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When I see the name "Coconut Road Interchange" I just don't associate it with Alaska.

So I think its unnatural that a Florida real-estate developer should raise funds for a politician from Alaska, Don Young (R-Alaska), who then puts an earmark into a bill after its already finished to pay for said Coconut Road Interchange.

Wouldn't it be poetic justice if instead of naming the Bridge to Nowhere after the Senator, it was named the Coconut Bridge? (That's poetic justice in addition to the normal justice, too, please.)

Maybe lots of politicians fund-raise outside their own states, but Alaska/Florida is quite a doozy. Heck, if he did this for Hawaii, he could at least claim he has to help counter-act the lower-48 bias in uhhhhhh, connectivity to other states?

Found cleaning out my desk

Norton Anti-Virus 2000

Do you think loading up 8 years worth of virus updates would take a long time?

Haitians & Taiwanese & Americans, too

Apparently some Haitians believe bringing exiled Pres. Aristide back to power will immediately alleviate their economic situation.

"When Aristide was around we found food, we had jobs," said Manouchak Louis, who is 21 and unemployed. "If he comes back the country will change."

Does this sound familiar?

Many people in Taiwan, my wife included, are convinced that Pres. Ma will be able to do the same. I'm sure there are some folks in the U.S. who think that a Clinton in the White House will bring back the glory of the 1990's economy (despite the fact the current unemployment rates during this quasi-recession is actually lower than it was in the 90's.)

I am very skeptical of these claims that the president of any free market nation can truly affect their economies for the better, except at the margins. Making the economy worse off is probably much easier to do - just nationalize some industries, raise some taxes, and develop oodles of red tape. But it is very interesting to see how people from very different cultures still have this need to personify their economic problems or successes as being determined by one man at the top.

Oh, and my prediction for Haiti would be that there won't be any magical change in that country's plight even if Jesus himself were running it.

Perhaps turning sugar cane into ethanol for export would be the best chance.

Chinese Currency Manipulation

(Hillary) said President George W. Bush had failed to enforce trade laws and not challenged China's currency "manipulation."

...

China, according to Obama, had unfairly tilted the playing field by "dumping goods into our market," violating intellectual property rights, exporting unsafe toys and "grossly undervaluing" its currency.


Psssst, China, I think you're doing it wrong.

Now technically, I guess you could argue they are manipulating their currency by not letting it strengthen even faster. And you could claim the Yuan is still "grossly undervalued." But I think the appreciation of the Yuan (described as a "one way bet" by some guy on Bloomberg TV) is just not being covered in the US, so the candidates can keep saying this stuff.

p.s. I would bet my soul that McCain has said something in a similar vein within the past few months, but its not in the article I just read.

Red A's Spring Offensive - Pacific Theater

China - April 21 - 28
California - April 28 - May 08
Taiwan - May 09 - 12
China - May 12 - 20+

Seriously, this has to stop. And its not as if all this traveling is producing tons of business.

Best news I have heard all year: After raw material prices have risen by 20% across the board, I have now been told steel prices will rise by another 20% in May.

/sarcasm off

Curiousity Killed the Cat

I was using Windows and in the help pull-down menu there was an interesting option:

"Is this copy of Windows legal?"

I don't know what kind of dumb ass would actually click on that. My copy of Windows is legal, but I would never click that, mainly because I don't trust Microsoft enough that it wouldn't decide that my copy was actually illegal, shut down my computer, and leave me high and dry.

I religiously buy authentic software now even when the computer vendor is willing to "help me out" and might actually be interested to find out if my version is legal, but I don't have much confidence in software providers. After experiencing such excitement as having to rollback to an older driver to be able to use the internet, or iTunes updating my Ipod's software and making it unusable right before a big trip, I have a healthy skepticism.

For my new work computer, on the advice of the store, I bought Vistas bundled, but actually installed the old XP. I'm hoping to be able to keep this up and avoid Vistas.

Question: Can I get a Blackberry (with service) in Taiwan? You know, just to complete the annihilation of my private life?

Pennsylvania Rifle

Resolved from Hanover Township, Lancaster County, June 4, 1774; that in the event Great Britain attempting to force unjust laws upon us by the strength of arms, our cause we leave to heaven and to our rifles.

Competition from China and India had already made poor rural people cling to their guns and religion in 1774. Who'd have thunk it!

At the Breakfast Shop

DIALOGUE:

Cook: Is he a German?

Lao Ban: No, he's a Canadian.

Me: Actually, I am an American.

Cook: I thought you were German because you always wear Birkenstocks.

Me: I wear them because they are comfortable.

Cook: I have a pair too. They are expensive but worth it.

ANALYSIS:

1. Me calling Rye a Nazi because he wore Birks is not that far off from this situation where Birk-wearing is associated with Germaness....(Germanity? Germanicity?) Except I was joking.

2. The cook owns a pair of Birkenstocks, too. By her own logic, does that mean she is German?

3. I also was wearing a Nike shirt. Why didn't she focus on that and correctly surmise I am an American?

4. Taiwan must have a lot of Canadians if people's second guess for nationality after German is Canadian. Second time this has happened (asking/assuming Canadian citizenship.) Maybe its the combination of Nike shirts and German sandals?

