting and brief summary of history of modern Iraq. As long as we are at war, we may as well know a little bit of the history of the people we are fighting. I am ashamed to say that all these time I didn't know anything about Iraq pre-1991.

Andrew, in response to your question regarding malpractice insurance, yes the system of malpractice insurance is quite different here in Canada then it is in the US. One of my tutors told us all about how it works in Ontario (I think the other provinces are similar, but maybe a little different on the specifics). Essentially, all doctors working in Canada pay money into a fund that gets redistributed in the event of malpractice. The amount you put into the fund is variable, depending on the risks associated with your particular specialty. However, once are a paying member of this fund, the fund agrees to cover you for all malpracitce fees, no limitations to awards, penalties, etc (I believe that if you foul up badly a few times, then your status will be reviewed and possibly withdrawn, but it is not nearly as stringent as US). The fund itself is actually run by the doctors who put the money in which might explain why it is much more forgiving. All in all, it is a very good system. The doctor who was talking to me about it is in Ob/Gyn, where the risks for malpractice are very high. He's been offered many jobs in the US, but they all put a cap on how much his malpractice insurance will pay him, somewhere in the 3, 4 milion dollar range I believe. Here in Canada, while he has to pay substantial dues, he is nonetheless far better off.

A random thing about the war. British newspapers reported that Sir Galahad, the aid ship that has just docked in Umm Quasar, actually half of its load is arms/ammunition, the other half load is humanatarian aid. I was surprised, since the media has given the impression that this is purely an aid ship. I find it somewhat disingenuous as they've been using this ship as a example of their urgent desire to help civilians, while totally neglected to mention that it's just important as a military supply ship.

That's a interesting post, Trineesh. I think this linguisitc divide is part of the effort to alienize(word?) the Other Side that's present in all conflicts. The definitions of jihad and crusade, at least as used in public discussions, do seem very similar. I think the word "jihad" wasn't translated to "crusade" because "crusade" was regarded as something noble and good and exclusively the right of the West. To equate "jihad" to "crusade" is to negate the moral/spiritual superiority felt by the whole Christiandom toward Islam.

While I believe Saddam at least had WMD until recently, I don't accept the presence of chemical suits as the smoking gun. I dont' think mounting casualty will cause quick over-turn of public opinion. It's just my hunch that people are able to stomach lots of war dead as long as they think they are doing a necessary thing. I think it's possible Saddam may eventually provide some support for anti-US terrorist, but I haven't seen any evidence to be positive. Besides, if Saddam wish to stay in power, wouldn't it be counter-productive to yank the tail of the bull?

I think the public's support of the war will hold as long as they can believe it serve a important (to America) cause. So far Bush has been able to sell the war to the public as a necessary preemptive strike against the imminent dangers posed by Saddam. On street interviews, I hear a common sentiment in pro-war people:"You gotta trust the president." I take that as meaning: "I don't know exactly why Saddam is such a big threat, but I must have faith in Our Dear Leader." I think if US can claim that they found WMD in Iraq, public opinion will be mollified somewhat.

But if I were Saddam, I would probably destroy WMD before the war starts so that no matter what happens American war will be seen as totally futile and cruel. But I am not a Mustioched Mesopotamian Meglomaniac, so the supposition maybe moot.

btw, while I see on CNN many US cities have huge war protest, LA seems pretty quiet throughout the war so far.

Just saw the news of suicide bomber killing 5 US soldiers. This war is making me more and more sick by the minute.

Just saw a very good movie: He2 ni2 zai4 yi4 qi3 (Together) I am too tired to give a plot summary, so I lifted the following summary from a website:

Together is a coming-of-age tale woven together with the harmony and intensity of a complex musical orchestration. Xiaochun is a 13-year-old boy, a talented violinist who lives with his father in a small, provincial Chinese city. Shy and sensitive, music is his way of expressing his feelings. Xiaochun’s sweet-natured father wants the best for him, so they move to immense, metropolitan Beijing so that Xiaochun can audition for a prestigious music school and take lessons that befit his talent. But Xiaochun’s new world is unlike any he’s known. He meets new and demanding teachers, discovers true friendship, falls in love for the first time, learns how painful love can be, and comes to understand the true meaning of music. With his world splitting in two and everyone telling him what they want for him, Xiaochun has to figure out what he wants for himself.

In a nutshell, it's a very touching story, and the characters are interesting and as a bonus, it is filled with beauitful music. My parents, after seeing this movie, took the unprecedented step of mailing the VCD to me. So I guess you can say this movie bear the stamp of approval of the entire Shi/Wang family. Anyway, the movie is coming out in America in May. Now must sleep.

Okay, let me make my best efforts to ensure that the blog does not become Tom's personal stomping grounds. Interesting occurence in class today. We had a lecturer come in to give class on smoking: treatment and prevention. What made this class interesting, was that the doctor giving the talk works for a drug company, Glaxxo Welcome, that sells Zyban, a drug that helps people stop smoking. It was a completely ridiculous 2 hour lecture. Essentailly a sales pitch that did its best to zero in on medical students weaknesses. For instance, the doctor kept harping on how evil cigarette smoking is, and how anybody who smokes must be due to manipulation of the tobacco companies. Of course, this is an oversimplifcation, but he kept stressing it, I believe in an attempt to generate a feeling of self righetousness and responsbility amongst the med school class. Then at the end, he presents a group of different drugs, of which Zyban is one of them. I wish I could go on about this lecture, but I really must sleep now. However, I do not like the idea of corporate enttities encroaching on the sancitty of the classroom. There is a place for everything, and that is not it.

By the way, I was about to go to sleep and instead stayed up extra 20 min just now watching the shockwave WW2.5 from previous post.

This game is absoutlye hilarious.

There is a interesting program on PBS: Becoming American: the Chinese American Experience. Right now, the author Gish Jen is talking about the presures of growing up in a Chinese immigrant family.

Something odd, but not very. I am sure you've heard the Fedayeen paramilitary force that's harrassing American forces. It sounded familiar, then I realized it is also the name of the elite Fremen bodyguard/commando unit for Paul Muad'dib in that great sci-fi novel: Dune. It's known that Dune had lots of Arabic influences, even Muad'Dib is a Arabic name, but I was a bit surprised to see one of its terminology popping up in reality.

Now, let's hope these Fedayeen won't discover the Wierding Way.

Poll response: Yes, I am somewhat surprised by how slow the war is going. While I didn't exactly expect the Iraquis (did I spell that right) to come out with white flags raised, I am surprised by the level of the resistance. However, on flip side, it should be noted that even this "slow, protracted, drawn out" war that we keep hearing about is barely a week old.

Cough! A bit dead in here, isn't it?

I like to conduct a informal poll: Is the war going signficantly slower than you expected?
I have to say yes. I thought it would be pretty quick until they get to Bahgdad.

