tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54459432011-11-06T16:56:00.114-06:00The story of a 3L in Chicago.writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.comBlogger1831100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-79545897874983984052011-11-06T16:56:00.000-06:002011-11-06T16:56:00.153-06:00

Still Walking (2008), written and directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, is a family drama of grown children visiting their elderly parents, a theme and scope that surely invoke comparison to another family drama of an old couple visiting their children and grandchildren who had little time for them in Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story (1953).  Koreeda in partnership with confident cinematographer Yutaka

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-74738500216184996332011-11-04T23:45:00.000-05:002011-11-05T13:42:49.355-05:00

Wise men say only fools rush in.  Relationship has been depicted on the silver screen since the beginning, and well into the future, relationship will continue to be depicted with all its seemingly endless permutations.  Like Crazy does not inform us anything crazy or radical that we don’t know about the difficulty of maintaining a relationship.  This film is a realistically depicted

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-54502258586382733362011-10-28T00:00:00.000-05:002011-11-06T16:55:42.078-06:00

We Need to Talk About Kevin is adapted from the novel written by Lionel Shriver.  In the novel, the reader is presented with a series of letters written by Eva, a central character played by Tilda Swinton, to her husband, Franklin, played by John C. Reilly.  The novel in its correspondence format is one of those books that one would think difficult to adapt to the silver screen.  In this type

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-3185990831954447872011-09-06T21:46:00.001-05:002011-09-06T21:58:06.127-05:00

Another quick roundup of the films that I have watched, and my ratings (out of 10) are: Tree of Life (2011) 9 Midnight in Paris (2011) 9 In A Better World (2010) 9 The Woman in the Window (1944) 8 Rango (2011) 8 Potiche (2010) 8 I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) 8 I Am Love (2009) 8 Confessions (2010) 8 Brief Encounter (1945) 8 Biutiful (2010) 8 Source Code (2011) 7 Somewhere (2010) 7 Limitless (

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-24170504442325997692011-08-28T11:22:00.000-05:002011-09-06T21:48:46.167-05:00

1. Artist, an interesting silent film. 2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a remake of the BBC series, this is one of the best trailers (using music from another film the Wolfman). 3. We Need to Talk about Kevin, allegedly Tilda Swinton gave best performance of her career (so far). 4. Melancholia, Kirsten Dunst allegedly gave a great performance here. 5. Senna, a

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-10352019436571308542011-06-18T22:20:00.001-05:002011-06-18T22:27:11.414-05:00

This is a quick review of Xoco by Rick Bayless in Chicago at Clark and Illinois. The classic hot chocolate was intense, and the churros was up to expectation. I think it was $5.26 well spent. However, the service was sub-par. Somehow my order was lost in the queue, and I have remind the person who took my order what was in my order, after I saw customers who came after had already gotten

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-78800139863044750192011-06-18T22:10:00.000-05:002011-06-18T22:10:00.780-05:00

This is a quick review of the hamburger joint in Chicago at Clark and Fullerton. The hamburger was good. I had the cheese burger and "all the way" means every garnishes, including shitake mushroom, that's definitely a plus, it was worth the $5.79 plus tax. Next time perhaps I will try the bacon and cheese burger "all the way" except the lettuce. However, I will advice skipping the fries

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-71309657888716104852011-06-18T02:34:00.003-05:002011-06-18T02:53:11.924-05:00

BBC News reports "South Korean troops mistakenly shoot at passenger jet". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13820124 I took an Asiana flight last year with the similar approach into Incheon International Airport (ICN) near South Korean capital Seoul. This incident is a reminder of the risk of flying in and out of Incheon (or Gimpo for that matter) being so close to the tense

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1776740235556475172011-03-16T23:22:00.039-05:002011-03-16T23:34:09.242-05:00

In time of crisis, we are looking to donate generously to charities to aid in the relief efforts; and, everyone has his or her favorite charities. In the past six years, I usually donate when I filed my state and federal tax returns, and got the tax refund. Checking my records of the past three years, the charities that I consistently donate to, besides my alma mater, are: 1. Direct Relief

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-54151759528841008982010-10-28T01:23:00.001-05:002010-10-28T01:30:17.692-05:00

1. The Way Back by Peter Weir (Master and Commander) 2. Rabbit Hole by John Cameron Mitchell based on the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play 3. King's Speech by Tom Hooper 3. 127 Hours by Danny Boyle

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-32189551408899491582010-09-29T00:34:00.001-05:002011-09-06T21:47:30.936-05:00

Another quick roundup of the films that I have watched, and my ratings (out of 10) are: The Tempest (2010) 7 The Secret in Their Eyes (2009) 8 The Social Network (2010) 7 Certified Copy (2010) 8 The Kids Are All Right (2010) 9 Inception (2010) 9 Toy Story (2010) 9 The Ghost Writer (2010) 8 The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet Nest (2009) 8 The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009) 8 The Girl With Dragon

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-48283420709422534992010-08-20T00:34:00.023-05:002010-10-27T23:35:06.481-05:00

