May fortunes find their way to you! Take good care of yourself in the year ahead. Wishing you successes, longevity and health!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Gung Hay Fat Choy
Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year!
May fortunes find their way to you! Take good care of yourself in the year ahead. Wishing you successes, longevity and health!
May fortunes find their way to you! Take good care of yourself in the year ahead. Wishing you successes, longevity and health!
Special Morning Ed. - Egypt in Turmoil
I can't believe Mubarak said this.
Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak rejected demands that he step down immediately, saying that he was "fed up" with his job but feared "there will be chaos" if he quit.
[Really? Have you not noticed there already is chaos from the people you sent in to kill the peaceful protestors who wanted you OUT?]
Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak rejected demands that he step down immediately, saying that he was "fed up" with his job but feared "there will be chaos" if he quit.
[Really? Have you not noticed there already is chaos from the people you sent in to kill the peaceful protestors who wanted you OUT?]
Mubarak, in an interview with ABC News correspondent Christiane Amanpour, said today he told President Barack Obama
that the U.S. doesn't "understand the Egyptian culture and what would
happen if I step down now," according to an ABC News account of the
interview on its website.
[What exactly is there not to understand about your stepping down? Do we not understand that your people want you gone? How are there cultural differences there? Are you just afraid of losing face? You already have. This supports my supposition that he is delusional.]
The Egyptian leader, who has been in power for nearly 30 years,
said he was "fed up with being president" and "never intended to run
again. I never intended Gamal to be president after me," ABC News quoted
him as saying. Gamal Mubarak is the president's son, who was widely seen by Egyptians and U.S. diplomats as being groomed to succeed his father.
Is the American Dream dead or just grown bigger?
The American Dream: dead? In a word, no.
"Waking People Up And Getting Them To Realize That The American Dream Is Quickly Becoming The American Nightmare" - see this article on Globalization for the counter to what I'm saying here. I pretty much agree with the article on that link,with the exception of we need to deal with it because its going to happen.The difference between that author and myself is that I believe we need to adjust, not quit; to work with, not go against. Otherwise, we will lose out. So we can help, and adjust how we do things to stay on top, or we can fight it, become separatists, and end up on the outside of the coming world economy from the growing Globalization effect.
I've heard a lot about this over recent years, but I think the people complaining are missing the point. Yes, we have striven for the American Dream for a long time now. We have tried to build a country that was a model for the world. We have worked hard, fought hard, and yes, even played hard in order to spread this dream around the world.
Well, guess what? When you push an idea that hard, when you are the world's leader for a great idea, when you have fought and won wars, or evoked so much change as the American Dream has, inspiring hope, prosperity, charity, all that, you have to expect one thing above all others.
Your dream, is growing out of your control. It has and is spreading around the world. We haven't however, exported this dream, we have encompassed the world with it. And therefore, we have diluted, for the time being, our vision. If you take a pack of kool-aid, and put it in a pitcher full of water, it makes, well,Kool-aid. However, if you put it in a far larger pitcher, with the same idea (the powder) and more water, it does what? Dilutes it.
But over time, there will be more of the powder available as more manufacture it, become used to it, and want it. So, yes, the American dream may seem to have died for Americans, for the time being, but think about it, we've brought this dream to the entire world and its taking. Finally, its beginning to sweep the world like wild fire.
Don't pull back (don't do it you chicken, you coward), push forward. Yes, its gonna hurt, but hey, you asked for it, you just didn't consider the consequences of your actions.
Have we done the right thing? For us? Not necessarily. For the world, yes, most definitely. In the end, everything will settle down, like dumping a lot of water (or, if you like Kool-aid) into a bathtub. It will slosh around, maybe spill some, but eventually it will even out and everyone will stop be a bit seasick and enjoy the ride.
Is the American Dream dying or dead? No.But quit complaining about what you have done, doing what it did, because if you think about it, it's a good thing. You just didn't consider what happens when you open up a dream beyond your borders. We've had an inkling of it in dealing with the Mexican border. But the paradigm has changed when you weren't looking.
It's expanded beyond our borders and rather than it all being about being within our borders, it's now all about being outside our borders. For decades, for over a hundred years, people have wanted to travel to America and they still do, life is better here than many places. But now people are beginning to see that with effort, with change, they too can have the American dream within the borders of their own country. And they want it.
And why shouldn't they. Didn't we?
Should we pull back, protect ourselves? Or should we help them, bring our vision to the world so that no matter where we go, we see people who are living in freedom and prosperity. Of course, we aren't perfect either, but we have a far better life than many. If you don't believe me, drive south to Mexico sometime. And their poverty is some of the best poverty in the world, as they are next to the only remaining super power, Us.
