Thursday, August 23, 2012

Rape and Pregnancy

Earlier this month, Todd Akin, Republican politician running for Congress, said that if the woman really got raped, her body's chemistry will stop her from getting pregnant.

This wasn't the first time I heard such idiocy.

Back in 2000, while talking with a few politically minded friends, one of them was an anti-abortion activist named Jason Scott Jones.  I asked him something like "why should a woman be forced to keep the pregnancy if she was raped".  Then Jason Scott Jones said something like "the woman's trauma would release chemicals that would lead to an early miscarriage".

Obviously, real life doesn't always work that way.

from Renee Devesty, someone with REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE on that issue
http://www.salon.com/2012/08/22/i_got_pregnant_from_rape/

Eight weeks after I was raped, Planned Parenthood gave me the confirmation: I was pregnant. The woman who worked there tried to tell me about my options, but I ran. I threw up in the parking lot. I drove around for hours praying this was all a dream.

Any chance to remotely reclaim who I was disappeared in that moment. My whole worldview was challenged. I’m a Catholic, and I didn’t understand: How could this happen to me? I was innocent. I did nothing wrong. But I was overwhelmed by fear, guilt and shame. Just when I thought I might be able to push the ugliness of this savage act out of my mind, I realized I would never be able to escape. It would not let me go.
I was mentally, emotionally and spiritually broken, and the thought of what had resulted from this vile act took my self-hatred into another dimension. I wanted no memory of that night, would do anything possible to erase it in the hope that it would somehow ease the sick, disgusting feeling I got every time I looked in the mirror. I realized that in order to maintain what little sanity I had left, I had to terminate the pregnancy.

From a conservative Jewish writer Dennis Prager
http://townhall.com/columnists/dennisprager/2012/08/21/the_prolife_movement_must_disavow_akin_comment

I wonder if that is not the case with Rep. Akin's comment. If I were at a dinner party with Akin, and he said what he said in his Missouri television interview, as much as I consider the vast majority of abortions in America to be immoral acts, I would have respectfully asked the congressman whether he was aware of the marauding armies throughout history that raped women. Did he assume that very few of them -- like the German women raped by Soviet soldiers at the end of World War II -- got pregnant? Did he not know how many raped slaves gave birth? Was he not aware of the tragedy of the women of Darfur who, after being raped by Sudanese Arab soldiers, are abandoned by their families for getting pregnant out-of-wedlock?


I want to go over the issue of slaves getting raped by their slave masters.  When the European slave owners imported African slaves to the Americas,  the European slave owners would occassionally rape the female African slaves.  Guess what came out of that?  A baby that is darker than the European rapist, lighter than the African slave.

This is why so many "black people" in the US and Latin America are LIGHTER SKINNED than your average African. Many of them are descendants of African slaves raped by European slave-owners.

Remember, after slavery, there was Jim Crow laws that banned inter-racial marriage, so nobody with African blood was allowed to marry a pure-blooded European-American. That went on for almost a century. So most of the race-mixing in the South were Europeans raping Africans on plantation.

And for the Sudan situation, in which Arab descendants have been oppressing native Africans, this really gone to an extreme level in the Darfur section of Sudan.  Massive killings, house burning and rapes.  This was Arab-on-native African rapes going on. And many of the offsprings of such rapes have been stigmatized  for having Arabic features.


------------

So why would Todd Akin and Jason Scott Jones say that rape victims rarely get pregnant.

It's because they are anti-abortion fanatics who are trying to ease their way out of the very powerful arguments of the pro-choice activists who remind us that
rape victims DID NOT CHOSE TO HAVE THEIR CHILD and why would we force them to have a child they didn't want to create?

Instead of confronting that issue head-on (or even just promote adoption), they'll act as if true rape victims don't get pregnant.

Then they ease into their earlier scheduled arguments with their stereotypes of "only sluts want abortions"


Debra Saunders explain more here
http://townhall.com/columnists/debrajsaunders/2012/08/21/todd_akin_when_dumb_talk_is_inevitable


There are two sides within the anti-abortion movement. On one side, stand men and women who care deeply about human life and fear that abortion devalues society by creating a caste of disposable people. On the other side, lurk crabbed adults who think women should be punished for having extramarital sex and that pregnancy is fit punishment that (luck of the draw) spares men and falls instead on women and girls

The group highlighted in blue, I do respect their objections to abortions, even though I am for legalized abortions.  At least you can sense that they have a heart! Those are the people who truly care about saving the unborn.

For the group highlighted in red,
they have no heart. Notice that they truly don't care about the unborn! Those people are morality fascists who enjoy bullying others! They enjoy bullying women who for doing imperfect things. They're just like the bad kids who laugh at other kids who got busted!  (remember when you got busted by the teacher?  the ones laughing at you WERE NOT THE Well Behaved Kids, it was the other bad kids who don't care about morality AT ALL, they just cared about laughing at other's misfortune!)

Well, when those same bad kids grow up, they grow up to become those punks who said "you had sex, you deserved to be punished by being forced to have that child".  Notice that those punks RARELY EXPRESS TRUE ANGER at the rapists, the deadbeat dads, the spouse abusers. No, they pick on someone being abused by those people!

That's the mentality expressed by Todd Akin. He denies rape victims endure forced pregnancies, so that he can continue to bully women for having abortions.

This  mentality of Todd Akin is just like the neo-Nazis who said "the Holocaust isn't real".

While the worst scum of the earth includes genocidal killers, rapists, and other violent psychopaths, the second worst scum are the ones involved in the cover-up. That includes the Holocaust Deniers, and the punks (like Todd Akin) who claim "true rape victims don't get pregnant"


There's very few things more emotionally painful after a traumatizing experience than to be told "it didn't happen to you, you lying!"

