Nature's Devastation

Nature's wrath left an awful horrible horrible feeling of desolation, isolation, desperation, cries for help for the destruction left by power super typhoon Yolanda (Typhoon Haiyan). It's heart wrenching to see dead people along the streets, to see them flee storm surge trying not to drown, livelihood gone, houses destroyed, children crying . It's awful. The powerful storm hit across the whole of the Vizayas and death toll could rise  10,000 in Leyte alone..and that's just one province.  It's really really grim.

In this time of calamity. Filipinos are pooling all their sources to help fellow countrymen. Aid Agencies from parts of the world helping..so thank you.

Napster Documentary

 Cool Documentary is from Alex Winter - who starred in Bill and Teds movies with Keanu Reeves

But Bill and Ted never saw anything as cool as Winter's documentary Downloaded: The Digital Revolution, which receives its world premiere March 10 at the interactive/music/film South by Southwest Festival in Austin. It tells how two teenagers, Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, reinvented the music industry, got crushed and still managed to get rich with such game-changers as Facebook and Spotify. 

Downloaded is about the epochal file-sharing service Napster, dreamed up in 1999, when Fanning was a college dropout living in the closet of his uncle's office.

Winter's film might remind people of the forgotten fact that it was Napster that inspired the first social networking giant Friendster, which Facebook supplanted. "Napster wasn't really about music," says Winter. "To me, Napster was a global community where there had never been one."  Read Full article via Hollywood Reporter

 I wanna see this film.

Prince William and Kate Middleton Engaged! Royal Wedding Next Year!

OMG! Engagement announced! I just have to blog that! I don't know why I'm excited. He he. Watching BBC right now and they are showing news clips about the Kate who is the become the future QUEEN of England! And because I can barely remember Charles and Diana's royal wedding, (Hey I was kid!), and I like fairy tales, prince and princess, this royal wedding summer of 2011 must be watched soon!

A wedding on the internet age! Great!

Still on the topic of Boxing and Paquiao's win...

Oh I like Dan Wetzel's report! why Mayweather should keep dodging Pacquiao. Ha ha!

Quoting Manny Pacquiao on Mayweather... “He needs me,” Pacquiao said. “I don’t need him.”

And because boxing is an brutal entertaining sports.. I was LOL so much with this comment re: Justin Bieber vs Mayweather battle! Epic! Ha ha ha!

Now showing on US politics, John Boehner!

I'm still for Mitt Romney for 2012!

Just for the record I'm hardly a pundit. I'm not American nor do I live in the US. However I'm more fascinated with whats happening there more than what's going here. Politics sucks, and politicians gobble it all up.

Anyway, this post is about the recent victory of Republicans in Midterm elections. With the victory, the GOP regained control of congress. John Boehner, will be the incoming speaker of the House.

From NY Daily:

It was a scene straight out of "Mad Men" - chain-smoking Don Draper denouncing "addictive" cigarettes after his ad agency lost a big tobacco account.

Except it was Rep. John Boehner - speaker of the House-in-waiting - on Election Night, enthusiastically ripping into the city that made him what he is.

"For too long, Washington has been doing what's best for Washington, not what's best for the American people," said the man who would be third in line to the presidency.

The sounds of jaws dropping filled the air. Here was a man who epitomized Washington denying he ever had anything to do with the place. The fictional Don Draper would have been proud.

In many ways, Boehner is the Don Draper of D.C. - a chain-smoking, unapologetic Midwesterner in a sharp suit straight out of America, circa 1962. Read more

CNN:

Who is John Boehner? Among friends, he's just one of the guys.

During Boehner's time in Congress, he's also earned a reputation among reporters and colleagues as having a laid-back demeanor and a penchant for wisecracks. On Thursday, when questioned by ABC's Diane Sawyer about the possibility of a "Slurpee summit" with President Obama, Boehner responded, "I don't know about a Slurpee. How about a glass of merlot?" Read all

Well, suddenly 2012 seems fast approaching. No Palin, please!

The End of Camelot?

Nothing warms the heart than seeing so many people paying their respect to see the last of the Camelot. People love the Kennedys.

Read the article ( link above) from Boston Globe. How the people are responding to this news is similar to that of President Cory. People lining up and waiting up to hours just to view Senator Kennedy.

Miami Herald: Read several columnists' remembrances of Sen. Ted Kennedy, who died this week.

Washington Post: Post Kennedy Era. (long article by Howard Kurtz) worth to read.

Family Legacy and the Destiny

If America has the Kennedys, here we have our own.. the Aquino/Cojuangco.

The heroism and martyrdom of Ninoy or the simplicity and integrity of Cory, made the country a proud one again. Rising from the ruins of of martial law and dictatorship. They have both given their lives to the the country that they love and people that love them in return.

Maeve Kennedy, grandchild of RFK, said in an interview.. to whom much is given much is expected in return. Same words that I heard from President Aquino's daughter, Kris. It is so true.

The legacy of Ninoy and Cory lies in the hands of the younger Aquinos-their children

And their legacy still will continue with the iPod/Facebook/Twitter generation of Aquino grandchildren.

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Kennedy Legacy and the Future Kennedys

It's sad as another Kennedy has died. Senator Edward Kennedy succumbed to brain cancer yesterday. A few weeks ago Eunice Kennedy passed away. It's just so poignant how so many love them. The Kennedys has given their whole lives to public service. I mean, what is American politics without the Kennedys? What would be the political arena without a Kennedy? It would be hollow. Empty of inspiration.

But for every sadness there is a silver lining of hope...the future Kennedy Generation.

There's the the 40's and 50's young Kennedys to continue legacy. They are John, Robert, Edward and Eunice's children as younger Kennedys continue service to the country

There's the this Facebook /iPod generation of Kennedys. The notion of service still deep in the blood (via newsbusters)

The grandchildren of the Kennedys: Tatiana and Rose, Caroline's daughters and JFK's granddaughters. Maeve is in law school too, another one, Kerry, a senior in High school.. they're RFK's grand daughters. Matt and Joe Kennedy... 3rd year Law students at Harvard. Other grandchildren... Maria Kennedy Shriver's kids.

Read more about them. They'e just regular kids like the many regular kids out there except they are Kennedys. There lies their destiny.

In our thoughts

Prayers for Cory Aquino. Former President of the Philippines who's been diagnosed with colon cancer. She has been in the hospital for almost a month now due to pain and weakness in her body. Prayers for her family too as they go through this crisis.

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Prayers for Felipe Massa, the f1 driver who fractured his skull in a high-speed accident and was in near death during qualifying round at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

He's been in coma and life support but scouring the new sites.. there's good news. The chief surgeon at AEK hospital says Massa is now breathing unassisted and moving his limbs. In addition, a drain from his skull wound was removed. (AP)

Massa's wife is six months pregnant so one prays that he recovers from the horrible crash.

Anyway what happened to Massa brought back to mind what happened more than a decade ago of Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna who died in a crash in Imola in 1994.

US Supreme Court: Strip Search Unconstitutional

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 8 to 1, this week that the strip search of a 13-year-old Arizona girl by school officials who were looking for prescription-strength drugs violated her constitutional rights. The court ruled that officials at Safford Middle School would have been justified had they limited their search to the girl's backpack and outer clothing. But in searching her undergarments, they went too far and violated her Fourth Amendment privacy rights, all the justices—except Clarence Thomas—said. Read the whole article from US News and World Report.

That strip search is clearly a violation especially to a 13 year old girl. The officials of the school should be held accountable for their actions. Yes, they have laws within their premises and confines of the school but they went to far in enforcing that. What they did to the girl was humiliating, demeaning! It's not even cocaine they were searching but an Ibuprofen- generic name for Advil.

Asking a 13 year old to shake her undies and training bras and taking them off to see if there were any illegal drugs and over the counter prescription is porny pedophilia in a way that really is degrading.

The school is like the second home of children. It's place where educators and officials teachers the whole academe should be guiding students.. teaching them importance of law and of rights and teaching them about values, morals and decency.. What happened at Safford Middle School reflects the nature of unconstitutional way they enforce discipline and laws.

Michael Jackson Dead

According to Los Angeles Times and several wire reports now. Jackson suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and was in coma, not breathing when rushed to the hospital.

Microblogging Iran, Flickr..ing the Scenes, You Tube the Events and Posting on Facebook

What would those generation T (as in technology savvy) young mostly affluent people do without the social networking sites and microblogging tools? They be out on the streets together with the others protesting in more than 140 characters of invectives.

Tweeting Iran: Elex New in 140 characters or less (AP/Yahoo)
Noise Filter: Iranian Election Dispute (WHIR)

The little man (because he is...in height), re elected president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would face even more riots and possible revolt (is it possible in a country Like Iran?) er, maybe tech revolt?

