Jacob starts baseball practice tomorrow. His coach is same one from basketball season and I'm going to assist again.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Game Change
I just listened to the audio book version of Game Change, a story about the behind the scenes of the 2008 presidential election. I really like these kind of books, and this one was excellent. Heilemann and Halperin did a masterful job of weaving the tale that most of us didn't see.
I'll have to say, of all the principals covered in the book; Obama, Clinton, McCain, Palin, Biden, and the Edwards, I'm not sure that I came away thinking better of any of them.
Certainly I had liked McCain for a while, hoping that he would have beaten Bush in the 2000 Republican Primary. The McCain portrayed in the book was one whose campaign was in disarray; decisions made without a lot of consideration; and ultimately destined to lose. A prime example was the Palin choice for his VP nomination. Its not that they picked her, but the process they used. They really had no idea what they were getting. There is absolutely no excuse for the way it was handled. He wrapped up the nomination much earlier than Obama, and his convention was second. It is incomprehensible that he made his decision at the last minute and really didn't know what he was getting.
His handling of the economic crisis in the September of 2008 cemented his fate. He faltered and Obama shone. Of course, my belief going into the election was that McCain, indeed any Republican, would not only have to run a nearly flawless campaign, but they would need help in the form of a Democratic screw up. There was just too much Bush fatigue.
His handling of the economic crisis in the September of 2008 cemented his fate. He faltered and Obama shone. Of course, my belief going into the election was that McCain, indeed any Republican, would not only have to run a nearly flawless campaign, but they would need help in the form of a Democratic screw up. There was just too much Bush fatigue.
Obama certainly was a masterful politician, cool under pressure and deliberate in his decision making. The book definitely reinforced that perception. Yet he was still playing the political game. That's not an indictment on my part except that many of his followers seemed to believe that he transcended politics and the media seemed to give him a free pass. While he certainly possesses some leadership skills, he was certainly very, very green when he was elected. Perhaps its not fair to call him an empty suit, but in truth, his accomplishments were the fact that he was elected to the offices. Don't get me wrong, those are no small feats. Being elected to the U.S. Senate is anything but trivial, and being elected President of the U.S. is something only 43 men have done (yes, he is the 44th President, but Grover Cleveland counts twice since he was elected to two non-consecutive terms).
Senator Clinton's portrayal in the book was fascinating. The prohibited front runner for the Democratic nomination, and indeed the presidency, her campaign stumbled, squandering their lead and cash. While her campaign was certainly hurt by the Obama campaign's political skills and savy, many of her wounds were self-inflicted. She thought that she was going to win, and acted like it. While Obama called the Democratic super delegates himself to elicit their support, Clinton would have campaign surrogates make some of the calls. And of course, President Clinton was both an asset and a liability. The Clintons seemed to think that everyone was against them, including the media, who wouldn't give them a fair shake and drooled over Obama.
President Clinton was furious when a remark that he made was interpreted as injecting race into the debate. Its interesting to see someone on the Democrat side of the aisle be saddled with that attack.
Both the Edwards came across much worse than before. Not only did John apparently have an affair, but the 2000 presidential race had changed him from a "nice guy" into a megalomaniac. Of course, after reading about Elizabeth Edwards, I'm not sure I blame John for finding comfort in the arms of another woman. She was portrayed as nasty, petty and demeaning, not only to campaign staff, but to her husband as well.
Biden came across as Biden. I can certainly understand how angry Obama must have been when Biden told some reporters that he was more qualified to be President than Obama.
A host of Democratic Senators, including Harry Reid and Chuck Shuemer were instrumental in getting Obama to run in the first place. They were afraid that Hillary could not win the general election. Of course, they were also afraid of the Clintons, and would not support Obama until it became clear that he could win. Well, at least they were upfront about it.
Palin was certainly not spared in the book. She definitely had her issues, and it became clear that she was not ready to become president. While she certainly made public gaffs, things were worse behind the scenes where she nearly had a melt down. I do have some sympathy for her. She was instantly thrust in the spotlight; becoming one of the most recognizable people in the world in a very short time. Most people have years, even tens of years preparing for that moment. There were only a few days between when she was first contact about the VP nomination and being introduced to the world in Dayton, Ohio. In her personal life, she had a pregnant teenage daughter and a child with downs syndrome. I really do have disdain for the bloggers and people who made her family an issue, suggesting one one had that her husband was not the father, while others that her daughter was actually the mother. It was wrong.