That's why Todd Akin is undeserving of respect!

--------------------

As for the Democrats, don't spend too much time celebrating the misfortune of Todd Akin!

After all,
you ever notice Bill Clinton is silent on the issue.

Because Bill Clinton has several rape accusations against him!

No, I'm NOT talking his consensual affairs with interns that everyone kept talking about back in the late 1990's.

I'm talking about Juanita Broadrick and a few others who claimed Bill Clinton raped them
decades before he became president.

from Larry Elder's "Todd Akin Was Never Accused of Rape -- Unlike Bill Clinton"
http://townhall.com/columnists/larryelder/2012/08/23/todd_akin_was_never_accused_of_rape__unlike_bill_clinton

"Rape is rape," said Obama.

President Bill Clinton plans to speak at the Democratic convention in North Carolina. Clinton, some might vaguely recall, was accused of rape by a woman named Juanita Broaddrick. "Dateline NBC" aired her allegations against the then-Arkansas attorney general and gubernatorial candidate.
Here's what Broaddrick alleged: "I first pushed him away. I just told him 'no.' ... He tries to kiss me again. He starts biting on my lip. ... And then he forced me down on the bed. I just was very frightened. I tried to get away from him. I told him 'no.' ... He wouldn't listen to me." To this day, former ABC reporter Sam Donaldson is the only national reporter to ask Clinton about Broaddrick's allegation.
Then there's Kathleen Willey, who on "60 Minutes" made a credible allegation of sexual assault against Clinton. Willey, a Clinton campaign volunteer, says that Clinton, in the Oval Office, took her hand and place it on his aroused genitalia: "He touched my breasts with his hand ... and then he whispered ... 'I've wanted to do this ever since I laid eyes on you.' ... He took my hand, and he put it ... on his genitals." Willey said she managed to push him away.
Let's not forget Paula "drag a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you'll find" Jones. Alleging that then-Gov. Clinton propositioned her and exposed himself in a Little Rock, Ark., hotel room, Jones sued him for sexual harassment. Jones alleged that a state trooper escorted her to a room at the Excelsior Hotel to meet Clinton. Clinton dropped his pants and, according to Jones, asked her to "kiss it." Clinton later paid Jones $850,000 to settle the sexual harassment lawsuit that Clinton long claimed lacked merit.

More allegations against Bill Clinton
http://albertpeia.com/oxfordassault.htm

warning: there are some graphic details among the allegations

Eileen Wellstone, 19-year-old English woman who said Clinton sexually assaulted her after she met him at a pub near the Oxford where the future President was a student in 1969. A retired State Department employee, who asked not to be identified, confirmed that he spoke with the family of the girl and filed a report with his superiors. Clinton admitted having sex with the girl, but claimed it was consensual. The victim's family declined to pursue the case;


In 1972, a 22-year-old woman told campus police at Yale University that she was sexually assaulted by Clinton, a law student at the college. No charges were filed, but retired campus policemen contacted by Capitol Hill Blue confirmed the incident. The woman, tracked down by Capitol Hill Blue last week, confirmed the incident, but declined to discuss it further and would not give permission to use her name;

In 1974, a female student at the University of Arkansas complained that then-law school instructor Bill Clinton tried to prevent her from leaving his office during a conference. She said he groped her and forced his hand inside her blouse. She complained to her faculty advisor who confronted Clinton, but Clinton claimed the student ''came on'' to him. The student left the school shortly after the incident. Reached at her home in Texas, the former student confirmed the incident, but declined to go on the record with her account. Several former students at the University have confirmed the incident in confidential interviews and said there were other reports of Clinton attempting to force himself on female students;

Broaddrick, a volunteer in Clinton's gubernatorial campaign, said he raped her in 1978. Mrs. Broaddrick suffered a bruised and torn lip, which she said she suffered when Clinton bit her during the rape;

From 1978-1980, during Clinton's first term as governor of Arkansas, state troopers assigned to protect the governor were aware of at least seven complaints from women who said Clinton forced, or attempted to force, himself on them sexually. One retired state trooper said in an interview that the common joke among those assigned to protect Clinton was "who's next?". One former state trooper said other troopers would often escort women to the governor's hotel room after political events, often more than one an evening;

Carolyn Moffet, a legal secretary in Little Rock in 1979, said she met then-governor Clinton at a political fundraiser and shortly thereafter received an invitation to meet the governor in his hotel room. "I was escorted there by a state trooper. When I went in, he was sitting on a couch, wearing only an undershirt. He pointed at his penis and told me to suck it. I told him I didn't even do that for my boyfriend and he got mad, grabbed my head and shoved it into his lap. I pulled away from him and ran out of the room."

Elizabeth Ward, the Miss Arkansas who won the Miss America crown in 1982, told friends she was forced by Clinton to have sex with him shortly after she won her state crown. Last year, Ward, who is now married with the last name of Gracen (from her first marriage), told an interviewer she did have sex with Clinton but said it was consensual. Close friends of Ward, however, say she still maintains privately that Clinton forced himself on her.

By the time such allegations came out, the US public were already tired of hearing about Bill Clinton's consensual affairs with Monica Lewinsky, Geniffer Flowers and other women.

I know I was tired of hearing about it back then. After all, the stuff with Lewinsky was consensual, none of my business.

But then, I did saw the Juanita Broadrick's allegations against Bill Clinton in one of the tabloids. Then I saw more of those allegations online.

