Thursday, September 30, 2010
The White House White Board
Austan Goolsbee draws up the current debate over taxes to show how Republicans are preventing everyone who makes under $200,000 a year from keeping their tax cuts so millionaires can keep theirs to the tune of $100,000 a piece and $700 billion we don't have. Basically, the Republicans are fighting for tax cuts for the rich that cost the exact same amount as Obama's healthcare bill that helps 50 million people get insurance. All I'm saying is that this lays bare the priorities of the parties.
If you're not a millionaire, you shouldn't be a Republican (This is a Democratic slogan waiting to happen.) Explain how the Republican party is fighting for average Americans.....no one can because they don't. They just say they do over and over and over and the Democrats refuse to fight them on it.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The White House Explains Why the Tax Cuts for the Rich Should Expire
hat tip-Politicalinaction.com
An example of what Citzens United hath brought
Congressman Pete DeFazio set out to find out who was funding commercials against him. $86,000 worth of ads began to pop up in his district, and he thought he needed to find out who these folks were. Rachel Maddow delves deeper into this scam.
Once again, this is the Citizens United case on display.
As the title of this piece says, It's Called MONEY LAUNDERING.
Oops! Aussie Senate Tells It Like It Is
China is angry. Again. Yawn. This time their ire is directed at the Australian Senate which had the temerity to involve itself in the closed world of Chinese internal affairs (ps: that world includes any territory deemed valuable enough to add on especially if it neatly chimes with the borders of the colonial Qing dynasty). To wit:
civilian spy Chinese fisherman who rammed a Japanese Coast Guard boat in Japanese waters. Another clue to this policy of economic unification first came in a business page article about the Chinese vice-minister of commerce Chen Jian (陳健) meeting the Taiwanese Finance Minister Lee Sush-der (李述德):
What happens when Taiwanese vote for a pro-Taiwan President? Will China then use ECFA and economic threats, or just 'unofficial' blocks, to force the democratically elected official to concede his or her sovereignty in formulation of Taiwan's foreign and economic policy?
Scary days indeed.
The motion, passed in June, states that the upper house “welcomes the signing of various bilateral agreements between China and Taiwan ... since May 2008,” in reference to President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) policies.The key words that got Chinese Ambassador to Australia Zhang Junsai's (章均賽) knickers in a twist was the term 'bilateral agreements' implying, as it correctly does, equal state to state agreements between two international parties. This was too much for Zhang who said that ...
The motion also encouraged the two countries to further enhance dialogue, practical cooperation and confidence-building steps, saying that would have “a positive effect on the stability and security of the Asia-Pacific region.”
it was inappropriate for the democratic body to “comment on the question of Taiwan, an internal affair of China.”What's ours is ours. What's yours is ours. There's only one China. I couldn't agree more except that Taiwan isn't a part of the PRC and never was and Tibet and East Turkestan don't want to be.
“There is only one China in the world. Both the Mainland (sic) and China [sic] belong to the one and same China,” Zhang wrote.
His comments are further evidence that the Chinese government is still willing to issue strong condemnations on technical matters, including how Taiwan is termed alongside China. (Despite a so called warming of relations across the strait. So much for the diplomatic truce. Does Beijing think Taiwanese won't notice the cognitive dissonance between what Ma says and what Beijing does?)
Zhang compared Taiwan-China ties to the relationship between “a state or territory in Australia and the commonwealth,” adding that the Chinese government would eventually solve its “sensitive political, military and security issues” with Taiwan.Rofl. The Commonwealth? That's the new meme? Notice the UK demanding that all other commonwealth countries move towards unification? Perhaps he was thinking about the Commonwealth of Independent States (formerly known as the USSR) - that's more Beijing's style. The harder they try to justify and explain the unjustifiable and unexplainable, the deeper they fall into the hole they have dug for themselves. No big playa in the world regards Taiwan as a part of the PRC - they all just note Beijing's shrill claim that it is.
“[We will] deal with easier issues first and the thorny ones later,” he said, referring to economic and political issues, the SMH report said. “We will … look for the right time to approach and solve them step by step.”(ROC welcomes the motion despite PRC rejecting it - will this affect relations or is anything Taipei says now about sovereignty generally understood in Beijing to be an election sop by the KMT to avoid looking as weak and disloyal as they actually are to Taiwan?). Note the prioritisation of economic issues in the short term. I am moving firmly toward the conclusion that China seeks to ensnare Taiwan economically into a position of utter dependence. This makes sense considering the economic clout China recently wielded with Japan practically forcing it to abrogate its own laws and judicial processes to release a
The newspaper also quoted Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) as saying that he was delighted with the motion, adding that Taiwan would continue to “do its utmost to engage in dialogue and negotiations with Beijing.”
Chen said on Saturday that he has “three major tasks” to achieve during this trip, the main one being to promote direct sales of Taiwan’s agricultural products to China.The first and third tasks are a direct response to the DPP's success in raising fears in Taiwan that ECFA will benefit the big corporations at the expense of small sectors of the economy. China's strategy is effectively to buy votes for the KMT by buying produce from sectors that traditionally have pan-green support. It's the second task that sent chills down my spine. Why does Taiwan need to jointly access other markets? Can't it do it on its own? Isn't the logical conclusion that if it starts to conduct negotiations alongside Chinese counterparts to enter markets, other countries will come to see that as a norm and as a result decline to cooperate with Taiwanese businesses unless their market entry is coordinated by and alongside a Beijing entry?
Chen said the second task was to find more suitable ways to facilitate cross-strait trade cooperation and for Taiwan and China to jointly access other markets.
Thirdly, he said he hoped to see the ECFA benefit more people, particularly the large number of small and medium-sized enterprises and fishermen’s and farmers’ association
What happens when Taiwanese vote for a pro-Taiwan President? Will China then use ECFA and economic threats, or just 'unofficial' blocks, to force the democratically elected official to concede his or her sovereignty in formulation of Taiwan's foreign and economic policy?
Scary days indeed.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Does It Take a Genius to Discover Poverty?
Yesterday, David Simon, creator of HBO’s The Wire won a $500,000 MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant. That’s great news for him, but it makes me question how someone gets slapped with the genius label for highlighting poverty. You do know right that poverty’s been around for a long time? Are we so immune to poverty (maybe, perhaps because of The Wire) that we can watch each scene unfold and not be prompted into action to find solutions to the poverty? Are the viewers of The Wire so immune to society’s ills that we can actually enjoy crime and poverty for an hour, then change the channel and pretend it’s not real?
Please take a moment and read the rest at The Loop.
Please take a moment and read the rest at The Loop.
China Post Fail
The Foreigner in Formosa has an excellent post .. go read it. It inspired me to leave this comment at the China Post website (though I think it may not have worked since there is a 3000 character limit).
Dear China Post, you do realise that the same map you are using as a justification that the Senkaku islands belong to China, particularly on account of the color used to identify them, also clearly indicates, by colour, that Taiwan was NOT a part of China even though the western coastal plains had been colonised by the Qing since 1682 but were yet to be made into their own province (1885)?.
Furthermore, whether Madam Chiang had included the Senkakus in the Cario Declaration or not would have made no difference since that war-time Declaration has no internationally recognised legal force and certainly does not supersede the 1952 San Franciso Peace Treaty in which the islands of Taiwan were removed from Japan's possession but not actually given to anyone. Likewise, the Treaty of Taipei, nulled in the 1970s when Japan recognised the PRC, also lacks legal weight to supersede the SFPT.
