Wednesday, 07 June 2006
CIA Spider Web
Here's a pretty striking image of the 'spider-web' the US has woven of illegal detentions and transfers, with collusion of Council of Europe member states:
Posted by flow Frazao on June 7, 2006 at 08:26 PM in America, Current Affairs, Iraq, Scary Bush, War on Terra | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Jon Stewart Trounces Bill Bennett
Last night conservative douchebag Bill Bennett managed to tear his fat ass away from the slot machines long enough to appear on the Daily Show, where John Stewart took Bennett to school on the issue of gay marriage:
Bennett: Well I think if gay..gay people are already members of families...
Stewart: What? (almost spitting out his drink)
Bennett: They're sons and they're daughters..
Stewart: So that's where the buck stops, that's the gay ceiling.
Bennett Look, it's a debate about whether you think marriage is between a man and a women.
Stewart:I disagree, I think it's a debate about whether you think gay people are part of the human condition or just a random fetish.
It's all downhill from there. Seriously, don't miss this one. It'll make your day.
Posted by flow Frazao on June 7, 2006 at 06:03 PM in America, Culture, Current Affairs, Television, US News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, 23 April 2006
Living With War
In case you haven't heard, Neil Young has a new album coming out that's entirely dedicated to George W. Bush. The first single is called "Impeach the President".
“This talk about a 9/11 mentality. No one, George Bush or anyone else, owns the 9/11 mentality. It belongs to the United States of America. It belongs to everyone who was sitting there with their family, watching those buildings get hit by those jets. It belongs to George Bush and his family, it belongs to John Kerry and his family, it belongs to me and my family, my American family. I have a post 9/11 mentality. It’s just not the same as George Bush’s.”
Posted by flow Frazao on April 23, 2006 at 04:17 AM in America, Current Affairs, US News, War on Terra | Permalink | Comments (1)
Friday, 24 March 2006
The Best Essay Ever Written About Washington DC
If I had a dollar for every hour I spent surfing craigslist while I sat in a cubicle in DC... well, I guess I'd be able to take a year off, travel the world, and then come back and spend three months working for free.
“So, what do you do?”Sweet Jesus, I hate this question; it infests DC like no other place I’ve lived. I get asked it every time I meet people, be they at or bar, friends of friends, spontaneous conversations in Safeway—hell, ragged old ladies sometimes accost me walking down the street, just to find out what I do. My job lacks the excitement or concise definition of most vocations, so I normally just lie about it.
“So, what do you do?” the homeless guy outside the Rosslyn Metro asks me.
“Why…I…am…Assistant…Director…of…Resource…Management…of…Poultry,” I reply.
“Wait a second—why did you pause so much? Are you just making this up?” the homeless guy menacingly intones.
“Of…course…not…I…was…just…building…suspense,” I say, before throwing down my Vitamin Water and bagel and running away in shame.
The fact of the matter is, I’m very unsure of what my job actually IS. I work at an office and do a little bit of this (Solitaire) and a little bit of that (Spider Solitaire), but nothing that can be encapsulated in one or two words, like “Fireman” or “Bikini Inspector”. For me, everyday is an aggregate of small, insignificant tasks, designed solely for the purpose of making it to 5 PM. Play a game of Solitaire, 10 minutes. Knock out a Sudoku, 10 more minutes. Brew and drink coffee—oh, I can stretch that for at least a quarter hour. Trouble is, by 11 AM each day I’m normally wired on caffeine and exhausted of brief computer games, so I’m always desperately in need of Big Timekilling Activities. I’ve developed elaborate BTA’s involving round robin tournaments of office games, games that normally include Styrofoam cups, uneaten yogurt tins, and a three-hole punch, but those normally end quickly in tragedy:
“Good God, this coffee tastes terrible! And what’s this gooey purple stuff on my papers?” my boss inevitably asks. I tend to look away and make a cryptic comment about the last intern being “Very, very strange. And possibly retarded.”
So as you can see, the collective nincompoopery of my officemates puts the kibosh on office game BTA’s, so I have to turn to tasks more individual in nature. The other day, for instance, I decided that there was no good reason not to make a paper clip necklace. I took the precaution of borrowing the receptionist’s paper clips, because there was no way in hell those puppies were going to survive, and I didn’t want to be accused of wasting office supplies. I finished in about 10 minutes, put on the necklace and snuck into the restroom to check myself out.