My six picks of films that look interesting for this fall season: 1. Animal Kingdom (from Australia) 2. Another Year by director Mike Leigh 3. Black Swan staring Natalie Portman 4. Never Let Me Go based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro 5. Somewhere by Sofia Coppola (who wrote and directed "Lost in Translation") 6. The Tempest staring Helen Mirren and by Julie Taymor (who directed "

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-32760038674925279042010-06-29T22:10:00.009-05:002010-06-30T00:08:13.667-05:00

In my opinion, these are some of the best of safety videos produced by airlines to attract passengers' attention. Monolingual, live action Air New Zealand (which already has more than 5 million views) An honorable mention is Qantas whose video used live-action animation to illustrate the reason why a frequent flier should pay attention. The point here is that you are likely to be seating

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-62933250163244658632010-03-28T21:22:00.008-05:002010-03-28T21:28:03.601-05:00

“Are you happy tonight?” She asked me. I was stumped because I was just asking myself the same question before I stepped out the door minutes earlier; not sure what to say under the circumstances, so I forced a polite smile in respond to her question. The longer you have been working in the service sector or the retail business, the better your acumen in accessing the mood of your customer.

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-12436107581885783232010-01-23T16:46:00.002-06:002010-01-23T16:48:38.974-06:00

One of the most satisfying meals I had in New York is at the restaurant Pastis in the Meatpacking District. I had coq au vin, a French braise of chicken cooked with red wine and lard; it was a meal that Julia Child would have easily approved. Walking into Pastis, you are instantaneously transported to a European style cafe, a French bistro to be precise here. The ambiance is bon viviant, and

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-84126399709043577952010-01-23T16:14:00.001-06:002010-01-23T16:17:53.383-06:00

Couldn't get a seat on the M60 bus?  Was it so crowded that you can't even get on the M60 bus?  A viable alternate to the M60 bus between La Guardia Airport (LGA) and Manhattan is by taking a Q33 bus to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave., and then transfer at the terminus to the 7, E, F, G, R, V trains.  On a good traffic day, travel time between LGA and Jackson Heights takes only 20 minutes; add

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-20977907158608561492010-01-13T16:24:00.002-06:002010-01-13T16:36:34.541-06:00

A quick roundup of the films that I have watched in recent weeks, and my ratings (out of 10) are:Inglourious Basterds (2009) 8Julie & Julia (2009) 8Up in the Air (2009) 9Where the Wild Things Are (2009) 7A Single Man (2009) 8An Education (2009) 8The Hurt Locker (2008) 8Avatar (2009) 9The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) 7For the handful of films that I watched in spring and

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-80528735783344874132008-10-24T00:34:00.002-05:002008-10-25T10:56:48.570-05:00

One of the first things that you notice about a person is her race. After that we tend to find similarity or commonality amongst ourselves, we like to see pattern even in places where there are no patterns. A seemingly universal feature of how successful one is depends on how well she has integrated into her society. That is true of Senator Obama. He speaks eloquently like his counterparts (

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-66453823001509333482008-10-19T00:34:00.005-05:002008-10-19T01:59:45.522-05:00

News flash: An estimated 100,000 people turned out for a rally in St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday.  This comes after the crowds of 100,000 in Berlin, Germany, 75,000 in Denver, Colorado, and 70,000 in Portland, Oregon earlier this year.  It is an exciting time to be in Chicago because these days it feels like the city is the political center beyond Washington, D.C.  Come Election Day the media

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-42549218266209183582008-09-01T00:34:00.000-05:002008-09-01T01:32:08.324-05:00

Besides the Polaroid pictures that I cherished, there is a souvenir from Paris that I kept with me: a business card from the gelato shop on the Isle of Saint Louis in Paris. I checked its website, and apparently the shop is part of a chain now with 28 branches throughout France. http://www.amorino.frHotels are few (real estate are limited in general) on this tiny island on the River Seine, but

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-31250976324842528822008-02-01T19:34:00.000-06:002008-02-02T01:28:54.842-06:00

It was snowing again in Chicago. For the month of January, we are back to the average level of snowfall after falling below normal for the past two years. Today, schools were canceled for children, but the university, like other businesses in the city, is humming along despite the weather. The traffic on Lake Shore Drive this morning was uneventful; commuters were driving at a much slower

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-38736935275829079422007-08-18T18:10:00.000-05:002007-08-18T23:46:46.408-05:00

"I have been waiting, I have been waiting for this moment all my life, but it's not quite right," Silversun Pickups singing in Lazy Eye.The lyrics describe how I feel about becoming 1L. I have been wanting to go to law school for more than three years now, telling everyone who cared to ask that I'd want to become an attorney. I even had a heated argument with one of my uncles on this subject.Now

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-68676685912068416292007-08-15T03:30:00.000-05:002007-08-15T07:34:26.619-05:00

UPS lost my package. The package was a notebook computer that was supposed to be delivered on Thursday, but it has not been delivered yet as of Tuesday. The computer maker confirmed that the package has been lost and is sending a replacement. Both UPS's and Lenovo's reputation are somewhat tarnished. There are some other tribulations pertaining to my experience of purchasing this T61 model of

