Immigration in the World

Contrary to what most French people seem to think (that most of the immigrants in their country are from Africa), most of the immigrants are actually from other parts of Europe:

I guess it's only because skin color is more noticeable than linguistic differences that the mass public believes otherwise.

Today's Random Picture:
The breads of France: Mapping out the specialties of each region

Vancouver Winter Olmpics 2010

Lately I've been staying up until the wee hours of the morning to watch the Winter Olympics. Since the games this year are in Vancouver and since I'm in France this year, this means a 9-hour time difference so I've been awake until 6a.m. in the morning to watch some matches/performances. Last night, I watched the U.S. vs. Norway (Men) and U.S. vs. Finland (Women) hockey games and it really made me miss playing it... not to mention that 1 player on the men's Olympic team and 5 women from the women's Olympic team are UW-Madison alumni! WOO, Wisconsin represent! Snowboarding was fun to watch as well, but since I had a chance to board a couple weeks ago, I'm not as nostalgic for it. Ice hockey, on the other hand, I haven't played in over 5 years. Too bad the equipment is really expensive and I know of no intramural hockey teams in Strasbourg.

What I will comment on, actually, is figure skating. My mom is a huge fan of figure skating. As a child, I learned how to ice skate when I was 3 and my mom tried to direct me toward figure skating. The ultimate tomboy, even at this early age, preferring toy trains and Lego®s instead of stuffed animals and dolls, I took no interest on my own. Instead, I took up skateboarding a couple years later, to my mother's horror. She then made me quit and forced me into ballet classes, in hopes of them somehow inspiring me to combine ballet and ice skating to become an interest in figure skating. The only thing ballet inspired me to do was to start playing soccer, basketball, and track in order to compensate for the humiliating pink leotard I had to wear for ballet. Still, I woke up from my nap to watch the men's figure skating finals "with my mom" (I was on the phone with her while watching). It's a Winter Olympic tradition that we've developed over the years, almost as a way of compensating for the fact that the only sport I played on ice was ice hockey, I watch figure skating with my mom every 4 years.

I must say, what man decided that jumping up, doing some twirls in the air, then landing on one foot should become a sport? And what man would think that spinning around on ice in a graceful manner was remotely masculine? I'm an equalist in that I believe men and women are equal in every way, but that doesn't mean that I don't have certain standards for masculinity that men should have. For instance, I would never date a male figure skater. They're so thin, flexible... and, I have to say, I think they're all too feminine. Not surprisingly, some figure skaters are flamboyantly homosexual. I thought that the Russian skate, Evgeniy Plushenko, was gay with violinist Edvin Marton. Why? Well, Edvin Marton composes songs specially for Plushenko's skating programs and they're purportedly good friends. I just thought "friends" implied they were boyfriends, but I was wrong. Edvin Marton is dates a girl practically half his age and Plushenko got married (to a woman) last year. Still, when I see images like this:

You can't blame me for thinking he might, you know, "swing the other way" so to speak. I have nothing against gay figure skaters. I'd love to have a gay best friend and my favorite male skater, if I had to choose one, is Johnny Weir, who's pretty obviously gay:

I mean, what "straight" man would pose in high heels like this, right? While I was watching the competition with my mom on the other line, there was one skater from Japan, Nobunari ODA, who, according to the announcer, was a direct descendant of the Japanese daimyo ODA Nobunaga, who is often credited with being one of the major players in the unification of Japan. That made me think what would the famous Japanese warlord think of his descendant being a figure skater, pulling tricks like this:

Ok, ok, I'll stop now. I'm not hating on the male figure skaters, but you have to admit, it's not very masculine. Would YOU date a male figure skating knowing he probably eats less, is thinner, more graceful, and more flexible than you are? Just ask yourself that before hating me. I personally couldn't do it. On the ice, I'm more familiar with ramming other players into the side of the rink, fighting for a small puck, slapping that around on ice having it fly at 71+mph (113+km/h). Besides, I think I'd develop some sort of complex if I were to date a guy thinner than me, but maybe that's just me.