“Hmm, good, but not that good,” I said aloud, admiring my handiwork in the bathroom mirror. “I really can make it bigger.”
“It’s not the size of the boat, just the motion in the ocean,” the middle-aged man from across the hall said as he exited the bathroom stall. “You’ll be fine, son.”
“No, I wasn’t talking about that, I was talking about…” I began, before realizing that I had two options here: admit that I was just looking at a paper clip necklace I made for myself, or fess up to a complete stranger about feelings of penile inadequacy. Tough call, but the choice was clear.
“Thanks, I’m sure women will like me just the way I am,” I answered with a nod.
I think I made the right decision—because in the end, I had a whole day in front of me, a cup full of paper clips, and, by God, I was GOING to make it bigger.
Posted by flow Frazao on March 24, 2006 at 03:45 PM in America | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Thursday, 23 March 2006
Rumsfeld: What a Lucky Guy
First he makes a bundle off the Iraq War from his ties to Bechtel, and now he stands to reap a hearty profit from all the Bird Flu hysteria:
The prospect of a bird flu outbreak may be panicking people around the globe, but it's proving to be very good news for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other politically connected investors in Gilead Sciences, the California biotech company that owns the rights to Tamiflu, the influenza remedy that's now the most-sought after drug in the world.Rumsfeld served as Gilead's chairman from 1997 until he joined the Bush administration in 2001, and he still holds a Gilead stake valued at between $5 million and $25 million, according to federal financial disclosures filed by Rumsfeld.
Here's Gilead's press release announcing Rumsfeld's Chairmanship back in 97.
Posted by flow Frazao on March 23, 2006 at 12:30 PM in America, Scary Bush, Science, US News | Permalink | Comments (0)
Saturday, 04 March 2006
Only Terrorists Are Debt-Free
Thinking of paying off those credit card debts? Mmm hmm. Sounds a little suspicious to me, and by "me" I mean "us", and by "us" I mean the Department of Homeland Security.
A retired school teacher in Rhode Island tried to pay off his Mastercard which had a balance of $6,522. His actions compelled his bank to report the transaction to Department of Homeland Security, which froze his transaction until it could be investigated:
After sending in the check, Walter Soehnge and his wife Deana checked online to see if their account had been duly credited. They learned that the check had arrived, but the amount available for credit on their account hadn't changed.So Deana Soehnge called the credit-card company. Then Walter called.
"When you mess with my money, I want to know why," he said.
[...]
They both learned the same astounding piece of information about the little things that can set the threat sensors to beeping and blinking.
They were told, as they moved up the managerial ladder at the call center, that the amount they had sent in was much larger than their normal monthly payment. And if the increase hits a certain percentage higher than that normal payment, Homeland Security has to be notified. And the money doesn't move until the threat alert is lifted.
Soehnge went on the Internet to see what he could learn. He learned about changes in something called the Bank Privacy Act.
"The more I'm on, the scarier it gets," he said. "It's scary how easily someone in Homeland Security can get permission to spy."
Eventually, his and his wife's money was freed up. The Soehnges were apparently found not to be promoting global terrorism under the guise of paying a credit-card bill. They never did learn how a large credit card payment can pose a security threat.
But the experience has been a reminder that a small piece of privacy has been surrendered. Walter Soehnge, who says he holds solid, middle-of-the-road American beliefs, worries about rights being lost.
"If it can happen to me, it can happen to others," he said.
Posted by flow Frazao on March 4, 2006 at 11:47 PM in America | Permalink | Comments (1)
Thursday, 02 March 2006
Professional Couch Surfer
Today is Thursday, and by my count I've slept in four different places this week. I started off the week at Chelsa's in The Mission, then I went to Catie and Greg's on Russian Hill for a night. Slept at Premal's in Palo Alto two nights ago, and last night I had a big adventure on Carl's couch involving a cat that kept trying to lick me.
Fiona's been staying with Catie and Greg for the past few nights, but I've been taking part in a code-a-thon with Matt and The Carl. Tonight I'll be staying at Skylar's pad in San Francisco, and I'm looking forward to seeing my wife again.
However, the good news is that we're renting a room! We'll be moving in on Saturday to a place in Bernal Heights. Matt says it's a great spot, and from what I've been reading on the internet it sounds pretty cool. I've also noticed that there's a 100% hit rate between "Bernal Heights" and "Lesbians". Every single article I've read about the area mentions a disproportionate number of lesbians. Why Bernal Heights? Maybe they have a great Home Depot or something. I look forward to finding out.