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-20669684542396414352007-05-12T17:43:00.000-05:002007-05-12T17:54:28.500-05:00

The first Looptopia has come and gone, I haven't check the news reporting on this dusk-till-dawn party in the Loop--the financial district in heart of Chicago usually associated with skyscrapers (Sear's Tower), companies' headquarters (Boeing, United Airlines), government (City Hall, Federal Court), numerous banks and law offices--but judging from the massive humanity that was present in the Loop

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-40268174207670833992007-04-30T00:34:00.000-05:002007-04-30T15:23:00.603-05:00

The question is no longer "to be or not to be", or is it still? A friend called to raise doubts about attending medical school as he was driving on the interstate to summer class beginning the next day. I tried to convince him that he's doing the right thing, actually he didn't need much persuasion, he have already decided to do this in so many years ago, perhaps it was just for making

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-4486311320332335252007-04-17T00:34:00.000-05:002007-04-17T00:23:00.216-05:00

By the ratio of two to one, the results of an unscientific poll on ABC News web site indicates that Internet users do not think that the latest shootings at Virginia Tech is another reminder of the urgent need of more gun control in the United States. To people outside of this country, gun culture in America is a perpetual intrigue to many. Why are Americans obsessed with guns?Perhaps beyond the

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-8598074826606930032007-04-15T23:01:00.000-05:002007-04-15T22:58:17.240-05:00

The media in America is still abuzz with the firing of a 'shock jock' radio host. No, this guy was not on NPR. He had a radio show on CBS Radio and simulcast on MSNBC. I didn't know anything about him until this week of media storm, unless you listen to commercial radio in the American market or have cable/satellite TV, I suspect you haven't heard the name Don Imus either. The bottom line is

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-72159783554377527212007-04-15T00:12:00.000-05:002007-04-15T23:02:50.345-05:00

The USOC picked Chicago over LA to represent USA in bidding for Summer Olympics and Paralympics 2016. Chicago was the first city in the US to be chosen to host the Games in 1904, but it was subsequently moved to St. Louis to coincide with the World's Fair. Chicago has never been the host, even though it had been amongst the finalists of host city twice since then. This time around it has a good

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-34035901977166759182007-04-07T17:05:00.000-05:002007-04-07T17:56:57.945-05:00

Don't we "prefer to read about it rather than experience it"? Fictional character Frasier Crane on the TV show with the same moniker was described by his father as being the kind of kid who would prefer to read about other's adventure in the wild while the family was camping in the woods, instead of experiencing it first hand of what was surrounding him. In other words, he's a lifelong

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-59767755830714557242007-03-20T16:32:00.000-05:002007-03-20T16:29:22.218-05:00

Inspired by the haikus in Univ of Chicago Magazine. I wrote these:rain, snow, light or dark,smell of exhaust lingers onmy routine commutenorth versus southsidecrosstown rivalry aliveChicago baseballI like the first set better, it's personal.Judged by Chicago alum John S. O'Connor, this one authored by Frank Creel gets an honorable mention:I, lost in the stacks,Wife, working in Regenstein.No time

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-10324627080656304092007-02-21T00:34:00.000-06:002007-02-21T00:43:05.771-06:00

There is a saying that no one really knows anything in Hollywood. For instance, who would have thought that Dreamsgirls, with all the hype and a Golden Globe winner, would not even get nominated for Best Picture? Perhaps it's more fun to watch the live telecast when there isn't a clear favorite among the nominees. If you haven't watch most of the nominated films, like myself, it's easier to make

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-29995176628104963152007-01-27T12:34:00.000-06:002007-01-27T14:44:17.402-06:00

More than two months had passed since I last written a blog entry on My Heroic Bits. Since my review of Babel in November, the dramatic film has won a Golden Globe for Best Dramatic Picture and picked up seven nominations for Oscars, including two in Best Supporting Actress for Barraza and Kikuchi.Is it too early to predict the winners? British bookies had already closed their books on Best

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-34879137534353235702006-11-18T13:23:00.000-06:002006-11-18T13:31:29.553-06:00

On imdb.com, I gave Babel a 9/10. No film is perfect, and Babel sure has its share of flaws; one of them being an inconsistently long note that Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) appeared to have written in a few seconds before handing it over to the policeman.Babel is intense. Some would argue that the film runs too long, clocking in at two hour and twenty two minutes, but it was a bit too short, I'd like

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1163274724109121282006-11-11T12:34:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:47.334-06:00

There was a shift of power in Washington D.C. this past week, and something must be said about this important exercise in a democracy. Not only did Democrats became the majority in both the House and the Senate, for the first time, a Socialist Party candidate was elected, a Muslim candidate was elected, and a woman (a mother of five children from San Francisco) is set to become the Speaker of the

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1161375804908295772006-10-20T14:34:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:47.036-06:00

Podcast is hotter than ever. If you are reading this blog entry, I don't have to tell you how interesting these podcasts are, and you probably tune-in to more podcasts than I do. My friend Gazpacho subscribe to podcasts of Japanese lessons, and there are multitude of languages you can learn through podcasts, some even come with worksheet attached. Media consolidation, which I mentioned in the

