Martin Luther King Jr. was killed fifty years ago today. He is remembered as an advocate for nonviolence, for envisioning a world in which race was not the determining factor in one's fate. Yet, behind the qualities most often attributed to Dr. King- peace, hope, and equality- there were other words with which he concerned himself.
An overriding theme of King's life was his struggle for justice. He challenged unjust laws by enduring jail time and beatings.
Another theme is fear- a fear common among black people even today; his house was bombed with his children inside. Another is frustration- witnessing so many so-called well-meaning people remain silent.
He devoted his career to fighting poverty, actively opposing violence, and inspiring and bringing those who are down and out.
King's words shouldn't be reduced to simplicity. They should be studied in depth by all well-meaning people.
Wednesday, April 04, 2018
Tuesday, April 03, 2018
Men's College Basketball Final Top 25 for 2018
Here are the final rankings based on performance int he tournament:
1. Villanova
2. Michigan
3. Kansas
4. Loyola Chicago
5. Duke
6. Texas Tech
7. Florida State
8. Kansas State
9. Purdue
10. Gonzaga
11. West Virginia
12. Kentucky
13. Clemson
14. Nevada
15. Texas A&M
16. Syracuse
17. Xavier
18. Cincinnati
19. UNC
20. Michigan State
21. Tennessee
22. Auburn
23. Ohio State
24. Houston
25. Florida
1. Villanova
2. Michigan
3. Kansas
4. Loyola Chicago
5. Duke
6. Texas Tech
7. Florida State
8. Kansas State
9. Purdue
10. Gonzaga
11. West Virginia
12. Kentucky
13. Clemson
14. Nevada
15. Texas A&M
16. Syracuse
17. Xavier
18. Cincinnati
19. UNC
20. Michigan State
21. Tennessee
22. Auburn
23. Ohio State
24. Houston
25. Florida
Monday, March 26, 2018
Power Ranking of World Leaders
Similar to the new trend in pro sports of keeping a running power ranking list that is utterly meaningless but is fun to debate, I'll keep a running list of power rankings of world leaders. I'm not sure yet how regularly I'll update the list just yet: weekly, monthly, quarterly, irregularly- we'll see. And like those sports power rankings, the rankings will be determined by recent events and not overall power.
1. Xi Jiangping - China
2. Theresa May - United Kingdom
3. Emmanuel Macron - France
4. Mohammad bin Salman - Saudi Arabia
5. Kim Jong-un - North Korea
6. Moon Jae-in - South Korea
7. Donald Trump - USA
8. Angela Merkel - Germany
9. Vladimir Putin - Russia
10. Narendra Modi - India
1. Xi recently amended the laws to allow him to become president for life. As the US pulls back its clout around the world, China seems to be filling the void.
2. Prime Minister May's strong statement and actions against Russia's assassination in England of a double agent not only knocked Putin down, but forced U.S. President Trump to act and has elicited an increasingly strong alliance against Russia.
3. President Macron has taken up the role as leader of global liberalism usually reserved for the president of the United States. He has also been strong with Putin and Russia without needlessly being antagonistic.
4. Crown Prince MBS is attempting to pose himself as an anti-corruption reformer. He's been a player on the international front with a horrible war in Yemen and creating an multi-lateral blockade of Qatar. MBS influenced President Trump to come out against Qatar, contrary to his administration's position. Trump later waffled.
5. Kim seems to be very much in control. When he wants to ratchet up tension, he tests missiles and tensions rise. When he wants to quell the fire, he sends his sister to South Korea, negotiates a unified Olympic team, holds bilateral talks with South Korea, and backs President Trump into meeting face-to-face with him before back-tracking.
6. President Moon is coming off a successful Winter Olympics and is the mature adult in the crisis with Kim and Trump.
7. President Trump's recent expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats helps his cause. It shows a clear message that he is not Russian President Putin's pawn as the investigation into collusion between his campaign and Russia continues.