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are a Two Dollar Bill

You are a very quirky character. In fact, you're so weird that you've got some people doubting your authenticity. You may not have a lot of money, but you certainly make up for it with creativity and downright wackiness. You are very resourceful. You're the type of person who is able to barter their way up from a penny to a million dollars.   You don't need money as long as you've got your wits. For people like you, money is practically irrelevant.

What Dollar Bill Are You?

Unofficial American Embassy

What is the unofficial American embassy? What is the symbol of America that you have find in nearly every country in the world? Where would I go if I were stranded with no money and felt homesick? What place has a location on every habitable continent in all developed or developing countries? McDonald's. Not to eat there, of course, I stopped eating fast food years ago, but the comforting roof of the golden arches is like being back home in America, or at least, the closest thing you can get if you can't cook up your own comfort foods. I go there just for the WiFi sometimes, since there's a McDonald's just a 5-minute walk from my apartment here in Strasbourg. All McDonald's in France seem to offer free WiFi, which is nice.
I go because I can't study in my room and the library is sometimes too stiff. Cafés are nice, but I don't want to pay 3€ for a coffee and stay for a few hours and try to avoid the waitstaff's scrutinizing glares. McDonald's staff doesn't seem to care whether I buy something or not, so I usually go upstairs, find a quiet corner by the window, read, study, and whatnot when I feel I need to get away from my apartment or the library. And if I do have to buy something someday, a coffee would be just 1€, compared to the 3+€ coffees offered by other places.

French people do seem to eat there. The place gets rather crowded during lunch and dinner hours. It's especially busy on Sundays since most other stores close here in France while McDonald's, keeping up the American tradition, stays open 7 days a week, though here in Strasbourg, there are no 24-hour McDonald's. The latest one stays open until 11p.m., though.
Going off on a tangent, this map shows you basically where all the people live in the contiguous U.S. The more McDonald's there are, the brighter the concentration of lit areas, meaning there are more people there. The Western half of the Midwest and the Southwest are quite clearly sparsely populated, noting the lack of McDonald's =)

Today's Random Picture:
Apparently, McDonald's isn't doing so well in New Zealand and so, this is a promotional tray liner, with a fry shaped like the New Zealand archipelago.

Zest for Life

I've pulled through my homesick phase, my confused phase, my regret phase, and now, I'm recovering my usual zest for life. There have been a few changes in my life in the past couple of months. First of all, I'm not going to stay in France for the second year since my program is not teaching my anything new. Basically I sit in class thinking "Tell me something I don't know", since all my classes just teach me everything I've already learned, except in a different language. For a while, I felt like coming here was the biggest mistake I've made so far in my life, which was hard for me to admit. My love for a language injured my academic journey, setting me back a couple of years.

In my search for another program, I've discovered several programs that interest me in Finland, Turkey, Estonia, S. Africa, Norway, Slovenia, UK, and due to my mother's incessant insistence, the U.S. Due to language limitations, my only options now are S. Africa, the UK, or the U.S. and I've already completed my applications over the past week. I will have effectively lost 2 years of my life in terms of academic progress if I choose to go to S. Africa or the U.S., though the UK program rewards a MA after one year. Still, I try not to think of it as a year wasted and thus, two years of my life lost. Instead, I think of it as a life experience. Living abroad for a year, perfecting my favorite language and improving another (German) while meeting new people and experiencing new things... not so much a waste of time if you take things from that perspective.

There are still a lot of things I want to do in my life, but I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on myself in terms of "losing" a year in France. I'm still only 22 and the world is my oyster. Besides, there is so much to be thankful for in life. As my favorite childhood book's author Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote: "There is so much in the world for us all if we only have the eyes to see it, and the heart to love it, and the hand to gather it to ourselves -- so much in men and women, so much in art and literature, so much everywhere in which to delight, and for which to be thankful." With this, and many other mantras I like to surround myself with, I think I can continue living happily, with a smile on my face and laughter in my heart, living with my mistakes and happily gaining experience, no matter how big a mistake might be.

Today's Random Quiz:

Your Valentine's Day Personality is Cynical

You really, truly hate Valentine's Day. It's your least favorite day of the year. You think Valentine's Day fake, tacky, over the top, and meant to make single people feel bad. You realize that Valentine's Day is a holiday that only benefits companies... not couples. You know that real love is not about teddy bears and roses, and you feel like the holiday cheapens emotions.