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1161236098616056612006-10-19T00:34:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:46.747-06:00

The Internet is useful because of its neutrality. Net neutrality is important because once you are connected to the Internet you can go wherever you want. You pay Internet Service Provider (ISP) be it BT in the UK, AT&T in the US, NTT in Japan, or TMNet in Malaysia to access the Internet, barring censorship from the government, these companies do not dictate where you can go once you get on the

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1160672353860920282006-10-12T15:21:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:46.406-06:00

Read about BBC correspondent in Beijing Rupert Wingfield Hayes' reflection on his eight year sojourn in China in an online article China's new wealth and old failings. Why is he so down on China? If you look beyond the shiny glass and concrete forests of the cities, there's an uneasy undercurrent beneath the hustle and bustle of burgeoning Chinese economy. The undercurrent is results of

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1159299829233057192006-09-26T17:00:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:45.796-06:00

Listeners of Chicago Public Radio's morning magazine 848 were told last week that haiku is not only seasonally inclined but the good ones employ juxtaposition to paint an interesting picture in just a few words. Plums and ashes were used in an example of a better haiku that the guess-of-the-show could remember. "Plums and ashes," a co-worker and I repeated aloud among us after the host Steve

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1158683868694987572006-09-19T11:23:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:45.502-06:00

Readers of this blog would know from my previous posts that I'm not a proponent of Robert Kiyosaki. Mr Kiyosaki probably have some good advice to share, and he mentioned the failure of US education system to teach financial responsibility to many of its people, but he doesn't seem to caution his audience of the peril of investing all your nest eggs in one sector, namely the real estate market.

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1157835828724128912006-09-09T16:04:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:33.182-06:00

Upon the fifth anniversary of the tragic events on September 11, like many major news outlets, BBC World Service and NPR On Point are broadcasting a global radio program to reflect on the impact of this day. The toll free number was jammed and the redial function couldn't work its magic to get me through, maybe I should have try the call collect number. Now I have to resort to voice my views on

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1155657212434001232006-08-15T11:59:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:32.489-06:00

You probably have heard the saying, "We are not in Kansas anymore." But Kansas has a history of being the battleground state in education, public education that is, not the private higher education that everyone knows--Harvard, Yale, etc. Brown vs. Board of Education is often mentioned in the chronicle of public education. The case orginated from Topeka, Kansas eventually lead to disegregation in

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1155620404463665192006-08-14T23:59:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:31.694-06:00

Postings on a message board over at Internet Movie Database are filled with buzz of Oscar nods for Little Miss Sunshine. Some posters are more cautious to suggest that comedies are usually overlooked for Best Picture, but the consensus is that Screen Actor Guild's best ensemble award would be appropriate because everyone's acting was up to par, which makes this crowd-pleaser par excellence.

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1154372123211618352006-07-31T16:56:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:31.238-06:00

Humans are evolving. There are teams of biologists and economists who are studying these changes. In the NY Times article, So Big and Healthy Grandpa Wouldn’t Even Know You, we are being introduced to the idea that has become known as the Baker hypothesis: health in middle age can be determined in fetal life and in the first two years after birth. As humans are living longer, their physical

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1153771286693765682006-07-24T15:00:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:30.991-06:00

Writing in an Op-Ed of July 24th NY Times, He Who Cast the First Stone Probably Didn’t, Professor Daniel Gilbert brought us an anology that many of us can remember from our interactions with our siblings--the "but he hit me first" and "but he hit me harder"--compared to the Middle East conflict. Read the article to see how research shows that people tend to remember the causes of their statements

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1153372029015706222006-07-19T23:59:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:30.685-06:00

Without TV (it gave up more than a month ago), I am online most of the nights to read the news at BBC or NY Times and to check the weather. Tonight I visited the web site of QuirkyAlone in an attempt to find suggestions of what to do this Thanksgiving beside joining the same family year after year, they are friendly folks, but I don't know them that well and the annual encounter is getting

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1152402921296981452006-07-08T18:54:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:30.278-06:00

The President held a press conference on Friday at Museum of Science and Industry in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. The undergraduate students at the University of Chicago were not there to protest because most of them are away during the summer quarter. National Public Radio carried the news conference live with analysts at studios in New York and D.C. I listened and found the

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1152077617456017012006-07-05T00:23:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:30.084-06:00

On Independence Day some years ago, I joined the family of a professor to watch the fireworks on the shore of Lake Michigan. The professor asked a rhetorically question--not unlike a question in socratic method--to urge us ponder upon the meaning of this day. What does Independence Day mean to you?The incident sticks with me, and whenever it's July 4th, I'm reminded of this important question. I

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1149540682639883912006-06-05T15:45:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:29.678-06:00

Frontline, a TV production of WGBH Boston, broadcast a two-part four-hour program about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) on PBS stations last week. I watched most of the program. On Tuesday night, I was switching channels from a rerun to another, and I was hooked on the introspective and in-depth analysis on "The Age of AIDS". Like many other programs of Frontline, it was an insightful