In NBA matters, tonight is the Rockets Laker game, so my usual anti-Laker sentiments will be raised another notch. NBA has been promoting the game as Shaq vs.Yao, reminascent of epics like "Godzilla vs. Gamera." Hopefully the game will live up to its monster billing.

Who would have figured that given March Madness, Cornell would be featured on the front page of the NCAA sports page on ESPN.com

(If it's changed, screenshot here)

This is kinda funny, China remind US of the address of its embassy in Bagdad.

About the casualty story, I think even if the dead starts pile up, government have no choice but to keep on fighting. If they stop, how can they justify the deaths of American soldiers, let alone the civilian deaths?

North Korea has the added wrinkle of having nukes already, according to CIA. Plus, they have at least 1 million soldiers and better missiles and a population that seems still largely in thrall to their Dear Leader, where as Iraq has 200 hundred thousand troops, and at least the majority Shiites have no love for Saddam. Plus, I don't think South Korea will ever consider offensive action against the North.

Here is a site to satisfy the little war-monger within all of us. Summaries of various country's military.

Hmm, are we gonna start another debate on race? Just can't get away from them.

But anyway, I can live with being Bonzi Wells. I used to like him but then it turns out he is an asshole in terms of behavior. But if that's what it takes to be compared to a NBA player, I will gladly spit in people's faces.

Come on, it's not fair to assign Brad to Jud Buchelor. I think he is more a Kurt Rambis type.

I am just amused that in the twisted world of Cornell intramurals, the Chinese take on the role of the black guys. Obviously, the team with the more Chiense, i mean Black guys, would win the theoretical matchup!

Chris, you make an interesting point. I definitely think there is this perception in the US now that war is neat and tidy, a lot of which is attributed to technological advances. However, I question how much of this idea is due to actual technolgocial advances and how much is due to the government/media's attempts to make the technological advances seem far more substnatial than they are (ie. strategic missle defence system). Undoubtedly, a lot of this is still fallout from the Vietnam conflict, which showed that US popular opinion no longer supports long, bloody wars fought on foreign soil, hence the need for tidy, no-casulaty wars.

As Trineesh alludes to with the Rwanda situation, while on the one hand we like to think wars are neat, tidy and bloodless, in actuality the technology that exists now enables us to have far greater potential for bloodshed than at any other time in world history. A somewhat dangerous popular misconception.

I forgot, somebody should tell Michael Moore that his award is "fictitious" too. People watch entertainment to escape reality, too bad he had to ruin it.

Well, the "'nuff said" was open to interpretation. It might have been better to quantify that comment. I took it as another attempt to show the hypocrisy of the administration, which I concur is very apparent, but another example could have been used such as the fact they're talking about trying Saddam in the International Courts when the they already chose ignored the international community. Sorry about getting on your case there. Propoganda tactics get to me since it exposes the ignorance of people, whether it's Bush blabbering about "Saddam is losing control" or the Iraqi saying "We 'Shocked and Awed' the US" because some idiot decided to toss a few grenades into his superior's tent.

My boycott was over when the war started because I knew there would be no more coverage of the endless bickering, especially from the French, which annoyed me to hell.

I will cut Hsu a break this time since I do not want to suffer an aneurysm, especially with a midterm in two days.

Hi George, good to hear a response.

I made the "nuff said" comment because Rumsfield's statement suggesting that media photographing of POWs is not allowed under international law is ridiculous. I don't mean to defend Iraqi government, but I fail to see why the video footage have you so angry. Granted, I haven't seen the Iraq government footage, but as far as I can tell from the text descriptions, it doesn't seem to be the most horrible thing in context of a war. As for the close-ups of dead soldiers, I don't see what's wrong with it except for the trauma for the families who may see it. I think CNN has refrained from showing any bodies, or any blood at all from either side, in order to not upset the viewers. That's a defensible but also questionable decision.

Who are these disgusting ones who use deaths of GIs to criticize Bush? The only case I know is the father of one of the killed Marines.
You say that government refrain from showing those videos because of their conscience, that may very well be true. I personally don't know what Rumsfield is thinking on that matter, so he may very well have a strong empathy toward the families of the captured. But all government are always reluctant to let the public see their war dead for obvious reasons, so I hesitate to put the government on the moral high ground on this issue.

Lastly, I do support the troops, but thanks for reminding me.

So you are no longer boycotting news?

For Chris: on espn.com, on the main page, where they run the photos daily, there is a picture of Michael Chang, from his match with Agassi yesterday. Thought you'd enjoy it.

As for this discussion that is taking place about war crimes, obviously the United States does not care if it violates minor parts of the Geneva convention, considering they have started an aggresive war and in the process, violated UN Charter which represents international law which they are sworn to uphold. So, since we are on the subject of war crimes, if there was any justice in this world, then Bush, Powell, Cheney and Rumsfeld should all be rounded up the way Hitler's subordinates Herman Goerring and company were at Nuremberg and tried accordingly. But since clearly, there is no justice, I am going to go back and read about NCAA basketball.

FUD. I'm sorry Tom, but I don't remember seeing the free media showing footage of POWs undergoing forced interrogations or close-ups of dead soldiers after they've been shot in the head. If anything, the US media shows our troops rounding up the Iraqi POWs, giving them water, and treating them humanely because all hell would break loose if they did otherwise.

It's disgusting to know that there are some who would use the deaths of US soldiers to criticize the administration. Even the government doesn't sink that low (they could easily drum up more support by having those videos shown in their entirety to the general public, but they haven't because they at least have a conscience). Support the troops, regardless of your stance on policy.

And if appears that Iraqi division didin't officially surrender, according to Washington Post.

"U.S. and British ground commanders hoped their push into Basra would be easier after two Iraqi officers, thought to be the commander and deputy commander of Iraq's 51st Mechanized Infantry Division, surrendered at the dusty border town of Safwan on Friday. But today, U.S. officers said they believe the two men are merely battalion or brigade officers whose decision to give up did not mean the entire division was laying down its arms."

From a news article:

"Appearing on CBS television, Rumsfeld was shown the footage of the captured soldiers.

"That's a violation of the Geneva Convention, those pictures you showed," he said of the international law on treatment of prisoners of war, which he said prohibits the photographing or interrogation by media of those captured in battle.

Pictures of Iraqi soldiers surrendering to U.S.-led forces in that last few days have been features prominently on U.S. television and in newspapers. "

'nuff said.

Word has it that the overtime game winning goal is the #1 Play of the Day on Sportscenter today. Having watched the game on TV (time delayed), I have to say that the shot was very nice.

Here's some fun video for you guys...

Feb. 15 NYC Protester Interviews

Mar. 19 SF Protester Interviews

Model Minority...Ha!

CORNELL WINS ECAC HOCKEY!