Of course, the "statute of limitations" means that it's too late to press charges.

It is highly possible that Clinton got away with it, knowing that those women would be too scared of being publicly ridiculed by his supporters! And that by the time those women could no longer hold it in, it's too late for them to press charges.

Bill Clinton has stayed silent about those accussations.

While he does have the "right to remain silent", that silence sounds like a cover-up!

That's why Bill Clinton is saying nothing about Todd Akin's ridiculous words. Becuase if he did, then Fox News and other like-minded media outlets would feast on Bill Clinton, bringing up more allegations against Bill Clinton!

Remember, some of the currently popular right-wing pundits like Michelle Maglalang Malkin, Glenn Beck, and the like were unknown during Clinton's presidency!  Bill Clinton was lucky that was the case, since those 2 pundits are very viscious and would pounce on Clinton's rape allegations when the timing was right.

That's why Bill Clinton is silent  on the rape issue! 

It's time to Bill Clinton to just tell the truth about what happened, and at least admit he made some serious mistakes.

After all, even former gang leaders who publicly and sincerely regretted their actions have gotten respect from the mainstream society that they once terrified!

Vili the Warrior retired

Back in the 00's, UH had the coolest mascot in all of college sports.

Whereas other schools had mascots in foam costumes, we got Vili The Warrior!

Vili is the big Tongan guy with the ti leaves and the hardcore face-paint!



Matthew Stockman/Getty Images



Vili and his boy banged the drums and excited crowds in a way no mascot in a foam costume ever could!

Vili was always ready for battle!

Vili was never afraid to express himself, whether it showing his silly side or his agressive side!

Vili represented Polynesian power to the fullest!

And Vili gave the UH Warriors a tough hard-core image!  That plus, the Polynesian war chants (the haka or the ha'a, depending on which island group the chant came from), the black jerseys, the tiki-styled H-symbol and the hard-htting style of play!

art
photo from Associated Press/ Star Bulletin
UH football players doing the haka



photo from
Vili leading the haka, with the football players wearing the black shirts!



There's no college team that could ever top that level of cool-ness EVER!

-------

Unfortunately, Vili the Warrior has retired from being the UH mascot, just when the new season was about to start :(

http://www.staradvertiser.com/sportspremium/20120820_Unofficial_UHmascot_Vili_officially_is_not_returning.html?id=166729566

Unfortunately, we won't have a mascot entertaining us before games, half-time or time-outs!

No one to bang the loud drums, nobody representing the coolest face-paint on earth!

Vili and his wife said they wanted to spend more time with their family. Family comes first, and I will respect that.

------

However, there are conspiracy theories that Vili the Warrior was "pushed out" by the UH athletic department and the new coach.

There is no evidence on that, but I understand why such conspiracy theories came out!

For one thing, the new UH football coach started imposing regulations on the player's grooming style.

Under the new rules, the UH football players will no longer be allowed to have long hair,  WHICH IS THE MOST STUPIDEST RULE ON EARTH!

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-08-02/sports/sns-mct-free-time-is-over.-chow-time-begins-for-real-today-20120802_1_camp-chow-time-norm-chow







The long hair was a major part of the UH-Warrior mystique in the previous decade. It made the UH haka/ha'a more real when the Warriors had the wild hair while making their chants!


Northwest Hawaii Times, photo by Steve Kajihiro




Coach Chow claimed it was about "player safety" mentioning the long hair and football helmets interfere with each other.

But then, why did Chow also banned the players having beards or earings, both of which are covered under the helmets and therefore, had ZERO impediment to "player safety"?

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-08-02/sports/sns-mct-free-time-is-over.-chow-time-begins-for-real-today-20120802_1_camp-chow-time-norm-chow

Chow has learned that only part of his duties are on the field. Since being hired in December, he assembled a staff, dealt with such matters as fertilizer purchases for the practice field, and imposed a list of no-nos: No long hair, no beards, no earrings, no tardiness.






In other words, Coach Chow wants to change the UH Warriors image.  Boooooo!

Some will say "who cares about image, we just want to win".


However, the reality is that marketing is a MAJOR part of college sports!

That's why teams have mascots representing wild animals or warriors (ie Trojans, Spartans, and of course, the UH Warriors.)

They need an agressive image that the fans want to be a part of.

They need an image that the upcoming recruits want to join in!

That's why UH went from Rainbows to Warriors!

That's why we had Vili the Warrior!

That's why the wild hair was so cool!  It gave the team a "rock n roll" edge mixed in with the traditional Polynesian warrior image.

The traditional Polynesian warriors didn't have crew cuts!

So there's no reason for Coach Chow to go against that tradition. Coach Chow is bringing the worst aspect of  the 1800's  missionary mentality with his rules against long, wild hair and beards!

---

Look, I do think Norm Chow does bring some improvement on the team's offense, especially with the use of Tight Ends and Fullbacks that was absent from the UH schemes the last decade.

But if I was the next UH athletic director, I'll tell Coach Chow straight up "You're here to coach the team to victory, not to be the hairstyle police!" 

and

"the Warriors were marketable with their wild hair, we're bringing it back!"

Monday, August 20, 2012

The new UH-West Oahu campus has opened

Today, a new era began for higher education in Hawaii.

The long-desired UH-West Oahu campus in Kapolei has finally opened.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20120817_UH_West_Oahu_set_to_open_after_2_years_of_construction_175M.html

photo from Star Advertiser 8/17/2012
UH West Oahu library

Seal of UH West Oahu
UH West Oahu logo


 I am happy for the people of West Oahu to finally have a university campus, and no longer have to take soul-sucking long commutes in heavy traffic to UH-Manoa.