What's Your Valentine's Day Personality?

Weather Anomalies

These past couple of weeks, my mom, siblings, and friends have been bombarded with anywhere from 30 to 50 inches (76.2 to 127 cm) of snow. The record-breaking snowfall in both the Midwest and Northeast/Mid-Atlantic outdid the blizzards of '96 (which also occurred in February), closing down universities (UW-Madison closed for the first time in 30 years) and stores all across the country. In Strasbourg, things have been relatively calm. No major snowstorms and the closest thing to snowfall we have are short-lived flurries and a dusting here and there that don't stay on the ground for more than a day.

That said, I think it's rather apparent the weather anomalies are due to global warming. While the name "global warming" sounds like everything would be warmer, the effects of global warming aren't just increases in overall temperature, but abnormal weather patterns (increasing frequency of tsunamis, hurricanes, other extreme weather conditions) as well as higher temperatures experienced in the summer, as noted upon by the Dutch. Temperature increases in the Netherlands has been rising at a faster rate than the world average, according to the Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorlogisch Instituut (Royal Dutch Meteorology Institute). Weather in the Netherlands has increased to similar weather conditions in France a decade ago:
Maastricht = Poitiers
Vlissingen = Nantes
Utrecht = Lyon
Den Helder = Rennes
Groningen = Paris

I love extreme weather, but if it means unsustainable conditions due to global warming and the ultimate demise of humankind, I think I'll pass on the excitement of seeing a hurricane firsthand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU

Today's Random Quiz:

Your Snow Test Says You're Independent

You feel like something good will happen to you eventually, but not soon. You don't really like to work, unless work feels like play. You only are successful when you are doing what you love. You are an independent, individualistic person. You thrive when you're doing your own thing. Your biggest worry in life is your family. You stay up at night thinking about them. When it comes time to relax, you always go the extra mile. You take relaxing as seriously as anything else in life.

The Snow Test

Fourth Day of Christmas

This article reminds me so much of last year when I was in Mali! I remember being at a conference in Ghana... and hitchhiking there! =) Good times... good times... I'm so glad President Mills is so intense about fighting corruption! Hahah, good for him!


Ghana's Mills spurns Christmas hampers on graft fears

ACCRA (Reuters) – Ghana's President John Atta Mills is refusing to accept traditional Christmas gifts such as hampers this year because they may be efforts to corrupt him, a spokesman said on Thursday.

It is common practice in Ghana for individuals and businesses to send hampers packed with gifts to friends and people in authority during the festive season.

While some gifts signify traditional sharing, others are given out in appreciation of past or future favors -- something Mills's government has vowed to stamp out since he became leader of a nation set to become Africa's next oil producer in 2010. "He has made it clear that it was not his disposition to accept Christmas hampers and other gifts," said presidential spokesman Mahama Ayariga, adding that disappointed gift-bearers had handed some presents out to presidential staff instead.

"(Mills's) disposition is that you never know what is in the mind of the giver of the gift, so it's always better not to accept them," Ayariga said.

Mills, who assumed office in January on a pledge to wage a "relentless war" against corruption, is generally regarded, even by his critics, as a modest leader and not corrupt, compared to his predecessors.

However, his present-snubbing was not praised by everyone.

Vitus Azeem, the head of Ghana Integrity Initiative, the local chapter of Transparency International, said the president's actions would do little in stemming corruption among fellow government officials.

"His campaign would have been more meaningful if he had given out specific directives to his ministers and other top officials to also turn away the hampers and the goats driven to their homes and offices," said Azeem.

Opposition to the president's initiative also came from James Agbagana, a traditional chief, who warned that he was going too far with his anti-corruption drive as he might destroy the Ghanaian tradition of hospitality in the process.

Ghana is seen as one of West Africa's most attractive investment destinations, largely due to political stability and the prospects of oil starting to flow in 2010 from its Jubilee oil field, which is estimated to hold some 1.8 billion barrels.

Given the negative impact of oil in other oil-producing nations in West and Central Africa, Ghanaians are watchful of the impact on corruption, once the coffers start swelling with petro-dollars.