My god, what a ride. I was listening to the game (www.ecac.com) and it was fine until the third period. Cornell was up 1-0. Then Hahvahd scored an equalizer...then another one to make it 2-1 with about 4 minutes left. I was starting to feel sick, but I stuck with it. 30 seconds left, I believe a 6-5, Cornell scores! Then in overtime, Cornell wins the game a few minutes in! Go Big Red!

One of our wrestlers won the national championship too.

Once again, I must disagree, Gosford Park was very enjoyable.

Here is a interesting blog, supposedly done by a Iraqi guy currently living in Bagdad. Of course, you maybe skeptical of its genuineness. But it seems like the real McCoy.

Finally a free moment. Thought I'd comment on what has been transpiring in the Middle East of late. I agree with Trineesh, the UN is still a relevant organization, although probably not as relevant as it would like to be. As well, I feel France has bungled their position. For them to say, well, if nuclear weapons are found, then we will join in the war effort, is tantamount to saying that the ends justfies the means. If this was what they believed in, they should have jumped in right away. I mean, if you're going to argue that you need a UN resolution, then wait for a frigging resolution already! It is just international diplomacy at its most inane.

Anyways, enough rambling about that. Since it is March Madness, I have been turning into cnnsi, espn, and sportsline regularly the last few days. I am very tired of hearing this crap about whether sports needs to go on in times of war. It is absurd that the NCAA feels the need to go and consult with the white house as to whether to move the tournament dates or not. It is as if people feel that sports has some special right that it should be postponed in times of war. I don't hear anybody sounding alarms that all blue collar employees should take the day off, or that restaruants should close, or that they shouldn't show movies, etc. etc. In any case, another example of sports exhibiting a fat head.

In fact, given the absurdities of this war, I am tempted to say that the white house should contact the NCAA and schedule the war so it doesn't interfere with my basketball programming.

For the record, there will never be a second time round for Mullholland Drive for me. The same goes for Gosford Park. Blah!

Word to the wise: Never use your mouth to hold the cap of a Sharpie because if you miss when you try to re-cap the pen, you'll end up with a semi-permanent blue mustache.

Hey, Mulholland Drive was excellent the first time around for me, second time as well.

The UN became irrelevant when its member countries didn't adhere to 1441, which they themselves agreed to, and decided to conjure up new definitions for the words "ALL" and "IMMEDIATELY" to mean "as much as we feel like showing you, but we may 'accidentally' find more documents in the coming months if you happen to catch us red-handed for not handing them over previously."

Believe it or not, this blog is the sole provider of information for me since my boycott of news almost a week ago (in all forms, web, paper and tv). As long as they don't interrupt my Comedy Central with breaking news, I am all set. Ignorance is bliss.

Finally, patriotism is popping up in places where you least expect it. The Oscar Award people have said that they will forego the red carpet entrance ritual, where normally the stars pose and preen for the cameras and the crowd. The producers said this is a decision based on "expressing solidarity with the troops fighting in Iraq." In a similarly spirited gesture, Jennifer Lopez announced she is leading her 100 strong posse to Iraq as an combat platoon attached to the 101 Airborne Division. The jLO platoon will be oufitted in the desert-camouflage version of the famous Versace dress she wore at 2001 Oscars, especially mass-tailored for this patriotic occasion by Donatella Versace. US Army assigned two extra DC Heavy Lifters to carry the cargo of Pellegrino bottled water Ms. Lopez requires for the duration of the campaign.

Boy, war can stir up so much dazzling display of patriotic fervor. First, the initiative came from the top, with the renaming of French Fries to Freedom Fries. Inspiried by their representatives, members of public bought French wine and ceremoniously poured them into gutters. No doubt, extra shipments of French wine must have been imported to satiate this sport. Then that girl from Dixie Chicks badmouthed our gallant president. So the patriotic public rose to the occasion and began the boycott Dixie Chicks music. Not satsified by simple boycott, the public wished to expunge the band's music from earth. Therefore spontaneous bonfires were set up on the neighborhood sidewalks all over the nation, and CDs of the vile country band were consigned to the flames Every little bonfire a small echo of Opernplatz, Berlin 1933, that other great cleansing movement.

What do people think of the UN after all this? Is the UN truly an irrelevant organization, and perhaps more importantly, why is it irrelevant? Is it because this whole idea of granting countries veto power (in exchange for them gracing the UN witheir membership) completely undermines the whole point of democratic process? Just curious what people think.

Also, I would like to agree with Tom, I am big Kubrick fan. Andrew, I know we saw Full Metal Jacket a few years ago and it was a disgruntling experience. However, I have seen it two more times since than, and it is now my favorite war movie of all time!

I've just finished watching Barry Lyndon and feel like to jog down my thoughts on it while they are warm. I know there are quite a few Stanley Kubrick fans out there and I wonder what you guys think of it?

The movie is about the life of a 18th century Irish man who arose from humble beginnings and claw his way to nobility, only to fall in spetacular fashion. The way the movie is staged is really really spetacular, everything from cinematography, customs, sets and music are just . . . well, spetacular. Every frame in the movie can be freeze and turned into a beautiful poster.

After seeing it, I certainly agree with the greatness with which others have regarded it, but I don't think I will revisit it anytime soon. The experience of immersing oneself for three-hours into the life of Barry Lyndon is too draining. The view of human life offered by the movie is so chilly.

Allow me to gush a little about Kubrick. He wanted to make a SciFi movie and made a GREAT one. He wanted to make a horror movie and made a GREAT one. He wanted to make a three hour historical custom drama, and made a GREAT one. If Kubrick haven't convined me he was a god before, after this movie, he have. All hail Lord Stanley!

Andrew! Welcome to the League. I see it took the threat of global war for you to join us, but hey, as long as you get here.

I will add an athelete into the list.

Cleveland Cavalier basketball player Ricky Davis. Maybe you guys already know what he did. But basically, at the very end of the game in which Cavaliers is blowing out Utah, this jerk took a shot at HIS team's basket, deliberately missed and got the "offensive" rebound. The reason? He was 1 rebound shy of triple double.

See Tom, I am not the only person who thinks it is a romantic comedy! Although in all fairness, neither I nor Wally seem to have seen the movie but only read the book.

Yes, looks like war is upon us. Possibly, the world is much closer to nuclear disaster than at any point since WW2, save for the brief Cuban missle crisis perhaps. I would like to nominate another name to the list:

Tony Blair - supposed head of the Labour party, who has turned in his socialist ideals faster than could be imagined for the chance to jump into bed with the war monger Bush.

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." -- The Bhagavad-Gita, quote by Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer

the directors of the movie mentioned in the commentary that the ending is quite different from the novel. And for the record, I really liked the movie ending.

Also, it is NOT a romantic comedy.

Boy, it seems diplomacy is at end and we are going to war. I must go stock up on popcorn and gallons of coke, essential war time supplies.

I must share my favorite line from About A Boy:

A old English lady: "Sheik Arass, is he Moroccan?"

Wanna know what it means? Watch the movie.