So, I would say, just stop whining, quitchurbitchin' and get to work being supportive. The world isn't looking to cut our throats and take our stuff, they are looking up to us, to you, to help them.
Special Morning Ed. - Why Egypt?
No news this time, just this:
Someone asked me, what are you doing blogging about Egypt? You're not Egyptian, you're basically Irish.
My answer is this: I despise bullies. Be they schoolyard punks, street gangs, or the head of nations. When the people speak, the government should listen. Governments are there for the pleasure of the people, not the other way around. For too long, through the long history of the world, have despots, tyrants and rulers overextended their claims to leadership to the point of stroking their collective libidos and egos. Money, power, sex are their ruling priorities, not people, humanity, and aesthetics.
In its classical form, in some words from Wikipedia, despotism is a state where a single individual (the despot) wields all the power and authority embodying the state, and everyone else is a subsidiary person. This form of despotism was common in the first forms of statehood and civilization; the Pharaoh of Egypt is exemplary of the classical Despot.
The term now implies tyrannical rule. Despotism can mean tyranny (dominance through threat of punishment and violence), or absolutism; or dictatorship (a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator, not restricted by a constitution, laws or opposition, etc.).
In the United States Declaration of Independence, the British government is cited to have been reducing the American people under absolute despotism: "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security".
Charles-Louis de Secondat, the Baron de Montesquieu was a philosopher during the enlightenment. He believed that despotism was an appropriate government for large states. Likewise he believed that republics were suitable for small states and that monarchies were ideal for moderate sized states.
The United States has disproved this rule of Montesquieu's by its mere existence. So despots can no longer claim this. So why is the world allowing this still, to continue? Countries like Somolia where so many fractured fiefdoms by local war lords, is an understandable issue,stability, some form of government is necessary to help; but countries like Egypt are not like that.
The Egyptian people have much to look forward to. Hopefully the worst is over. The second stage, what to plan for, who to rule, is up for question and a dangerous time. Choose wisely.
And all that is why I have chosen to blog about Egypt this week. I care that they are given freedom. That the world can life free, open, happy.
I watch with great interest and hope and wish them all the best that is there for them to gather unto themselves.
Someone asked me, what are you doing blogging about Egypt? You're not Egyptian, you're basically Irish.
My answer is this: I despise bullies. Be they schoolyard punks, street gangs, or the head of nations. When the people speak, the government should listen. Governments are there for the pleasure of the people, not the other way around. For too long, through the long history of the world, have despots, tyrants and rulers overextended their claims to leadership to the point of stroking their collective libidos and egos. Money, power, sex are their ruling priorities, not people, humanity, and aesthetics.
In its classical form, in some words from Wikipedia, despotism is a state where a single individual (the despot) wields all the power and authority embodying the state, and everyone else is a subsidiary person. This form of despotism was common in the first forms of statehood and civilization; the Pharaoh of Egypt is exemplary of the classical Despot.
The term now implies tyrannical rule. Despotism can mean tyranny (dominance through threat of punishment and violence), or absolutism; or dictatorship (a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator, not restricted by a constitution, laws or opposition, etc.).
In the United States Declaration of Independence, the British government is cited to have been reducing the American people under absolute despotism: "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security".
Charles-Louis de Secondat, the Baron de Montesquieu was a philosopher during the enlightenment. He believed that despotism was an appropriate government for large states. Likewise he believed that republics were suitable for small states and that monarchies were ideal for moderate sized states.
The United States has disproved this rule of Montesquieu's by its mere existence. So despots can no longer claim this. So why is the world allowing this still, to continue? Countries like Somolia where so many fractured fiefdoms by local war lords, is an understandable issue,stability, some form of government is necessary to help; but countries like Egypt are not like that.
The Egyptian people have much to look forward to. Hopefully the worst is over. The second stage, what to plan for, who to rule, is up for question and a dangerous time. Choose wisely.
And all that is why I have chosen to blog about Egypt this week. I care that they are given freedom. That the world can life free, open, happy.
I watch with great interest and hope and wish them all the best that is there for them to gather unto themselves.
Special Morning Ed. - Egypt in Turmoil
This is ridiculous. Mubarak did this, allowed this to happen. Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq is now taking the role of Iraq's Tariq Aziz under Saddam Hussein, who even as he was spouting lies and propaganda back then, it was obvious, using even the most elementary facial analysis, that he knew he was telling lies.