8. Angela Merkel had been a leading voice of NATO and the EU, but suffered an ambiguous election result. She won a fourth term six months after the election.
9. President Putin is poised to win another term by a landslide. Despite that fact that he would win easily in a free and fair election, he has resorted to disqualifying a leading contender and puffing up his numbers. The recent backlash to Russia's murder of a double agent in England has pushed Putin back on his heels.
10. Modi scored two wins internationally this year without even trying. In a game of "who wore it better" he trounced the heartthrob Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who was accused of cultural appropriation when he wore "local" clothing during a visit to India. And Modi's other win came when President Trump publically called out India's rival Pakistan on Twitter back in January.
Friday, February 23, 2018
Top 5 QBs, RBs, WRs Now
This list takes more into account than one pass, one game, or even one season. But it's not a list one the best who happen to be active. It also isn't a prediction of what will happen either. Injuries are not ignored. The previous list was posted on February 22, 2017.
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Quarterbacks
| Rank | Player | (Previous Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Brady | (1) | ||
| 2 | Drew Brees | (3) | ||
| 3 | Matt Ryan | (5) | ||
| 4 | Aaron Rodgers | (2) | ||
| 5 | Ben Roethlisberger | (4) |
Running Backs
| Rank | Player | (Previous Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le'Veon Bell | (1) | ||
| 2 | LeSean McCoy | (4) | ||
| 3 | Todd Gurley | (NR) | ||
| 4 | Kareem Hunt | (NR) | ||
| 5 | Ezekiel Elliot | (2) |
Wide Receivers
| Rank | Player | (Previous Rank) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antonio Brown | (1) | ||
| 2 | Julio Jones | (2) | ||
| 3 | Larry Fitzgerald | (NR) | ||
| 4 | DeAndre Hopkins | (NR) | ||
| 5 | Tyreek Hill | (NR) |
Wednesday, February 07, 2018
Round and Round 2
We drove to the aquarium, an hour and a half trek. I'm not much of an aquarium fan. The mqrine life was cool: colorful fish, sting rays, and a giant shark, but I could do without the crowds an lobg druve. The babies were a bigger hit than the fish. Everyone seemed to love them. I heard mamy a kawaii.
They babies were a big hit at the dolphin show as well. Tali's pink hat, one that my mom knit when she was born, was luckily found by a worker and returned to us before we knew it was gone.
Then we drove to Nakijin castle to witbess the cherry blossoms. The Okinawan version is darker than the ones in Kyoto, Tokyo, or DC. But they were past their peak. The babies were asleep so only some looked around. Nakijin, around Nago, is just ruins, but they date back quite aways.
For dinner, we went to a different conveyor belt sushi restarant. Hamazushi is our favorite. Abie ate duck, fried chicken, and some rice and seaweed. Tali ate her weight in rice despite a cold.
I wanted to walk back to the apartment since the weather was mild. I realized I ate too much and started feeling like I had to throw up. I gagged and Abie mimicked me. The Candace's scooter slowed down significantly. So I used the stroller to push the scooter all the way to the apartment. Tali fell asleep but Abie was babbling all the way.
They babies were a big hit at the dolphin show as well. Tali's pink hat, one that my mom knit when she was born, was luckily found by a worker and returned to us before we knew it was gone.
Then we drove to Nakijin castle to witbess the cherry blossoms. The Okinawan version is darker than the ones in Kyoto, Tokyo, or DC. But they were past their peak. The babies were asleep so only some looked around. Nakijin, around Nago, is just ruins, but they date back quite aways.
For dinner, we went to a different conveyor belt sushi restarant. Hamazushi is our favorite. Abie ate duck, fried chicken, and some rice and seaweed. Tali ate her weight in rice despite a cold.