Hmm, it IS interesting that you should mention death by mechanical pencil, for it fits the modus operandi of the Pen Stabber Murders of 1999-2002 that occurred in Corrnell vincity, mostly in Engineering Quad. Grisly crimes, the killer chose 7mm lead-bearing pens, rumored to cause much more tearing-action and pain to the victims than the 5mm models.

Interesting list, Dave. At this moment I can't think up anyone worthy of the list. I didn't know you guys used to make hit lists, how cute. So who was on your list, Chris?

Saw the movie About A Boy yesterday. Very enjoyable, highly recommended. The basic story is about a hedonistic hipster (Hugh Grant) who abhors any responsibility, emotional or career-wise, and lives extravagantly on his father's money. At the same time there is a little boy who is struggling to live with his emotionally unstable mother. By some coincidence, their lives intersect and the boy began a humorous and touching effort to get the playboy to help them. Of course, the playboy initially wanted nothing to do with them, and wish to remain a kid himself. But gradually, his humanity is drawn out by real contact with people. A light comedy drama with a good heart, and it will leave you with a feeling of benevolence to all things, a feeling liable to last until your next encounter with a statistics problem set.

I remember back in Townhouses, that Chris once started this list of people that pissed him off. I feel it is only appropriate now for the League to begin making its own hit list, if you will. Here are the rules, if you wish to nominate somebody onto the list, you must give the person's (or organization's) name, followed by at least one reason why they deserve to be listed. Nominations are binding, once a person has been nominated to the list, they will remain on the list for life, though discussion is encouraged. Finally, fellow League members cannot be listed.

In the spirit of March Madness and Selection Sunday, I will do the honours of starting off the list with some college basketball people that just piss me off!

1. Robert Wickenheiser - former President of St.Bonaventure, admitted a junior college student into his school on a welding certificate (a diploma is required by school rules) to play basketball. The sad part is, St. Bonaventure is not a basketball powerhouse, and he evidnetly was willing to compromise academic integrity for maybe a couple more wins a year, max. Stupid!

2. University of Villanova basketball team - had 7 players suspended for illegal use of phone cards in the athletic office. Incidentally, Kerry Kittles, back in 1996 at villanova was suspende for 3 games for the EXACT SAME THING. Does anybody ever learn? I can imagine the recruiting pitch they give to the visiting high school students. "come to our school and we'll let you dial long distance... free!"

3. Henry Bibby - head coach of USC basketball, and father of Mike Bibby (Sac. Kings). Father abandoned wife and son soon after Mike's birth, only to come calling again when Mike Bibby was establishing himself as top high school PG in the nation, wondering if his long estranged son would want to come play for him. STUPID!

4. Jim Harrick - head coach at Georgia. Now being investigaged for 3rd time for various rules infractions. His son, Jim Harrick Jr. was recently fired by university for giving A's to all 31 students (many of whom were basketball players) in a course he taught, but which never, ever met. Of course, dad denies all knowledge.

5. Clem Haskins - legendary Minneosta basketball coach, fired about five years ago. Legendary now because he supposedly hired people to cheat and write 400 fraudulent papers for his players over the course of 2 or 3 decades.

I read that article Dave mentioned. To me, the most disturbing statistics is that for every 1000 asian women who have husbands, only 860 asian men have wives. Doesn't that just suck? What's gonna happen to those 140 asian men? I see a huge upsurge in Buddhist Asian monk population in the future census.

And on a totally unrelated note, I am reading a fascinating biography of Buddha.

Just read an article on angryasianman.com, an article by United Press talking about the growing interracial marriage gap. Of course, this only quantifes what we have known for years.

Now, in the spirit of the article, I am now going to place an offer. $200 US to anybody Asian on this blog ($150 for BDP - to make up for statistical advantage) who takes the plunge and partakes in an interracial marriage! Go get'em team!

Watched a little bit of the Iron Chef USA on television today. I'm not sure, because Food TV Canada has a different programming schedule than its US counterpart, but I believe this was a reairing of the episodes that were made last year on UPN. In any case, the show was horrendous. For one thing, it is impossible to take William Shatner seriously while he does anything, and in general, it is very annoying having to listen to the idiotic US commentators make really pointless observations about the food. I think the Japanese show had a certain quirkiness to it which is all but overwhelemed by typical red, white and blue crassness.

In the words of that guy in O Brother Where Art Thou? "Well . . . . I am with you fellows."

I think the Bears will come to regret the day they passed up on Jake the Snake who will turn out to be the plum of the free agency market out in Denver.

I disagree with Chris's analogy, but since I have a 10-20 page paper due tomorrow at 5pm (I'm leaving from JFK at 7pm to go back to California), I cannot offer a rebuttal at this time.

In the interests of realism, consider in Chris's scenario, what would happen if Bob, because he is a much bigger student than Dul to begin with, has been asking Dul to pull down his pants everyday for an "inspection" because he is afraid Dul is carrying a knife under his pants. Bob insists that these "inspections" are for the greater safety of the school, but his exact motivations seem unclear. While this is happening, at the same time, in another part of the school, a shifty eyed Korean student (we'll call him Hwang) has been bringing guns and keeping them in his locker to everybody's knowledge. Finally, when faced with the possibility of being punished by the teachers, Bob declares that if he is punished, the teachers are precariously close to becoming "irrelevant."

I agree with Tom, I like Chris' analogy. The more I think about it, the more it shows how absurd US foreign policy is now. I am pretty sure you could get this published as an editorial somewhere if nothing else.

That's a very interesting scenairo, Chris. I have never thought about how these political events may affect the education of children. If I were the teacher, I would just say, despite what you see on TV, on a individual level, a preemptive strike will land you in jail/detention. On a broader level, I think children should be taught to not seek lessons on morality in interrnational politics, although it would be difficult to teach realpolitk to them while at the same time insist on them "do on to others as you want others do on to you." I think you should write an article about it, and try to get it published. Because I don't think anyone has really addressed this issue yet.

Am reading a book on nutrition, called Healing with Whole Food. What attracted me to this book is that it propose to introduce side by side theories from traditional Chinese medicine and modern Western molecular-biology based nutrition science. Very interesting concept, but in reality as in this book, sometimes the two make uneasy bedfellows. I've only read about 25 pages, and feels the book is uneven so far.

The author came come from the Chinese medicine background, and I was initially impressed by the hefty number of references to scientific journals. But when he suggested that we can "renew" our genes and remove their "negative programming," which he probably meant to consciously change our genomes, I was slightly concerned. Also, one of his argument against genetically modified food: vegetarians will be "horrified" to learn that there might be animal DNA in the plant they eat! The horror, the horror. . . . And his next argument quotes that eminent expert on nutrition: Charles, Prince of Wales.

Perhaps all these years of science education has jaded me, but I was left very dissatisfied with the author's amateurish scientific musings and rote recitations of journals. But still, he does a service by introducing some principles and sound advices about nutrition. I still hope to see a good synthesis of Western and traditional Chinese system some day, but it would take someone who is very well-versed in both sides, and this author is rather lacking at least in the Western science side.

Turns out my dad does have some tax software here. Quicktax, I think it is called. Evidently, makes the process very straightfoward and streamlined, although it may be just for Canadian tax returns.

As for Asian debate, I agree with both Trineesh and Tom's sentiments. And I also agree with Wally (lots of agreeing, all around) that its a problem of action, not and not reaction. Although, the specific instances Wally mentions, in the mall with Andrew and on the street in Florida, while they do represent racial incidences, do not seem to be the sort of action I am thinking. I scarcely think chewing out a homeless man, or picking a fight with a drunkard does much for the advancement of anybody's rights or well being. I think it is, a matter of picking your battles, and just being cognizant of the fact that there are battles to be fought and won.

About taxes, how about just get a tax software? That should hold a puppy's hand through the whole process. by the way, do you really want to be percieved as a puppy on this blog?

I haven't much to say about this "model minority" business. Obviously it's a patronizing stereotype and a back-handed compliment. To answer the argument. It's possible that the racism faced by Asians and blacks are different in quality. There are already built-in expectations that the Asian student is "smart but weak" while black student are "atheletic but dumb," and such expectation may leads to different performances among the races. I've yet to see any Asian community leader referring to us as "model minority," if I do, I would be majorly pissed.

Since various members of the League seem to enjoy goading me on this issue, let me take a moment to defend myself. Do I think that Asians are subject to racism in North America? Yes. Is the amount of racism Asians deal with substantial in my opinion? Yes. Is the amount of racism comparable to the racism faced by blacks or arabs today? No, but that does not make it inconsequential. Do I think that the reason so few watch anime in America has to be rooted in racism? Not particularly, but I refuse to discount that racial prejudice plays a substantial role in the perception the general public has of it as a form of entertainment.

See, the problem with Asians is that more often than not, when faced with racial insult, whether it be subtle or overt, we have been taught to grin and bear it. We refuse to admit we have truly been slighted until the evidence is so blatant and overwhelming that it cannot be ignored any further. Well, I have news for you, the evidence is out there. How is it that Phil Jackson and Shaq (beloved Lakers no less), can make comments about "hong kongnese" and "ching chong" without any reprimand? Why is it allowable for a Chinese nuclear physicist to be impounded for months with no evidence?

Most of us come from middle class backgrounds at the least, and have remained relatively unscathed by the prejudices which exist in this country. But I challenge you to go and talk to some Chinese in the lower classes, or people from previous generations and ask them about what they think about race and racial equality. These are the people who bear the brunt of the burden, and in all likilihood, will be unable to fight their own battles. It is up to us, the more fortunate ones, to raise the alarm bells and not to glance the other way and pretend that racism does not even exist.

If all this classifies me as just another angry asian man, so be it.

Here is something that was posted on the aforementioned Angry Asian Man website. Apparently a new TV show about an Asian . . . suprise. . . martial arts teacher and his teenage American students, called Black Sash. I saw the trailer, while the fighting seems promising, the other parts are potentially mind-bogglying stupid. This is so formulaic, I can imagine the studio executives in a meeting:
"Okay, martial arts are hot right now! How can we cash in on this fad?"
"Well, we are the WB channel, we must make our shows youth-oriented."
"Hmm, is there a way to have characters do kung fu in Dawson's Creek?"
"That's a stretch, but we can make a new show that combine Dawson's Creek and martial arts!"

That show, I predict, is this Black Sash.

Dont' worry Wally, Dave is too entranced in March Madness to care about Azns.

I checked out angryasianman.com. I was afraid it was a going to be a self-flagellating site that recounts every foul act committed to Asians. Well, there is some of that, but it have a lot interesting information about the happenings in Asian America. There is some persecution complex, but all done in good fun.

I just read that article Tom recommended on salon.com regarding the legless man finishing the marathon. The following line, culled directly from the article, is priceless:

This was his third time finishing the Los Angeles Marathon, although it was his slowest time.

Here is an article about a legless man who finished a long marathon. It took him weeks and he moved only by his hands. When he finished, he was met by media showers of adulation. What he did was certainly impressive. But I still feel like asking: Why? I am all for the Olympic spirit, but this seems more in the spirit of Gennesis World Record. We feel obliged to wave some pom poms and celebrate his accomplishment, but what are we exactly celebrating? That a man may do a marathon on his hands? The triumph of human spirit? More like the triumph of human desire to create pointless monuments. I just don't like the hoopla that inevitably surround things of this nature.

This wasn't my interview, but rather my friend's. He reported to me that upon choosing Hitler, the student got all flustered and attempted to explain himself, stammering that "Well, of course, what Hitler did was evil. I know that." I think his rationale for Einstein was that he really liked Physics, and then Jordan was chosen because, well, because he's Jordan.

In a little bit of League trivia, tomorrow (March 10) marks the League's 1 month birthday! Here's to many more!

If I had to answer that interview question, I would say: "There are lots of interesting characters in history, but I think most of them make terrible dinner companions, since those who managed to gets their names into history books tend to have giant-sized egos or at least a little crazy, or even worse, commit mass murders. So if my goals is to have a nice pleasant dinner, I would probably not invite any major historical characters, but instead invite some of my friends. Then top everything by having a nice slice of cheese cake."

Oddball story of the week: Last weekend, during the medical school interviews, one of the interviewees was asked the following question: if you could have a dinner with any three people from history, who would you pick and why? The student thought about it briefly and answered... "Albert Einstein, Adolf Hitler, and Michael Jordan." Perhaps he wanted to see what would happen if you put Hitler and a Jew together at the table, or maybe he is just another typical Jordan lover, clueless.

I agree that we shouldn't blame Ms Clinton on this and at the same time I do see the preferential treatment and how it upset our society's ideals of equality of opportunities. But on a practical level, to gnash our teeth about it is like raging against the tiny percentage of people who are genetically endowed with immunity against forms of cancer and AIDS.

Nice save on the "rich" issue, Brad:)

I don't think it's fair to say that Ms. Clinton has had it easy all her life too. With all the publicity surrounding her, look at all the hubub that goes on when she does something out of the norm, like a date. So what if she gets >100K a year? I would settle for half if I can live a life without attracting pesky gossip columnists.

I don't think we should begrudge Chelsea Clinton for the fact that her parents are powerful and influential, thereby paving the way for her as she prepares to enter the workforce. The fact of the matter is, that we are all, to some extent, a product of our upbringing and of our families' support. It is very rare that a person can truly be a "self made man" in the sense that they accomplished everything they did on their own. I know that if I had children, I would be donig my best to provide for them, and I don't think outsiders looking in should have a right to resent that. To that end, we should not begrudge Chelsea for the ease through which she is moving up in the world, but rather, we should let her live her life, and if we must, evaluate her life after she's had a chance to do something. What we can expect from her, is a higher level of responsbility that comes with her heightened status. Cue Spiderman theme. "With great power comes great responsibility."