Though I have to admit, a decade ago, I wasn't a fan of building the new  UH-West Oahu campus. I'm sure the UH-West Oahu students of today and the future would hate me for that, but I have since changed my mind!


This was what I wrote on my blog back in 2004.

 In fact, the state doesn't have enough money to open a public library in Kapolei. Yet, people demand that we build a new university in Kapolei with its own libraries, lecture halls, science labs, computer labs, parking lots, campus eateries, and athletic facilities out of the same state budget. Plus, add to the fact that building a West Oahu campus will drain money out of the Manoa campus.

Since then some of those circumstances have changed! When circumstances change, my opinions are flexible enough to change.


For one thing,  the public library in Kapolei has been open for years.

I expressed fears that having a UH-West Oahu campus will drain UH-Manoa of badly needed funds (especially for renovations)

Well, the UH-Manoa has many renovations going on now (including the Campus Center expansion, Gartely Hall, Edmonson Hall, Webster Hall) as well as a new IT buidling being built by Bilger Hall.  Also, let's not forget that many UH dorms have completed renovations (including Frear Hall, Johnson Hall, Gateway Hall, and Hale Aloha dorms)

Back in 2004, having those buildings renovated was considered fantasy. It's now 2012 reality!  :) :) :)


UH-Manoa is doing fine, even with the competition from UH-West Oahu!



In fact, UH-Manoa would now have more room in its dormitories since less West Oahu residents will be using them. There will be less crowds at UH-Manoa too, and more room for East Oahu students, as well as mainland/foreign students who want easy access to Waikiki!


I also said this back in 2004.

While West Oahu people complain about long commutes to the Manoa campus, people from Maui, Kauai, Molokai and Lanai have to uproot their lives and leave their island just to earn a university degree. In fact, the island of Maui has more land space than Oahu, yet it doesn't have a public university there, just a community college.

Since then, the Maui community college campus has started offering bachelor's degree programs.  So less Maui residents have to worry about uprooting themselves to get a bachelor's degree.

------------------


West Oahu students will  now have access to a university near their home. This will make it especially easier for those in Nanakuli/Waianae who think of Manoa as a "foreign land" since most of them don't spend much time in Honolulu. But they sure spend tons of time traveling to Kapolei, and they have a college closeby they can aspire to attending.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20120817_UH_West_Oahu_set_to_open_after_2_years_of_construction_175M.html

"For nearly 40 years, government has promised the Second City a four-year educational institution," Har said. "For this today to finally come shows that government is finally living up to its promises to the people of West Oahu."
Har joins others on the Ewa plain who believe UH-West O‘ahu will encourage more Hawaii students to attend a four-year university at home because of its cheaper tuition compared with UH's flagship Manoa campus, which costs $4,332 per semester for a full-time resident student.
At UH-West O‘ahu the same student pays only $2,796 per semester.
And with more faculty, staff and students traveling shorter distances — or altering the flow of cars away from town — Har said H-1 traffic likely will improve for everyone.
"The university clearly has an impact on the traffic flow," Har said. "It even has the ability to reverse that flow of traffic."

And what really got me supporting the building of UH-West Oahu was that it will reduce the demand of rail!


Yep, I rather pay for UH-West Oahu than pay for rail!


So, everyone, please forgive me for expressing doubts about the UH-West Oahu campus!



And I wish the students of UH-West Oahu good luck in furthering their education.  :)





Tuesday, August 14, 2012

2012 London Olympics

Another summer Olympics has come to a close, and so many interesting stories abound.

Here is a few of them


1) Medal winner from my middle school

Yep, I was in the same middle school as an Olympic medal winner.

The middle school was Kawananakoa Middle School.  And the medal winner is Clarrissa Chun, the bronze medalist in women's wrestling.

photo from Associated Press
Clarrissa Chun (on top)


I didn't know her well back then. We weren't in the same classes, even though we were in the same grade.

I just knew of her existence from the yearbook. After receiving the yearbook, I pretty much studied every page, even memorizing students I hardly even know.

Anyways, after middle school, most Kawananakoa students either go to McKinley High School  or Roosevelt High School.  Both schools named after presidents.  I went to McKinley, Chun went to Roosevelt. So I never got a chance to interact with her.

In high school, I would check the sports page, to check for middle school classmates who played for different high schools, and I did notice Chun did play judo, wrestling, and other sports.

Fast forward to 2008, Chun did go to the Beijing Olympics, but was 5th place, no medal.

Fast forward to 2012, my former middle school classmates on facebook were excited to see one of their own back in the Olympics, hopefully to get the gold!

Chun didn't get the gold, but she did win the bronze match against the same Ukrainian wrestler who beat her in 2008.


photo from Associated Press


photo from Associated Press


Congratulations Clarissa Chun!




2) Saudi Arabia sport enters the 21st century

Saudi Arabia is an extremely conservative Muslim country that puts restrictive laws on women.

Women are not allowed to drive. They're not even allowed to go out of the house without permission from a male relative!

Saudi Arabia gets away with this because they have tons of oil to sell!

But they were about to be banned from the Olympics unless they start to allow women athletes to enter the Olympics.

Well, the one who is competing in track is not even from Saudi Arabia.

Sarah Attar is from California, but her dad is from Saudi Arabia, so she was eligible for dual citizenship.

http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/20120809_saudi_woman_makes_history.html?id=165559076

photo from Associated Press
Sarah Attar


Now, Saudi Arabia will need to take extra steps into the 21st century, by allowing more freedom for its female population and encourage more physical activity from them. And then, they won't have to import Saudi descendants in other lands to fill its women's teams.