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1148330131361356542006-05-22T15:30:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:29.237-06:00

I came across this travel web site, world66.com, where you can generate a map of countries you have visited; I've been to 11 countries, not counting airports. I haven't been to mainland China, but Hong Kong was not a separate option, so you will see that the whole China is painted red on the map. Within the US, I've visited 10 states, that's including a day trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1146520041208990862006-05-01T17:00:00.001-05:002006-11-11T13:49:28.807-06:00

Immigration rallies are underway across America on May Day. According to the entry about May Day on Wikipedia, "International Workers' Day (a name used interchangeably with May Day) is the commemoration of the Haymarket Riot of 1886 in Chicago, Illinois, and a celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement."Various news sources, including AP, NY Times and

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1145656019202952032006-04-21T16:56:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:28.386-06:00

I don't remember the 60th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II twenty years ago, neither do I remember the day when one of the worst nuclear disasters had happened. Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred twenty years ago on April 26 in former USSR, persent Ukraine. What I remember was the indirect fallout of Chernobyl: mothers are advised not to feed their babies with milk produced in the Soviet Union; by

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1145051876777730362006-04-14T16:56:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:28.165-06:00

On Monday night, I watch a new episode of 24 on Fox, a rarity cause I seldom watch faux news, even though the news division is different from the television production unit, or is it? I was not surprised that it was an intense episode, we know the 24 hours of Jack Bauer is never mundane, but the storyline took an interesting turn. The president character called for the assassination of vice

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1144962153244620132006-04-13T18:00:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:27.892-06:00

Just when we thought we can praise carmarkers which adopt the hybrid, alternative fuel technologies, we are being reminded that it takes more energy to produce ethanol as replacement for fossil fuel, we might reduce dependency on foreign oil, but at the expense of increasing carbon emission. Moreover, hybrid technology used in SUVs is misleading, SUVs with hybrid tech will become "moderate"

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1144346572102277222006-04-06T13:00:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:27.581-06:00

New and amazing species has been discovered in fossils excavated from Nunavut territory of artic Canada. Two reports by paleontologists Neil Shubin at the University of Chicago, Edward Daeschler at National Academy of Sciences, and evolutionary biologist Farish Jenkins at Harvard University are published in today's edition of the journal Nature. The 375-million-year-old, crocodile-like fish named

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1144188802183538472006-04-04T17:15:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:27.420-06:00

Another sign that global economy is a race to the bottom? Labor shortages in China have manufacturers there worried that the companies will have to move productions to lower wages countries like neighboring Vietnam and Bangladesh. The shortages seemed to be more severe in the Shenzhen, Guangdong area due to the lure of better work conditions offered in the Yangtze Delta region. After

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1144170160797575392006-04-04T12:00:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:27.176-06:00

BBC News reports (as early as) last night in their ten o'clock (Central Daylight Time) World News segment that Tom DeLay will not seek re-election this November. Amid allegations of corruption charges, which he categorically denied, and before the trial even begin in his home state of Texas, DeLayed made the annoucement to Time magazine. Delayed flights give passengers hope that they will get to

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1144089681908984022006-04-03T13:23:00.000-05:002006-11-11T13:49:26.909-06:00

Everyone seemed a bit lethargic on the first day of work after sprang forward one hour to Daylight Saving Time, in effect for the next six months. Or, maybe the stormy weather that brought the mood down on everyone; another tornadic storm over the weekend across the Midwest and parts of the South has created chaos and claimed lives. Wind gusts this morning were so forceful in the downtown area

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1143750162858517802006-03-30T13:23:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:26.614-06:00

Spring is finally here. It's a balmy 68 Fahrenheit that's 20 degree Celcius at O'Hare. With moderate humidity and intermittent breeze off Lake Michigan, it's a beautiful day in Chicago. Chicagoans are making full use of the warmest day so far this year, by taking their lunch out in the park, laying on the ground with sunglasses on, occupying the benches all by themselves with no intention to

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1143054686501896562006-03-22T13:01:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:26.233-06:00

Professor Alan Brinkley of Columbia University wrote in the NY Times a review of Kevin Phillips' new book American Theocracy : The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century. Mr. Phillips worked as a political strategist in the Nixon administration. His previous books also dealt with the rise of the Repulican party. But unlike most of his previous writings

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1142976634718998532006-03-21T14:34:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:25.403-06:00

Google Finance in beta mode. I like the charts which allow user to track the historical closing prices with the ease, and related news events are marked chronologically on the chart as well. The company's financial statements are in plain sight. There are links to blogs and discussion forums with postings related to the company searched. Google Finance provides a more user-friendly interface,

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1142719829918899992006-03-18T16:40:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:25.099-06:00

Massive protests in cities and towns across France on Saturday against a job law targeted at youths under the age of 26. The protest was started by students at the Sorbonne University, Paris IV. It must be exhilarating to participate in this kind of historical moment, maybe not as significant as the fall of Berlin Wall, but it's the kind of protest that likely to turn up in films years and