Quasi-Karl Style Post

I was writing a letter today and had to explain a kind of part used in the assembly of some kids furniture. The word "shim" popped into my mind, but before I used it in the letter, I did a brief wikipedia search to make sure I wasn't using the wrong word.

Turns out the word "shim" meant what I thought, but it also had about a million other usages. Here are some of the weirder ones:

Fantasy

A drug harvested by refining fairy dust as extracted from enslaved fairies who are on mind-control drugs. Shim is an upper, with similar properties to drugs such as cocaine or ecstacy, and has the physical appearance of a pile of glitter.

Luthiery

In luthiery shims made of various materials are often used to adjust neck alignment.

(Not a weird usage of the word shim, but I had no idea what Luthiery meant.)

Todd Gilbert

A transvestite that this man usually targets in his various journeys while assigned to an US Navy ship located in the Seventh Fleet. Shim is slang for "She-Him."

Alternative Theory on Obama

Some people think Obama appears unpatriotic in this photo, but might I suggest an alternative theory?

Dude was trying to hide a boner.

Maybe he's so patriotic that the national anthem gets him hard.

I remember some book I read in Jr. High where the main character always carried a text book around to hide his awkward boners. Which is good advice when you're 15 and your hormones make that happen every time the wind blows.

I'd suggest saltpeter tablets for Sen. Obama.

p.s. One thing I like about Obama is that he looks like a dork. Who else but a dork would stand there with their hands clasped over their crotch area?

UPDATE:

Upon reflection, I have yet another theory. Obama thinks he's playing soccer and is forming a wall to block a penalty kick. Really, Obama should be warning Richardson to protect his family jewels. And maybe Hillary, too.

Earth Day vs. Daylight Savings

I happened to be in a Hilton hotel in Amsterdam for both Earth Day and for the change to daylight savings time there.

For Earth Day, the hotel turned off all of their public lighting for one hour from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. They also held a candle-light reception in the lobby and lit about 100 lanterns to light up the front of the hotel.

Now, I already have problems with the idea that turning off your lights for one hour will do anything to help the Earth. The power plants have to keep a minimum amount of load running, so I doubt we can "save" much electricity by everyone turning off their lights at one time. But when you go out and buy hundreds of candles and metal lanterns, you probably just used more electricity and raw materials than just keeping your normal lights running, not to mention I suspect candles produce greenhouse gases (though I am less worried about global warming now that more evidence is coming out against it being man-made or even a real issue in the long run.) They also had to print up hundreds of color fliers to advise their guests of the plan.

Daylight savings, however, might actually lead to a more permanent reduction in energy use, though that is debatable according the wiki link.

I think there might be even better ways for a hotel to help the environment, like providing free bicycles which would be especially effective in Holland where bike lanes are everywhere. Or how about offering complementary erotic massages, which would convince a lot of guests to turn in at an earlier hour and save on that precious electricity? I'm sure they could afford to offer these for free since they charge € 8.00 for a Budweiser and € 20.00 for an internet connection.

Did I mention the special Soap Menu, where you can order the soap of your choice for only € 17.50 per bar? Obviously some people in this world are making a lot of money or can bill their employers for such things.

Blather

China Report: Monthly wage for labor in Dongguan China is now at RMB 1,000. It was 800 last January. Anecdotal complaints that its easy to find office workers, but its getting hard to find basic workers. Steel prices just shot through the roof after the price of iron ore rose 70%, and I experience my first true "supply shock." Yeah, I was alive in 1973, but I don't remember much. I shall expand on this later perhaps.

Taiwan Election: I wonder who the NRA would support? Which candidate will arm the populace to repel the Mainland invasion of 2009? And will Michael Turton command the Abraham Lincoln Brigade? I imagine him wearing a floppy hat with a feather plume ala Civil War officers. But that's because I have been playing a Civil War game like mad. Anyways, sartorial suggestions for the A.L.B. of Taiwan...maybe like Wheat's Tigers? or the ever popular Zouaves? Or Taiwan night market chic of matching plum colored sweatsuits?

I hate not being able to access blogger and wikipedia in China, but it must help my productivity. Also, my iTunes wouldn't let me download "explicit" podcasts, i.e. those with swearwords. Is that a technical problem or censorship.

Taiwan Elections

I don't like the KMT or their candidate Ma that much.

That said, I'd have to endorse him for the following reasons:

1. Taiwan needs to open up to China. If Taiwanese incomes are stagnating at least let the Taiwanese consumer get cheaper products. Its depressing to see DPP ads about how the KMT will put the island's towel makers out of business. Seriously, keeping Taiwan's remaining 4 towel manufacturers in profit at the expense of 23 million Taiwanese consumers is not a good idea. Ammo factories? Maybe even basic foodstuffs, sure, I can see that, but towels?. Ironically, I just bought a new set of towels at Costco...made in the USA. Worry about China and the folks from Alabama sneak in the back door with their thick, absorbent towels made from American cotton. And a shout out to Jennifer who did the QC.