Posted by flow Frazao on March 2, 2006 at 02:51 PM in America, Me, Moving | Permalink | Comments (0)
Wednesday, 01 March 2006
Woman kills man with vacuum cleaner
This story is begging for more details, but the mugshot alone is priceless:
ANDERSON, S.C. -- An Anderson man is dead after being strangled with a vacuum cleaner hose, and his common-law wife is charged with his murder.Anderson County Sheriff's deputies said they received the call at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
A spokesman for the sheriff's office said Evelyn Pressley admitted to killing Jerome Powers. Deputies said Pressley beat and strangled Powers with vacuum cleaner accessories.
Deputies said the couple lived together on Bellhaven Road in Anderson for about eight years. Pressley is being held in the Anderson County detention center Monday. An autopsy was planned.
Posted by flow Frazao on March 1, 2006 at 04:44 PM in America | Permalink | Comments (0)
Woman faces jail if she doesn't watch video of her rape
A suburban Chicago woman's refusal to watch a videotape that reputedly depicts her gang rape could end up derailing the trial of one of her accused attackers. Also, she could be held in contempt of court:
A Naperville woman's refusal Tuesday to view or comment under oath on a videotape that reputedly depicts her gang rape could end up derailing the trial of one of her accused attackers.Fifth District Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kerry M. Kennedy has given the woman until this morning to decide whether she will answer a defense attorney's questions about the video.
What's with this judge? Is he trying to get a seat on the Supreme Court or something?
UPDATE: The judge has decided not to make her watch herself get raped after all. What a guy.
Posted by flow Frazao on March 1, 2006 at 04:35 PM in America, Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Friday, 17 February 2006
Dump Lieberman
Seriously, we've got to get rid of Joe Lieberman. He's an embarrassment to me and all my fellow Nutmeggers. From yesterday's Hartford Courant:
President Bush threw a romantic Valentine's Day dinner at the White House Tuesday night, and who was on the guest list? None other than his favorite Democratic arm candy, Sen. Joe Lieberman.
Ned Lamont is the guy who's going to break poor Joe's heart by throwing his sorry butt out of Washington DC and away from the loving arms of George W. Bush. Click here to give Ned Lamont some money or some time if you want to avoid seeing scenes like this for another six years:
Posted by flow Frazao on February 17, 2006 at 01:29 PM in America, US News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Friday, 03 February 2006
Dinner At Brian's
Wow.
Wow wow wow wow wow.
It's been a big week, and my head is spinning with ideas. I'm not even sure where to start.
Sunday night Fiona and I went to dinner at VEF founder Brian Lehnen's house. We were pretty nervous because we'd only talked to Brian a few times, and we wanted to make a good impression. We also had no idea what to expect. We didn't know who'd be there or anything.
Naturally, we started joking around during the train ride down to San Carlos. Being a veritable connoisseur of awkwardness, I tried to come up with uncomfortable scenarios. I told Fiona that as soon as I saw Brian I'd walk up to him and give him a huge hug - really tight - and not let go for 45 seconds. Just make it really long and weird.
Of course, I didn't do that at all. Brian met us at the train station and there was your usual round of handshaking and whatnot. Then the three of us piled into the car and went to his house.
We walked in the front door into a room full of people. One guy, whom I immediately recognized as the founder of Kiva, yelled "Jeremy! I feel like I know this guy!". Then he came over and gave me a hug! It was really funny and cool, although it wasn't as uncomfortably awkward as I would have liked.
Matt's wife Jessica also bounded over to us and freely dispensed some love. It was a great reception, and it made me feel right at home. I'd felt a real connection with Matt during our phone conversations, and it turned out I was right. These are our people.
Then we started talking with the other people who were there. One of them was a guy who I'm not going to name quite yet who's one of the higher-ups at an extremely large and well-known company. Hopefully Kiva will be partnering with this company, and if this happens it would be huge in both financial terms and in terms of legitimacy. But more on that in time.