Senator Clinton's portrayal in the book was fascinating. The prohibited front runner for the Democratic nomination, and indeed the presidency, her campaign stumbled, squandering their lead and cash. While her campaign was certainly hurt by the Obama campaign's political skills and savy, many of her wounds were self-inflicted. She thought that she was going to win, and acted like it. While Obama called the Democratic super delegates himself to elicit their support, Clinton would have campaign surrogates make some of the calls. And of course, President Clinton was both an asset and a liability. The Clintons seemed to think that everyone was against them, including the media, who wouldn't give them a fair shake and drooled over Obama.
President Clinton was furious when a remark that he made was interpreted as injecting race into the debate. Its interesting to see someone on the Democrat side of the aisle be saddled with that attack.
Both the Edwards came across much worse than before. Not only did John apparently have an affair, but the 2000 presidential race had changed him from a "nice guy" into a megalomaniac. Of course, after reading about Elizabeth Edwards, I'm not sure I blame John for finding comfort in the arms of another woman. She was portrayed as nasty, petty and demeaning, not only to campaign staff, but to her husband as well.
Biden came across as Biden. I can certainly understand how angry Obama must have been when Biden told some reporters that he was more qualified to be President than Obama.
A host of Democratic Senators, including Harry Reid and Chuck Shuemer were instrumental in getting Obama to run in the first place. They were afraid that Hillary could not win the general election. Of course, they were also afraid of the Clintons, and would not support Obama until it became clear that he could win. Well, at least they were upfront about it.
Palin was certainly not spared in the book. She definitely had her issues, and it became clear that she was not ready to become president. While she certainly made public gaffs, things were worse behind the scenes where she nearly had a melt down. I do have some sympathy for her. She was instantly thrust in the spotlight; becoming one of the most recognizable people in the world in a very short time. Most people have years, even tens of years preparing for that moment. There were only a few days between when she was first contact about the VP nomination and being introduced to the world in Dayton, Ohio. In her personal life, she had a pregnant teenage daughter and a child with downs syndrome. I really do have disdain for the bloggers and people who made her family an issue, suggesting one one had that her husband was not the father, while others that her daughter was actually the mother. It was wrong.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuk Tuk at Night
I was in a Tuk Tuk stopped at a traffic light when I snapped this shot on the the streets of Bangkok, Thailand.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Flags at the Temple
This shot was from Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, in Bangkok. I took it in December when I visited. I really liked the little flags blowing in the wind with the temple as the backdrop.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Good Workout
Today was a pretty good workout day. This morning I ran 8.5 kilometers. My plan had been to swim and lift weights immediately afterwards. After the run, I was too tired so I came home. About 11:30, I got my motivation back and went and lifted weights and then swam one kilometer. Now I just need to eat less...
Fun day
Should be a good day today. The plan is to workout, relax a bit, maybe run to the mall and buy a light stand, go to Aleena's soccer practice and then take some photos tonight.
The Year in Aleena
Aleena is at a really fun age now. As a five year old, she is definitely seeing the world with different eyes; asking questions about things that she never did before.
She still adores her sister, although perhaps not with the blind devotion that she has exhibited in the past. Sometimes Nalin makes her mad and she's not afraid to let Nalin know it. Also, sometimes Aleena just wants to play by herself without Nalin. Still, they are together a lot. I hope that they stay close as they grow up.
Aleena finished preK and started Kindergarten this year. It was at the beginning of 2009 that she seemed to turn a corner in learning. She started picking things up a lot more quickly, and exhibited a lot more confidence. She kept up her momentum when Kindergarten this fall.
Aleena is learning to read using the same reading book that Tim used to teach Nalin and Jacob. We can do 2 or 3 pages at night at most because Aleena gets a little bored doing it. Still, she's getting a lot better lately.
In addition to "academics", Aleena does very well socially. She mostly plays with the girls in her class. Aleena's best friend is still McKayla. They went to school together two years ago at Magic Years, and have been "bff"s ever since. Aleena called it BEF for awhile, and I asked her if it meant McKayla had "big elephant feet". She didn't think it was as funny as I did. They always want to play together, so Yaow and McKayla's maid are always arranging play dates.
Aleena started swimming lessons last year, and she has really done well. She loves the water and her instructor often uses her as an example for other kids. We were surprised on our trip to Phangnga when she didn't want to snorkel because she was so comfortable in the water. Maybe it was because last time she went snorkeling she wasn't as good in the water. Fortunately, the guide took her out in the water at first. Soon she was snorkeling with Tim and having a great time.