I wanted to walk back to the apartment since the weather was mild. I realized I ate too much and started feeling like I had to throw up. I gagged and Abie mimicked me. The Candace's scooter slowed down significantly. So I used the stroller to push the scooter all the way to the apartment. Tali fell asleep but Abie was babbling all the way.
Tuesday, February 06, 2018
Castle and Ice Cream
Candace, the babies and I walked to the grocery stote as nd bought candy thatvlooked interesting. We got a couple of additional kit kat flavors to add to our collection. The planes thundering over headed to and from Kadena air force base are extremely loud. Some fly in very low. The loudest ones paradoxically are way up high. It's no wonder the presence of US military bases on the island are a source of tension.
Then we drove to Shuri castle. It was the home of the Ryuku kingdom from the 15th century until 1879 when Japan took over the island. The castle was mostly destroyed in the war and portions were rebuilt.
Candace and I took Abie in the stroller. We didn't find the accessible path until it was took late. We did run into a woman who kept bumping into us an speaking only Japanese. Candace thought she was crazy, but I just thought she was friendly. Tali went with her grandma and saw more of the castle.
For dinner, the babies had taco rice, a blend of cultures thwt is uniquely Okinawan. Then we had Blue Seal ice cream. Tali had had ice cream whenshe was recovering from cleft surgery, but the was Abie's first taste ans he enjoyed it. They tried benimo, a purple sweet potato, salt cookie, and a taimo cheesecake flavor. Abie still hasn't tried chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry though.
Then we drove to Shuri castle. It was the home of the Ryuku kingdom from the 15th century until 1879 when Japan took over the island. The castle was mostly destroyed in the war and portions were rebuilt.
Candace and I took Abie in the stroller. We didn't find the accessible path until it was took late. We did run into a woman who kept bumping into us an speaking only Japanese. Candace thought she was crazy, but I just thought she was friendly. Tali went with her grandma and saw more of the castle.
For dinner, the babies had taco rice, a blend of cultures thwt is uniquely Okinawan. Then we had Blue Seal ice cream. Tali had had ice cream whenshe was recovering from cleft surgery, but the was Abie's first taste ans he enjoyed it. They tried benimo, a purple sweet potato, salt cookie, and a taimo cheesecake flavor. Abie still hasn't tried chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry though.
Monday, February 05, 2018
Super Bowl Throw Up
Apparently you have to pay $99 to watch the Super Bowl on tv here. I wanted to see if I could stream the game so I wouldn't have to go to a bar to watch it. Turns out Candace's sister had an app that could strean in on the tv, so we all watched the game.
The Eagles didn't really seem like a championship team to me. Sure, defense and a good running game are a good recipe. But the game featured the most total yards in NFL history. It was an exciting gaem filled with poor tackling and kicking miscues. With 2 minutes to go, my nephew played with the remote and we nearly missed the end of the game.
We walked north of the sea wall on the coast. The East China Sea is so many different colors at that spot, it's incredible. But it was cold, windy, and rainy. We got burritos for lunch.
For dinner, Candace and I went out for a date night. We went to the Transit Cafe which was on the second floor. There seemed to be a perfect dpot to park the scooter and we took it as a good omen. I got seafood paella which was delicious and a berry smoothie. Candace dined on salmon and sipped hot chocolate.
The babies woke up a bit until I woke them up with a combination diarrhea-vomiting episode. Fun times.
The Eagles didn't really seem like a championship team to me. Sure, defense and a good running game are a good recipe. But the game featured the most total yards in NFL history. It was an exciting gaem filled with poor tackling and kicking miscues. With 2 minutes to go, my nephew played with the remote and we nearly missed the end of the game.
We walked north of the sea wall on the coast. The East China Sea is so many different colors at that spot, it's incredible. But it was cold, windy, and rainy. We got burritos for lunch.
For dinner, Candace and I went out for a date night. We went to the Transit Cafe which was on the second floor. There seemed to be a perfect dpot to park the scooter and we took it as a good omen. I got seafood paella which was delicious and a berry smoothie. Candace dined on salmon and sipped hot chocolate.