And do you really believe that the Okinawans would have been granted independence? Can you tell me why when Taiwan was 'liberated' Taiwanese didn't win their independence but instead had to face brutal colonisation and martial law dictatorship for 38 long years?
Finally, none of the parties will shelve disputes over sovereignty when physically establishing that sovereignty will likely come with the reward of millions of barrels of oil. Your Japanophobia to support an irrelevant claim to the islands by the ROC exposes your role as a cheerleader , not for Taiwan, but for the ROC and a 'unified' China. Taiwan has no need to get involved in this dispute and if anything should sympathise with the Japanese for the continuous provocations China has made to test Japanese authority and sovereignty in the region.
Maybe if you realised the importance of history you would recognise that doing deals with the devil will never work out well for a person in the end. To help, I suggest you read more on the rise of German and Japanese nationalism in the 1930s and then compare the background economic, political and diplomatic conditions to today's rise of China.
Since when was it ok to make an enemy of a democracy and a friend of a dictatorship?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Quote of the Week: Tacit Understandings
— Hsu Jui-shan, chief administrator of the Criminal Investigation Bureau“We had a tacit understanding with [China] … we weren’t going to release this trip to the media because of the upcoming [November] elections ... The request [for this] came from China, and as the host, we accepted.”
Fast forward to November 2011 and the secret visit of Wen Jiabao to Taiwan to meet soon-to-be Regional Chief Executive Ma. China requests that all freedom of movement and protest (but no-one told why) are 'suspended' to 'protect social order' anywhere within 5km of Wen's location, citing an unknown security threat. As their host, the Government accepts.
Note too the link to the elections. The Government just admitted that lots of high ranking Chinese officials flooding into the country doesn't make for more votes, just more nervous voters. Another concern of theirs was to avoid another Chen Yunlin debacle in which the Government very much came off looking like it was more interested in pleasing Chen and saving his face than protecting the national flag or even citizen's free rights of expression.
Of course we are all now wondering what other request from Beijing the Government will accept. What we must assume now is that the true extent of Taipei's (KMT) ties to Beijing (CCP) is likely far greater than most people realise. Joint sea rescue services, joint Confucius celebrations, mutual support in causing tensions over the Senkaku islands, expanding ship and air links, secret visits by Hu Jintao's son to Taiwan and Taiwanese retired military brass to Beijing for 'golf', ECFA agreement rammed through the legislature, rejection of 'political' plebiscites. And now stuff the media, we'll do it in private and avoid the blowback. After all, there's an election coming.
Links:
- Emperor Ma again enters the Taipei Confucius Temple through the Lingxing Gate, the main entrance of the temple that is usually closed during the ceremony and the route traditionally taken by emperors, to watch the traditional bayi (八佾) dance and eat wisdom cakes in celebration of Confucius’ (孔子) 2,560th birthday. The temple usually performs the liuyi (六佾), a ritual performed to pay respects to feudal barons, to celebrate Confucius’ birthday.
- China warns Nobel Prize Committee not to award Liu Xiaobo the prize of peace. Not the first time they have tried to pressure the committee. This time warning that Oslo-Beijing relationship would be hurt.
- Chinese embargo on exports of rare-earth metals to Japan continues. Japanese businesspeople start to panic. Will Kan blink first?
- Decline in pollinating insects like bees now impacting India. World food supply under threat.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Grumble of the Week: Taipei Times Cartoons
Just like Comedy Central, I firmly believe in inventing a new weekly category of post, weekly. This week, I've decided that given the vast number of grumbly things that I can grumble about on a daily basis, it might be best to create a post feature that gives you folks the heads up that a grumble is on the way. A grumble comes in fairly low on the Hicksian Sliding Scale of Humbug (HSSH - its the opposite of shhh and a sound that usually precedes an outburst) at 2.5 Hicks as compared to a shifty moan (3.9), a rambling monologue (4.7), a petulant outburst (5.3), an outright rant (7.3) and manic hysterics (9.8).
The target of this week's ire is my favourite English-language newspaper in Taiwan - the Taipei Times. Regular readers know that over the last five years I've not been too shy to send a letter or two their way, and for their part they have printed my verbosity word for word, even improving on one missive.
However, aside from changing the crossword authors AGAIN (thereby throwing us all off and making us all feel as dumb as we actually are), they have messed with the very laws of nature, by which I mean their cartoons. Witness here, said cartoon layout and content pre-fail:
EXHIBIT A - TAIPEI TIMES CARTOONS PRE-FAIL (Saturday Sept 11th 2010)
And witness said cartoons now, post-fail:
EXHIBIT B - TAIPEI TIMES CARTOONS POST-FAIL (Monday Sept 27th 2010)
As can be seen, Exhibit A features four reasonable cartoons and one control. Zippy exists so as to identify false positives on customer taste (e.g. if a person says they like Zippy their other responses are eliminated as 'bad data'). Nevertheless, this line up has entertained us literally for years and, I might add, we never needed colour to get the joke.
In Exhibit B, Ink Pen and Pooch Cafe have been replaced with WT Duck (about as funny and interesting as passing a morning movement) and Lio which manages an epic fail in trying to make me emote with another less entertaining version of the Calvin meme. And Zippy is still there! As my friend texted me the other morning on realising what had happened, "WTF? Where is my f*&%$ing Pooch Cafe", or words to that effect.
So come on Taipei Times. Cartoon Fail. Really? Here's some advice for the editors:
Doonesbury
Dilbert
Pooch Cafe
Monty
Ink Pen
Other suggested combinations welcome in the comments ...
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Well, I Thought This Was Funny ...
US Navy cruiser anchored in Mississippi for a week's shore leave. The first
evening, the ship's captain received the following note from the wife of a
wealthy plantation owner:
"Dear Captain, Thursday will be my daughter Melinda's Debutante Ball. I would
like you to send four well-mannered, handsome, unmarried officers in their
formal dress uniforms to attend the dance. They should arrive promptly at 8:00
PM prepared for an evening of polite Southern conversation. They should be
excellent dancers, as they will be the escorts of lovely refined young ladies.
One last point: No Jews Please."
At precisely 8:00 PM on Thursday, Melinda's mother heard a polite rap at the
door which she opened to find, in full dress uniform, four handsome, smiling
Black officers.
Her mouth fell open, but pulling herself together, she stammered, "There must be
some mistake."
"No, Madam," said the first officer. "Captain Goldberg never makes mistakes."
Why Velma Hart simply is NOT the Posterchild for 'Blacks and this Recession'
I was gonna leave the Velma Hart situation alone, because I just thought it was obvious that she was a plant.
Her segment on Hardball:
There is a reason why Black folks are going---' woman, please'.
A household with TWO INCOMES?
Children in PRIVATE school?
And her pain is not being able to have a new car?
When Black unemployment is double that of the rest of the nation, and everybody knows somebody who is un - or UNDER - employed......
if you were trying to find someone Black... this woman shouldn't be your posterchild for 'what has happened to the Black community during this recession.'
Black folks listen to her and go ' what recession for VELMA'?
I'm not hating on Velma and her family.
I'm glad she and her husband were gainfully employed. but, if you want to face of this recession....(I don't usually go personal here, but I will on this occasion.)
If you want to see the face of Black unemployment, you can look at me.
I was fired from a job where I had nothing but excellent reviews. Call it downsizing, but it meant that I was out of a job.
I also know that I am blessed, and though it hurt, I've come upon luck that others have not.
The exact week that I was fired from my job, I got a call for a Supervisor's position in a local Census Bureau office. I had applied for a weekend position, and this came up, and though the hours were 'non-traditional', I gratefully took it. The pay wasn't what I was making, but it was enough to cover my cost of living, because I had long since turned into a ' cash is king' household, cutting out frivolities. I spent 8 months employed by the U.S. Census, and I want to thank the U.S. Constitution for mandating that it be done every 10 years.