(Reporting by Kwasi Kpodo; Writing by David Lewis)



Today's Random Quiz:

You Are Milk

Your holiday personality is innocent. The holidays make you feel like a kid all over again. You love every part of the holidays, and you anticipate Christmas morning. You enjoy getting presents as much as you did when you were young!

What Holiday Drink Are You?

Second Day of Christmas

In times of old, Christmas lasted 12 days. Actually, even now in some parts of America/in certain Christian communities (i.e. the Amish communities), they still celebrate Christmas for 12 days. So, in light of old, I decided to continue wishing people Christmas! Not only that but today is a holiday in Alsace known as St. Étienne (St. Stephen's Day a.k.a. the Feast of St. Stephen), which is basically a day you gather family, just like on Christmas, and eat a lot of Baekaofe, which is basically pot roast, but with lamb and pork in addition to beef. Besides, there are so many cute Christmas stories showing up online that I have to share them with you.

Like this man... who is now one of my idols. I want to do what he did one day!

Australian man turns Santa, gives away belongings
SYDNEY (Reuters) – An Australian man has embraced the spirit of the season, taking on the role of a real-life Santa and giving away his possessions as gifts for the second Christmas in a row.

Last Christmas, Dennis Stevenson opened his home and gave away all his belongings. This year, he opened a makeshift shop in the Gold Coast in Queensland to again distribute seasonal cheer and invited others to donate as well.

"It's a lovely thing to do to continue the spirit of Christmas," Stevenson told Reuters on Thursday.

Stevenson opened The Spirit of Christmas shop on December 22 and says that 90 percent of his goods had been taken.

On Christmas Eve the shop was "absolutely packed" with last minute gifts, said Stevenson.

Today's Random Quiz:

You Spread a Lot of Holiday Cheer

During the holidays, you represent the true spirit of Christmas. You give freely, and you enjoy this special time of the year. There's a good chance that you spread cheer every time of the year... not just during the holidays. You're kind, upbeat, and generous. Anyone who crosses your path is lucky.

Do You Spread Holiday Cheer?

Joyeux Noël !

Merry Christmas!
¡Feliz Navidad!
Frohe Weihnachten!
매리 크리스마스!
Buon Natale!
С Рождеством Христовым!
God jul!
Crăciun fericit!
Wesołych świąt!
Feliz Natal!

Antarctic expeditioners to have a truly white Christmas

By Pauline Askin Pauline Askin – Thu Dec 24, 2:29 pm ET

CAPE DENISON, Antarctica (Reuters) – The closest Australian expeditioners to Antarctica will get to a nativity scene this Christmas is watching thousands of Adelie penguins tending to newly hatched youngsters.

There are no Christmas carols, no avenues lined with decorations and certainly no pine trees on the icy, eastern Antarctic plateau where the 10 members of the Mawson's Huts Foundation will be spending the festive season this year, about 3,000 km (1,870 miles) away from any Australian mainland.

Being summer, the daylight here also lasts for 24 hours.

Archaeologist Jody Steele is used to spending weeks at a time in isolation in remote areas of Australia's bush, but this will be her first Christmas at Cape Denison, working with others to preserve the relics of Australian explorer Sir Douglas Mawson's 1911-1914 expedition to the area.

Although the area is a world away from her home in warm Victoria state, Steele said she was delighted to experience her first truly white Christmas.

"This will be the first time I will wake up to snow and ice, so it's a whole new world for me," she said as she washed clothes in a bucket of hot water usually used for showering.

"I'm hoping to have clean, well cleanish, thermals for Christmas day."

Mark Farrell, a carpenter from Tasmania, is also excited at the prospect of a postcard-perfect Christmas.

"I'm 43 years old and this will be my first white Christmas. I usually don't get too excited by Christmas but I'm pretty sure it will be a bit more exciting down here," he said.

Chief conservator Michelle Berry, a veteran of Christmas in remote places, plans to infuse a medieval theme into Christmas Eve by making a night-cap of wassail, a warm, spicy alcoholic punch for which she will bake apples, and which will be passed around in its large pot for all to share.