2. I support the use of economic benchmarks, and Ma's advertising his benchmarks as:

6% economic growth
3% unemployment
US$ 30,000 per capita income.

The first two are possible in the short term. The third one is not. Still, let's see if he can live up to these promises. If he does the first two via expanding government jobs, I will puke.

I'd prefer if politicians used even more specific benchmarks, promising an overall tax rate, government spending, debt, as % of GDP, etc., as they actually control that shit. Promising growth rates and unemployment seems stupid, but at least he's put his ass on the line.

BTW, some people talk about "holding their noses while voting." In Taiwan, the electoral choices involve gagging, vomiting, and some hard grimaces.

Note: All of the above based on watching a few minutes of advertising over the last couple of months and does not reflect any serious reflection on my part. I feel lucky that I can't vote.

I found my second career choice

"Mrs. Obama's compensation at the University of Chicago Hospital, where she is a vice president for community affairs, jumped from $121,910 in 2004, just before her husband was elected to the Senate, to $316,962 in 2005, just after he took office."

Okay, forget any political issues with that, but I need to get a job like that. I cannot imagine VP of community affairs is that hard of a job, and it pays 300k annually?

F.U.C.K.

No wonder healthcare costs are out of control.

Again, not political point scoring here - I'm sure there are a bunch of good old boys with these sinecures as well.

Also noted, Law Degree from Harvard or Yale or wherever she went isn't easy to get.

Red A's Spring Offensive

China: March 02 - March 15

Europe: March 20 - March 31

Any ideas for a second career for me?

Because I'm sort of bored and pissed off by my current job.

You know, I often feel bad when I fuck around on the internet at work. Shouldn't I be developing customers or something?

Then you have a day like today when I am essentially waiting around for quotations, replies, price increases, photos, etc. in order just to service my current dwindling amount of customers.

I am also beginning not to believe in the "Taiwanese factories are better" theory. They certainly seem to be better at having their managers fly back to Taiwan all the time and thus never can answer any pressing customer questions.

And one of the few that are still based in Taiwan told me on Friday to tell the customer to place as many orders as possible because steel prices are rising. Plus I told the customer price increases would be coming.

Today they told me they don't want any orders until the end of March because steel prices are "volatile." Okay, let's just tell all of the consumers that they can't buy any products until the end of March. If beer suppliers did this, or there would be riots.

I think I'll just raise prices now, as it seems to be the way the current is running and worry about late March prices in late March.

Hmmmm, maybe I'll completely depress myself by looking at my Chinese competitor's catalogs, you know, the ones where they have copied all of my products, plus developed a bunch of new one's faster than me, and they have even come up with the same selling points I used to use.

Okay, the good news is that they are hopefully screaming about the RenMinBi appreciating. It hurts me too, to some extent, but with my little hedge, I can at least get some Schadenfreude.

The style is called "Socialist Realism"

but shouldn't they be looking towards the sea if they want to get to Taiwan? Not very realistic. Plus it looks like the 7th fleet is blocking their way in the background.

Found among a bunch of interesting images. (nothing to do with China or Taiwan.)

No Child Left Behind

Apparently this is an unpopular policy. Bread, J-Hole, and Karl oppose it. Meanwhile Bush & Ted Kennedy passed it. That covers a fairly wide spectrum of people on both sides. I really don't know much about it, so I read the wiki.

I don't get why its a bad policy. I know AJ had discussed with me why "teaching to the test" is a bad idea, but after listening to this podcast, I think I no longer buy that criticism. Sure, we don't want a Taiwan style system of only rote testing, but certainly measuring basic abilities is not impossible.

Listen to the podcast and let me know if you find it compelling that the problem is not about money, class size, but about providing incentives to get better teachers and allow for more choice.

There is another podcast with the same gentleman about education and growth which was interesting as well.

And for all the teachers out there. Yes, I get it. You're important. You don't want to have the pressure of having your results measured. You don't like the idea of having your job security on the line. I really do get it. Because that's what happens every day at my office where I work, too, and I hate it. Keep up the good work and don't worry so much.

CORRECTION: Karl does not know if he opposes this policy. I mixed him up with Bread. Sorry Karl.

Jesus Wept

A post about beer and politics, but it really doesn't matter once you see this guy's beer fridge.

And remember, Canadians, you're not supposed to have a beer fridge.

Those are only for wasteful Americans who don't give a rat's ass about global warming.

Man am I jealous of Jim in Colorado.

Browsing through Amazon.com

You can do a search inside the book to find out such important information that Fireball is a very good spell for a wizard. It also tells you not to be a poor loser. Strangely, there are no references to Mountain Dew at all.

I wonder if the gold farming phenomena has hit D & D yet? Okay, here's my pitch. Basically you e-mail your character to my new company in China where we play your character during the week, helping you amass experience points, gold, and magic weapons. Then we e-mail him back to you in time for your Friday night game.

If your DM questions your sudden rise from level 2 to level 7 and that +4 Vorpal Sword you now have, our company will have documented every playing session that our three shifts of employees and certified DM's have played out, all using official D&D scenario packs, e.g. Keep on the Borderlands, Vault of the Drow, etc.