After all, now that we found more oil in North America, now that we got fracking technology to access that oil, the US will be less reliant on Middle East oil!  That we will be buying less oil from Saudi Arabia will isolate that country more!

If we don't need Saudi oil, then it wouldn't be worth much to invest there if they continue to put BS restrictions on 1/2 the population.


 Time for the Saudi society to grow up, enter the 21st century, and end gender apartheid!


3) Gabrielle Douglas

Gabrielle (aka Gabby) Douglas has made history as the first African-American gymnast to win the gold medal in the women's individual all-around gymnastics

photo from Reuters
Gabby Douglas

Of course, this brought up comparisons to Dominique Dawes (another African-American gymnast, who won in 1996  Olympics) as well as other African-Americans who competed in "mostly white sports" like Tiger Woods, and the Williams sisters.

But the big issue that really shouldn't be, is her hair.

There was so much negative comments about Douglas' hairstyle and the even more sad thing about it was that it came from other African-Americans. It's "black-on-black" bullying.

This "black-on-black" bullying on hairstyle goes back to the Jim Crow days, when many African-Americans tried to conform to "white society" by making their hair thinner using chemicals.  This still goes on, even decades after Jim Crow was over.

Some will view this "black-on-black" bullying on hairstyle as just an annoyance, but as talk-show host Larry Elder mention, this could have some serious, even deadly consequences.
Larry Elder
photo from townhall.com
Larry Elder



Many black women wear chemically treated hair, and water makes the hair revert to its natural kinky texture. Since treating the hair again takes time and costs money, many black women simply choose not to go into the water to avoid damage to the chemically treated hair. Why bother learning how to swim?

Couple this with the fact that 70 percent of black kids are born without a father in the home, and this often means there is no one in the home who knows how to swim and can teach it.
Fox's black sports columnist Jason Whitlock said: "We have a health crisis in the African-American community, and it's particularly acute with African-American women, and some of it is related to their hair. They're afraid to exercise because they don't want to sweat and hurt their hair. ... It's a $9 billion industry, straightening out our hair."
Dawes said: "It's what we call the 'creamy crack' (straightening out our hair). ... A number of women will not work out, because they don't want to sweat that perm out. They spent so much money. Nowadays, it's about $120-plus to get your hair relaxed. ... They don't want to sweat their hair out, so they're not going to work out, and they're not going to jump in the pool. And it's a shame because it really is costing us African-American women our health."
and Larry Elder ends with this

Now then, Gabby hair haters, think about this. In calling Gabby's hair "ratch," are you dissuading young blacks from protecting themselves by exercising or learning how to swim?

Thank you Larry Elder.

4) Facial expressions aren't everything


I sometimes hear people say nonsense like "facial expressions say it all".

No it doesn't. Sometimes, they say NOTHING at all!

But USA gymnast  McKayla Maroney has been getting lots of flack over her "serious looking" facial expressions.

McKayla Maroney isn't a
photo from Associated Press/Salon
McKayla Maroney


McKayla Maroney is not going to win any medals for congeniality. As a member of the U.S. gymnastics team’s “Fab Five,” she’s the one Least Likely to Crack a Smile. But if you think that automatically makes her a sore loser, or worse, that it justifies calling a 16-year-old girl a brat or a bitch, please report to the nearest rock and crawl under it.

(skipped paragraphs)
That face, that tough, steely look, has been a wide-open opportunity for would-be comics to poke fun at Maroney’s “Oh, hell no” countenance, and to riff on her “mean girl” persona. She’s had entire galleries devoted to her “bitch face,” which also serves as her unofficial nickname. She’s been a “fool” and a “brat” and a “baby,” a “snobby,” “pissy” “diva.” Well, what do you expect from the same civilization that also brought you the endless ragging on Gabby Douglas’ hair?


Look, I've known people who look "grumpy" or "overly serious" when I first met them, but when you get to know them, they're really nice people. They just have a tendency to frown.

I had the opposite issue. I had people asking me in middle school "why are you smiling so much" when I didn't even know I was smiling! Honest! I don't spend much time paying attention to my facial expression.

For some reason, that happened more often at middle schools more than anywhere else. Even as a sub teacher, I got asked "why are you always smiling" in middle schools more than elementary or high schools.

For example, at Niu Valley Middle School,  when 2 boys got of control, and I called security to come and get those boys out of the class. After I made the phone call, I heard a girl say "look, the teacher is still smiling through all this".  The reality was that I wasn't even close to feeling happy at that moment!  I was really irritated that those 2 boys were still play-fighting and trash talking even after I asked them to re-focus on their class-work. I could yell, but really, I know that yelling would be considered "entertainment" to the class!

But yeah, I was accused of smiling, when I was really frustrated inside.

That tells you that facial expressions TELLS YOU NOTHING and can easily fool those chumps who think "facial expressions say it all"


5)  USA vs Japan  --- women's soccer.

The USA women's soccer team beat Japan in the gold medal match.

But too some people, it wasn't just another game with a gold medal on the line.

History still seeped in, leading to idiotic Twitter comments.

http://mobile.sbnation.com/london-olympics-2012/2012/8/9/3231700/pearl-harbor-japs-twitter-tweets-usa-vs-japan

It happened during the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup final and, of course, it happened again during the gold medal game of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The U.S. women's national soccer team played Japan and, inevitably, "Pearl Harbor" and "Japs" trended on Twitter. Because people are awful, of course.


That wasn't for Pearl Harbor. It was a damn soccer game. Please, for the love of everything, stop doing this, guys. It doesn't reflect well on any of us. Stop being awful.