All work will stop on Christmas Day and the expedition members will spend the day relaxing in their small home, which also serves as the eating hall and the office. A small, fake Christmas tree takes pride of place in the modest hut, and tinsel decorations are strewn around the room.

Everybody said they planned to wear Santa hats and toy reindeer antlers.

Christmas lunch is set to be a relatively lavish affair, given the lack of fresh produce, with a starter, roast lamb and ham with accompanying vegetables, followed by Christmas pudding and brandy butter. Wine will also be served and a "Santa" will appear to hand out presents.

It's tradition at Cape Denison to play a game of pseudo-cricket, which usually ends quickly, and with little ball chasing, because the polar clothing and the ice make it quite difficult to run.

The weather is also not ideal for Christmas outdoor sports -- Friday's forecast for Cape Denison is a temperature of about 0 degrees accompanied by a bitter wind.

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Today's Random Quiz:

Would Be a Conventional Santa

Truth be told, you're pretty happy with Santa and Christmas as they are. Why mess with a good thing? Traditions are traditions for a reason. And you're happy to participate in all of them. You even believe in Santa a little. You think that old fashioned holidays with old time values are nice. It's all about family and togetherness. You think that too much commercialism and greed are naughty. It breaks your heart when the holidays bring out the worst in people.

The Santa Hat Quiz

Wisconsin

I'm finally free!!! I handed in my last paper of the year and now it's all... well, it's not all fun and games now, but it's just a different kind of stress. Now that papers and lecture preparations are over with, I still have to study for my final exams in January and I'll be kept pretty busy with giving tours in the city. It's the last "holiday rush" = "rush of tourists" of this year so thus the tightly knit schedule. I'm only supposed to work about 20 hours a week so since Christmas is on Friday, they're making sure I'm pretty much occupied Monday through Thursday before the end of the Christmas season. It's still not bad since it's only 5 hours a day I'll have to work but still, I have a lot of unfinished Christmas errands to run and a ton of baking/cooking left to do before the holidays. Oh well, I guess the days leading up to Christmas will be just as, if not more, strapped for time.

Oh and the title of this post is "Wisconsin" because I opened my mailbox to actually read all of my incoming mail today, since I'd been putting that off during my insane study/work/paper-writing rampage these past few weeks, and I found this video from my old university, trying to get me to donate money. I really wish I could if I weren't on a budget myself... I do miss Wisconsin and all the good times I spent there. It's a place with a lot of firsts and a lot of good memories, so I decided to post it online. Maybe some of you who've never seen pictures of my university before can take a look/little tour now =)

U-rah-rah! Wisconsin! from UW Foundation on Vimeo.

Today's Random Quiz:

You Love the Holidays More than Anyone

The holidays are a special time for you, and you try to keep the holiday spirit going all year long. You believe that this season is all about giving, and you love the chance to practice generosity. Whether you're making someone smile with the perfect gift or feeding everyone cookies, the holidays always elevate your mood. Just putting on your favorite holiday song always warms your heart. Even if it's July!

How Much Do You Love the Holidays?

Elephant in North America

Can't write much, I'm stressing out over the current workload and the realization that the semester ends in just a couple of weeks. But, thought I'd share this picture with you.

Who said elephants aren't native to North America? =)



Today's Random Word:

Thaumaturgy (noun) The performance of magic or miracles.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My second Thanksgiving celebrated abroad! I can't talk for long since I have an entire meal to prepare so I'll keep it short.

I wish all my American friends a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are a Red Pumpkin

You are beautiful, interesting, and bold. You may not stand out immediately, but you're the type of person who gets a lot of double takes. You believe life's too short to do anything you hate. There's so many things to love in the world, and you try to fill your life full of them. You have a heart for adventure and a passion for travel. Even if can't visit some place new for a while, you still remain curious about the world. You find it easy to be excited and optimistic about new things. You are fearless and believe that everything will work out in the end.

What Color Pumpkin Are You?