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1142717898731741112006-03-18T15:30:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:24.777-06:00

Fact stranger than fiction. The most popular news article on Technorati is Chicago Sun-Times report about a man, in city's northwest side, who cut off his penis and threw at police officers, as an attempt to resist arrest. Ouch! Jay Leno on NBC's Tonight Show joked that the police said, "The man is just nuts." If you say "santa claus" in Mandarin Chinese, you will get the phrase, "man left with

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1142634824649316992006-03-17T17:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:24.499-06:00

Won't it be cool to attend a film festival like South by Southwest (SxSW)? IndieWire dispatch Eugene Hernandez reports ten films to watch from SxSW '06. Earlier CNet's News.com reported that Craigslist's founder Craig Newmark and Wikipedia's founder Jimmy Wales were on stage for a chat session which drew a huge crowd. Mr. Newmark encourages people to use DVRs such as TiVo to skip political ads,

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1142550846028623912006-03-16T17:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:24.206-06:00

Sometimes you just want to escape from a mundane workday, and getaway to an exotic place. How about a visit to geothermal lagoon surrounded by volcanic landscape with cooled lava, glacier, geyser, and waterfall?Barbara Ireland of the NY Times recently travelled to Iceland and written a review about her trip to northen-most-capital Reykjavik and the legendary Blue Lagoon. Another review of Iceland

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1142377789160038452006-03-14T17:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:23.910-06:00

Last week's episode of Injustice on ABC had a very Crash-like scenario where police officers harass a driver who had been talking on her cellular phone, which is illegal in Illinois but I'm not sure about California's law. The otherwise ordinary traffic stop was not about driving while distracted by a phone conversation, but it turned out that the female character was bullied because she works

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1142371386521275712006-03-14T14:34:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:23.617-06:00

Good call for the NY Times Editorial Drop Out of the College to emphasize the importance to remove the Electoral College. The Electoral College is an antithesis to democracy; it's a relic in place to preserve the interest of small population states, which inadvertently created an imbalance of power in affecting the election of the POTUS. The editor compared densely populated California with

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1142291406076788712006-03-13T17:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:23.309-06:00

This guy over at Cockeyed.com used a torn up application form to apply for a Chase Mastercard; and he got it. Robert's experiment makes people who shred all the credit card application forms they received, not much of a paranoia but more like a sane person trying to prevent identity theft. So stop tearing up, and start shredding now.Technorati tags: Credit Card | ID Theft |

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1142124128678288242006-03-11T18:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:23.007-06:00

If there's conflict of interest, there's opportunity with high risk. Foreigners go to war zones for a purpose; they could be the workers for private security firms, journalist covering the sectarian uprising in the volatile region, or peacemakers who want to help in the rebuilding efforts. Their numbers could be much smaller compared to the number of military personnel stationed in the Persian

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1142108194956700712006-03-11T13:11:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:22.835-06:00

Headlines from the wire [AP, BBC, NY Times, Reuters and other news agencies aggregated online by Google News] this morning all dominated by the news that former Yoguslav president Slobodan Milosevic has been found dead in his detention cell at The Hague, where the UN Tribunal is located. According to postings on BBC News website, reactions from outsiders' point of view gravitate towards "justice

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1141763649291035232006-03-07T14:34:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:22.575-06:00

This has nothing to do with basketball despite the title suggests otherwise; "enter exit" is just a phrase to complete the set of trilogy. The playlist below features music on heavy rotation:1) David Bowie - Space Oddity from the same titled album and now in the compilation Best of Bowie. James Blunt included this song in his playlist for iTunes Music Store, and he noted, "I was a captain once.

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1141687287429457572006-03-06T17:15:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:22.301-06:00

At the Academy Awards last night, all the acceptance speeches were intersting. I have been trying to find the transcript of George Clooney's acceptance speech, but search results online only gave me pieces and parts of it, they either have truncated the self-depreciating part about dying in a freak accident, or they skipped the name of the first African American to receive the Oscar. So let me

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1141589206842895952006-03-05T14:02:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:22.035-06:00

Are this year's Oscar nominees out of touch with mainstream ideas like the right wings claimed them to be "lefty and preachy" when they don't even bother to watch the films that are nominated before making a judgement? Depends on who you would ask, the answer will spin either way. I try to reserve my judgement when it comes to films that I haven't watch, so you don't see me writing about Passion

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1141429947951854052006-03-04T02:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:21.730-06:00

Before the Academy Awards telecast on Sunday night, it's worthwhile to visit their website to download a ballot if you intend to keep track of who win in which category. Link to the printable versions of the ballot available as pdf file or gif format. David Carr aka Carpetbagger has been blogging about the Oscar for the NY Times. It's interesting to read his predictions. Link to the article

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1141343114685721572006-03-02T17:43:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:21.365-06:00

Wikimedia announced that the one millionth article has been published on its English edition of Wikipedia, which proclaimed itself to be the PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) of the web. The one millionth article was about Jordanhill railway station in Scotland. According to the results conducted by the British journal Nature, in editorial titled Wiki's wild world, "researchers should read