USA already had its revenge against Japan by nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki back in 1945. Japan surrendered!

Sports games are just sports game! Can we just leave it at that already?


6) Sexism under the guise of "protection"

Editorial writer Linda Chavez, who is one of the more well-reasoned pundits when it comes to economics and immigration, went off the deep end by being against women in boxing!

http://townhall.com/columnists/lindachavez/2012/08/10/uncivilized_sport/page/full/

She claims she's against women participating in boxing because she wants to  "protect them".

Well, these response in the comments section gives Chavez a does of reality



Kali_Fred Wrote: 3 hours ago (5:39 PM)


Look. Lots of things in life are dangerous. Driving a car, putting a new roof on a house, being a cop, fireman, or soldier, flying a hot air balloon or a small aircraft, not to mention sky diving, skiing, hockey.
As long as everyone goes in with their eyes open, what is the problem?
When did we become a nation of scaredy cats? Would the West have ever been settled if our forefather said to themselves, "you know that covered wagon stuff is dangerous. Wild animals. Indians. Water problems. Disease. We'd better stay home on the farm, or in the ghetto." No. Would anyone (white or red) be in America with that attitude. No. The Indians would still be in Asia, and the whites still in Europe, whining about the dangers of sea travel.

more

Derfel Wrote: 4 hours ago (4:52 PM)


All the instances you sight are of people who knowingly decided that the chance at fame or fortune was worth the risk. Being adults that was and is their prerogative that does not require your input. They neither need nor require your permission. For many in this world living to a ripe old dotage does not fulfill the dream. At what point do we stop people from living their lives when is the injury too great? Do we stop young boys from making paper planes in fear of paper cuts? Get over yourself it is NOT your business
and

Zev7 Wrote: 9 hours ago (12:03 PM)


We men can't hover over our women and kids 24/7. When women are alone, they shoud be able to protect themselves like men. If they were, we'd have less rape and domestic violence. But what the heck? A woman can always unrape herself by killing her baby, and the Bible encourages men to beat the bejesus out of their wives. As for repeated head blows, the amateiur (Olympic) sport is remarkably safe The pros can be made safer by getting rid of the Queensberry rules.

Thank you guys. I'll even go as far as saying we need to put Mixed-Martial Arts in the Olympics too! For both men and women.




7) The Greatest Olympian ever!

Just like 2008, US swimmer Micheal Phelps and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt were the mega-stars!


Micheal Phelps has the record for most Olympic medals ever. He has won a total of 22 medals, 18 of them gold.


Michael Phelps 24X36 Poster New!! #13
photo from michaelphelps.net
Michael Phelps



Even though Phelps won the most medals ever, some have expressed their doubts about whether he should be called  THE greatest Olympian.

People point out that swimmers have more events to compete in than the track athletes.

In other words, Phelps have more events to compete in than the Jamaican track star Usain Bolt.

Fair point.

But other critics mention that it's harder to be a track star than a swim star, because you got more competitors.

 Olympic-level swimming requires Olympic-sized swimming pools, which is easier to access if you live in a middle/upper class community.

But running is accessible to more people. You don't need a big swimming facility, you can just run on grass, dirt, whatever.

But you know what? It's not Phelps fault that not everyone has access to compete in his sport.


Just like it's not the NFL player's fault that the majority of the world doesn't have access American-style tackle football training or facilities.

At 6foot, 5 inches, Usain Bolt would've likely been an NFL wide receiver if he grew up in the USA!

But that's OK!  With track and field, Usain Bolt competes with the world!  And he's also in the conversation of the best runners of all time

Usain Bolt


As for the home crowd in London, they got their international superstar in Jessica Ennis, who won the gold in the heptathlon, which involves hurdles, high jumps, shot put, javelin and sprints.

photo from wikipedia
Jessica Ennis

8) The Medal Count

Again, the USA is #1, with 104 medals (46 gold, 29 silver, 29 bronze).

#2 is China, with 88 medals.


This is the new "cold war" between the 2 world powers.

And this is also a competition of which nation has the better system of producing athletes.

Here is Dave Zirin in a CNN interview about the pros & cons of the Chinese and the US system of training athletes

http://www.thenation.com/blog/169351/dave-zirin-human-cost-olympic-gold

Here is the short summary of the interview.
The Chinese Olympic program is being criticized as oppressive and stressing excellence over family. The Nation's sports editor Dave Zirin asks if that's any different from the US program, which provides zero support for aspiring athletes. Most American medal winners face enormous economic hardship on the way to the podium, and while that doesn't seem as brutal as the Chinese method, it's equally wrong. Maybe it's time to rethink the importance of medal counts.
—Max Rivlin-Nadler

=======================
The United Kingdom being the home of the Olympics got its highest ranking in the medal count at #3, followed by Russia and South Korea.

----------------------

Rio de Janeiro is next host of the summer Olympics.

Brazil got 17 medals this Olympics, its record so far!

And now that the next Olympics will be in Rio, we shall see a rise in Brazilian athletes in sports other than soccer and volleyball.

As for the rest of Latin America, Cuba is a traditional Olympic power, but the rest of the region has been lacking in Olympic medal counts. Sure, you'll see some medal winners from Mexico, Argentina, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.  But the region is falling behind the US, Europe, East Asia and Australia.

Here's an interesting article on the issue. http://www.salon.com/2012/08/10/latin_americas_rough_games_salpart/

It does mention that region is GREAT at soccer, but not much else.

 It also mentions that while Brazil is famous for its MMA connection, MMA is still not in the Olympics.