This past year Aleena was also busy with other after school activities. Her dance class culminated in the end of the year recital. Her class performed the Hannah Montana song "The Best of Both Worlds." It was so cute to watch them perform.
Aleena started soccer for the first time this year. She enjoys herself, but doesn't take the game too seriously. Like Nalin was at her age, Aleena likes the social aspect of the game as much as the actual game itself. Its fun to watch her play.
Of course, Aleena did the family vacation trips. She visited Kanchanaburi, Phuket, Hong Kong, Singapore and other places. Its funny that Aleena visited more countries in 2009 than I visited in my first twenty or so years of life.
2010 will be another fun year watching Aleena grow up.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Hang Over
During our trip to Phangnga, we took a long tail boat ride around some of the islands. One of our stops was at Nail Island. Nail Island is also known as James Bond Island because it was made famous in a boat chase scene in a Bond film.
We went ashore on the other side of the island, and it was a five or ten minute walk to see the "nail". Before we went, we had a picnic on the beach around the stop where I took this photograph.
You can see how the wind and water have eroded the rock to build this outcropping. I didn't have my widest angle lens on the camera at the time, so I didn't really know if the shot would turn out well, as the cliff continues up out of the frame of the photo. I didn't mount my camera on the a tripod, I just composed it and shot.
I think it turned out pretty nicely. I really like the color of the rock. Sometimes I want to take a shot without people in it, but I think that it actually helps give perspective.
We went ashore on the other side of the island, and it was a five or ten minute walk to see the "nail". Before we went, we had a picnic on the beach around the stop where I took this photograph.
You can see how the wind and water have eroded the rock to build this outcropping. I didn't have my widest angle lens on the camera at the time, so I didn't really know if the shot would turn out well, as the cliff continues up out of the frame of the photo. I didn't mount my camera on the a tripod, I just composed it and shot.
I think it turned out pretty nicely. I really like the color of the rock. Sometimes I want to take a shot without people in it, but I think that it actually helps give perspective.
Friday, January 15, 2010
The Monkeys in Lop Buri
It really was amazing at how the monkeys had full run of part of the city when we visited the province of Lop Buri a few weeks ago. You can see from the photo that they were climbing all over the buildings.
I was surprised to see them hanging from the power lines. The local government has decided that the monkeys have become an attraction, so they let them pretty much run unobstructed around the place. It was the worst around one temple where the monkeys were brave enough to actually steal from people. One picked a water bottle out of Tim's back pocket.
I was actually careful with my camera, making sure not to put it on the ground when I was setting up my tripod. I don't know if one would grab it, but I don't know that one wouldn't either.
I was surprised to see them hanging from the power lines. The local government has decided that the monkeys have become an attraction, so they let them pretty much run unobstructed around the place. It was the worst around one temple where the monkeys were brave enough to actually steal from people. One picked a water bottle out of Tim's back pocket.
I was actually careful with my camera, making sure not to put it on the ground when I was setting up my tripod. I don't know if one would grab it, but I don't know that one wouldn't either.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Sting
Former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter was recently charged in a child-sex sting operation. Mr. Ritter allegedly masturbated on a web cam when speaking to a person who identified himself as a fifteen year old girl, but was in fact an undercover police officer. The charges included unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of a communications facility, corruption of minors, indecent exposure, possessing instruments of crime, criminal attempt and criminal solicitation.
Okay, my take on this may not be the typical one, but I absolutely hate these sex chat stings. Before you start making assumptions, I do not go into sex chat rooms, and I don't have any interest in fifteen year old (or any minor) girls, boys, or barnyard animals. And if someone ever did anything to one of my kids, there is a part of me that would want to make sure that no trial was necessary as justice would be more immediate and personal.
One problem that I have with the stings is my belief that but for the stings, these guys will not be engaging in these type of conversations with fifteen year old girls. I don’t believe that very many fifteen year olds are looking for explicit chat or to meet some middle aged overweight man. These just don’t exist, or if they do, in extremely small numbers. So the men caught up in these stings would almost certainly never have actually interacted with a real fifteen year old girl.
In effect, the police are manufacturing a crime. This isn’t like a sting where they know there is drug use going on in a neighborhood so they set up a fake buyer to catch a dealer. In that case, there is crime going on and they are trying to catch people who are actively engaged in the crime. In most stings, you are probably catching people who have already committed this crime in the past. It is unlikely that you are the drug dealer’s first sale. Here, it is not likely that the suspect has actually ever met a minor for sex. They may not even have explicitly chatted with a real one before.