The babies woke up a bit until I woke them up with a combination diarrhea-vomiting episode. Fun times.
Sunday, February 04, 2018
Adventure with the Babies
On our daily trip to Family Mart, an old man struck up a conversation with me and then forced 300 yen into my hand. He talked with others in our group and they were put off by his forwardness and his limited English.
The family went to the mall while I stayed with the babies. We had fun for a little while until they got fussy. So I changed them, hoisted them up, and walked down three flights with both of them. Their bottles hung from my pockets and I slid my drink into my back pocket.
The walk was gray and drizzly. In Okinawa, the smaller intersections don't have stop signs, they have mirrors. Supposedly the car from the smaller road has to yield. But what if both roads are similar sizes?
We made it to American Village and I found a bookstore in the mall. The English selection was disappointing. Mostly books aboit samurai and ninjas. I was trying to figure out wha to buy when Abie kept throwing the mall floor plan on the floor and Tali threw an empty water bottle down. Then they'd both laugh as I picked then up. It really slowed down the whole book selecting process.
I stopped at Lawson's an got some cherry, rasberry, and nuts style kit kats. When we got back to the apartment, the family jad beaten me home. They had brought back all kinds off kit kats: wasabi, green tea, some alcoholic tasting one, orange, strawberry, and the same one I had bought. They also brought an assortment of donuts.
For dinner we went out to a restaurant. The babies moetly slept in their car seats. Abie woke up a little, but Tali slept through. I had amazing shrimp tempura and fish face. The tempira as so good I ordered another one even though I was just about totally full. Now it's time to figure out how to watch the Super Bowl.
The family went to the mall while I stayed with the babies. We had fun for a little while until they got fussy. So I changed them, hoisted them up, and walked down three flights with both of them. Their bottles hung from my pockets and I slid my drink into my back pocket.
The walk was gray and drizzly. In Okinawa, the smaller intersections don't have stop signs, they have mirrors. Supposedly the car from the smaller road has to yield. But what if both roads are similar sizes?
We made it to American Village and I found a bookstore in the mall. The English selection was disappointing. Mostly books aboit samurai and ninjas. I was trying to figure out wha to buy when Abie kept throwing the mall floor plan on the floor and Tali threw an empty water bottle down. Then they'd both laugh as I picked then up. It really slowed down the whole book selecting process.
I stopped at Lawson's an got some cherry, rasberry, and nuts style kit kats. When we got back to the apartment, the family jad beaten me home. They had brought back all kinds off kit kats: wasabi, green tea, some alcoholic tasting one, orange, strawberry, and the same one I had bought. They also brought an assortment of donuts.
For dinner we went out to a restaurant. The babies moetly slept in their car seats. Abie woke up a little, but Tali slept through. I had amazing shrimp tempura and fish face. The tempira as so good I ordered another one even though I was just about totally full. Now it's time to figure out how to watch the Super Bowl.
Saturday, February 03, 2018
Two Trips for Ramen
I forgot to mention an elderly lady approached the babies and me at the airport and labeled them "kahaii" aka cute.
In the morning Candace and I took the babies for a walk down route 58. We took our daily trip to Family Mart, a different one, and bought more random stuff. I got what was possibly faux pork since it was out with the pastries. I also got a cheeseburger. Convenient store cheeseburger, you'd think not so good, but it was decent.
When we went back out for ramen, turns out we went to the exact place we took oir morning walk. That meant a lot of extra walking for me. It was very windy and the temperature was in the 50s.
The ramen place had a machine to order that we couldn't figure out. Turns out a staff member had to activate it. The babies loved Tayvon's mildly spiced noodles. I enjoyed the steak that was placed on mine.