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1141332676460432992006-03-02T15:02:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:21.051-06:00

David Pogue of the NY Times summed up the new PowerBook--MacBook Pro--from Apple Computer better than many other reviewers do. It's a fun two-page article to read over lunch break. Apple "giveth and taketh" indeed. It was not long ago, when the candy-colored series of iMac was introduced, Apple took a bold step and got rid of the three-and-half-inch floppy disk drive. And now Apple has removed

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1141169479871806132006-02-28T17:43:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:20.610-06:00

Apple Computer Inc. released a Hi-Fi system to accompany its bestselling iPods. The boombox looked to me like some kind of Bang & Olufsen spinoff. Can't the design team make it all-white or all-black?Tonight is the premier of a new season of Amazing Race. After the ratings dip last season, the producers must have come to realize that viewers demand escapism; traveling around North, Central and

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1141155717562892202006-02-28T13:30:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:20.376-06:00

The NY Times reported that the Supreme Court has ruled unanimously abortion clinics cannot rely on federal laws against racketeering and extortion, known as the Hobbs Act, to prevent demonstrations against abortions. SCOTUS had previously ruled, in 2003, that the protesters' behavior around clinics did not amount to extortion, or trying to obtain another's property through real or threatened "

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1141110988895122132006-02-28T12:34:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:20.080-06:00

Paul McCartney was featured on PBS Great Performance. I was the last half of the program on WTTW 11. McCartney shown once again that he is a musician, a true performer. He moved defly from one instrument to another with creativity at heart; picking up a white-rimmed bass used to back up Elvis Presley, Paul plucked away a few chords and sang a tune familiar to the audience in the intimate setting.

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1141014108683143582006-02-27T11:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:19.534-06:00

The Academy is handing out its golden statuettes next Sunday with live telecast on the network of ABC, and speculations of which nominee will win are gathering pace. Opinions of who should win and who will win are aplenty in this age of information. Audiences have plenty of resources to help them navigate through the pool of nominees, when it comes to Hollywood’s biggest night. Metacritics is a

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1141016623195397272006-02-26T22:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:19.827-06:00

The Internet is a wonderful thing when we come to think of some of the many useful websites such as Craigslist and Wikipedia—two of the most popular .org sites according to Google’s Zeitgeist and various metrics of net traffic. What does these two website have in common? Each of the websites is based on community of participants, whether it’s contributing to the knowledge of a subject, or

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1140463231354430182006-02-20T13:30:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:19.235-06:00

The NY Times article Go With Your Gut recommends that we enjoy our foods because allegedly "when you eat something you like, your body makes more efficient use of its nutrients." The caveat is to begin with food with nutritions. Harriet Brown concludes in the article that "call it Slow Food, conscious eating, or eating the French way, the point's the same: eating well and with pleasure is more

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1140199049100753052006-02-17T12:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:18.788-06:00

This is an interesting study on the process of decision making and the satisfaction on its outcome. The study by Dutch scientists showed that "simple choices (such as between different towels or different sets of oven mitts) indeed produce better results after conscious thought, but that choices in complex matters (such as between different houses or different cars) should be left to unconscious

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1139934124084551002006-02-14T10:10:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:18.523-06:00

The late night comedians had a field day with the US VP shooting a fellow hunters mistaken for a bird on last Saturday. The septuagenarian lawyer who was shot did not die from the mishap, if not the VP could be charged with manslaugther, and that would be a no-funny scandal. What good will hunting bring? Perhaps for NRA members to exercise their constitutional right to arm. Hunting mishaps happen

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1139591189263254862006-02-10T10:30:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:18.093-06:00

From the article Failing to Spread the Wealth in August 25, 2005 issue of the Economist asked, "The world's most notorious system of positive discrimination has had only limited success, and hardly any recently. What, if anything, should replace it?" So the author summed up the overall sentiment in regard to this discriminative policy, "should Malays, Malaysia's largest ethnic group, receive more

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1139339472008643122006-02-07T01:30:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:17.848-06:00

We often hear on news and documentary programs that many species on Earth are being endangered each day as a consequence of human activities. Therefore, it's refreshing to know that somewhere out there--in this case the tropical rainforest of New Guinea--exists a "lost world" still unspoiled and untouched by human developments. The discoveries of new species are amazing; on the BBC News website

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1139266488779866402006-02-06T16:42:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:17.617-06:00

The NY Times published this figure titled 31 days in Iraq to give a context of the human toll for the first month of 2006, by showing the dates, locations and circumstances of deaths; Lins de Albuquerque collected data from the official sources and Cheng aggregated each of the casualties on an Iraqi map.