There was a small town in Ohio, I think Bethesda, where the police have been doing the sex stings for quite a while. They do the same drill; the cop is in the chat room posing as an underage girl. The man arranges to meet the “girl” and they bust him. The same kind of thing they had on the TV show “To Catch a Predator”. The issue that I have is that they aren’t catching people in their small down. They are luring bringing these “sex offenders” into their town. Some of these guys travel a good distance to meet these “girls”. Many may have gone their entire lives without ever visiting Bethesda Ohio but for these stings. Is the Bethesda Police department really making their town safer? Is it their job to lure people from Cincinnati to their town to bust them? I don’t think so.
Another real problem that I have is that it’s not clear at all that these guys are actually committing crimes. He is charged with unlawful contact with a minor and criminal attempt. I am not an expert in this area of law, or in the law of the jurisdiction in which he is charged. Here is the problem. He never had sexual contact with a minor. Additionally, in the legal sense, his actions did not rise to the level of attempted sexual contact.
Attempt, as I learned in law school, requires that you took an action, which if successful would be illegal. For example, I take a gun and attempt to shoot someone with it, but I miss. One of the charges against me might be attempted murder, because if I had been successful in what I was attempting, I would have murdered you.
Let’s change the scenario slightly. I have a gun and want to kill my neighbor. I sneak into his house and see him lying on the couch and I gleefully pull the trigger several times, riddling him with bullets. An autopsy reveals that my neighbor died of a heart attack hours before I even entered the house. I cannot be charged with attempted murder. I intended to kill him, and I took actions to carry out that. The problem is that it is legally impossible to murder someone who is already dead.
So if there was a fifteen year old girl on the other end of these sex sting operations, then the men could reasonably be charged with unlawful contact and other attempt related charged. They were actually having contact with the minor. If they arranged a meet, would have resulted in them actually meeting a minor. Instead, they were talking to an undercover cop. They didn’t have unlawful contact with anyone. Their actions, even if they met the person they were talking to, would not have resulted in them having any contact with any fifteen year old.
Perhaps they’ve amended some of these laws to overcome these obstacles; I’m not sure. Maybe I’m wrong and there are court cases out there that say I’m wrong. But if you apply the law as they taught us, it seems like many of these charges should not stick.
Look, I don’t feel any real sympathy for these guys. Even if they would never have had actually had the opportunity to really meet a minor girl (or boy), their actions are hardly admirable. It’s terrible to arrange a meeting with someone you think is underage for a sexual encounter. The problem that I don’t think they are catching people who are actually the ones harming young people. They are catching stupid horny guys who would never have hooked up with a minor girl. Are we really safer from having caught these guys?
Look, I know that it’s not always easy to protect our children from harm, and perhaps the police have good intentions. I just don’t think that we are any safer at all from these stings.
Snail's Pace
This morning when I was taking the kids to school, I noticed some snails in the potted plants outside the front door. When I returned from dropping the kids off, I got my camera and my macro lens flash.
My Christmas present this year was a Canon MR14EX ring flash. The MR14 is a flash designed for macro lenses. Macro lenses are used to get very close to the subject. They can focus at a very short distance and fill up the frame with even a small subject. My macro lens is the Canon 100mm 2.8 macro lens.
Unlike most external flashes (ones not built into the camera) which are mounted on top of the camera (bad way to do it) or externally on a light stand, the MR14 is a ring flash. It actually mounts on the end of the lens. There is a flash on both sides to help to provide more uniform lighting on such small subjects.
Anyway, I took some photos of the snails. While I realize that they are not the most beautiful subject, they do have an interesting look and skin texture.
Anyway, I ga
My Christmas present this year was a Canon MR14EX ring flash. The MR14 is a flash designed for macro lenses. Macro lenses are used to get very close to the subject. They can focus at a very short distance and fill up the frame with even a small subject. My macro lens is the Canon 100mm 2.8 macro lens.
Unlike most external flashes (ones not built into the camera) which are mounted on top of the camera (bad way to do it) or externally on a light stand, the MR14 is a ring flash. It actually mounts on the end of the lens. There is a flash on both sides to help to provide more uniform lighting on such small subjects.
Anyway, I took some photos of the snails. While I realize that they are not the most beautiful subject, they do have an interesting look and skin texture.
Anyway, I ga
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Congratulations Jacob, Workouts and Other Musings
Today Jacob received his Webelos badge at the Cub Scout Pack Meeting. He definitely likes awards, and it was nice that he got to come up on stage and receive the badge with one of his fellow scouts.