Jokes on the Job

One could say that Emma Clarke is the "voice of London". One of the leading voices in advertisement and department stores, she is probably better known to be the calm, cool, collected voice you hear reminding you to "mind the gap" in the London undergrounds. I heard this years ago but I haven't been able to upload the files or figure out a good way to post these... or maybe I was just too lazy =). Whatever the case, after nearly 5 years, I'm finally going to share some hilarious "jokes" Emma posted. Rumors are that she did it on the job but that might not be true. Still, they're pretty hilarious. Have a listen:

Must say, I love the British accent AND their humor =)!

Today's Random Picture:
Remember when Sarah Palin said she had foreign policy/international experience because she lived near Russia? I just found this New Yorker magazine cover parodying the "proximity of Alaska to Russia". Hahahah.

Twin You Haven't Met Yet?

I talked to my good friend Nico the other day and he says he's positive that there's a double of me in his neighborhood, or at least, a voice double. Apparently there's another American female here in Strasbourg who not only has the same accent I have, but also has the same voice. Odds of this happening? Probably very unlikely, though with the ca. 6.7 billion people out there in the world, I'm sure you not only have a voice double out there in the world, but also a face double. Don't believe me? Remember Sarah Palin and the stark similarities between her and comedian Tina Fey?  

Or read/watch this article/video about a French Canadian photographer who looks for and photographs lookalikes. If you really think about it though, all humans are about 99.9% the same genetically, so with the near 7 billion people in the world out there, there can only be so many genetic combinations, resulting is some very similar, though not identical, patterns. Just thought it was funny that my voice double also lives in Strasbourg. I'd like to hear her or meet her one day. So far Nico's only heard her voice outside his window when he naps on weekends. \

Today's Random Picture: Is there a double of each and every one of us out there? Honestly, the resemblance is uncanny. A combination photograph shows U.S. President-elect Barack Obama (L) at a ceremony for his whistle stop train trip at the train station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania January 17, 2009 and Indonesian photographer Ilham Anas (R) chatting with his colleagues in his office in Jakarta January 17, 2009. Anas won't be at U.S. President Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday. Instead he'll be starring as an Obama look-alike on Indonesian TV. Anas, 34, who from some angles bears a resemblance to the new U.S. president, shot to fame in Jakarta after Obama, 47, won the election in November, and is now earning income as an Obama double. REUTERS/Jim Young/Supri/Files (INDONESIA)

King of Pop Dies at 50

At work today (or rather, last night), one of my coworkers said the moment she saw me, "Did you hear?!?!? Michael Jackson's dead!!!" I was kind of taken aback since that was a tidbit of unexpected news, especially the first thing to hear before your shift at work. While I know not everyone was a fan of Michael, especially after the whole child molestation accusations and that other time he showed his baby to a crowd off of a balcony (I remember people chanting "Jacko the Wacko"), you still have to give him credit that he was a very talented singer.

I grew up with Michael. Well, I grew up on a couple other songs as well, but I can still quite vividly remember listening to Michael Jackson's songs like "Black or White" as a child, which led me to discover such classics as Billie Jean, Thriller, and Beat It recorded and released before I was even born but timeless classics. So the "King of Pop" is dead... kind of crazy to think about it. He was "young" considering the average life expectancy of the American male (75.6 years). Kind of strange, but I couldn't help noticing that Elvis Presley, King of Rock 'n' Roll, also "died young" at age 42. Maybe people really talented in music just don't last that long. I mean, my favorite classical composer of all time is Mozart and he died young (at age 35). Actually Mozart had so much left in him, had he lived who knows what other beautiful pieces would have been produced. He was too gifted for this world, perhaps. OK, so I'm getting sidetracked now. Just wanted to express my shock and I realized I hadn't updated this blog in a long while.

RIP Michael...

Today's Random Video:

Education in America

I guess, despite hating the state as a whole, the education system in New Jersey isn't too shabby. Although "evolution" is a theory, it's the most accepted theory as to the origins of mankind and everything on Earth. I don't believe in a God at the moment, but I can't say I buy into the evolution thing 100% either. I mean, there are too many unanswered questions. We all came from an atom that exploded that created the whole universe, right? The whole "big bang" theory... but where did the atom come from? Honestly, no one knows and thus the question of our purpose here on Earth. Either way, I'm going off an a tangent there.