The other guy who was there was an unassuming, cool looking guy named Carl. After some prodding by Jessica, Carl told us his story. In the early 90s he was a special-ed teacher for disabled kids. He wanted to try to get them using computers, but there wasn't really any software that was appropriate so he decided to make his own. He went and downloaded this new thing called "Java" that had just been pre-released, and it all snowballed from there. Soon he was getting emails from people asking him questions about the new programming language, and he'd answer them to the best of his ability, the whole time thinking "I wonder when they'll realize that I'm just a teacher". Eventually he wound up sitting at Sun Microsystem's headquarters with James Gosling (the inventor of Java - I've read his books!) who asked him what it would take for Carl to come work for Sun. Carl threw out a number (which he later learned was embarrassingly low) and they hired him on the spot. The rest, as they say, is history.
Fast forward 15 years to find Matt and Carl working together at TiVo. Matt recently quit to concentrate on Kiva full time, and Carl - one of the first Java programmers in the world - has also joined Kiva full time. Except Carl's going balls out and is moving to Africa to work from Tororo, Uganda! He's building a house on a big ranch (with running water and sewage!) for around $5,000. You can follow his adventures online at Carl's Big Adventure.
After a few cocktails, we sat down to dinner and Brian told us all kinds of crazy stories about traveling in Africa and what he's been through for the past twenty years with the Village Enterprise Fund. He's a pretty incredible guy, and I could've listened to him talk all night.
By the time we left Fiona and I were both feeling fantastic about everything. The energy around that dinner table was so strong it almost made my hair stand on end. It was the same feeling I used to have when I was at Number Six before the dot com crash - like you're standing on the edge of a world with endless possibilities where with the right amount of luck, patience and hard work anything can be accomplished.
These are exciting times, my friends!
Posted by flow Frazao on February 3, 2006 at 03:09 PM in America, Kiva/VEF | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, 29 January 2006
Monkey Bench
San Francisco really reminds me of Melbourne in a lot of ways. There's cool street art and dope sculptures all over the place, like this one that we came across in Chinatown yesterday:
Posted by flow Frazao on January 29, 2006 at 02:38 PM in America | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Saturday, 28 January 2006
Iraq and Wire-tapping
Who would've thought that the Iraqis would wind up with more freedom than Americans (at least on paper):
"The freedom of communication, and mail, telegraphic, electronic, and telephonic correspondence, and other correspondence shall be guaranteed and may not be monitored, wiretapped or disclosed except for legal and security necessity and by a judicial decision."
Hopefully their government will be better at upholding their constitution than King George has done with ours.
Posted by flow Frazao on January 28, 2006 at 11:38 AM in America, Iraq, Scary Bush | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Thursday, 26 January 2006
I've Been to Hell I Spell It, I Spell It D-M-V
I'm sitting here at the DMV waiting for Fiona to finish her driver's test (she's finally going for a US license), and I'm really enjoying the show. As I look around I see a very diverse group of people, and I would bet that these particular people will never be in the same room again. This is a shame - just imagine what spirited conversations could transpire between the obese Arab to my left and the mulletudinous meth-head to my right. Not that I'm going to invite them back to my house or anything. I'm just saying.
Fiona just finished her written test and she's in a state of disbelief as to how easy it was compared to its Australian counterpart. I tried explaining that while in Australia driving might be considered a privilege, here in the US it's a basic human right. Judging by her scoff, I can only assume she hates freedom. I'll be reporting her for reeducation when we get home.
Update: I'm pleased to report that Fiona passed her exam! She now sports a classy Connecticut driver's license with a sweeeeet hologram that you're all so jealous of. Yeah you wish you were from Connecticut, punk.
Posted by flow Frazao on January 26, 2006 at 06:03 PM in America, Little Stories, Me | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, 15 January 2006
A Few More Snow Pictures
It snowed again today, so I decided to take my new lens out for a spin. I got some pretty good shots, and I also managed to change lenses a few times in the freezing cold with numb fingers. My idea was that if I could do it in the middle of a New England winter without being able to feel my fingers, then switching lenses under pressure in Africa would be no problem. Now that I'm thinking about it, it's a pretty stupid idea but what can I say? It was really cold out there, and it's tough to think straight when your eyelids are freezing shut.
(click for more snowy goodness)
Posted by flow Frazao on January 15, 2006 at 05:32 PM in America, Photos | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Thursday, 12 January 2006
Indian Call Centers and Ugly Americans
An interesting article on the cultural impact of call-center outsourcing from the Indian perspective. Short summary - Americans don't paint a pretty picture of themselves over the phone:
Saurabh Jha, a blue-jeaned 22-year-old, said a Texas woman phoned recently and told him that thanks to outsourcing, "you are getting money, food, shelter. You should be starving."She berated him for 12 minutes before she allowed him to offer advice that fixed her problem: to unplug her computer and plug it back in. "I was speechless," he said. "She didn't even give me a chance."