It seems like the mosquitoes are out in full force, as Tim, Jacob and I seem to be bitten a bit at night. This morning Jacob complained about it when I woke him for school, and Tim said they kept waking her up. I get bit on the fingers and hand a fair bit, perhaps because most of me is covered with a blanket. For some reason, the mosquitoes avoid Nalin and Aleena's room.
I'm enjoying getting back into a new workout routine. In the three days the kids have been back to school, I've swam one kilometer each day, ran twice (albeit shorter runs) and lifted weights twice.
Today Tim went to ceremony for the opening of a new court house in the county where her business is located. She gave a donation and was invited to receive a pin from the Crown Prince. She also had her photo taken with him, although she won't get that for a little while. She had to be there a few hours before the Prince arrived, and there was some type of rehearsal as to how you are supposed to act and what you should do. They gave each person a number that signified the order they were to go up to receive the pin. Apparently, the inability to wait in a line is not limited to checking out at retail and fast food outlets. Tim said some older ladies were trying to cut in line, but someone firmly told them to wait their turn and they did. I really don't understand the hurry here. Its not like you get to leave when you get your pin. If you are first in line, you still have to wait for everyone else. Tim said she did not wear enough jewelery, as apparently a lot of the ladies were decked out in their finest.
It seems like the mosquitoes are out in full force, as Tim, Jacob and I seem to be bitten a bit at night. This morning Jacob complained about it when I woke him for school, and Tim said they kept waking her up. I get bit on the fingers and hand a fair bit, perhaps because most of me is covered with a blanket. For some reason, the mosquitoes avoid Nalin and Aleena's room.
I'm enjoying getting back into a new workout routine. In the three days the kids have been back to school, I've swam one kilometer each day, ran twice (albeit shorter runs) and lifted weights twice.
Today Tim went to ceremony for the opening of a new court house in the county where her business is located. She gave a donation and was invited to receive a pin from the Crown Prince. She also had her photo taken with him, although she won't get that for a little while. She had to be there a few hours before the Prince arrived, and there was some type of rehearsal as to how you are supposed to act and what you should do. They gave each person a number that signified the order they were to go up to receive the pin. Apparently, the inability to wait in a line is not limited to checking out at retail and fast food outlets. Tim said some older ladies were trying to cut in line, but someone firmly told them to wait their turn and they did. I really don't understand the hurry here. Its not like you get to leave when you get your pin. If you are first in line, you still have to wait for everyone else. Tim said she did not wear enough jewelery, as apparently a lot of the ladies were decked out in their finest.
Nalin is Crabby
When we were on the island of Surin, Nalin found a tiny crab and asked me to photographer her with it. I was a bit surprised, because with most animals, she really doesn't to pick them up. I really thought that she would shy away from a crab because of the possibility of pinching, but perhaps that didn't occur to her.
Aleena also posed for the crab, but unfortunately, those shots did not come out well.
Aleena also posed for the crab, but unfortunately, those shots did not come out well.
Nazi?
I was riding my bike back from working out and swimming today. As I drove past ISB, I saw a Thai man who had a cloth over his head. It was the size of a large handkerchief. What really caught my attention was that there was a large black swastika in a white circle surrounded by a red background. I know that it has had different meanings in the past before the Nazi's appropriated it for their own use. When I was in Hong Kong, there was a swastika on the chest of one of the Buddhist statues.
This cloth, however, was not of ancient origin. It looked pretty new and clean, which means it probably was manufactured fairly recently. I wonder if the Thai person using this to keep the sun off his head had any idea of what it symbolized and what people might think if they saw it. Actually, I'm certain he wasn't making a political statement, and if he knew what it meant, that he didn't think it would bother anyone.
This cloth, however, was not of ancient origin. It looked pretty new and clean, which means it probably was manufactured fairly recently. I wonder if the Thai person using this to keep the sun off his head had any idea of what it symbolized and what people might think if they saw it. Actually, I'm certain he wasn't making a political statement, and if he knew what it meant, that he didn't think it would bother anyone.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Can't Help Himself
With Saudi Arabia in the news here, I laughed when I was reading the Bangkok Post yesterday and saw that former Prime Minister Thaksin claimed that he had been asked to sit on the board overseeing a new city project of Saudi King Abdullah. The former PM certainly has a knack for keeping his name on or near the front page of the newspaper. Mark my words, if Antarctica becomes a huge news story here in Thailand, we'll soon here a Thaksin connection.
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