And while Mexico produces some great boxers, many rather go straight to the pros instead of sticking with the amateur rote required for Olympic boxing.

The Olympic boxing might as well as start accepting pros, just like the other Olympic sports.  But for that to happens, the pros will have to put pride on the side, and accept wearing the helmets during the Olympics. After all, no smart person will tell an NFL player "you're soft" to his face .

-----------------

The one region that has been traditionally lacking in the Olympic medal counts is South Asia.

India is the 2nd most populated country in the world, but is only ranked #55 in the medal count. But India did win more medals this year than in previous Olympics. They might as allow cricket to become an Olympic sport, since that sport is the one sport India is traditionally great at. Though India's needs a more diversified PE program in its school system, instead of just focusing on cricket.

And India's neighbor Bangladesh still haven't won an Olympic  medal, even though it is #8 in world's population.  Again, another country that is obsessed with cricket, but has ignored every other sport.

Article on that issue at
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bangladesh-is-the-largest-nation-to-never-win-a-medal--but-it-has-four-athletes-in-london.html

Hopefully, the South Asian nations can get their act together. After all, the East Asian countries do very well at the Olympics.

I would like to see an East Asian vs South Asian Olympic rivalry in the future. As long as it stays on the field or the gym, and not in a real life battle.








Monday, August 06, 2012

Career update

Hello everyone,

here are the latest updates on my career so far.

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I have been working as a substitute teacher since 2005! That's 7 years.

Most of that work has been with the public schools.

I am now returning to work with the private schools as well.

From 2006-2010, I have sub for private schools and preschools through the Hawaii Educational Resource Services.  It was a good run, but work has declined due to the economic slowdown.


Now, I have joined a competing private substitute service called Kelly Services! They serve a different set of private schools!

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I occassionally done some side jobs as well. I help sign wave for America's Mattress on sale weekends. I also plan on helping with the election polls for the primary and general election.


I also plan on returning to Macy's for the winter holiday season. I plan on doing recovery (folding clothes, organizing stuff) again! I could do some sales on the side, but recovery is my passion.

Friday, August 03, 2012

this stuff happens everywhere, not just here


Remember back in the school days, when your peers keep complaining "this school sucks"?

They're usually complaining about stuff that goes on in every school out there!

But yeah, for some people, it always suck worst wherever they are!

Tells you a lot more about them than the school they're complaining about!

But this mentality isn't only limited to schools.

Even in the USA, a place where millions try to come here, (even if they got to run through a desert or use a wooden boat), some people still feel "this country is so bad, this society is so bad", blah, blah!

Yes, this country has flaws! So does everywhere else!

And many times, the flaws are even worse. Or the flaws are a product of human nature, not our society!

A good example of someone who doesn't understand that is this American feminist blogger named Jessica Valenti

Jessica Valenti
photo from The Nation
Jessica Valenti




She's angry that girls have to grow up dealing with body-image issues. OK, a serious issue

http://www.thenation.com/blog/169208/upside-ugly





Then she ends her article with this

This is a f-----d-up country to grow up in, especially as a girl. And we all want to give young women the tools necessary to succeed. So let’s teach girls to survive a misogynist culture with a fist, not a smile.


Well, ms Valenti, if those issues make you feel this is  a "f-----d up country to grow up in" , well guess what, this insecurity of body images is a worldwide thing!


In other words, Ms Valenti is just like that kid who says "this school sucks" when every other school has the same exact problems!

This one response nails it in the head

Miguel Baq


 The author has a problem human nature, not with "this country" or "society". Anyone who has spent time outside of the USA knows that the latin countries, and the Arab ones especially, value female beauty much more than the USA.



When in history has this not been true?



Unwittingly, the author has illuminated the character of the "Nation" crowd - former nerds who hate this country and hate society, because ultimately, they hate thems themselves even more. It just makes life easier to project their self-loathing outward.



The author's by-line is:"Feminism, sexuality & social justice. With a sense of humor." How deliciously funny. A more angry, humorless, sexist rant is scarcely conceivable.



"So let’s teach girls to survive a misogynist culture with a fist, not a smile." Sounds like a good working title for Revenge of the Nerds Part 9.

and also this

Miguel Baq
 First, she is mixing metaphors. Misogny is hatred of all women, not just the ugly ones. Just because men don't love her, doesn't mean that al women are hated.



Second, she DOES have a problem with human nature. It is not just this society that values beauty over ugliness, EVERY society in history has done so, implying that human nature is the cause.



Did the Roman emperors chose ugly women or beautiful ones? How about the Chinese or the Egyptians or the Incas? Every society in history has had standards of beauty,and the beauties get the brass ring.



This country did not just wake up one day and decide to invent qualities called "beauty" and "ugliness" out of whole cloth. Men of the human species are genetically programmed to seek the mates that have markers for youth and health - i.e. the attractive ones.



Telling a girl to "survive a misogynist culture with a fist, not a smile", is inviting her to an ass kicking - her own.





AMEN TO THAT!

Look, I'm not saying body image issues aren't serious!

My problem with Valenti is she's acting if this is just limited to the USA, when this is a worldwide issue!

Look, show a picture of Rihanna to any teenage boy in the world, they all get excited!


Rihanna


You can show that photo to a boy in Barbados, Hawaii, France, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan................ wherever................... the boys will all get excited looking at her!




This is nature in action!



Males are genetically programmed to be sexually attracted to a certain type of female.
And therefore, some females will attract more boys than others!



And because of that, other females grow up to  be jealous, angry & bitter, just like Jessica Valenti!


And to be fair, females are more likely to be attracted to a male who is strong and athletic!