Working at the Census, I saw a slice of the face of unemployment in this country. From our office, I got to interact with a nice diverse set of people. The bosses above me, save one, were all Black men. Highly educated Black men who had spent many years in Corporate America before being downsized. I worked with a number of people who were self-employed until the recession hit, and the businesses that had sustained them for years, but this economy was just THAT BAD.
Of all the ethnic groups, I'd say that the Latinos were by far the youngest people working in the office. The Blacks and Whites, pretty much without exception, were people with experience in the working world. By virtue of seeing their work ethic up close and personal, I can't believe that they were fired for being unproductive - it's just that bad of a market out there. Got to know many folks who were bitten by the downturn in real estate- genuine investors that had been bitten hard by the market, and the ramifications of folks skipping out because they just couldn't pay rent.
I'll never forget sitting at lunch one day with one of my colleagues - a 20+ year veteran of ad sales, said that she felt the Census was a sort of ' Main Street' bailout of sorts. That for many folks, it helped them just in time, gave them a sense of purpose, and stopped the pounding of the spirit that unemployment can cause. I had to agree with her.
One of the best things about the Census was working with so many veterans, from different wars, and to meet the younger people who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hearing their opinions about what was going on there was interesting. And, they were another reason why Ms. Hart irked me. The veterans I spoke with at the Census had nothing but positive things to say about this President. They see the changes in how veterans are treated and appreciated that it was trickling down to the ground level with the soldiers.
Even as the Census wound down, another blessing came my way, and a random resume I sent out half-heartedly came through with an interview, and a new position. I'm not making what I was making before I got fired, but, it's pretty close, and I feel fortunate to have found it. Remember to always count your blessings.
Listening to Mrs. Hart, I just didn't see how she missed all the blessings she has.
She's a CFO, talking about private school and bummed about a new car. Does she not realize how many folks would love to have her ' issues'?
Has the recession skipped her family?
I ask this, because there was a new report out about successful Black people and philanthropy.
In Affluent Blacks More Charitable, Feel Greater Responsibility to Provide Financial Support to Family Than Non-Blacks
Maybe Mrs. Hart just doesn't have this experience. Could be, but then nearly everyone I know can't do six degrees of separation between themselves and someone who has been affected by this recession that's family. We aren't talking about Pookey and Ray-Ray, but the family that never thought they'd be in this position, that this recession has put in this position.
You want to beat up the President about the ' Black face' of this recession, with unemployment double the national rate? Take a trip up to Detroit and talk to some former GM workers, who were good workers, and lost their jobs because of the bankruptcy and rebuilding the company.
Why don't you go find some of those highly educated Black teachers summarily dismissed by Rhee in DC. Sure, some of them might have been bad teachers, but I'm going to lay money & say not all of them were.
I don't hate on Velma because she's successful...that's fine.
But, don't put this woman up as representative of the true Black middle class in America. And definitely don't have her lying on national TV.
Her segment on Hardball:
There is a reason why Black folks are going---' woman, please'.
A household with TWO INCOMES?
Children in PRIVATE school?
And her pain is not being able to have a new car?
When Black unemployment is double that of the rest of the nation, and everybody knows somebody who is un - or UNDER - employed......
if you were trying to find someone Black... this woman shouldn't be your posterchild for 'what has happened to the Black community during this recession.'
Black folks listen to her and go ' what recession for VELMA'?
I'm not hating on Velma and her family.
I'm glad she and her husband were gainfully employed. but, if you want to face of this recession....(I don't usually go personal here, but I will on this occasion.)
If you want to see the face of Black unemployment, you can look at me.
I was fired from a job where I had nothing but excellent reviews. Call it downsizing, but it meant that I was out of a job.
I also know that I am blessed, and though it hurt, I've come upon luck that others have not.
The exact week that I was fired from my job, I got a call for a Supervisor's position in a local Census Bureau office. I had applied for a weekend position, and this came up, and though the hours were 'non-traditional', I gratefully took it. The pay wasn't what I was making, but it was enough to cover my cost of living, because I had long since turned into a ' cash is king' household, cutting out frivolities. I spent 8 months employed by the U.S. Census, and I want to thank the U.S. Constitution for mandating that it be done every 10 years.
Working at the Census, I saw a slice of the face of unemployment in this country. From our office, I got to interact with a nice diverse set of people. The bosses above me, save one, were all Black men. Highly educated Black men who had spent many years in Corporate America before being downsized. I worked with a number of people who were self-employed until the recession hit, and the businesses that had sustained them for years, but this economy was just THAT BAD.
Of all the ethnic groups, I'd say that the Latinos were by far the youngest people working in the office. The Blacks and Whites, pretty much without exception, were people with experience in the working world. By virtue of seeing their work ethic up close and personal, I can't believe that they were fired for being unproductive - it's just that bad of a market out there. Got to know many folks who were bitten by the downturn in real estate- genuine investors that had been bitten hard by the market, and the ramifications of folks skipping out because they just couldn't pay rent.
I'll never forget sitting at lunch one day with one of my colleagues - a 20+ year veteran of ad sales, said that she felt the Census was a sort of ' Main Street' bailout of sorts. That for many folks, it helped them just in time, gave them a sense of purpose, and stopped the pounding of the spirit that unemployment can cause. I had to agree with her.
One of the best things about the Census was working with so many veterans, from different wars, and to meet the younger people who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hearing their opinions about what was going on there was interesting. And, they were another reason why Ms. Hart irked me. The veterans I spoke with at the Census had nothing but positive things to say about this President. They see the changes in how veterans are treated and appreciated that it was trickling down to the ground level with the soldiers.
Even as the Census wound down, another blessing came my way, and a random resume I sent out half-heartedly came through with an interview, and a new position. I'm not making what I was making before I got fired, but, it's pretty close, and I feel fortunate to have found it. Remember to always count your blessings.
Listening to Mrs. Hart, I just didn't see how she missed all the blessings she has.
She's a CFO, talking about private school and bummed about a new car. Does she not realize how many folks would love to have her ' issues'?
Has the recession skipped her family?
I ask this, because there was a new report out about successful Black people and philanthropy.
In Affluent Blacks More Charitable, Feel Greater Responsibility to Provide Financial Support to Family Than Non-Blacks
Affluent Black Americans are more likely to give to charitable causes and feel responsible for providing financial support to adult family members than affluent non-Blacks, according to a Northern Trust survey of "Wealth in Black America."
...................
Significant differences in charitable giving between affluent Blacks and non-Blacks
Affluent Blacks feel greater responsibility to provide financially for adult family members than non-Blacks.
Affluent Blacks, more than non-Blacks, feel responsible for family members and expect to provide them with consistent financial support over the next ten years, according to the survey.
Currently, 50 percent of affluent Blacks said they provide financial support to adult children; 32 percent to siblings; 21 percent to nieces or nephews; and 18 percent to cousins. In particular, financial support of adult children has risen dramatically in the financial crisis, up from 24 percent in 2008.
When asked what needs would be met by their financial support of those family members, general living expenses was the No. 1 response, displacing long-term care and disability, which was the top response in 2008. This year, 59 percent cited general living expenses compared with only 42 percent in 2008.
Maybe Mrs. Hart just doesn't have this experience. Could be, but then nearly everyone I know can't do six degrees of separation between themselves and someone who has been affected by this recession that's family. We aren't talking about Pookey and Ray-Ray, but the family that never thought they'd be in this position, that this recession has put in this position.