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1139248071324440762006-02-06T02:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:17.288-06:00

The following is a transcript of my writings pertaining to some topics mentioned by Tyler in his blog entry about W.'s state of the union address last Tuesday:I didn't watch his speech on Tuesday night because I know it would be more or less the same stuff that we have heard from him before. Two points stand out: 1) oil addiction, 2) ban on human-animal hybrid. While Exxon-Mobil was reporting

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1134792091479747532005-12-16T21:32:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:17.038-06:00

W. allowed eavesdropping without court order, now that's another step closer to Orwellian, authoritarian society. This was included in the newshour by the Japanese national broadcaster NHK. I slept well last night. I was tired, and falling asleep as I stood in a bookstore browsing some of the travel guides. This morning some fellow travelers told me that they felt tremors overnight, which shortly

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1134416038008762122005-12-12T13:19:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:16.871-06:00

This blog will go into hiatus as I prepare for the year-end vacation; updates will be become even more sporadic than it is now.Several important things to mention: 1) Chicago will have an indoor smoking ban; the compromise was that bars and restaurants will have a grace period of three years to get their act together. But there was a clause of concern, something along the line of no smoking ban

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1133637479965201342005-12-03T12:38:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:16.559-06:00

I posted a comment to Tyler's blog about the progress in Iraq:"Rep. John Murtha said something that has become a truism with this administration. People who avoided the duty of serving their country in war, decades later taking the high ground to criticize war veterans, i.e. John Kerry, John Murtha and even John McCain of their own party during the primary. It puzzled me why people would continue

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1133632411480079122005-12-03T11:24:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:16.290-06:00

On the list of ten best book of 2005 selected by the NY Times book critics, there are some familiar authors and book titles. On the Beauty by Zaddie Smith was on the shortlist for Man Booker Prize; Ian McEwan's Saturday was not on the same UK shortlist, but it seemed to be a favorite among critics on this side of the Atlantic. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, also a Booker Prize finalist, was

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1133470697633953032005-12-01T14:04:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:16.093-06:00

A follow-up to the fallout between myself and a co-worker. I didn't talk much during the weekly meeting, which came two days earlier than I anticipated. It is easy for me to say things that would hurt this person, but I chose not to because we still have to work in the same building for the forseeable future. Keeping mum and bitting my lips most of the time, gave the impression of an apprehension

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1133465777309130462005-12-01T12:56:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:15.652-06:00

According to the BBC World News, today is the 18th annual World AIDS Day. Pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb is giving one dollar for each candle lit by visitors to the web site Light to Unite. There are so many colors of ribbon and rubber band available out there that I lost track of which color advocate for what cause? Red ribbon is for HIV/AIDS awareness, pink ribbon is for breast

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1133308644599939142005-11-29T17:39:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:15.340-06:00

Some holidays are overrated. Everyone needs to rest and relax once a while, but some of the holidays are just awkward. You know I'm talking about Thanksgiving. It's a holiday with good intentions, heck, I even like the TV commercials better than the hyperbole ads on Super Bowl Sunday. It's just too close to Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza, don't you think? I would appreciate if it's closer to

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1132775551184026732005-11-23T13:23:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:15.068-06:00

If you plan on shopping on Friday-after-Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday, then you probably have heard of these nifty websites which let you search for items that you are interested to buy. Comparison shopping is a good thing and the Internet has made it easier for consumers to do so, with sites like froogle.com and shopping.com along with the juggernaut Amazon and eBay. Black Friday 2005

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1132174060119538702005-11-16T15:21:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:06.353-06:00

I watched Trainspotting as a cautionary tale, but not all viewers saw it that way. The NY Times has published two interesting articles: one about a person with hypochondriasis using the Merck Manual as her guide to diagnose diseases, and another is the first in a series about being a patient in our contemporary society. There are variety of drugs available to treat a certain disorder, it's not a

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1132172483442841932005-11-16T14:46:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:49:06.083-06:00

In The Pilgrims Didn't Brine, Kim Severson set out to find a simple way to prepare the turkey. After much consultations with various experts, she "settled on a roasting temperature of 425 degrees... started with a room-temperature turkey... the breast tented with foil", and "no flipping, no basting." It's important to have a meat thermometer because when the thigh hit 165 degrees [Fahrenheit], we

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1132091993397043812005-11-15T16:32:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:47:50.748-06:00

As weather depression Gamma formed in the Tropics, Chicago is facing a rainstorm that could change into significant snowfall overnight, first this season. As Princess Sayako married commonner Yoshiki Kuroda in Tokyo, W. is greeted with angry protesters in Kyoto, what was he thinking visiting Kyoto after his administration remained steadfast to reject Kyoto Protocol? I am wondering whether to

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1131478679290426672005-11-08T14:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:47:50.491-06:00

Interesting read from the perspective of a journalist living inside Paris about the riots in France. Read more about this article in NY Times. "[The riot] has so far been confined to a handful of relatively distant, heavily working-class, immigrant communities. Inside the Périphérique, the highway that rings Paris and serves as an informal city line, life goes on pretty much as normal. That's

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5445943.post-1131392494282836962005-11-07T17:00:00.000-06:002006-11-11T13:47:50.349-06:00

I realize that I have not written new entries in this blog for quite some days now, I'm supposed to use this time to prepare my applications for law school. Some of the news on the radar, the French riot, the worst civil unrest in the country since the student protest and worker strike in 1968. Low approval ratings for W. and a lively simulated debate on NBC West Wing is close to a lucid dream

writeyouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01940174737423605337noreply@blogger.com0