From CNN:
Meanwhile, the military - which had largely remained still in the
area of Tahrir Square during violent clashes between supporters and foes
of President Hosni Mubarak - took position between the clashing groups
Thursday. Rocks flew back and forth in an empty construction area in
front of a metal barricade that anti-Mubarak protesters set up
overnight.
Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq
To say whoever did what happened yesterday and today, would be held accountable, is foolish, as they will find they have to jail Mubarak. Just do it now.From CNN:
VIOLENT STREET CLASHES CONTINUE; JOURNALISTS BEATEN – Egypt's prime minister apologized
Thursday for the violent attacks on protesters yesterday and said the
country's president has asked him to investigate the security chaos.
"This is a fatal error, and when investigations reveal who is behind
this crime and who allowed it to happen, I promise they will be held
accountable and will be punished for what they did," Prime Minister
Ahmed Shafiq said on state-owned TV.
The criminal Prime Minister Shafiq referred to, Mubarak
And a spokesman for the United States blasted forces in Egypt Thursday who have harassed, detained and beaten journalists.
"There is a concerted campaign to intimidate international journalists
in Cairo and interfere with their reporting," U.S. State Department
spokesman P.J. Crowley said Thursday on Twitter. "We condemn such
actions." His comments came amid more reports of the perils facing
journalists covering the unprecedented unrest in Egypt.
Like Wine? CellarTracker.com tracks your wine
For some years now I've been using www.CellarTracker.com to track my wine cellar. I've discussed them before here and I love using it. It's not like I have lots of wines, but I do have a wine fridge (cellar) from Sears that holds thirty-six bottles.
By using CellarTracker, I can always know what I have available and what other's notes on that wine are, note how much I'm spending, what the drinkability window is, which I find extremely useful as I try to speculate on wine by buying cheap and holding until its matured, thereby, hopefully, tasting better and being worth more.
There are other sites out there I use, related to wines. Wine.com is a good one, especially on their 1 cent shipping days. Another one is Snooth.com. A very cool site for learning more about wines. However, even cool sites like this are not beyond being questionable in tactics and data collection as you can see from the email I got today from CellarTracker.com:
"Over the past eight years, CellarTracker has grown tremendously, both as a tool for collectors and also as a repository of tasting notes that can be freely searched by any wine lover. Nearly 35,000 people have chosen to share public tasting notes, and it is that spirit of sharing which is so essential to the vibrancy of CellarTracker. I am disappointed to say that your trust and mine have been violated by a competitive website.
Last week Paul Mabray at VinTank published a blog wondering if Snooth was scraping large amounts of information without permission from CellarTracker. One day later, Philip James, the founding CEO and current Chairman of Snooth issued a confirming apology and explanation. Despite repeated assurances to the contrary in late 2007 and again in late 2008, it turns out that Snooth was continuing to pull data from CellarTracker. Snooth has now attempted to scrub their database of all content (1 million wine definitions and 1.7 million public tasting notes) taken from CellarTracker.
"If you still see evidence of your public content ("user tags" drawn from your public tasting notes or "glass ratings" drawn from your public scores) on the Snooth site, please let me know. In addition, there is a new facility on the Snooth site to report copyright violations and request DMCA takedown. Just click the REPORT LISTING link in their INTERACT tab at the upper right on their page for a wine.
"Depending upon what we find from this exercise in "crowd sleuthing," I may need to take further action. However, for now I think it is important to just focus on getting the data thoroughly cleaned off the Snooth site."
Sincerely,
Eric LeVine
www.CellarTracker.com
By using CellarTracker, I can always know what I have available and what other's notes on that wine are, note how much I'm spending, what the drinkability window is, which I find extremely useful as I try to speculate on wine by buying cheap and holding until its matured, thereby, hopefully, tasting better and being worth more.
There are other sites out there I use, related to wines. Wine.com is a good one, especially on their 1 cent shipping days. Another one is Snooth.com. A very cool site for learning more about wines. However, even cool sites like this are not beyond being questionable in tactics and data collection as you can see from the email I got today from CellarTracker.com:
"Over the past eight years, CellarTracker has grown tremendously, both as a tool for collectors and also as a repository of tasting notes that can be freely searched by any wine lover. Nearly 35,000 people have chosen to share public tasting notes, and it is that spirit of sharing which is so essential to the vibrancy of CellarTracker. I am disappointed to say that your trust and mine have been violated by a competitive website.
Last week Paul Mabray at VinTank published a blog wondering if Snooth was scraping large amounts of information without permission from CellarTracker. One day later, Philip James, the founding CEO and current Chairman of Snooth issued a confirming apology and explanation. Despite repeated assurances to the contrary in late 2007 and again in late 2008, it turns out that Snooth was continuing to pull data from CellarTracker. Snooth has now attempted to scrub their database of all content (1 million wine definitions and 1.7 million public tasting notes) taken from CellarTracker.
"If you still see evidence of your public content ("user tags" drawn from your public tasting notes or "glass ratings" drawn from your public scores) on the Snooth site, please let me know. In addition, there is a new facility on the Snooth site to report copyright violations and request DMCA takedown. Just click the REPORT LISTING link in their INTERACT tab at the upper right on their page for a wine.
"Depending upon what we find from this exercise in "crowd sleuthing," I may need to take further action. However, for now I think it is important to just focus on getting the data thoroughly cleaned off the Snooth site."
Sincerely,
Eric LeVine
www.CellarTracker.com
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Special Evening Ed.: Egypt in Turmoil, Mubarak's true colors shine
6:25AM Cairo time: Fouad Ajami says this is the limits of American influence with Mubarak and that they are very xenophobic. He also says this is putting the American's on notice as if to say, here I am, what can you do now? He says Bush went through this with Mubarak too, that Bush was "stiffed" by Mubarak too. He says if this challenge of peace doesn't work, then there is only the challenge of blood left, the only one understood in the Arab world. Ivan Watson said people in the crowd were yelling "Jihad, Jihad!" That people are willing to die to see Mubarak gone.
6:21AM Cairo time: The secret of Mubarak, that he was doing this, is no longer a secret, it seems that people the world over, now believe Mubarak is doing this. That it has to be state sponsored, so Mubarak might as well as get on TV and admit it and just tell everyone to go to hell, come get me if you want me, then do some babbling and insane speaking so we can just get this over with. The man is now obviously deluded and shouldn't be in control of a soft drink store.
6:15AM Cairo time: A CNN reporter in talking to a woman at her home, the day before, said she was with the protesters, then Mubarak spoke saying he'd not run again, she thought that was good enough and didn't understand people still protesting. But when she heard people were being beaten and killed last night she was then blaming Mubarak's government and said, thinking of her 17 year old son, that this situation was her generation's fault because they were the ones to give up and accept corrupt government. And the young people she said, are now paying the price for their mistakes.
6:02AM Cairo time: Al Arabiya TV reports at least four people killed in the latest clashes, 13 injured.
6:00AM Cairo time: US Authorities have told the Egyptian Military, to make a choice, and to stand for your country, choose now your place in history. The legal protesters are still there, trapped in the square area which they have control over. They need medical care, food, water. The pro Mubarak forces have backed off, but will soon be back, as they are being resupplied, and others can take their places who are rested. This government sponsored, choreographed, abuse of a citizenry, isn't over yet because Mubarak as obviously out of touch with reality at this point and where does that leave the people in the streets?
Sunrise, is not something to look forward to.
5:50AM Cairo time: Right now, someone, is standing right next to Mubarak. Has this man not seen what is going on, has he not seen what Mubarak is doing to "his" people and their country? This man, standing next to Mubarak, has a gun, he may be a body guard, and he needs to use his gun, put an end to these innocent people being hurt, maimed and killed. Take Mubarak into custody, arrest him if at all possible; but if those around him will not allow that, then for God sake man (or woman) if all else fails, there is a really simply solution to end this; if no one else has the balls to say it I will, give him this final solution, for Mubarak. Take his destiny in your hands and end this horrible treatment of a citizenry by its government.
Whatever it takes, find a way to end this.
5:47AM Cairo time: Everyone, I am hearing, are saying that this is all up to the Egyptian Army. They need to stand up against Mubarak and take the side of the Egyptian people! No one believes this is an American coup, this is the decision of the Egyptian people; however, Mubarak is going to push that at some point, and it will show how desperate he is. Blame has also been pointed to the Muslim Brotherhood, but no one is really believing that as this is a grassroots movement of and by the people.
5:45AM Cairo time: Fouad Ajami of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies is saying on Anderson Cooper that when Saddam Hussein knew the end was near, he opened his prisons to show how the country needed a strong man to help and control their streets. He said that Mubarak only knows two kinds of actions, as he indicated previously yesterday, that there is either his way and stability or chaos.
5:43AM Cairo time (7:45PM Pacific time, where this is being written): Curfew ends at 7AM. Americans have been warned by the US Consulate that if they want a government plane out, they are advised to leave now and get to the airport, it is not safe as soon as possible after the morning curfew ends.