Nice debate. I am ready to move on to something else.

Here is a fascinating series of article about how science and technology may one day enhance our bodies (think bionic man). The ideas discussed are not very far-fetched scientifically and in theory seems workable (according to my limited knowledge). Yet the results can be quite astounding. One especially cool section detail how by adding a extra type of cones into the eye, one could perceive colors previously unimagined by any human being.

Well, I do have my share of racist encounters, but I won't bore you guys with them. But I will say, that based on my experience, openly racist behaviors are much more apparent in children. Two reasons why: 1. As the person grow up, they realize racist behavior is frowned upon, so if they have a stake in the system, they shut up. 2. (optimist option) they actually learn to appreciate people of different cultures and races.

So what I am trying to say is that racism against Asians do exist, though to what extent I can't judge.

About that Mohammed Ali story, I think the opponent who refused to recongize his new name is actually black. I forgot his name, but in his version of the events, he was pissed off at Ali at a personal level. His story says that in the months before the fight, Ali was financially very poor because of his stance against Vietnam War, so this opponent decided to lend him some money. Ali accepted the money and then the moment he stepped out of the limo he began to ridicule the opponent to the media in his famous way. So the opponent was royally pissed about this behavior, and when Clay announced the name change to Ali, he thought it was just another flashy gimmick and felt no desire to play along with him. Of course, his refusal to recognize the new name put him in a very bad light historically.

Haha, this anime issue is turning into a hot potato! Here is my attempt to juggling it before passing it to the next person.

Here are my thoughts on Brad's opinion. Correct me if I am wrong, but your arguments seem to suggest that Anime is inherently shallow and uninteresting, and this I can't agree with. Granted, there are plenty of superfacial and cliched fares available, but highly intelligent and artistic works exist as well. All movies, animated or live-action, are celluloid fantasies projected on a white screen. We can't pretend that a over-the-top Bruce Willis action vehicle is any less a cartoon than GI JOE. On the flip side, I would say quite a few anime movies is more nuanced and sophisticated than 90% of all Hollywood live-action movies.

Plus, you say that much of anime are told with "Asian themes," which I also disagree with. First of all, the idea of "Asian themes" is travail. A sincere work of art tries to transcend cultural barriers. I've seen perhaps 2 anime series and 6 anime movies, while most of them are set in Asian societies, a lot of the themes they are concerned with are much more universal. If an audience is turned-off by "Asian themes," I see it as a failing of the audience, and not indicative of the artistic quality of the anime in question.

I think the indifference to (high-quality) anime in mainstream society is in some ways a manifestation of the generalized indifference to all foreign films. People are usually scared off by subtitles and unfamiliar cultures. But that's really their loss. If they can summon up patience and sensitivy to see beyond the different languages, customs and cinematic technique, then they will see the core stories that are not too different from those close to their own hearts.

Okay, somebody . .hot hot hot . . catch!

A few things. First of all, though Brad is correct in saying that Japanese anime like Pokemon is enjoyed by children but holds little value to most adults, his statement shows his lack of knowledge with the world of comics and animation. In Japan and the far east, unlike in North America, comics and cartoons exist not just for children's consumption, but also for adults. This is something that the comics and animation industry has never successfully tapped in the west. Comic books in Japan are as commonplace as pulp paperbacks are here on the newstands, and they target all sectors of the population through all different genres, such as romance, science fiction, etc. However, as I have limited desire to get into a nitty gritty argument over the finer points of anime, this is all I will say.

My real beef is with the statement that Brad made for the record "For the record, I don't think there exists a large degree of racial prejudice against asian males. I don't know why so many people feel the need to be in the "in" crowd when it comes to discrimination." Admittedly, I do not for a moment begin to imagine that the discrimation faced by Asians can even begin to rival that faced by the native Indians, or the blacks, or the Jews (or any other minority group that has attempted to infiltrate the supposed land of the free), but just because thousands of Chinese did not die in a holocaust, or have to suffer the disrespect of Jim Crow laws, does not make our plight any less serious and any less true.

I have many serious, analytical arguments regarding this preceeding paragraph, but my time in front of the computer grows short at present, so I will leave you for now with just one story.

I was doing volunteer work for the CNIB (the Canadian National Institue for the Blind) as part of a school project a few months ago. On the first day of the project, our group of four met with our contact person in the organization, and we spent a solid hour and a half conversing on what our project would be. At the end of that time, she turned to each of us to take down our contact information. I was first in line, so she asked me what my name was. I replied, "David." She looked at me and then rolled her eyes. Then, she said, "Come on, seriously. What is your real name?"

What is my name? What was I supposed to answer? Ching Chong from Hong Kong?

This reminds me of a Muhummad Ali story. Shortly after he changed his name from Cassius Clay, he fought an oppoenent who refused to recognize him by his new name. Throughout the fight, a bitter and enraged Ali, while swarming and destroying his overmatched foe, cruely taunted his opponent.

"What's my name? What's my name?" he shouted repeatedly, while pounding his opponent to a bloody pulp.

What's my name? Indeed.

How astute are you? (image scanned in from latest PC Magazine). This took me a good minute and a half to figure out.

But to make it fair, there's always the ignorant general public who despises anime despite the fact that as a kid, they loved anime but didn't know it. For example, shall I list some:

Thundercats
Silverhawks
Transformers
Robotech
Speed Racer
Astroboy
Mysterious Cities of Gold
G.I. Joe (same animation studio as Sailor Moon)

Interesting take on the issue, Dave. But I have some reservations about your arguments.

While I think there is some prejudice against Asian males, I don't think that's necessarily related to anime's reception in America, because I feel there is not much solid evidence pointing that way. From what I witnessed in high school and college, there are plenty of Caucasian fans of anime, although they are mostly male and fits the exterior stereotype of nerd. "Nerds," as we all know, are the social Untouchables of highschool culture who form their own cliques. So the letter-jacket wearing Brahmins can hardly be seen mixing with the wrong company. According to my observations , in America, to get into anime, usually one has to be introduced to it by friends, because it still has a low profile. If a person don't hang in the social circles where anime is being discussed, then he is a lot less likely to accept anime later. So I believe the barrier between anime fan and anime non-fan is primarily a social one, not a racial one. Perhaps I am optimist, but I believe people are predominantly motivated by social impulses for good or bad, rather than racial ones.

And to add to the irony, most of the supposed Western anime/manga fans who are proud of the fact that they lust over animated women over real world counterparts ARE the problem. I don't blame the Western public for the derision because the most vocal proponents of anime/manga are presenting a distorted image of what is actual business. If they actually took the effort to explore the Japanese culture, they would realize how misguided they really are.