People should do tweet on the whereabouts of Al Qaeda leaders or the super recluse North Korea or what's going on in Afghanistan.

Another Casualty of Economic Crisis

Once upon a time, General Motors stood strong and mighty, the world at its feet.

Today, the world prevails, and GM is on its knees.

We are dominoes in the shadow of a tumbling giant.

All fall down.

But falling is not dying.

And we are not dead yet.

Read the whole good article from June 2, 09 Mitch Albom column from the Detroit Free Press.

Of course by now everybody knows of GM bankruptcy. It's shocking ( to me anyway) because they are one of the biggest automakers and yet the company strapped for cash.


There is nothing fun here, nothing good about bankruptcy. But nothing shocking, either. History is full of this lesson. All fall down. What defines you is not how you fall, but how you get up.


Maybe because I am from a developing nation that's why I'm shocked... but such huge company and then all of a sudden bankrupt? Plants closing, workers laid off from their job, GM selling it's stake and government bailing them out.. these trying economic times doesn't really choose it's victims. Read everything and all about GM's fall via Detroit Free Press.

This is gonna sound silly and it really is.. but I'm sort of imagining what if it's a softdrink company that's bankrupt? I know that will never happen... but just think.. running out sodas in all fast food and stores all that dreadful scenario like doomsday .. well perhaps not to those who could care less about sodas. I did say it's silly thought.

Anyway, economy still bleeds.. more (band) aid is needed to stop the flow and end the suffering of the now many unemployed workers.

Death penalty for child rapist?

Link via Washington Post. Because Louisiana wants a review of the eight amendment.

There have been interpretations of society's "evolving standards of decency" to remove juvenile and mentally retarded killers from death row. In 1977 the court also concluded that a state could not execute a man who raped an adult woman. But on Wednesday the court will consider whether a person who rapes a child is different.

The state's Supreme Court held that children require special protection from society and that the "the degradation and devastation of child rape, and the permeation of harm resulting to victims of rape in this age category" justify the death penalty.

Read the whole article because it's interesting and I can't really articulate about the law. What do I know anyhow? I'm not American. I do wanna say something about the death penalty.

Here where I'm from, if you rape a child, I believe you deserve to die. Well, no matter where your from. No questions ask. I will [not] agree with death penalty. I'm half and half actually. But I'm pretty sure that raping a child is like killing a child. No mercy. One has to pay for committing a brutal crime.. If death penalty is the answer, then so be it. But if you let that animal rapist rot in jail and slowly watch him deteriorate forever is like killing him slowly. Death penalty all thesame.

So where do you belong?

The report by AP that ranks jobs by rate of depression is so damn reality.

Of course who wouldn't be depressed taking care of people you don't even know. Wiping their asses, bathing them just to earn a living.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- People who tend to the elderly, change diapers and serve up food and drinks have the highest rates of depression among U.S. workers.
Overall, 7 percent of full-time workers battled depression in the past year, according to a government report available Saturday.

Women were more likely than men to have had a major bout of depression, and younger workers had higher rates of depression than their older colleagues. Almost 11 percent of personal care workers -- which includes child care and helping the elderly and severely disabled with their daily needs -- reported depression lasting two weeks or longer.

Hmm, women are more likely to be depressed? I dunno. I always felt that it's the men who are more liable to to be depressed. Or maybe I'm just associating depression with them. But then again there are more women workers that have jobs as caregivers and nurses. I think. But you know, if you're serving the country and being dispatched to war torn countries, you're bound to have depression one way or the other-- being way from family and all that and then coming back after witnessing horrors of life as the job requires it.

Contiuning with the report.....

Workers who prepare and serve food -- cooks, bartenders, waiters and waitresses -- had the second highest rate of depression among full-time employees at 10.3 percent. In a tie for third were health care workers and social workers at 9.6 percent.

The lowest rate of depression, 4.3 percent, occurred in the job category that covers engineers, architects and surveyors.

Right. And the aforementioned men are the ones who are more in to those line of job. And here I am making a point somehow about men being more depressed.

Actually having no job is depressing unless of course you're skanky socialite. Shit. That's doubly depressing.

Dead and done

Saddam Hussein executed! He's pffft! No vids or photos released yet. But will there be one?

*edit... Iraqi t.v released video as he was about to be hanged. Photo of Saddam (via AP/Yahoo). I saw the new vid while watching cnn and there's several of them now showing in You Tube.. just search for it.

