Market Power

China’s success in pressure Google into censuring their search proves that they have fully learnt the truth of the capitalist global market: the mightiest weapon is not the size of your nuclear arsenal but the size of your market. For decades, the success of the U.S.’s trade embargo of Cube relied on the threat of denying to offenders access to U.S. market. China is doing precisely that, not just to Google, but also to everyone, including foreign governments. As the Chinese economy continues to grow, the power of their market will increase. As they use the power if their market, the more it becomes reality that they have join the world economy and play like everyone else.

Care

I just don’t understand why people bitch and moan about health care in Canada. Maybe it is because of the 15 years I lived in the U.S., I have nothing but praise for the system and the people working in it. I just went to Burnaby General Emergency for some stitches on my hand. The room may not look as sexy as E.R. but it is efficient and staffed with kind and professional doctors and nurses. I was in and out within the hour without having to show my credit card or anything else, except my Care Card. When I first came to Canada, that is the part I found strangest: no forms, no payments and no billing agents. Granted the hospitals in the U.S., University Hospital in Ann Arbor for example, are marvels to behold, more temples and hotels than hospitals; but I am not there to worship or holiday. I just want to be repaired. And for that, I have no complaint here. And I saved very consider sum of money to receive the same care. People wonder why Canadians want to keep our medical system. It really is quite good. And thank you to the night shift at BGH.

Idolatry

As a person without religion, I never understand the logic behind the claim of religious prosecution made by dominant religions. They want a Bible, a Cross, or a verse of the Koran everywhere, and when it is illegal, they claim that they are being prosecuted. But for an atheist, the absence of religious symbols is their symbol. To put religious symbols anywhere is, by the definition of the religious, an affront and a prosecution of the atheist. Come to think of it, is it not an affront to the truly religious? Both Christianity and Muslim are against idolatry and the fetishization of religious symbol not a move towards idolatry? And to put things everywhere to mark their territories something that dogs and wolves do? Their desire to see their symbols seems to veer towards blaspheme.

Ha? mas!

It is puzzling that both the U.S. and Israel are “shocked” that Hamas won the election in Palestine. They have been calling for the removal of Arafat and his party Fatah for decades. Now that Arafat has long been dead and buried and his party lost the election, who do they expect to be in power? Hamas is the only alternative choice. Apparently neither governments has any plan for this eventuality. Do they think when Fatah no longer has the support of the voters; a party more “moderate” and less hostile to Israel would come to power? I don’t know what you would call it, wishful thinking? Self-delusion? Plain old blindness? I am shocked that they are shocked. Perhaps the fact that no one know what do with a Hamas government is more of a threat to peace than a Hamas government.

No Fat No Sex

Pharmaceuticals are great things. A drug that block fat absorption has been recommended to the F.D.A. in the U.S. for over-the-counter sale. Traditionally there is one great fail proof and side effect free method of blocking fat absorption: not eating it. Limiting the consumption of fat has no side effects, we can stay regular and our panties clean. The one thing they still have not been able to solve is what to do with the fat we consumed and not processed. It just go in one end and out the other with excellent lubrication. A few years ago they tried the un-absorbable grease, and now a little pill. Either case, they are violent accidents-in-the-panties waiting to happen. Maybe that is part of the plan to combat AIDS, who would want to risk get into bed with any, however hot he or she is, if a few for these pill are ingested before dinner? The inability of abstinence on fat is just the perfect incentive for abstinence in sex. Maybe they should just hand these pills out in school. Kills two birds with one stone, so to speak. Need more toilets though.

We Smoke the Good Stuff

It looks like I picked the right province to live. The result of this election proves it. I am never comfortable when I think or do things as others and British Columbia has a proud record of bucking election trends. Today the Conservatives gain seats everywhere, even in Quebec. The only province where they lost seats is here in B.C. It must be because of the rain and the fog out here, we just look at things differently. And for that, I am fortunate.

Kitchen God's Day

Later today Canadians will vote. The result of this election is far from clear right now and it is perhaps the most uncertain election in recent memory. On the Chinese calendar, we are at the height of New Year preparation. Today is the day we send off the kitchen god to report on us in heaven and then we clean house. It is kind of an appropriate date for an election--the citizens on this day are like kitchen gods reporting on the election officials. And like the kitchen gods, we were all offered all kinds of brides to report favourably. But then, Paul Martin may have failed to find out the full meaning of the day from his Chinese MPs. House cleaning is certainly not what he wants. Or perhaps he received bad advice from his trusted minister. This is no doubt another bright idea from the vacuum inside the skull of Raymond Chan, the most useless of all MPs.

Consistency

The U.S. government’s court case against Google over search information has a logic all of its own. They ask the court to allow them to infringe upon the privacy of Google users to “revive” a law that was stricken down by the Supreme Court. It has no internal contradiction. The original law is unconstitutional, so the means with which to revive it has to be unconstitutional also. One must applaud the consistency of the U.S. Justice Department. If they abide by the Constitution in the revival of an unconstitutional law, they would be implicitly acknowledging that the Constitution should be followed. As they show no respect for it, they themselves at least do not provide any reasons for their opponents. Logical consistency is in rare form here.

Better Liars Needed

You can just feel it; some people are panicking with polls suggesting that the Conservatives are in the lead to form the next government. It is an unpleasant thought, but so long as they do not have a majority, there is not really much to worry. It is very likely that a minority government will not last a full term; eighteen months seems like a ballpark life expectancy. With all the constrains of a minority government from parliament, particularly when none of the other parties agrees with the Conservatives on major policies, it is unlikely that a Conservative government will accomplish much of anything. Working with the other parties is simply against their basic principles. The only real concern I have is another election in late 2007. I am not against lying and promises, I love fictions, but what this election shows is that none of the parties does it with any fun. Dull lies are just so, well, boring.

Patriotic Inferiority

One of the sure things about Don Cherry is his ability to make a mountain out of a molehill. Some athletes have doubts about carrying the Canadian flag in the Olympic opening ceremony because it may hinder their ability to perform in their competition. Cherry slammed them for being unpatriotic, not up to the standard of the US. This comes mostly from athletes who have to compete in the first couple of days after the ceremony. This is understandable. Indeed, COC should not ask anyone who is schedule to compete in the first few days to carry the flag. While carrying the flag literally is an honour and a duty, to carry the flag figuratively by raising it on the podium is far greater and honour and duty. In this instance, the objective of the nation and the athletes are one and the same. Anyone can carry the flag but only the individual athlete can perform for the country and reach the podium. Which is the more important duty? Grapes should learn to weight things and not jump needlessly. It always puzzles me that whenever he drums his patriotic skins, he calls Canadian inferior to Americans. That is some patriotism.

Refreshing Slug Fest

Finally the fun part of the election campaign had arrived. The phoney smiles and “let me buy your vote” rhetoric had given way to all out nastiness. No more distractions, it is “Liberals are corrupt” and “Conservatives are un-Canadian” all the time. Most people, television tells us, dislike the negativities of these ads. Personally, I like them a lot better than the bold face lies and pure fantasy of a few weeks ago. They were making promises that they knew they could not and would not uphold. Now, they are at least telling us what they really think. The funny thing is that they are right: the Liberal has been corrupt and the Conservatives look to the US right for their political models. The unique thing this time around is that the parties do not even try to defend themselves with any hints of vigour, as if they are admitting the opponents’ are correct in their attacks. They are surprisingly honest. Unlike most sports, this all offence no defence game is ugly and gritty, and it is strangely refreshing.

Readers Beware

Some guy inflated his resume in his memoir and its revelation caused a giant outrage. I just don’t understand it, if one cannot make a mountain out of a molehill, what is the memoir for? By its nature, memoirs are subjective, delusional and plain untruths. It is the failure of the reader to consider it true or authentic. Memoirs are really just how someone wants the world to see him or her. It is not history, not even raw historic data. This is not to say memoirs are meaningless or useless. It does tell us about the author but not his life so much as how he wants others to see his life. By analysing it, we can learn about the author by looking at how events are portrayed, omitted and/or inflated. It is not a psychological study but a document for psychological study. So the guy tells a tall tale, that is just par for the course. It is very important to see and understand what things are and what they conventionally pretend to be. Michiko Kakutani writes in the New York Times that “If the memoir form once prized authenticity above all else…” I can only say that her premise is historically incorrect.

Sangre Azul

Maybe it is a sign of the democratization of the world: according to TV commercials, our bloods, indeed all our bodily fluids, are blue. In advertisements for diapers and tampons, we see blue blood and blue urine quickly absorbed by the magically white materials in the blink of an eye. Once Spaniards with light skin thought their blue popping veins a sign of their racial and social superiorities. Nobilities since has been known as blue bloods. And now, the great democratizer—our beloved television—is telling us that we, the buyer of their products, are not only figuratively but literally blue bloods. Well, it is more like Windex blood, light and leaves no mark, very superior, very television.

Karla Normalka

What is the media’s obsession with Karla Homolka? She got a job and it headlines the evening news. She applies for a passport and reporters utter in shock: “she can go almost anywhere she wants.” Granted, the crimes she committed were heinous and her punishment did not quite fit her crimes, but it has been fifteen years and she had finished her prison sentence. The obsession with her is pathological. Every time a report is made, the reporter dutifully retells the lurid details of the rape, torture and murder of young women, including her own sister. The reports themselves are really pointless—an ex-con doing some fully legal mundane things. What is of interest to the reporter and the audiences/readers is the change to re-encounter the story and thus vicariously relive the forbidden. Now who is sick? Karla seems pretty normal.

Minority Promises

Now that Paul Martin has brought out the “notwithstanding clause” as a campaign promise, the parties have finally run out of items for promissory items. This election has created the longest list of promises from all parties in the history of Canadian election. They have certainly left no stone unturned. The beauty of the expected minority government is that it is the built-in excuse for any unrealized promise. “It is not my fault, they resisted us in every turn.” It can explain away anything. And if they try to force it through, as Martin did a few months ago, we will have another election in a year.

Cardboard Skins

It has been well reported in the past decade that the worst enemy of public health in North America is not deceases but poor diet. The fast food industry is usually mentioned as the culprit. They certainly have their serious faults, but I think it all starts with the education system. Is it not strange that in schools we learn, ostensively, all the basic things we need to survive—reading, writing, arithmetic, history and science? We are told, more or less correctly, that we need all these knowledge to find a living, provide food on the table and advance in life. Food has to be the first and foremost, since without food we would not be able to live much less advance. Curiously, they do not teach cooking, the uniquely human process through which carbon based materials are turned into food. They instead teach anti-cooking daily in the cafeteria. It is no accident then when we leave school, the four food groups we know are: burgers and fries, pizza, take out Chinese and fried chicken, all with cardboard for skin. If we are unfortunate enough to be unable to afford these food groups, we wind up eating surplus processed cheese, mysterious canned meat and ramen noodles. If we were taught cooking, we would know how to simply, easily and quickly cook wonderful and healthy meals for less then the price of half a happy meal per person. Even if we only cook unhealthy food and still die prematurely, at least we eat well and interestingly. If they are truly interested in the well being of young people, they should not only have physical education and the arts in the classroom, cooking should be at least of equal importance for both boys and girls.

Funny Patty

Patty, son of Bob, spoke his mind again and revealed to the world what a mind he has. After Chavez, New Orleans and Dover, Pa., now it is Sharon’s turn to suffer the wrath of god. People usually blame his ridiculous proclamations to old age, and that is very charitable of them. Problem is that this has nothing to do with age but ideas that has been festering in his cranium. Robertson is fond of saying that Israel has no better friends than evangelical Christians. What he is concern about when it comes to Israel, however, is only the role it plays in his “end time” scenario. The re-establishment of Israel in the ancient Jewish country is a major step in that scenario. His support of Israel only has to do with this and has nothing to do with Israelis, or anyone else. For all he cares, it does not matter that million of Jews or other people die in war so long as the scenario continue to progress. Who cares about peace, when all disbelievers, including Jews, will be killed and then suffer eternal damnation soon. I do not think all evangelicals are like Patty, but he certainly gave them a bad name. And with friends like that, what enemy does Israel ever need?