You want to beat up the President about the ' Black face' of this recession, with unemployment double the national rate? Take a trip up to Detroit and talk to some former GM workers, who were good workers, and lost their jobs because of the bankruptcy and rebuilding the company.
Why don't you go find some of those highly educated Black teachers summarily dismissed by Rhee in DC. Sure, some of them might have been bad teachers, but I'm going to lay money & say not all of them were.
I don't hate on Velma because she's successful...that's fine.
But, don't put this woman up as representative of the true Black middle class in America. And definitely don't have her lying on national TV.
The One I'm Watching: Taipei City District 2
Thanks to Frozen Garlic for preparing such great information. Note that there are two extra seats in this election. That means, even if the incumbents get reelected the possibility is open for a non-mainstream party to get representation. For my part I'm surprised to see the New Party and People First Party running candidates though I'm told the PFP candidate is a lawyer well respected in the district. (Ps: Can we change the romanisation please? - I know one candidate who really doesn't want their name spelt like that). Note: 'I' means incumbent.
| Taipei City | Dist #2 | Neihu | Seats:9 |
| 2006 CC | Vote share | Seats | |
| Total | 7 | ||
| KMT | 56.4 | 4 | |
| DPP | 26.7 | 2 | |
| NP | |||
| PFP | 10.0 | 1 | |
| TSU | 2.3 | ||
| IND | 4.7 |
| name | name | party | Notes |
| 李彦秀 | Li Yanxiu | KMT | I |
| 陳義洲 | Chen Yizhou | KMT | I |
| 吳世正 | Wu Shizheng | KMT | I |
| 闕枚莎 | Que Meisha | KMT | I |
| 侯衍泰 | Hou Yantai | KMT | |
| 黃珊珊 | Huang Shanshan | PFP | I |
| 李亦杜 | Li Yidu | NP | |
| 江志銘 | Jiang Zhiming | DPP | A-bian faction |
| 王孝維 | Wang Xiaowei | DPP | I, Hsieh faction |
| 高嘉瑜 | Gao Jiayu | DPP | |
| 李建昌 | Li Jianchang | DPP | I, New Tide |
| 李盈萱 | Li Yingxuan | GR | |
| 劉珮如 | Liu Peiru | IND | |
| 洪連佐 | Hong Lianzuo | IND | |
| 許德興 | Xu Dexing | IND |
Truly Scary - At Sea, ROC now equals PRC?
Hat tip to Michael T. for bringing this China Times Editorial Editor Comment to our attention:
Is this not a clear signal of the massive shift that is currently taking place in the 'status-quo'? Are we all busily filling out forms choosing the 'staus-quo' as the best medium term strategy without realising that our concept of it is fast disappearing? When are we going to wake up and realise that to the CCP and the KMT, 'One China' is the same concept with face-saving variations to account for historical abnormalities and irregularities? As long as the Government gets away with pushing this dirty myth of the ROC effective jurisprudence also covering the PRC, the Taiwanese are vulnerable to a change in the ground beneath their feet. Taiwanese need to deconstruct and ridicule this dangerous notion at every opportunity and ever instance it is uttered. The notion needs to be categorically rejected.
Here's a suggested response to the One-China myth:
"I do not recognise the absurd and false claim that the Republic of China exercises any authority over any part of the Peoples Republic of China. The Republic of China on Taiwan is a Pacific nation which independently exercises real sovereignty over a number of Pacific islands including Penghu, Liudow, Lanyu, Kinmen and Matsu"
Ambassador Stephen S. F. Chen, former representative of the Republic of China to Washington and currently associated with the National Policy Foundation in Taipei. He said that the Government of the Republic of China (ROC) holds the consistent stance that the Diaoyutai Islets belong to the ROC. The Japan Coast Guard’s forcible detention of fishing boats from across the Taiwan Strait in recent months had clearly violated ROC sovereignty, added the retired diplomat. With regard to similar claim of sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islets by Mainland China, Ambassador Chen emphasized his point by citing the ROC Constitution, which stipulates that the ROC’s “existing national boundaries” encompass the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, and surrounding islands. He explained that, leaving aside the issue of which China has the right to claim sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islets, Beijing’s stance did not collide with that of the ROC based on the concept of sovereignty.Is Mr. Chen suggesting that from now on whenever a PRC citizen or craft clashes with a Japanese official or vessel, the ROC Government will have to lodge a protest over Taiwanese sovereignty since PRC citizens and vessels are under its jurisdiction and protected by its authority?
Is this not a clear signal of the massive shift that is currently taking place in the 'status-quo'? Are we all busily filling out forms choosing the 'staus-quo' as the best medium term strategy without realising that our concept of it is fast disappearing? When are we going to wake up and realise that to the CCP and the KMT, 'One China' is the same concept with face-saving variations to account for historical abnormalities and irregularities? As long as the Government gets away with pushing this dirty myth of the ROC effective jurisprudence also covering the PRC, the Taiwanese are vulnerable to a change in the ground beneath their feet. Taiwanese need to deconstruct and ridicule this dangerous notion at every opportunity and ever instance it is uttered. The notion needs to be categorically rejected.
Here's a suggested response to the One-China myth:
"I do not recognise the absurd and false claim that the Republic of China exercises any authority over any part of the Peoples Republic of China. The Republic of China on Taiwan is a Pacific nation which independently exercises real sovereignty over a number of Pacific islands including Penghu, Liudow, Lanyu, Kinmen and Matsu"
Pork-Barrelling On The Road To November 27th?
1. First up the highly controversial Aboriginal Bill that on the surface grants more autonomy to Aboriginals but in reality adds a bureaucratic and legal hurdle to the ability of Taiwanese Aboriginals to exercise their rights under the 2005 Basic Law. A vast majority of Aboriginals have traditionally voted for the KMT. I'm interested to see if this continues to remain the case.
2. The KMT think nothing of using the people's government and state institutions as propaganda tools for party politics (see bold):
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), speaking to KMT party officials and legislators at the KMT headquarters, said that in the new legislative session, the Cabinet would push for the amendment of the National Health Insurance Act (全民健康保險法), an anti-corruption organization law and 18 other laws, as well as a general budget for next year and a special budget for flood control.
While promising to pass the proposed laws and budget plans, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and some KMT legislators expressed concerns about November’s special municipality elections, calling on party members to join efforts in campaigning for party candidates
“We should use our advantages as the ruling party and seek victories in the upcoming elections,” he said.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), in his capacity as the KMT chairman, said several government bodies, such as the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, should “stay neutral,” but other government officials should be able to participate in election campaign events during the weekends.3. The Cabinet recently moved to redefine the measure of a person living in poverty to ease restrictions on subsidies for people who are economically disadvantaged. E.g. since more people will be now defined as disadvantaged, more subsidies will be paid out to more people.
4. ECFA and Chinese Student Bills.
5. Your contribution to the list ...
A Conversation With Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Hear an extensive interview with Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. (A Must Listen).
Direct Audio Link
The topics cover race, Obama's otherness being used against him as a weapon by the Republican Tea Party, post-racial America, anthropology, genealogy...etc.
Great discussion. A couple of Tea Partiers even call in....resulting in some interesting exchanges.
Democrats Show Ineptness Once Again - Run Scared on Tax Cuts
I told you they had serious PR problems. Putting this issue up for a vote, forcing Republicans to defend tax cuts for the rich and daring them to vote against cuts for the middle class would have been a winner for the Dems. Harry Reid is incompetent, and I have been saying it for at least a year...not long after he became Senate Majority leader.
And one reason they are running scared (besides the Blue Dog weaklings worried about holding their seats) is because they may be preparing to cave altogether on the Tax issue, as I suggested weeks ago. After the election... watch them cave and renew all of the Bush Tax cuts...including the tax cuts for the rich, which will cost us $700 billion on top of the debt that all the other tax cuts and the other deficit spending will cost (which is in the trillions). Democrats are so scared of the Republican media machine that they are running with their tails tucked between their legs... with just the mere threat that they may be hurt by attack ads or specifically targeted to be unseated in the midterm elections. This is a perfect example of how powerful the right wing media is...and it is also an example of why there should be a Progressive alternative... a Progressive media infrastructure which could act as a counterbalance.
Can we resurrect Tip O'Neal or bring back George Mitchell? How about Adam Clayton Powell? Seems to be a lack of people with courage in Congress. The U.S. will end up in one crisis after another...instead of preventing the next crisis ahead of time with corrective policies, because everyone is more concerned with the next election.
America is screwed, especially if it can't get spending under control within a few years.
Related
The "Taxes Are Too High" argument is a Republican media illusion
Quote of the Week - Our Laws Good, Your Laws Invalid
PRC Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on the Chinese foreign ministry website that the government would send a charter plane to bring Mr Zhan home, reiterating that ...
But let's get back to the point. If China can dismiss Japanese laws so easily, what level of respect do you think they currently have for ROC laws? And how do you think that's affecting Taiwanese business?.
Who cares right? Laws are nonsense on stilts designed to stop the liberal wimps from crying so much when nature takes her natural way? Right?
As a good friend of mine recently said, "The logical conclusion of Realism (in international politics & diplomacy a theory that Might Makes Right) is betrayal".
"any form of so-called legal procedures taken by Japan against the Chinese boat captain are illegal and invalid".Let's see. A country with an authoritarian and despotic single party government (that imposes a very harsh and contingent rule of law upon those who are not part of the CCP or are government officials / high ranking military officers) speaks out to repeatedly and contemptuously denigrate and dismiss the sovereign rule of law in Japan as 'so-called','illegal' and 'invalid'. This is supreme irony from the country that in the past 100 years has failed to combine a post monarchial modern state with democracy or even a semblance of a working, fair, just and consistent legal-political-economic system. Oh, and to boot, they'll arrest a few Japanese too:
It came after four Japanese men were detained in China on suspicion of illegally filming in a military area.
A Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said its embassy in Beijing had received confirmation that the four were being held, but he said he did not want to speculate whether it was linked to Japan's detention of a Chinese fishing boat captain.Maybe the four were spying. Maybe not. I'm certainly in no position to say but I wonder what would be the response if Japan were now to as vociferously and petulantly demand the release of the four, ala China's tantrums about the fishing boat captain. And if the Japanese were to describe China's laws as so-called, illegal and invalid I'd bet good money that it wouldn't be 2 minutes before Chinese blogs and forums were full of Nanjing / war crimes / a past that can't be forgotten. But there's more. Why were the Japanese in China?
Officials said the four men were employees of a Japanese construction company who were in China to bid for a project to dispose of chemical weapons from World War II.They were bidding to remove chemical weapons from World War II, perhaps some of them manufactured by Japanese soldiers in China during the war.
But let's get back to the point. If China can dismiss Japanese laws so easily, what level of respect do you think they currently have for ROC laws? And how do you think that's affecting Taiwanese business?.
Who cares right? Laws are nonsense on stilts designed to stop the liberal wimps from crying so much when nature takes her natural way? Right?
As a good friend of mine recently said, "The logical conclusion of Realism (in international politics & diplomacy a theory that Might Makes Right) is betrayal".
Mavis Staples, The Voices of East Harlem, & The Pockets
Mavis Staples - Eyes On The Prize
Voices of East Harlem (C. Mayfield production) - Take a Stand
The Pockets- Come Go With Me
Voices of East Harlem (C. Mayfield production) - Take a Stand
The Pockets- Come Go With Me
Arianna Huffington Discusses "Third World America"
Watch an interview with Arianna Huffington focusing on her book Third World America, which talks about deteriorating conditions for the Middle Class in America. Huffington suggests that we are headed for third world status if current economic trends continue. (I have mentioned several times that this is where we are headed, and believe that in some respects, we are already there). But what is different about Arianna Huffingtons commentary is that she sees things from a different perspective than most Progressives. The way that she somehow doesn't see the working class and working poor is quite annoying to me. In many ways, her perspective mirrors that of the Obama Administration in terms of being blind to the working class. Where in the Hell does she think the middle class comes from.... does she think they appear out of nowhere and are suddenly middle class? The working class and working poor of today are supposed to be tomorrows middle class. They make no effort to link these groups together and propose policies that benefit various groups collectively. They have a very myopic view of what the middle class really is.
This is one reason why I am not a big fan of Huffington. Her legitimacy is not very solid. I would much rather hear Barbara Ehrenreich speak on these issues. Someone who actually knows something about what life is like for the poor, the working class, and the middle class. But the discussions with Huffington were still interesting and worthwhile.
Hear a more in depth discussion from NPR.
Related Posts
The American Dream Harder Than Ever To Attain
The Need for Living Wages
This is one reason why I am not a big fan of Huffington. Her legitimacy is not very solid. I would much rather hear Barbara Ehrenreich speak on these issues. Someone who actually knows something about what life is like for the poor, the working class, and the middle class. But the discussions with Huffington were still interesting and worthwhile.
Hear a more in depth discussion from NPR.
Related Posts
The American Dream Harder Than Ever To Attain
The Need for Living Wages
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Republican 'Pledge to America' Authored By Lobbyist for AIG, Big Oil
The Republicans unveiled their Snake oil today... their "Pledge to America". Based on what is in "the Pledge" the Republican answer to our economic situation is to extend tax cuts for the rich (the top 3% of American taxpayers) and that will take care of everything. Absent were specifics about controlling deficit/lowering national debt, what to do about jobs going overseas, specifics on exactly how to create jobs, etc. But the Pledge does promise to repeal healthcare reform. And on the subject of Social Security, Boehner couldn't answer reporters questions, but from what he had to say, privatizing Social Security is still on the table for them (of course it is... that's what they intend to do, but he was afraid to say it). the pledge was critical of special interests.... ironic since the man behind the "Pledge to America" is a professional corporate lobbyist for such great companies as AIG and Exxon, among others. Basically the Republican program was authored by a corporate shill by the name of Brian Wild.
From The Huffington Post:
The Republican Party's 21-page blueprint, "Pledge to America," was put together with oversight by a House staffer who, up till April 2010, served as a lobbyist for some of the nation's most powerful oil, pharmaceutical, and insurance companies.
In a draft version of The Pledge that was being passed around to reporters before the official release, the document properties list "Wild, Brian" as the "Author." A GOP source said that Wild -- who is on House Minority Leader John Boehner's payroll -- did help author the governing platform that the party is unveiling on Thursday. Another aide said that as the executive director of the Republican leadership group American Speaking Out, Wild's tasks were more on the administrative side of the operations.
Until early this year, Wild was a fairly active lobbyist on behalf of the firm the Nickles Group, the lobbying shop set up by the former Republican Senator from Oklahoma, Don Nickles. During his five years at the firm, Wild, among others, was paid $740,000 in lobbying contracts from AIG, the former insurance company at the heart of the financial collapse; $800,000 from energy giant Andarko Petroleum; more than $1.1 million from Comcast, more than $1.3 million from Exxon Mobil; and $625,000 from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc.
More here
For those who may have missed an earlier post regarding what the Republican Tea Party stands for.... Here is Their Basic Platform.
From Think Progress - No real mention of controlling the earmark pork spending in Congress:
As the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein reports, the GOP’s new “Pledge to America” was directed by a staffer named Brian Wild, who until early this year, was a lobbyist at a prominent DC firm that lobbied on behalf of corporate giants like Exxon. Moreover, the insurance industry is the leading contributor to Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the Republican who led the effort. Consistent with its desire to placate lobbyists, the 21-page “Pledge” omits any mention of a key Republican mantra: a ban on earmarks.
Lobbyists have long supported the practice of “earmarking,” a maneuver that allows lobbyists to cajole members of Congress to add pet projects to appropriations bills. While it’s no surprise that the lobbyist-authored document drops any discussion of “earmarking,” it is nevertheless an interesting pivot for Republicans.
On March 11, 2010, House Republicans adopted a one-year moratorium on all earmarks, urging Republicans in the Senate and Democrats in Congress “to follow their lead.” House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) touted the decision as “an important step toward showing the American people we’re serious about reform.” While Democrats announced a ban on earmarks for private companies the day before, Boehner wanted to “put [all earmarks] on the line to win” the November elections. Republicans touted their measure as a message that they were going to “cleanse themselves” of corruption and bring about “a culture of change”:
See full commentary from Think Progress.
Two great commentaries on The Republican "Pledge to America"
One from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Another from the Examiner.
St. Louis Area Tea Partier Under Investigation for Threatening Obama Takes Hostage
When Federal Agents went to question him, he took a hostage and held police and agents at bay for 8 hours. He wanted to start a religious war and apparently hated Muslims and the President.
TPM has an excellent breakdown of events.
This doesn't surprise me. I am only surprised that it doesn't happen more often, especially here in St. Louis. As if Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh aren't enough to inspire these nuts, there is the St. Louis Tea Party. The St. Louis Tea Party chapter is one of the most virulent out of all of the Tea Party groups around the Country.
TPM has an excellent breakdown of events.
This doesn't surprise me. I am only surprised that it doesn't happen more often, especially here in St. Louis. As if Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh aren't enough to inspire these nuts, there is the St. Louis Tea Party. The St. Louis Tea Party chapter is one of the most virulent out of all of the Tea Party groups around the Country.
President Obama's Town Hall Meeting on the Economy
Highlights of the CNBC Town Hall
Also see Backyard Town Hall Meeting in Virginia
My Take:
He should have been doing nationally televised Town Halls months ago. In fact, he should have been doing these events on a monthly basis from the time he took office. If he would have been doing these back in April.. (just go back to Spring and Summer) the Democrats would be in much better shape right now in terms of public opinion. Instead, they have allowed the conservative media to control the national debate...even to the point of rewriting history to fool and confuse voters, and that has worked for the Republicans very well so far.
But in just the past week, since Democrats decided to fight back (somewhat), their standing has improved. I know this is campaign season.... but some of the strategy that the Democrats are using now should have been used much earlier in the year. I have mentioned Town Halls countless times. One of the big mistakes that Obama made when he won the Presidency was that he disbanded his fact-checking/debunking/ communications teams. The war room of fast reacting staff and volunteers who kept up with much of the lies and misinformation being told about the President during the campaign could have been put to good use during the first 2 years of his Presidency (and beyond). For some reason, President Obama assumed that all would be well after January 2009. But the truth is... on the Republican side, things were just getting started.
I still don't think he completely gets it. The frustration expressed by the guests at the Town Hall was exactly the kind of frustration that Republicans wanted them to have at this point. The GOP wanted to block as much as they could, so that the Presidents own supporters would be frustrated enough to lose faith, give up, and stay home. They definitely were successful at peeling away crucial support from independents. That's why if the Presidential election were held today... it would look more like 2000 or 2004 than the landslide of 2008. And Obama would likely end up on the short end like Gore and Kerry.
But recent polling suggests that when Progressives actually fight back... that when Progressive ideals are put side by side with Tea Party Republican ideals.... that when Progressive plans are compared with Conservative Republican plans, Progressives tend to do a little better in the Court of public opinion. A common sense Progressive vision is much better than what the Tea Party has in mind. Americans are receptive to Progressive views when you break things down into policy and explain it to them in a way that they can comprehend. Why can't Obama and Co. figure this out? Why can't they figure out how to develop a long term strategy that would allow them to compete in the information war?
Their rotten PR annoys me. It's like seeing a superior product being marketed by an atrocious salesman. Companies like this often fail, despite having better stuff.
Why Is Roger Craig Not in the NFL Hall of Fame?
I'm just sayin'....
He is simply the best running back that I have ever seen. There have been a number of great running backs over the decades, but Craig was the best that I saw every week. The best from my generation. Not to take anything away from Marshall Faulk, the Great Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, Tony Dorsett, Jim Brown or the other greats. But Craig was the greatest all-around running back who ever played the game. He had the perfect size and power to be able to maximize all 3 skill sets of the running back (running, blocking, & catching). No other could do all 3 the way he could.
He was one of those pro-athletes who literally revolutionized the position he played. He became the new model for running backs in the NFL. In fact, I mentioned catching above, but catching wasn't a really important part of a running backs job before Craig. It was just something that was done once in a while....and primarily on short screen passes. Bill Walsh (one of his legacies) changed all that around...and gave birth to defenses like that of the Patriots, which many teams have some form of today. Defenses had to adjust to Bill Walsh's style of football (they had no choice...change..or get beaten badly when playing the Niners).
A Running back gaining 1000 yards rushing and 1000 yards receiving in the same season? That was off the charts stuff back then. Unheard of. A running back leading the NFL in receptions for a season??? Bonkers stuff... (still crazy). His total yardage is up there with other greats... and if he had not been slowed by injuries later on in his career.... he would have amassed 10,000 career yards on the ground...easily. But his total yardage is still impressive. Not to mention his Super Bowl rings...and what he did in post-season games.
And Roger Craig the man is even more impressive. They don't make athletes like this anymore (or its very rare) and you rarely find men like this anymore in pro sports. The clowns that are in the NFL and NBA today..... well, I could go on for quite a while about that. If you have read this blog long enough, you know what I am thinking on that one.
Craig was also the most graceful and powerful running back that i've ever seen. Loved seeing him literally run through and run over defenders.
A few sportswriters are also beginning to raise a fuss about Roger Craig's omission from the HOF. Here is a sportswriters top 10 list of players that he thinks should have been inducted by now.
It is a crime that he hasn't been chosen.
Highlight Reel (Just mute the Rap... my apologies...not my video).
Nice profile, with highlights
Fewer Than Half of Black Male Students Are Graduating from High School
A recent report from the Schott Foundation for Public Education found that the overall 2007-2008 graduation rate for black males in the U.S. was only 47 percent, and half of the states have graduation rates for black male students below the national average. Hear a conversation with the authors of the report. see the full report here.
The usual suspects (Black Civil Rights Inc., etc) have made their predictable arguments in response to the data. But frankly, I have been tired of hearing it for a long time. Their argument is always something along the lines of "the system" is leading these kids down a path to failure. "The system" is not spending enough money. "The system" is not coddling these kids enough. "the system, the system, the system".... "the system this... the system that". It's always "the system". Notice how this always seems to be the foundation and basis for all of their arguments. Why is it always.. "The Schools or the System is Failing Black Students". Why isn't the narrative - "Black Parents are Failing Public Schools and Their Own Children".... or "Is Black Culture Complicating Life for Black Children"? These narratives would better reflect the problems in my opinion, but they are not politically correct.
I have pointed out that this argument is a myth several times. One instance in particular would be my post a few years ago about the impact modern Black culture has on educational outcomes. The 2007 Policy Bridge report, entitled "The Rap On Culture: How Anti-Education Messages in Media, at Home, & On The Street Hold Back African American Youth", was confirmation of earlier research by others, including Dr. John Ogbu of UC Berkley, a leading figure in this particular area of research. But you never hear about these studies, because the Black establishment doesn't want to deal with the elephant in the room - Black culture itself. It's too big of a monster to take on. They are afraid of dealing with it because they would create too many enemies from within the so-called "Black Community" (hate that term). It's so much easier for them to blame "the system" and kick the can down the road.
This problem was highlighted rather clearly in last year's CNN report "Black In America" when Steve Perry, Principle of Capital Preparatory Magnet School pointed out that the parents of his mostly minority students, (paraphrasing) 'aren't around'... 'many don't seem to care'....that they 'just aren't involved' in the education of their children. That, ladies & gentleman, is the key to this whole human disaster that is taking place in this Country. And it's bigger than just the so-called "Black Community". This will have a harmful impact on the nation as a whole.... because many of those who aren't graduating, are (let's be honest) going to be involved in criminal activity, making victims out of you, your neighbors, will disrupt the quality of life in America, and they will be a drag on budgets and the economy, because they won't be contributing to society...to the tax base and it will cost money to warehouse them in jail and prison.
Parenting, the life choices of parents (especially Black women, yes I went there- stop laying down with no good thugs, criminals, & deadbeats), the household environment, and the culture that drives much of life outside of school have much more influence over how well a student does in the classroom. You can have the best teachers in the world... but rappers & other Black Hip Hop culture figures hold more sway with most Black youth. They will listen to the rap stars and take cues from them over their teachers....and in some cases, over their parents or other relatives (those who have responsible parents in their lives to begin with). But again, no one wants to talk about this in the national media... or if they do, they glance over it. This has been the elephant in the room for the so-called "Black Community" for at least the past 15-20 years. Civil Rights Inc. wants to avoid this because it actually deals with getting at the heart of the problem. And since the existence of this problem is their bread and butter, why fix it? Facing it head on would also anger half, if not most, of the "Black Community". This is something that the Sharpton's, the Dyson's, the Smiley's, and the Jackson's can't afford to do. Especially when they have books coming out almost every year. Dr. Cosby and Dr. Alvin Poussaint weren't afraid.... but they haven't been able to inspire the fundamental shift needed in Black Culture (few men throughout history have been able to). But at least a few of us get it. Geoffrey Canada is one of those individuals who seems to get it... which is why he brilliantly incorporated parenting skills training, and a strong parent-teacher bond into his Harlem Children's Zone program early on.
I have understood the importance of parenting, doing well in school, moral compasses, structure and discipline for most of my life. Although I didn't have a perfect home situation early on, and was not always the best student. I didn't get in gear until I entered my Sophomore year of High School. But I still understood the importance of all those values. I knew that I had to take education seriously and that if I didn't do well, life was going to be harsh... that there would probably be a prison cell waiting for me.
I noticed something pretty simple back in my formative years. For one, Black youth with anti-education attitudes tended to do worse when they were clumped together...both in school and outside of school. Even in schools that are diverse tend to have this problem, because socially, Blacks tend to stick with Blacks... that's how it was in many of the grade schools and middle schools I was in, including DODDS. We have all (or you should have) read about this from the reports and studies on how students tend to segregate themselves in school (at lunch for example). Why were the outcomes worse? Well, my belief is... when you have like minded people together, certain beliefs and behaviors are reinforced. ("Group-think" for example). But I noticed that there were always pockets of Black students... either anomalies from within the group, or from outside of the group of other Black youth who seemed to excel. And the difference usually had something to do with the way they were being raised... with life in their households. Their lives were as different as night & day from lives of kids in the larger group. The kids with the more watchful and concerned parents, usually got better grades and had fewer (if any) behavioral issues. They may have faked it in school to a point, by buying cool clothes, playing sports, and having cute girls all over them... but that's where the similarities ended. At home, they had structure. The tougher the parents... the better the grades. The more structure... the better the outcomes. The more rules they had..and the more respect (or fear) they had for mom & dad...or the more desire they had to please their parents... the less trouble they found themselves in. The more activities that their parents had them involved in, the better. The more involved the parents were, the better. And I found this to be true no matter where I went to school... Kansas, Germany, Texas, etc. It always translated, without fail. So this is how I know that Civil Rights Inc. is full of s-tuff.
The Obama's are a perfect example of this. The President recently talked about the weekly routine for the first daughters Sasha and Malia. Part of their schedule involves plenty of positive activities. Homework is stressed...and the first couple keeps up with everything that needs to be done. He also mentioned one other thing.... that no T.V. watching is allowed during the week. NO TELEVISION! Even back in my day (mostly the 80's), that would be seen as a punishment. And I would argue that this is pretty much unheard of in the so-called "Black Community". I was allowed to watch TV, go ride my bike all over town (in Kansas), or go play basketball after my homework and chores were done. I lived like a King in Texas...had a King sized bed, had a huge floor model TV with my own cable box, my own phone and could pretty much do what I wanted. I almost wish I had the kind of structure that the Obama girls have now. But I am thankful that I had what I did. But what the Obama's are doing should be the blueprint for other Black families.
Now it is true that the Obama's enjoy certain advantages. For one, they are able to put their daughters in private school. Public schools are indeed a part of the problem (but not the major part in my opinion). In public school, "the system" and your child, who may actually want to learn, has to deal with disruptive students who have not had the proper parenting. Teachers and administrators must take up the slack and deal with the mess left behind by other people. They often have to deal with violence, and even with out of control parents. All of this, plus the misguided intervention from Federal and State governments...putting pressure on teachers to get better test scores out of students who do not want to learn and in some cases have been taught not to take education seriously. This often leads to a situation that chases good teachers away. Where do they go? To the white schools in the suburbs...where school administrations give them more support...and back them up.... administrations who don't take crap from disruptive students or their parents. The working environments tend to be safer (or at least they are perceived as such) and they are paid better to boot - Hell who wouldn't leave in that situation? That's exactly what the current system does...and has been doing for years.
Unfortunately, it comes down to this... the problem of the low Black male graduation rate...and low rates of graduation for Black students as a whole, is a problem that the school systems alone will never be able to fix. The problem is in the Black Culture itself. Teachers cannot solve that problem. Nor can "the system". They don't set cultural values....values at home, etc. It is time for Blacks to stop blaming both.
Black students are capable... that question has been answered. Urban Prep Charter Academy in Chicago, the Harlem Children's Zone, Steve Perry's Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Connecticut and others (along with the many individual success stories) are proof that Black students are capable. So that's not the problem. It is time to start dealing with the real issues rather than reading from the same script. The same old arguments don't work anymore.
Fendi Casa: Sala
A sala é sem duvida o local mais acolhedor da sua casa para receber os seus amigos, recorremos aos melhores materiais para os mais exigentes. Efectuamos o seu projecto de interiores de forma elitista e luxuosa, despertando em si os mais nobres sentimentos. Apresentamos uma das nossas marcas de eleição - Fendi Casa. Com uma enorme variedade de artigos desde iluminação, mobiliário, têxteis e acessórios podemos desenvolver um projecto à imagem dos nossos cliente mais exigentes.
Consulte-nos hoje mesmo:
geral@4udecor.com
Telf: 214 867 378
Lisboa / Portugal
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Why Congress should have gone Gaga
When not rocking out, Lady Gaga speaks out. Yesterday, in Portland, Maine, the pop sensation spoke at a rally sponsored by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which supports repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Like Wyclef Jean’s activism in Haiti, and Alicia Keys’s anti-AIDS activism, Lady Gaga works hard whether or not cameras are on.
Read the rest at The Loop.
Read the rest at The Loop.
Clei: Sistemas Transformaveis Sofá e Cama
Este sistema vertical de cama de casal com sofá acoplado na sua parte anterior quando esta se encontra fechada. A Clei, marca italiana por nós representada e especialista neste tipo de sistema de camas verticais de parede. Abre-se e fecha-se, de forma simples e fácil, sem grande esforço, a prateleira acompanha sempre este movimento, não sendo necessário remover os objectos nela colocados e o sofá fica na parte inferior da cama. Lateralmente podem ser criadas diversas opções consoante as necessidades do cliente, mesas de cabeçeira, prateleiras, etc. O sofá pode ser estofado com o tecido que o cliente escolher bem como a cabeçeira. Assim temos duas soluções numa só divisão, sala e quarto. Existem mais opções disponíveis.Solicite mais informações:
geral@4udecor.com
Telf: 214 867 378
Lisboa / Portugal
Image of The Week
Dhaka, Bangladesh: Commuters walk across a floating boat bridge on the Buriganga river. Water hyacinth has hampered the movement of boats on the river so boats are tied together to form a temporary bridge.
Photograph: Munir uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images
From The Guardian
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Japan, China and Other Countries
Two excellent pieces on the escalating Japan-China row over the arrested Chinese fisherman who recently allegedly rammed his boat into a Japanese Coast Guard vessel. Turns out, Japan's current administration and Prime Minister Naoto Kan is not taking Chinese provocation (cutting high ranking links, cancelling cultural events etc) lightly and is not yielding to pressure. The seas north east of Taiwan are alive and swarming (officially and unofficially) with the Coast Guard, Navy, Subs, Fishermen, 'Fishermen', Helicopters and surveillance systems of at least four different nations.
Interesting passages from the articles here ...
The Digested Read ... Japan counsels against 'extreme nationalism' in row with China
The Digested Read ... Japan's shift poses dilemma for Taiwan's Ma
Interesting passages from the articles here ...
The Digested Read ... Japan counsels against 'extreme nationalism' in row with China
"What is most important is that government officials in Japan, China and other countries try not to fuel narrow-minded, extreme nationalism," Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshito Sengoku, told reporters.
"For the peace and development of east Asia and the Asia-Pacific, we want to use all available means of communication to ask that this be resolved without the situation escalating."The US voiced concern at the prospect of a prolonged estrangement between China and Japan, which are engaged in long-standing disputes over the islands as well as drilling rights in oil and gas fields in the East China Sea.
A US state department spokesman, Mark Toner, said Washington expected the row to be "resolved through appropriate diplomatic means".
The finance minister, Yoshihiko Noda, said Japan would respond in a "level-headed manner" to avoid any impact on the countries' economic ties.
China became Japan's biggest trading partner last year, with bilateral trade reaching 12.6tn yen (£95bn) in the first half of this year, up more than 34 percentage points compared with the same period last year.
Victor Gao, director of the China National Association for International Studies in Beijing, suggested that Tokyo could offer to release the captain, whose mother died following his arrest, on humanitarian grounds, and because tomorrow's mid-autumn festival is traditionally a time for family reunions in China. "It could be an expedient way to wind this down without causing anyone to lose face or requiring either to compromise their principled position on the Diaoyu islands," he said.
The Digested Read ... Japan's shift poses dilemma for Taiwan's Ma
When the DPJ won a landslide victory in the Aug. 30, 2009 Diet lower house elections, many Taiwan pundits confidently predicted that the new DPJ administration under prime minister Hatoyama Yukio would be "anti-U.S." and "proChina".
However, these parameters changed suddenly with the sudden collapse of the Hatoyama Cabinet in June in the wake of his failure to square this circle, his replacement by Kan and the latter's consolidation of power last week with a landslide victory over rival DPJ kingpin Ozawa Ichiro.
Kan's appointment of the 48-year old Maehara, who is an outspoken advocate of the primacy of the U.S.security alliance as the "axis of Japan's diplomacy" and a frequent visitor to Taiwan, is likely to combine with Washington's own higher profile in East and Southeast Asia to re-energize the Washington-Tokyo alliance.
Japan's new young foreign minister displayed his firmness Sunday by urging Beijing to "calmly" cope with the latest dispute over the contested Diaoyutai or Senkaku islands, triggered by the collision of a Chinese fishing vessel and a Japanese Coast Guard cutter.
Ironically, the PRC's bald assertion of its "territorial sovereignty" over virtually all the waters in the East Sea, the South China Sea and the Yellow Sea may make it easier for Tokyo to convince reluctant Okinawans that their own security is also at stake.
Indeed, the "Ryukyu Shimbun" reported yesterday that Japan's Ministry of defense plans to boost the number of Ground Self-defense Forces stationed on the main island of Okinawa from 2,000 to 20,000 by 2020 in part to cope with "special needs due to the increase in Chinese military activities" near to the Okinawan island chain.
Although Ma has publically stressed the importance of the Japan-U.S. security treaty as "the bedrock of peace and stability in East Asia," there have also been much more friction between Taipei and Tokyo under his governance than during the Lee or Chen administrations, including several flaps over the disputed Diaoyutai or Senkaku islets.
The KMT government already displayed in May its lack of intention to help Japan deal with the PRC security threat by rejecting a request by Tokyo, made in the wake of an encounter between Japanese Naval SDF vessels and a flotilla of PRC People's Liberation Army Navy warships near Miyake Island, to extend Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone westward to ensure continued Japanese control over the airspace over Yonaguni Island.
Taiwan's foreign ministry issued a sharply worded protest to Tokyo last week over its blocking of an excursion to the contested islets by a politically motivated Taiwan fishing boat and a resulting standoff with Taiwan coast guard craft, but failed to file a protest over the incursion by the Chinese fishing boat into Taiwan's claimed territorial waters with the PRC authorities.
A litmus test of the direction in which the Ma government truly leans will occur in December, when U.S. naval and air forces and Japanese Self-defense Force units hold a joint exercise in the region of the Senkaku islets to test cooperation against a PRC incursion into the Okinawa chain.
Papel de Parede
O Papel de Parede para decoração de ambientes, é sem dúvida a melhor opção para quem pretende renovar a decoração dos ambientes da sua casa, empresa, consultório, hotel, motel, restaurante, etc. O papel de parede é antialérgico, não propaga chamas e a cola utilizada na aplicação do revestimento não possui cheiro e não mancha por ser a base de água. Existem diversos tipos e modelos de papéis de paredes, lisos, estampados, xadrez, florais, adamascados, imitação de textura, palha, pedra, uma infinidade de opções. Na 4UDECOR encontra uma enorme variedade de papéis de parede. Podem ser utilizados em diversos ambientes; sala de jantar, sala de estar, quarto, quanto infantil, quarto de bebe, wc e cozinha.
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Telf: 214 867 378
Lisboa / Portugal
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Projectamos a sua Discoteca / Bar
Idealizamos, projectamos e redecoramos a sua Discoteca / Bar, usando os mais recentes materiais e artigos para espaços comerciais.Solicite mais informações:
geral@4udecor.com
Telf: 214 867 378
Lisboa / Portugal
geral@4udecor.com
Telf: 214 867 378
Lisboa / Portugal
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
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