The crazy thing is that callers are probably getting a much higher level of service from the Indian call centers. Think about it - who in America is going to take $8 an hour to sit by the phone and field tech support calls? I'll tell you right now, it won't be anybody with a Computer Science degree, that's for sure. But in India, you're likely getting some of the most educated people in the middle class. Not that it makes any difference - it appears most Americans would rather just get pissed off than actually give any real thought to the matter.
As far as I can tell, Americans do a lot of complaining about outsourcing when it's in the context of things like this. However, it's these same people who are lining up and shooting each other at 5 AM in front of the local Wal-Mart when it comes to getting rock-bottom prices on huge piles of imported shit.
Posted by flow Frazao on January 12, 2006 at 04:49 PM in America, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tuesday, 03 January 2006
Please God, No
Kerry Positioned for '08 White House Bid:
The Massachusetts Democrat, defeated by Bush in 2004, insists it is far too early to talk about the 2008 race, but some analysts assume he has already positioning himself for another shot at the White House. "Obviously, Kerry has all but said he wants another crack at the thing," said Neal Thigpen, a political science professor at South Carolina's Francis Marion University. "He's going to make a second try."
The only way I could possibly imagine this even coming close to being a good idea would be if Kerry were to completely change every single aspect of his personality and strategy. Perhaps he can undergo some sort of combination face/brain/testicle replacement procedure and then we can take Kerry 2.0 for a test drive. At the very least it would be more exciting than watching Frankenstein in a "debate" all over again.
I think this GOP strategist sums up the situation thoroughly:
"He believes in his heart and soul that he came just a whisker away from being president," said Ronald Kaufman, a veteran GOP operative with Massachusetts roots. Kerry's image as a Northeast liberal with fuzzy views on major issues like Iraq would make him vulnerable once more, said Kaufman, who was White House political director for Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush."I go to bed every night praying Kerry is the nominee again," he said.
Posted by flow Frazao on January 3, 2006 at 03:36 PM in America, Current Affairs, US News | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Friday, 08 April 2005
Al Qaeda Uses $2 Bills?
Best Buy's crack team of anti-counterfeiting cashiers are a little nervous in the post-9/11 world:
For this, Bolesta, Baltimore County resident, innocent citizen, owner of Capital City Student Tours, finds himself under arrest.
Finds himself, in front of a store full of customers at the Best Buy on York Road in Lutherville, locked into handcuffs and leg irons.
Finds himself transported to the Baltimore County lockup in Cockeysville, where he's handcuffed to a pole for three hours while the U.S. Secret Service is called into the case.
[...]
"Meanwhile, everybody's looking at me. I've lived here 18 years. I'm hoping my kids don't walk in and see this. And I'm saying, 'I can't believe you're doing this. I'm paying with legal American money.'" Bolesta was then taken to the county police lockup in Cockeysville, where he sat handcuffed to a pole and in leg irons while the Secret Service was called in."
Posted by flow Frazao on April 8, 2005 at 12:11 AM in America | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, 27 March 2005
Culture of Life
A little perspective:
Posted by flow Frazao on March 27, 2005 at 07:33 PM in America | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Sunday, 05 December 2004
California
So, I just checked the weather in Fiji and almost had a heart attack when I saw that it's currently 32 degrees. I was like "Oh NO!!!" But then I realized that temperature was in Celsius. It's actually 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Anyway, we're taking off tonight! Ten days sitting on the beach in Fiji is just what the doctor ordered.
As a parting gift, I give you these photos we took in California. I'm not sure how it happened, but we didn't get as many shots as I would have liked of people - I always seem to do that. I take pictures of scenes and weird stuff I see, but I always forget about the people and then kick myself later.
Posted by flow Frazao on December 5, 2004 at 08:56 PM in America, Photos | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Friday, 03 December 2004
Laguna Bound
No time for a long post, but we're on our way down to Uncle Steve's today for a tree-lighting ceremony in Laguna Beach. It's so weird to be driving around and see a Frosty the Snowman lawn ornament propped up against a palm tree. Call me a Yankee, but as far as I'm concerned it's not Christmas unless you're freezing your ass off.
Posted by flow Frazao on December 3, 2004 at 06:09 PM in America, Family | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack