Monday, February 28, 2005

My Oscar Reactions

So for the second time in my life I watched the entire Oscar show. In fairness to me, it was to impress a beautiful woman. Ok, it was my mom. The evening began with these inane superficial "reporters" who pissed me off, to set the mood for the evening. For every "Who are you wearing" I was heard to retort, "Shut the fuck up asshole."

Chris Rock was this generation's version of Dave Chappelle and Billy Crystal, except not at all. I will say that his political humor was not biased at all. He simply made accurate observations about Mr. Bush and then constructed a humorous metaphor. To those who thought it was politically bias, are you saying that Bush has not run up a huge national debt and did not claim that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? And you would be denying the fact that Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction. Also you would be implying that if he worked at the Gap he wouldn't be fired. Ridiculous, simply ridiculous; although all options are on the table. (That last sentence constitutes Bush's Iran policy when answering questions about an imminent attack against Iran).

I also enjoyed Chris Rock slamming Sean Penn, the great great great great great great great great great great great great grandson of William Penn, the man who "discovered" Pennsylvania.

I was rooting for Jamie Foxx to win for supporting actor, because I saw that movie, Collateral. But I like Morgan Freeman, so it's all good. I'm glad Jamie Foxx won for best actor, but I also liked Don Cheadle. I saw Ray and Hotel Rwanda. I like both a lot, but actually I thought Hotel Rwanda was better. So I was surprised it wasn't nominated for best picture. Jamie Foxx's speech was obviously very moving.

By the way, the fact that four black people were nominated for acting awards is not really a great deal. It's a testament to the discrimination in the movie industry that it is a big deal more than anything else.


Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek. Hey! they were at the Oscars! it's relevant!!!

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Guide to Anti-Asian American Violence

I understand that there are many people in the United States who want to perform violence against Asian Americans, but executing this can be difficult. Here are a few helpful steps towards attaining your goals.

First, there are numerous different groups that makeup the generic term "Asian American." It is important to understand which group you want to target for your blind rage. Say you are still fighting a war that was lost some thirty years ago against the Vietnamese, now how would throwing a brick at a Malaysian guy help your cause? Quite frankly it wouldn't. So the first step in our little journey is to accurately determine the correct ethnicity of the individual you wish to attack.

I know what you're asking, how do I do that? It's simple. Get to know your potential victim. Hang out with him or her. Learn their likes and dislikes. Ask about their family. Spend countless hours looking at their photo albums and hearing about their grandparents' stories back in the Philippines. Ah, the Philippines, now you've got it!

But you're still not ready to beat someone up simply because of factors that are beyond their control, yet. There are many obstacles to overcome until you reach the perfect act of persecution. While you are crucifying someone, you have to know which slurs to spout. There is nothing more embarrassing than some patriotic American kicking the shit out of an Asian American for the love of country and then to fuck it up by confusing their verbal bigotry. Plus, no one likes an ignorant bigot!

Don't fret, this problem is also easy to conquer. Study your victim's culture. Say you are resolutely anti-Communist. So much so that you have a bunch of naked posters of former senator Joseph McCarthy hanging on your wall, or you have cut the head of former senator Joseph McCarthy out of old newspapers and placed it on posters of naked men's bodies, I don't know it's none of my business, you have a right to privacy, so you really want to beat up some Chinese people. Take classes and learn about Chinese history. Go to China. Learn about the various viewpoints of the over one billion Chinese people. In fact, you should master Chinese. Now you might be ready to smack a Chinese guy in the face and scream the appropriate slander while you do it!

Unfortunately, there is still more to know. You may feel that the Japanese are stealing all of our jobs that rightfully belong to Americans. You have chosen a potential prey. You have followed all of the steps listed above. But you have a problem (besides not picking up a newspaper in the last ten years and clearly not understanding the global economic outlook). What you want to do is to punch a Japanese national right in his penis, not injure a Japanese American. In a way, Japanese Americans are Americans too, you think. 'Hmmm,' you muse, 'dis dun huttin peepel es hard wark.'

Yet again, the problem is all in your mind. There are ways of obtaining an individual's citizenship status. Go to college in a four-year program. Then get a job with the INS. Next, work your way to the point where you have access to such information and whallah!

I am putting this information out there because I want the United States to be a better place. Personally I don't think hurting Asian Americans is right at all, but I am aware that there are people who disagree with me. So all I'm saying to those people is: be smart in your exploits of hatred against your fellow human. Make sure your actions are consistent with your ideology. I am not an Asian American; I am a Jew. And I can assure you that nothing pisses me off more than when some douchebag is beating me mercilessly, when his intention was to wail on a Sephardic Jew. For you see, I'm Ashkenazi.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

2005 NBA All Star Game Recap

With all the hype about the young players in the NBA, the All Star Game showed who is still at the top of the league. Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett are the cream of the crop in today's NBA. I thought Iverson or O'Neal should have won the MVP award, and sure enough Iverson's double-double was enough. Vince Carter always plays well in All Star Games because his style is suited for the form the game takes. His off the glass dunk, reminiscent of his distant cousin, Tracy McGrady was quite good. He had to reach his hand back because he threw himself a bad pass, grab the ball, and dunk it home. Amare Stoudemire's reverse alley oop was also notable. In the end, the East won, snapping the West's three game winning streak.

At half time, some country bumpkins sang the lyrics "save a horse, ride a cowboy." For some of our dumber Christian conservatives, that's sexual innuendo. To be honest, I really don't have a problem with the line. But I am appalled at the hypocrisy in the United States today. Granted, no fake breast was shown in this display, but let's compare this to some other "outrageous" sports antics of the past few months. Newly appointed saint, Terrell Owens reluctantly caught a woman who had jumped into his arms before a Monday Night Game last fall. We saw the woman's bare back. Bedlam ensued after Owens performance. The skit had sexual overtones, but then so does our country friends' song, now doesn't it? The more absurd case involves Randy Moss. After scoring a touchdown, Moss PRETENDED to moon the Green Bay faithful. I hope this is not sexual or else I'm in a whole heap of trouble because I once saw my baby cousin's tuckus while his diaper was being changed, which would seem much worse then PRETENDING to moon some people. And singing about fucking cowboys is also worse than PRETENDING to moon some people. So in conclusion to my All Star Game wrap up, many Americans are hypocrites.

Or are they? Owens and Moss are black, if I'm not mistaken. Despite the country singers rappin' cowboy friend, they were white. Ah, so I get it! Americans are not hypocrites, just vicious racists. Ok, my mistake.

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Togo's Political Crisis

Togo seems to have joined many of their West African partners in the doldrums of instability. For many years after Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first leader following independence, Togo's neighbor to the west had featured numerous coups. But in recent years, Ghana has been the pillar of stability among the ECOWAS nations (Economic Community of West African States). Liberia, a country founded by ex-United States slaves in the mid-nineteenth century, has experienced a civil war for decades. Sierra Leone fell into Civil War during the 1990s because of the military's involvement in Liberia. Côte d'Ivoire (formerly Ivory Coast) had been stable under the apolitical mentoring of Félix Houphouët-Boigny. When Houphouët-Boigny died in 1993, Côte d'Ivoire fell into a political crisis which has led to numerous changes in leadership, resembling its neighbors.

Now Togo faces a similar situation. As with many African nations, once a long-time leader, in this case Gnassingbe Eyadema, dies or is overthrown, a constitutional crisis occurs. This is generally because no natural successor is chosen or unanimously agreed to. Togo is a former French colony. France has had an integral part in their former colonies' affairs since independence.


Togo is located in the southeastern portion of West Africa between Ghana and Benin.

- CAPITAL: Lome

- RECENT BACKGROUND: former French colony won independence in 1960.

- GEOGRAPHY: slightly smaller than West Virginia; sits between Ghana and Benin on the Gulf of Guinea on the west coast of Africa.

- ECONOMY: annual per capita income is $270; economicly dependent on cocoa and coffee production and the extraction of phosphates, limestone and marble.

- THE PEOPLE: 21 ethnic groups; dominated by the Ewe in the south and the Kabye in the north. Nearly one-half the people are under age 15.

Africans impose sanctions over new Togo president
Reuters

"West African nations suspended Togo from their bloc and imposed an arms embargo on Saturday, piling pressure on the country's new leader as thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand he step down."

link to the article:
http://famulus.msnbc.com/famulusintl/reuters02-19-002705.asp?reg=africa&vts=22020051333

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Dunk Contest winner

For basketball fans, there are certain plays that make us scream out uncontrollably in glee, awe, and astonishment. Kenyon Martin threw a pass straight up into the air; waiting there were the arms of Josh Smith, who proceeded to gracefully maneuver his legs around Martin's head. Then, in a burst of creativity, he pumped the ball before the throw down, reminiscent of Jordan. Josh Smith's dunk was awesome.

But the dunk of the night belonged to Amare Stoudemire, with an assist, no surprise, from Steve Nash. Stoudemire through a perfect pass off of the backboard and onto the unkempt locks of the Canadian point guard. From Nash's head the ball flew into the air, where Stoudemire grabbed it, spun around past 180 degrees and left all who witnessed in shock. However, Josh Smith went retro, putting on a Dominique Wilkins jersey and executing a two-handed windmill from outside of the paint. Lastly, Smith went 360 degrees, switched the ball into his left hand and put the ball through the hoop for the victory.


Josh Smith jumped over Kenyon Martin of the Denver Nuggets and into dunk contest immortality.

Three-point Contest Winner

Quentin Richardson leads the league in three-point attempts this season thus far. He showed that he can make a few too this evening. Richardson, the ex-DePaul star, made his last nine threes to take home the crown. Ray Allen missed in the clutch and failed to make the finals. Kyle Korver put up a solid number in the finals, but lost. 400-pound Voshon Leanord ran out of gas. Vladamir Rad.... scored just 6 in the first round. I thought he might surprise some by making the finals because he has the strength the withstand the event. But it doesn't matter how strong you are when you can't shoot.


Quentin Richardson came out a winner and proved me a loser.

Dunk Contest Prediction

The contestants for the 2005 NBA slam dunk contest are:
Atlanta - Josh Smith
New Orleans - Chris Andersen
New Orleans - J.R. Smith
Phoenix - Amare Stoudemire


Josh Smith, the youngster from the Atlanta Hawks, is my choice to win the dunk contest.

Three-point Contest Prediction

The contestants for the 2005 NBA Three-point contest are:
Denver - Voshon Lenard* (defending champion)
Philadelphia - Kyle Korver
Phoenix - Joe Johnson
Phoenix - Quentin Richardson
Seattle - Ray Allen
Seattle - Vladamir Radmanovic


Ray Allen of the Seattle Sonics, my choice to win the three-point contest.

Saturday, February 12, 2005

2004-2005 NFL All H-duk Team

Here is the ninth annual All H-duk Team. These are not necessarily the best players from this past year, but the players that I would want on my team based on their performance this season. For example, no one is going to argue that Troy Brown is the best corner in the league, but his willingness to help his team by any means earns him the spot on this roster. So basically, you can't argue with me. The numbers following the players' names indicate how many times they've made the All H-duk team. If there is no number then this is their first.

Head Coach: Pit- Bill Cowher 2nd

Quarterbacks: Ind- Peyton Manning 4th, Phi- Donavan McNabb 2nd, Min- Dante Culpepper

Running Backs: NYJ- Curtis Martin, Ind- Edgerrin James 3rd, NE- Corey Dillon

Fullbacks: Pit- Jerome Bettis 2nd, Den- Ruben Droughns

Wide Receivers: Ind- Marvin Harrison 3rd, Phi- Terrell Owens 2nd, Car- Muhsin Muhammad, Pit- Hines Ward 3rd

Tight Ends: KC- Tony Gonzalez 5th, SD- Antonio Gates, Atl- Alge Crumpler

Offensive Line: Pit- Alan Faneca 2nd, KC- Willie Roaf 3rd, Den- Tom Nalen 2nd, Dal- Larry Allen 4th, GB- Marco Rivera

Defensive Line: Car- Julius Peppers, Ind- Dwight Freeney, NE- Willie McGinest 2nd, Chi- Alex Brown

Linebackers: Car- Mark Fields, Bal- Ray Lewis 6th, Pit- James Farrior, Buf- Takeo Spikes, Was- Antonio Pierce

Secondary: Phi- Brian Dawkins 2nd, Pit- Troy Polamalu, NE- Troy Brown 2nd, Bal- Ed Reed 2nd

Kickoff Returner: Buf- Terrence McGee

Kicker: NE- Adam Vinatieri 2nd

Punter: SD- Mike Scifres Special Teams Cover Men: NE- Tedy Bruschi, Was- James Thrash

Punt Returner: Bal- B.J. Sams

Thursday, February 10, 2005

U.S.- E.U. Tensions Over Iran

Iran, nestled between Iraq and Afghanistan, may have something in common with its two neighbors in the near future. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whose name sounds like a Mexican dish, continued the Bush administration's tough talk against the Persian country during her diplomatic visit to Europe. The European Union wants to take the diplomatic route in dealing with Iran, but the United States seems to be doing its best to continue its pre-emptive striking ways. The sad part is all of the useless deaths that will ensue if such an attack becomes reality. The ironic part is that Iran does have elections, which have been deemed fair. However, a non-elected Grand Ayatollah does hold significant power over the nation's policies. Some Iranian people have protested in the streets of Tehran in recent years, demanding further democratic reforms. Every effort must be made to achieve this goal peacefully. Any United States military attacks must be stopped in the name of peace.

Here are excerpts from the article:

Rice Seeks to Define New Tone for US-EU Ties
By Saul Hudson
Reuters

"But on Iran, Rice remained firm.

She rejected a week of European lobbying that culminated with French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier pleading in public for more U.S. support for the region's negotiations over the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions.

Rather than woo Europe with pledges to become more involved in the talks that offer Iran economic incentives for scrapping some nuclear work, Rice pushed back and told the negotiators, Britain, Germany and France, to get tough.

They needed to join the U.S. hardline and threaten Tehran with referral to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions, she said.

"(The) Iranians need to hear that if they are unwilling to take the deal, really, that the Europeans are giving ... then the Security Council referral looms," she told Fox News. "I don't know that anyone has said that as clearly as they should to the Iranians."

Iran denies U.S. charges it seeks nuclear weapons. But President Mohammad Khatami said on Wednesday the country would never abandon its quest to master nuclear technology, including uranium enrichment that can help produce power or bombs.

Despite European engagement, the uncompromising stands of Iran and the United States could be the world's worst geopolitical crisis of the next few years and spark a replay of the divisive Iraq war, according to some political analysts."

link: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7586517&src=rss/topNews