5:40AM Cairo time: It doesn't sound so good. Gun shots. CNN reporter Ben Wedemen says he's seen this kind of thing before, where in 2005 during a pro democracy surge men would show up with police. They called these men, "Twenty Pounds" in Arabic because they'd pay them with £20 (British Pounds) and a pill of Viagra to go in and beat the "crap" out of people including dragging women who were among the protesters out of the crowd into back alleys and sexually molest them, basically to teach the people a lesson to not do that again, not to protest against the government again.
Ivan Watson is saying they've seen a number of gun shot wounds in the square which they hadn't been seeing before. Asked if he was scared by Anderson Cooper, Ivan seemed to ignore him and continued reporting.
People should be looking to head to the square once the sun comes up and what happens then, what Mubarak will decide to then do, is up for conjecture, very concerned conjecture.
6:21AM Cairo time: The secret of Mubarak, that he was doing this, is no longer a secret, it seems that people the world over, now believe Mubarak is doing this. That it has to be state sponsored, so Mubarak might as well as get on TV and admit it and just tell everyone to go to hell, come get me if you want me, then do some babbling and insane speaking so we can just get this over with. The man is now obviously deluded and shouldn't be in control of a soft drink store.
6:15AM Cairo time: A CNN reporter in talking to a woman at her home, the day before, said she was with the protesters, then Mubarak spoke saying he'd not run again, she thought that was good enough and didn't understand people still protesting. But when she heard people were being beaten and killed last night she was then blaming Mubarak's government and said, thinking of her 17 year old son, that this situation was her generation's fault because they were the ones to give up and accept corrupt government. And the young people she said, are now paying the price for their mistakes.
6:02AM Cairo time: Al Arabiya TV reports at least four people killed in the latest clashes, 13 injured.
6:00AM Cairo time: US Authorities have told the Egyptian Military, to make a choice, and to stand for your country, choose now your place in history. The legal protesters are still there, trapped in the square area which they have control over. They need medical care, food, water. The pro Mubarak forces have backed off, but will soon be back, as they are being resupplied, and others can take their places who are rested. This government sponsored, choreographed, abuse of a citizenry, isn't over yet because Mubarak as obviously out of touch with reality at this point and where does that leave the people in the streets?
Sunrise, is not something to look forward to.
5:50AM Cairo time: Right now, someone, is standing right next to Mubarak. Has this man not seen what is going on, has he not seen what Mubarak is doing to "his" people and their country? This man, standing next to Mubarak, has a gun, he may be a body guard, and he needs to use his gun, put an end to these innocent people being hurt, maimed and killed. Take Mubarak into custody, arrest him if at all possible; but if those around him will not allow that, then for God sake man (or woman) if all else fails, there is a really simply solution to end this; if no one else has the balls to say it I will, give him this final solution, for Mubarak. Take his destiny in your hands and end this horrible treatment of a citizenry by its government.
Whatever it takes, find a way to end this.
5:47AM Cairo time: Everyone, I am hearing, are saying that this is all up to the Egyptian Army. They need to stand up against Mubarak and take the side of the Egyptian people! No one believes this is an American coup, this is the decision of the Egyptian people; however, Mubarak is going to push that at some point, and it will show how desperate he is. Blame has also been pointed to the Muslim Brotherhood, but no one is really believing that as this is a grassroots movement of and by the people.
5:45AM Cairo time: Fouad Ajami of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies is saying on Anderson Cooper that when Saddam Hussein knew the end was near, he opened his prisons to show how the country needed a strong man to help and control their streets. He said that Mubarak only knows two kinds of actions, as he indicated previously yesterday, that there is either his way and stability or chaos.
5:43AM Cairo time (7:45PM Pacific time, where this is being written): Curfew ends at 7AM. Americans have been warned by the US Consulate that if they want a government plane out, they are advised to leave now and get to the airport, it is not safe as soon as possible after the morning curfew ends.
5:40AM Cairo time: It doesn't sound so good. Gun shots. CNN reporter Ben Wedemen says he's seen this kind of thing before, where in 2005 during a pro democracy surge men would show up with police. They called these men, "Twenty Pounds" in Arabic because they'd pay them with £20 (British Pounds) and a pill of Viagra to go in and beat the "crap" out of people including dragging women who were among the protesters out of the crowd into back alleys and sexually molest them, basically to teach the people a lesson to not do that again, not to protest against the government again.
Ivan Watson is saying they've seen a number of gun shot wounds in the square which they hadn't been seeing before. Asked if he was scared by Anderson Cooper, Ivan seemed to ignore him and continued reporting.
People should be looking to head to the square once the sun comes up and what happens then, what Mubarak will decide to then do, is up for conjecture, very concerned conjecture.
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