Gripe. I added labels with my previous post but when I click I thought it would show all post I made with that labels (i.e. all blog entries I made with words Daniel Smith) I added..but now it's a no show. Maybe I'm not understanding how it works. low tech mind I have. Whatever.

Tags are way better. Google should've added tags instead. Something similar to Flickr.

Yahoo's gift and political gayness

Some are criticizing it. Yahoo's $1million gifting and granting foreign journalists for a a mid career fellowship program at Stanford University. It's not without controversy like the 'ethics of accepting the money.'

Doesn't all accept something as a form of thank you for nice write up. Money or something. I don't know. Or maybe it's just a practice here. Ach. Maybe not the hardnosed journos.

Political gayness yet again!

Scandal in the (US) house as more ickey dickey Foley newsies make the rounds. Gosh them freaky politicians! If they're not gayness, they're perverts. Former Rep. Mark Foley (resigned because he's el shitty perverty dudey) checked himself to a rehab for alcoholism and behavioral problems. Yeah, like sending sexually implicit emails to young boys. Geez, and you thought priests were bad lots! (news link via St. Petersburg Times)

*edit. The former Rep. said he was molested between ages 13 and 15 by a clergyman. So is that supposed to justify his acts of malice?! Lawyer for Foley said no, and inapropriate behavior has nothing to do with the congressman being traumatized. Uh huh so what gives!? Oh and he acknowledges he's gay! Yes, just like ex Gov. Mc. Greevey. Gayness as well! I recently saw an interview done by Larry King, he was promoting a book or something along with his 'partner.'

So when will out local politicians here come out of the closet? Hmm, there's quite a few of them. Hah! Jack off Jill....come out, come out!

So who's brain is better, huh?

Reading now this article from WashPost. Got me laughing. I don't know. Good stuff there. Heck, female brains has" juice?!" Uh huh. "Males and females may perform similar calculations, but they use different "circuits." Woman is Mac. Man is PC. Blame the brain".

So, the Brain of the woman is well more equipt to handle everything, in softer kinder way, and men, they tend to shut the crap up. Well pardon, obviously I'm female and think some aspects of the men's brain is really much more better than women. They excel more (though now there are more bums than ever. Heh) and sure they "think about sex every 52 seconds, while a woman does only once a day, while a woman does only once a day." Baloney! There are a lot of nymphos out there who always think about (having) sex every 52 seconds! (oh not fricking me, I belong to nunnery once a day..or week perhaps..swear not lying, hehe). But I think this right here "a woman knows what people are feeling, while a man can't spot an emotion unless somebody cries or threatens bodily harm" is not really true, I mean, yes, it is right but not all right is true. There are men who are sensitive who can spot feelings. But maybe most of them are just defensive to readily admit that they do feel. Wimpy willow! Heh.

So the consensus: men are good, but women are better? Uhm, I don't how to use mac! Er, cos I don't have one!

Croc hunter, Dead!

Steve Irwin was killed by sting ray while making underwater film documentary.

The job killed him. If it wasn't the crocs, it was bound to be something of animal nature.. but a stingray? Now you know how dangerous those stingrays are.

Truce be told...

Israel has right to defend it's nation. And if that means stopping (by raiding) re arming of Hezbolla by Iran and Syria then what's wrong with that? And UN peacekeeping force from muslim nations like Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh..c'mon, if ever there's conflict again, do these UN peacekeeping force have the power to even patrol the borders or prevent militias? Unifel wasn't even a success you know. Hezbolla extremist and their masters, Syria and Iran could wipe them out. Plus the fact that Malaysia recently hosted an Islamic conference that included calls for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

Okay enough said.

Newslink via Washington Post

Finally a suspect murderer arrested!

John Mark Karr, a 41 yar old American teacher was arrested in Thailand. He said that '" he loved Jonbenet" and that "death was accidental."He confessed to the killing.

What led to his arrest was the emails sent to journalism professor which became suspicious of him

Oh my God. I can't help but cringe and get scared. This man, who is now a very much suspect in that brutal murder of a child beauty queen had been living in Asia. A decade ago six year old Jonbenet Ramsey was brutally murdered. It became a high profiled case and for ten years the Boulder police didn't have any success finding out who killed the little gir (they suspected the parents). And now this breakthrough and the guy all along had been in Asia.

The little girl, would've been 16 years old right had she lived.