Fast Talking Liars

Watching television is a dangerous thing: it makes people accept lies as truth without thinking. How else do you explain the outright lies on it these days? I am not talking about the Canadian election with a nice middle-of-the-road Stephen Harper, a defender of Canada Paul Martin and a business friendly Jack Layton, or the President south of the border. I am just talking about the simplest things, like some guy selling the knife that ends all knives. I am of course talking about the fast-talking chef-looking cheesy guy who opens the infomercial by throwing away a draw full of knives. The pitch is that the knife he is selling is so good that you would not want any other. That is very well and good if the knife is truly good. I can live with one chef’s knife alone; and some Chinese chefs use nothing but one huge cleaver. Since I have not used the knife in question here, I do not know if it is good or not. What puzzles me is that after demonstrating that this knife can do just about every household chore, he insists on giving us a dozen more. Why do we need anything else? Has he just dumped a couple dozens of knives into the trash? This is as good as admitting that he had lied when he said that one knife is all I need for the rest of my life. He expects us to not question him and call in to buy that one knife with a dozen throw-ins. A lot of people must have called in; otherwise they would not have the money to run all these infomercials for all these years. It is not fair to blame television; after all if we even use our brain minimally, we would not be fooled. But since our brains are so out of shape, maybe it would be a good idea to have a test, like a driving test, to approve the usage of television. But then, they would probably make sure that only quiet brains pass. Oh, well, never mind.

King Kong

I did not walk into the theatre with very high expectation when I went to see King Kong. Although I liked the Lord of the Ring series, the story of King Kong is so familiar and the previous movies are so undistinguished artistically that I thought it would offer little surprise. While there was nothing new in the story, the movie did come up with a few surprises. Technically, once the first half hour passed, I could not help but be impressed by the rhythm Jackson had in filming and editing. It was not a backbreaking rush of adrenaline, but varied, lyrically and narrative, like a fine sonata. This carried though the three hours and made the double length very easy and enjoyable to navigate. It was also clear how much loving care he had put into this movie. Every moment was carefully constructed and not a single space in every second not filled with interesting elements. Take the long dinosaur stampede for example. It was mad and exciting enough just to see all these giant monsters stomping and running on our heroes. Jackson, however, made a little story within the stampede by interacting the human and the two kinds of dinosaurs. It gave imagination and meaning to this otherwise formulaic piece. My expectation was right, the story is old and nothing was added to it; but my expectation was also wrong, because of Jackson’s care it was by no mean undistinguished artistically. It may not have told me anything new or useful but the three hours were highly enjoyable; and that makes it an wonderful movie.

Let Them Eat Pasta!

On the CBS show “Face the Nation,” the director of CDC in the States Dr. Julie Gerberding said: “if we asked Americans today how many people have a week's supply of food in the house, probably not very much people would be able to eat much more than pasta if they had to feed their family for a period time.” She was, of course, making a very important point, to be heeded wherever people live. What is interesting, to me, is the example she chose: pasta. Is it really so bad to have only pasta to eat for a week during a major disaster? Sure, it is boring and requires a large amount of the not so easily available clean water to prepare, but it is filling and versatile. Many leaders of industry eat nothing but paste for four or more years when they are in universities. To have a few pack of pasta and a few cans of sauces seems to be a reasonable pantry in the event of disaster. Dr. Gerberding must have some very good taste and a walk-in solar-powered cold room at home. For people with only small refrigerator and little cupboard space, a few bags of dry goods are all they can manage. I am not sure what Dr. Gerberding had in mind but pasta seems more reasonable than cake.

Don't Drop the Ball, For Luck's Sake

Once upon a time people sent things up instead of down: fire works, flags, bullets, and what not. It makes good sense when you want things to look up in the New Year. I want to know who decided to drop the ball in the New Year? Dropping the ball? Come on! Did they even think about the implication? “Let’s drop the ball, the biggest ball we can find, onto Time Square to signal in the New Year!” Everybody in the country collectively dropping the ball is the first act of the New Year; and may they all keep dropping the ball for the rest of the year. This used to be confined to the United States but it has been spreading. Balls are dropped everywhere now, even in China. They dropped a clock over there at Zhuhai with fire shooting out of it when the clock struck, so to speak. Is there an end to these bad omens? First the ball is drop, then time itself explodes, will India try to outdo China by, say, blowing up a giant globe? I am afraid, very afraid. Whoever came up with the idea should put him or herself under the ball when it drops next.