Coming back to where I was going with this initially, the teaching of evolution can be correlated with the quality of education a child receives in each state in the U.S. While this cannot be deemed as a "perfect" example, I think it's pretty accurate when compared with national standardized test scores and distributions.
Most of the South and some of the Midwestern states receive poor grades in terms of their treatment of evolution in public schools. Iowa, apparently, has no state standard at all. I guess I should be glad that I received most of my primary/secondary school education in Pennsylvania/New Jersey respectively.

Good teachers are actually hard to come by in the states. Even teachers that molest children have found loopholes to teach again in the mass network of teachers unions that almost prohibit schools from firing ineffective teachers. This probably contributes to the lack of quality education one can get through public schools here... though some teachers are genuinely interested and informed.
Maybe it's not our fault that the stereotype of "dumb American" came about.

Comparing Global Economies

Back in 2000, when our economy wasn't about to hit rock bottom, someone published this map:
(Here's a darker version of the same map since the first is a little light and hard to read)
Just thought it would be interesting to observe.

There's another similar comparison of global economies and the states of Brazil:

Barack Obama's Honeymoon is Over

I have to admit, I'm not a fan of any politician and although Obama was the lesser of two evils, looking back at what he has done in his 100-days of presidential honeymoon, I can't say I'm completely pleased with the rate things are going. There were people who were skeptical from the beginning:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Changefest '09 - Obama's Inaugural Speech
thedailyshow.com

And now, the latest critique of Obama is concerning the issue over abuse photos. After all the promises made about transparency and "change", I guess "change" is only skin-deep. I think I've been disappointed by Obama quite a few times already, but no one has noticed until now. The court-ordered release, Obama said, would "further inflame anti-American opinion". Honestly, if they are that bad, then all the more reason to see them. All right, I admit that it could pose problems with anti-American sentiments in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it's not like the photos are going to change anything dramatically. We are already hated, might as well suck it up and bite the bullet, be prepared for the worst so to speak.

As an American, I want to see the photos, not only to follow the court order, but to know the extent to which abuse is going on. No one knows these things unless the information is released to the press... and press, so far, has been disappointingly cooperative with the administration. Barack Obama is not some kind of demi-god. Now that the "honeymoon period" of his administration is over, I think it's time to cut to the chase and see exactly what he has done so far. Criticizing his administration is neither sacrilegious nor is it "colorist". I don't care if he's brown, blue, black, white, red, purple... ok, I hate the color purple so that might be different, but anyway, you get the picture.

1. Passed the largest economic stimulus bill in American history. (-1)
2. Is attempting to block release of abuse photos. (-1)
3. Set a fixed timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat forces from Iraq. (+1)
4. Lifted restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research. (-1)
5. Signed laws to expand children's health insurance to be financed by a 61-cent/pack increase in federal cigarette taxes. (+1)
6. Lifted travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban Americans, allowing them to send more money and travel to Cuba. (+1)
7. Ordered 21,000+ troops to Afghanistan and enlisting European allies in a new multi-layered strategy in both Afghanistan and Pakistan (though with minimal success) (0)
8. Attempted to "forge a meaningful statement" from the UN to criticize North Korea's "ballistic" missile launch. (-1 <>
9. Engaged world leaders with "strength and humility." (+1 <>
10. Signed a bill meant to improve the ability of women to sue their employer for wage discrimination. (+1)
11. Signed a bill that permits government wiretapping of citizens' phone calls (-1)
12. Claimed to have dimished the role of lobbyists in the White House, though he really hasn't. (-1)
13. Approved a bill that creates more bureaucracy and legislation that hinder organic farmers from selling their products. (-1)
14. Five of his cabinet members are millionaires. (-1 <>
15. Ordered the closing of Guantanamo Bay military detention facility and abolished "enhanced interrogation techniques." (+2)
16. Signed a bill that had thousands of earmarks (-1)
17. Claimed he would post all bills on his website for 5 days for all Americans to be able to read it before it was signed... but he never did. (-1)
18. Messed up the oath then didn't allow filming of the second time around. (-2)
19. The "bipartisanship" that he promised is nowhere to be found. (-1)

The tally: -6

Of course, there are a ton of more legislation to weed through, but I feel as though I was too optimistic. Barack Obama, when it's all said and done, is just another politician, and like all politicians, he's mostly all talk.