Why else would the athletic boys get all the girls?


 
Vogue cover
Hope Solo, Ryan Lochte, Venus Williams






And some boys will get jealous and grow up to become angry, bitter losers!



This stuff isn't the fault of "society" or (in Valenti's words) a "f----d up country",  it has more to do with evolution and DNA!


------------

Valenti also talked about a girl who was teased about her ears, this has NOTHING to do with the USA being what she calls a "f---d up country". The following response to Valenti says it all!
The culture doesn't change too much across borders. I worked in education last year in Canada and the conformity and gossiping, combined with the boredom of most students, was rampant. To the article's point I heard a regular stream of girl bashing both from boys and girls, a lot of repeating of pop culture, some of it tipping far into the vulgar-crass regions. Getting paid, doin' this and that with women, etc, etc.


That's right, even in "humane, progressive" Canada, it doesn't change....... bullying still happens, not just  the "f----d up country" that Ms Valenti calls the USA!


Because no matter how "humane", "progressive" or "moral" the country/state/community claims to bekids are NOT politically correct people!


Children don't always know how to deal with differences well!  So if you look different from everyone else .............oh, oh!



Children don't know how to restrain their mouth!



Children are just blunt!


That's evolution's fault!


Nothing to do with media, or a "f----d up country"

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

A victory for the Internet age

Last week, I mentioned the case in which a rape victim was threatened with jail time for publicly revealing the name of her rapists on Twitter!

http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/07/protecting-wrong-people.html


The rapists names are Will Frey III and Austin Zehnder!


yep, from now on, those perps will not like what they find when they search their names on google or yahoo!  If they don't like that, then they shouldn't have raped the girl, period. Exclamation point!

But yesterday, I learned this from an email from change.org

Elizabeth Beier started a petition asking that charges against Savannah be dropped, and just days later, the lawyers who filed charges against Savannah withdrew the charges. One lawyer even told reporters that all the attention from Savannah's supporters on the internet made filing the charges just not worth it -- no wonder, when the petition received attention from MSNBC and the Associated Press, to name a few.
For her part, Elizabeth is thrilled that Savannah won't face jail time for revealing the names of her convicted attackers. “Thank you to everyone who signed this petition and stood up for Savannah," Elizabeth says. "When the whole world watches, justice is more likely to be done."



More on that at http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/savannah-dietrich-not-charged-twitter-sexual-assault-victim-125527199.html?_esi=1


Yep, justice is delievered:)


------------------


In the so-called "good old days",  word of injustice spread slow........very........very.......slow.

But in this internet age... WORD SPREADS FAST all with a simple click of a button!

And if you are committing injustice AND if you expect your victims to cower in fear and silence .................. guess what ............................... your victims can EASILY go on their facebook/twitter/blog/etc and just tell the world what happened.

 The victims no longer need for them to get a lawyer or a press agent to organize a press conference.

Just some typing skills and a computer (which you can EASILY access at any public library). And if they have access to a webcam, the forces of injustice better run in fear,  because more people are willing to watch a video than read a blog!

(that reminds me: I better start saving up money to set up a webcam at home........... then the forces of evil will really need to run in fear of  being exposed to the light!)

So the rapists and their lawyer really thought they was going to intimidate the rape victim?

THIS AIN'T THE OLD DAYS!

It's a whole new era now!  The rape victim NOT ONLY REFUSED TO BACK DOWN,  she and her allies started an online petition to protest!

And in the internet age, this news don't just stay in their hometown.

Yeah the incident happened in Kentucky. But even me, way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean  know about their injustice, signed the online petition and spread the word about the injustice to even more people!

The rapists and their lawyers and the judge all got an earful of anger (plus TONS of tweets, email, and other e-stuff) going against them!

Now the rapists and their lawyers
all realize they have chosen the wrong person to mess with!
------------


On my blog, I have exposed some troublemakers out there. I have used my blog to tell my side of the story.

But some people don't like that. Those people tell me bull-nonsense like "let it go", "dont let it bother you" and other bullstuff. And those people are the ones pretend to be "friends".



This "don't let it bother you", "let it go" stuff empowers the bullies!

Bullies are empowered by the silence of their victims!

Bullies are MEGA-HAPPY when their victims get told "don't let it bother you", "let it go" because it helps silences their victims and  Bullies are empowered  when the victims are silent.

So if you've been victimized by the negative people in your life, disobey those so-called "friends" who tell you  "don't let it bother you", "let it go"! 

I'm sure Rosa Parks was told "don't let it bother you", "let it go"!
I'm sure Martin Luther King was told "don't let it bother you", "let it go"!
I'm sure Susan B. Anthony was told  "don't let it bother you", "let it go"!
I'm sure Nelson Mandela was told  "don't let it bother you", "let it go"!


Aren't we all glad all those people DISOBEYED the "don't let it bother you", "let it go" advice ?


And the people of today had advantages that those historical figures didn't.  We have the internet now!

We no longer have to wait for newspaper, radio or TV editors/producers to be so generous to cover our side of the story.

We no longer have to wait for book publishers to be so generous with their time, money and printing press for us to tell our side of our story.

We can just get on the computer and  write a blog. We can even post a video.  We can now spread the word on e-mail,  facebook or twitter.

We no longer have to be forced to "hold it in" (which is unhealthy).

We can ignore the so-called "friends" who tell us "dont let it bother you, just let it go"! They can't stop us from going online, writing a blog post or posting a video on YouTube.

And when your cause is right, the word will spread and you'll have supporters from all over the world.
  You won't feel alone anymore!  :)