On the walk we saw Shisa statues everywhere. The are dogs that bring good luck. They often come in pairs. We also saw aa statue of Colonel Sanders outside a KFC and got a picture of him squishing my head. We passed by many well manucured Japanese gardens in the Miyogi neighborhood of Chatan. I feel more confident in my ability to navigate around Chatan.
When we got back everyone took a 3 hour nap and the adults missed dinner.
In the morning Candace and I took the babies for a walk down route 58. We took our daily trip to Family Mart, a different one, and bought more random stuff. I got what was possibly faux pork since it was out with the pastries. I also got a cheeseburger. Convenient store cheeseburger, you'd think not so good, but it was decent.
When we went back out for ramen, turns out we went to the exact place we took oir morning walk. That meant a lot of extra walking for me. It was very windy and the temperature was in the 50s.
The ramen place had a machine to order that we couldn't figure out. Turns out a staff member had to activate it. The babies loved Tayvon's mildly spiced noodles. I enjoyed the steak that was placed on mine.
On the walk we saw Shisa statues everywhere. The are dogs that bring good luck. They often come in pairs. We also saw aa statue of Colonel Sanders outside a KFC and got a picture of him squishing my head. We passed by many well manucured Japanese gardens in the Miyogi neighborhood of Chatan. I feel more confident in my ability to navigate around Chatan.
When we got back everyone took a 3 hour nap and the adults missed dinner.
Friday, February 02, 2018
Round and Round
Today was Candace's birthday. We took a walk along the sea wall in perfect weather with the babies. We later went to a park where Candace and the babies watched me play on a swingset. I got Candace a shaved ice. Candace's mom and nephew feigned like they were going back to the apartment so the boy could poop, but instead bought two cakes for her birthday.
We then walked to conveyor belt sushi which we luckily found. It was fun! Candace's mom tried natto, fermented beans. She guaranteed it wouldn't taste worse than the freshwater eel she tried. At first she gave a face that suggested, Hmm this is interesting, but things quickly turned south. Soon she was frantically searching for a napkin to spit it out. She sat there for the next five minutes disgusted and angry. The rest of us couldn't stop laughing. Tayvon saw what had happened and tried some himself to similar effect.
I liked the freshwater eel and fried sqid. The octopus was a thinly sliced part of a tentacle. I also tried fugu, the infamous poisonous pufferfish. My stomach started expanding painfully last night, ao I got scared it would kill me.
The babies spent a lot of time playing with older local kids from a neighboring table. The babies liked a beef bowl, sticky rice, and some fried corn. I couldn't take the salmon roe- the eggs were bigger than I like- so I gave one to Tali. She shuddered a bit, but swallowed it.
On the way back. Candace's scooter was rapidly losing charge so he mom, Tayvon, and I took turns pushing the stroller and the scooter while it lightly rained. Candace's cakes were quite fancy and tasted good too.
We then walked to conveyor belt sushi which we luckily found. It was fun! Candace's mom tried natto, fermented beans. She guaranteed it wouldn't taste worse than the freshwater eel she tried. At first she gave a face that suggested, Hmm this is interesting, but things quickly turned south. Soon she was frantically searching for a napkin to spit it out. She sat there for the next five minutes disgusted and angry. The rest of us couldn't stop laughing. Tayvon saw what had happened and tried some himself to similar effect.
I liked the freshwater eel and fried sqid. The octopus was a thinly sliced part of a tentacle. I also tried fugu, the infamous poisonous pufferfish. My stomach started expanding painfully last night, ao I got scared it would kill me.
The babies spent a lot of time playing with older local kids from a neighboring table. The babies liked a beef bowl, sticky rice, and some fried corn. I couldn't take the salmon roe- the eggs were bigger than I like- so I gave one to Tali. She shuddered a bit, but swallowed it.
On the way back. Candace's scooter was rapidly losing charge so he mom, Tayvon, and I took turns pushing the stroller and the scooter while it lightly rained. Candace's cakes were quite fancy and tasted good too.
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