Atheists are Loved More than Scientologists in America

I used to be Christian up until high school. I guess I really started questioning my religion and became agnostic sometime at the beginning of my studies as a college Freshman. By the time I graduated, I was leaning more and more towards atheism and now, I realize, I'm more of an atheist than an agnostic. A lot of people think that atheists are 100% sure that "God" doesn't exist and that there is no such thing as a "God". In reality, even among atheists, I think it's rather rare that people are 100% sure that "God" doesn't exist. The reason why I can safely say that I'm now an atheist is because I'm about 75% sure there is no deity and 25% unsure. Agnosticism would have those numbers at 50-50, or closer to an equal division - that the existence of a higher being can neither be proved nor disproved. This used to be what I thought, but now, I'm more on the other end of the spectrum - there is no higher being, unless I see evidence of some kind that proves otherwise. Seeing is believing, after all.

In America, I realize I am now a minority in terms of religion, falling into a category representing less than 5% of the total population.
According to this Gallup poll, atheists are one of the most unfavorably viewed groups of people. Only Scientologists are viewed in a worse light (if you know anything about Scientology... you must know how I feel about being only slightly less "hated" than them). I think I can understand why people hate atheists. People often think that atheists automatically have no morals or principals and therefore, they are most likely to be "evil" and self-interested. I think that is completely untrue. Yes, I call myself an atheist, but I am not self-interested. The only reason why I became atheist is after I went to Mali and realized that in this world, there really could be no "God" and if there was a "God" this deity obviously doesn't give a shit about all the people since there are those who have nothing while a scanty proportion of the entire human race owns "everything." Why is that? Why do so many people suffer? Why do the majority of the people in this world suffer? Why, when there is enough food to feed everyone, do people starve? It's not just a question of economics or politics, but if there is a god out there, then how come such injustices exist? There are too many 'why's in this world for me to believe in god and if I'm hated to questioning such things, then so be it.

Yann Tiersen Helped Me Get a Free Piano

I don't know my neighbors too well. It's New York, no one really "knows" their neighbors too well. They're all paranoid that the other might be a psycho killer, stalker, or they are just too self-absorbed to notice other people living next door. I only know one neighbor who watches "Russian" channels through satellite and that one neighbor that I know is moving away. So the neighbor who's moving away has a piano in the apartment. I was over his place once before with Victor last summer when we first moved in. He and his then-wife invited us over for some drinks and there was a piano in the living room. He asked if one of us could play it since his wife was just beginning to learn how to play.

OK, so I went through a phase in my earlier years when I wanted to become a pianist/artist. I even spent some time studying at the MSM (Manhattan School of Music), but this was YEARS ago and all of the more difficult pieces have left my memory and my fingers are no longer agile enough to even play them. I hadn't played piano in over 4 years and here I was being asked if I could play. Play I did. Despite the 4 or so years that I hadn't touched a piano key, the 10 or so years that I did play helped me muster up one song. The only piece that came into mind was a piece by Yann Tiersen (the French composer/musician who has composed music for such feature films as Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain and Good Bye Lenin!).

Nearly a year later, my neighbor was divorced (they apparently got divorced sometime at the end of last year while I was in Mali) and since he's moving out by the end of the month, he offered to give me a piano that he has. His ex-wife had never learned it and he didn't want to take it with him. So voilà. I now have a piano. I'm kind of nervous to start playing again. I think instruments are like languages. You play it for a long time, you study it, you practice it... but if you stop for even a year or two, you lose your ability. You have to re-train yourself slowly to get to the level you were once before. I read in a language psychology book that if you learn a language after your critical period (after around the age of 10), even if you study it and master it, if you don't speak it or use it at all for about 2 or 3 years, you will lose your ability to speak it. Doesn't that suck?

Today's Random Video:Please don't be offended! It's just a joke and besides, I fell for it the first time I saw it ;)

Rules of the Road

I hope you find this as amusing as I did =) No one likes to admit that s/he is a bad driver, myself included. I think I drive better than 90% of Americans only because I drive stick shift!!! =P