Case in point (sorry Jie). These are the covers of Young Magazine from the past three weeks (I'm sure you already looked at them before reading this). "Young" comics are for the twenty-somethings, between the Boy comics and the Older Men comics. THAT's what the anime/manga business is about, not what your typical fanboy leads you to believe. It's no different that your typical sports/FHM/Maxim magazine here. So in fact, the industry isn't that different from anything else around the world in that they also use women (in the flesh) to sell. It's just the people who are superficially involved that give it a bad name.


Vol. 12


Vol. 13


Vol. 14

If any of you want pictures of the "content" of the comic books, voice your request!

Well, I think I'll take a stab at the anime issue. For starters, I'd like to preface my comments by saying that I genuinely like anime, although I am more of a manga person. However, I suspect, and correct me if I'm wrong, that this stigma that Chris speaks of refers not only to anime, but to manga as well. I like to consider myself as a conisseur of comic books and cartoons, and I don't feel that you can adequately appreciate the medium without appreciating these offerings from the far east, and I'll go as far as to argue that some of the best stuff, if not most of the best stuff being done artistically in the comic/cartoon world now are being done almost exclusively with anime and manga. However, having said all that, I agree that there is a stigma that is associated with anime (I'll use the group term here) and this stigma needs to be examined more seriously. Namely, I think the popular perception of anime, and where the stigma comes from, is from the image of prepubescent boys, hunched lustily at their keyboards, watching explicit pictures of scantily clad Japanese anime characters while getting their jollies. I think a lot of people with no knowledge of anime, especially westerners, consider anime as such, to be a "dirty" business. The irony though is that the collection of playboy magazines is in contrast, glorified in western culture. I mean, it is almost considered an American rite of passage to purchase your first Playboy (if not have it handed to you by your father). As such, the notion that westerners reject anime simply because they see it as dirty does not really work. The deeper answer, I suspect, has to do with the unerlying racism that is present in our society. The fact of the matter is that the demographic that anime appeals to most is the teenage asian male (for no other reason I suspect, than initially cultural reasons), but he is a much maligned figure in our society, and is very low on the social totem pole, if he exists on it at all. People love making fun of these people and in most cases, the asian male is too weak (physically and perhaps even intellectually) to fight back. Now, of course, in this day and age of political correctness, it is not okay to come right out and say "I think all ch!nks are [fill in the blanks]" or things to that extent, but to attack and dismiss what they value, is a far subtler, and more effective way of putting the Asian man down. Thus, skeptics of anime are not so much criticizing the art and the story telling capabilities of anime as they'd have us believe, but rather, they are attacking the asian man in general, through this part of our culture.

Whew, never thought I'd be championing the cause of anime. And I didn't even have to wRiTe LiKe diSs.

Regarding the bias against anime, I think it's pretty common, especially for people whose cultural scope are not very broad. For the majority of Americans, the stereotype is that anime is the province of immature nerds and therefore not "cool" to get close to. As for the origin of this stereotype, I think. partly is that they assume it's as shallow as GI Joe, unfit for adults. Also, it maybe a social thing. A lot of orignal fans of anime were considered "nerds." Because of this association, those who regards themselves as affliated with the "in" crowd usually never gets exposed to anime because they wouldn't think to be caught participating in any "nerdish" activities.

I don't know what's the situation with Chris' co-workers and I wonder whether they enjoy other foreign-influenced or sophisicated cultural materials. It's too bad that the future teachers are like this.

Jie! A hearty welcome to the blog family, I mean, The League.

In order to keep up the level of sophisfication of the League, I think from now on we should only discuss Greco-Roman anime.

Oh, I just saw the movie The Ring, the American version. Best horror movie since The Others.

To think that we'd be talking about anime. What blasphemy on a respectable blog such as this! The dub wasn't too bad. Just for some background info, this latest episode was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, X TV) and animation done by Madhouse Studios (X, Chobits, Cardcaptor Sakura, Jubei-chan).

The next episode, a CG eyecandy short done by Square (of Final Fantasy) will be shown as a trailer in front of the new movie based off of Stephen King's "Dreamcatcher."

all this talk about animatrix has me itching to see it! too bad i'm on a modem connection...how i miss those high speed internet days.

I would like to take a moment and concur with tom. The animatrix is some very outstanding animation work, particularly for fans of the matrix, don't miss it!

Now, on to more serious matters. today is the first day of Lent, the traditional Catholic lead up into Easter. For the sake of giving a brief lesson on world religions, essentially, this is preperatory time for Easter, and most often is accompanied with the notion of "giving up something you value that you know you shouldn't have" during this weekly period leading to Easter. So, I was thinking about what types of things I could give up this year, and I realized the flaw. I remember giving up NBA live 2000 one year, and while I was able to survive tha tmonth, I still play that game now. Indeed, I need something with more long term impact. So, to that end, I've decided to give up "caring about professional sports." Now, those of you who know me, know that this will be well nigh impossible for me, as I love nothing better than to go on a diatribe or rant about some sport league or the other. However, I have become so disillusioned with most of the major professional sports that I have decided I will no longer follow any of them. On to March Madness!

a short but warm greeting from chicago:)

Since basketball seems to be a popular topic, I'm proud announce that out of the 327 teams in Division I BBall, Columbia ranks (RPI ratings) #327! Go Lions! There's no place to go but up!

Today was what counts for a tulmultous day for me, at least working wise. Yesterday, some TA forgot to check the gas are switched off and left one station on. So this morning the students walked into a room full of gas. Soon they began to act "giddy, faint, all other weird behaviors", according to the TA who was there. A good thing no one tried to use the bunsen burner, could have blown the building to cinders! Perhaps that TA inhaled too much gas, as her long long email was pretty incoherent and mid-way she began to apologize to me for grading quizzes during lectures, something she thought I disapproves. And I thought she really lost it when she referred to my "leadership" as the Head TA.

On top of that, the Lab Director is on the war path about the gas leak thing and laid-back way we conduct this class. Our TA meetings are usually informal, relaxed. But with her participation, I feel the urge to snap my arm in salute, "Ja wol, Mein Commandant!" For a while now she had wanted to take over a larger part of the running of the class. And in today's meeting, I watched with some amusement and apprehension a tense power-struggle between the her and the professor who teach the class. One thing she insisted on was the control of the master-copy grade sheet. And this, weirdly, reminded me of Stalin's gaining control of Party personnel files when he became General Secretary, a crucial move that later helped him to cement his absolute power. In the end she insinuated that we are bunch of haphazard slobs, and the professor insinuated that she should really just butt out. I've never met anyone so fervently devoted to protocol. This person had completed two post-doctoral fellowships in immunology research and then decided research isn't her thing. Perhaps her single-mindedness is a attempt to inject more substance to her current, relatively humble post.

If you haven't heard of animatrix, you should check it out. They are pretty impressive anime shorts about stories set in the Matrix universe.

On unrelated note, the Canadian dollar has been surging of late, in response to the US economy's instability in the days leading up to war. While most of you probably couldn't care less about this, there is actually a very real connection between this and me, as my debts oustanding to Cornell, shrink accordingly everyday George W. threatens more attacks. GO DUBYA!

I bid cheers with my 2-liter Diet Coke to whatever holiday you're celebrating today!

Want to prevent war? Send email (or here) telling Saddam to leave the country. Easy as that. I'm sure that everyone's got the moveon.org petition that Brad sent out. How one sided (but not unexpected given it's from an ultra-liberal organization)! Since it's addressed to the UN, why don't they ask for increased pressure on Iraq? Why don't they urge the Iraqi ambassador to have his country be more forthcoming (Mr. Blix has even said that Iraq isn't cooperating as well as it could)? You know what? Because Iraq couldn't give a shit about world opinion. And so, given that it's useless talking to deaf ears, the anti-war protesters take cheap shots at the easiest target, Pres. Bush. It's all about moderation. In conflict, both sides are right and both sides are wrong, and both sides must be considered. Blind bias is just a sign of ignorance.

So I find myself blogging for the record 4th time today.

I see Brad's idea is much pilloried on all sides and feel maybe it's misunderstood. The way I understand it, I don't think he is advocating some sort of a official ban on oil, but rather, a grass-root, citizen-protest sort of thing. I think it has merit, but in practice not particularly feasible.

In order to generate enough pressure to cause possible shifts in government policy, a good number of people must participate and sustain the effort over a period of time. I feel it's extremely unlikely to get a large number of Americans to give up car-driving. Plus, Bush seems bend on having his war, and he can't stop now without looking totally a wimp to other countries. War seem pretty much a certainty.

p.s. I actually read somewhere that U.S. in the last couple of years was still the biggest importer of Iraqi oil. Can anyone confirm this?

I agree with Chris here, i doubt anybody in Washington/the UN/Baghdad/anywhere where any decision making is taking place, cared much about the Greek readings today. Also, I will point out that like Tom, I do not consume much oil. I think we'd all be better off if we all followed Lance Armstrong's example and bicycled around and took public transportation. These days, I have been walking or taking the bus to class, and also carpooling or taking trains back to Toronto. Now, you may just accuse me of living the cheap, poor student lifestyle of somebody who doesn't own a car, but I say that I am just being environmentally concious. I will say, I wish there were an alternate to the issue of oil, but I would like to point out that we live in a royally scrwed up society, where in fact, bottled water (in some cases bottled tap water) costs more per litre than gasoline and is subject to less stringent government regulation than the tap water we get. With all the fuss raised over oil in the middle east, imagine what will happen one day when the world has a water shortage, and the only people left with water are the middle east, protecting al lthe water that has been stored in various cacti over the centuries. Of course, this will cause the US to develop new "smart bombs." Weapons designed to harm all civilian and military life forms - except Cacti.

In a similar vein and on a more serious note, as a public service announcement, I don't know if any of you guys pratice this, but recent studies show that plastic mineral water bottles (like evian) are not designed to be used more than once and if you do use them over and over, the plastic begins to slough off and you start drinking toxic stuff in, so remember, don't reuse!

Damn, Chris beat me to it...or at least something along the lines of it. Let's say we just boycott Iraq and it's oil, right? That's what we want, right? Now, what do you think that's going to do to the country? What are they going to export, sand? Their economy will go to the shitz => death of women and children from starvation. They need to sell oil as much as we need to buy it. Look, if we wanted oil, we could just open up a hole in the north and get it ourselves. To hell with Iraq. But what comes after it? A country that doesn't have anything to export will start doing nasty stuff. Just look at North Korea.

I can't help but notice that the last three posts all contain some Greco-Roman related elements. When did we all go classical?

I personally don't consume much oil, except a little bit of the olive variety. In fact I believe it is indeed healthy to minimize the use of oil and other unsaturated fat in our lives. So I whole-heartedly throw my weight behind Brad's motion, at the same time urge a similiar campaign against gasoline, which, I have to say after much experiments in various cousine styles, is neither healthy nor tasty.

Actually, maybe the ancient Greek guys' war-like tendencies were more due to lack of sex rather than a surfeit of it.

An random but interesting tidbit of history I learned today. It seems the Romans and the Chinese did manage to contact each other brieftly. On 166 AD, envoys from Emperor Marcus Aurelius (the one in Gladiator) reached Han Dynasty China and established a embassy there. But the contact was brief because the Persians tried hard to keep them away from each other.

p.s. good idea, Brad, though I am not sanguine about participation and it seems Bush is banking on a quick war anway.

Looks like Turkey is not going to allow GIs in after all. Ah, those mischevious Turks. I wonder what's gonna happen to the war plan with this new development. The newspaper kept saying that the Invasion will occur in Mid-March. Okay, I can't help it . . . . tell Saddam: Beware the Ides of March!

On a lighter note, another celebrity appeared in my dreams. This time it's Jennifer Lopez. In the dream, she was participating in some kind of celebrity Big Brother TV show, and was acting like a bitch. Beyond that, I don't remember. I think this proximity to Hollywood has really gone into my head.

Here is a intersting story about how bunch of a senators grilled Hamid Karzai last week, I find the arrogance pretty incredible.

Of course, the contexts of the events of 9/11 and Dresden are quite different, as Chris points out. I am however, inclinded to think that there is more in common between the two then most people are willing to admit, namely the senseless murdering of a mass amount of civilians. Of course, murder is almost always senseless, but if one were to pick maybe 5 of the most unnecessary acts of genocide on a mass scale in the last hundred years, i daresay that those two events, along with the regime of Pol Potts, the Holocaust, Atom bombs, and a couple others, would probably all be on the list. I guess the point I am making is that you run a risk by trying to isolate Dresden and 9/11 by themselves, when the problem of this sort of occurrence is actually quite a lot more common in history than you might initiallly think.

On a lighter note, I have been battling a dreadful cold all weekend. It has left me with a sore throat, tired, achy muscles, grumpy and generally unpleasant to be around. I will be going to bed soon, on that note.

Here is a question that I have given thought.

I was reading a book review about a book on how America is percieved around the globe. The reviewer was some esteemed professor of social science. At one point the author of the book compared the 9/11 attack to the Allied's Dresden Firebombing during WWII. The reviewer threw a hissy fit over this comparision, exclaiming how outrageous it is.

But after thinking a little about it, I feel that the two events does share some fundamental similarities that can't be cursorily dismissed. In essence, they are both designed to inflict huge number of civilian deaths in order to destroy the morale of the enemy nation, in other words, the creation of mass terror. So it seem to me it is legitmate to consider the two events in the same breath. What do you guys think?

That Game 2 is destined to forever haunt our imagination. I have a feeling that when we are wheezing old men we will still spoke wistfully about that piece of unfinished business. And it's probably as wheezing old men we will get the time to finish the game, somewhere in a retirement community in Florida.