Category: Pettiness

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rePost::Illusions and bitterness – Paul Krugman Blog – NYTimes.com

By all means denounce Obama for his failed bipartisan gestures. By all means criticize the administration. But don’t take it out on the tens of millions of Americans who will have health insurance if this bill passes, but will be out of luck — and, in some cases, dead — if it doesn’t.
via Illusions and bitterness – Paul Krugman Blog – NYTimes.com.

hmm. This is my reply to Sen. Noy’s vote of NO to the budget. I understand that he needs to build his profile and all but this is purely signaling. I suspect this would bite him if he wins the Presidential elections.
from the same linked article:

But what’s happening, I think, goes beyond health care; what we’re seeing is disillusionment with Obama among some of the people who were his most enthusiastic supporters. A lot of people seem shocked to find that he’s not the transformative figure of their imaginations. Can I say I told you so? If you paid attention to what he said, not how he said it, it was obvious from the beginning — and I’m talking about 2007 — that he was going to be much less aggressive about change than one could have hoped. And this has done a lot of damage: I believe he could have taken a tougher line on economic policy and the banks, and was tearing my hair out over his caution early this year. I also believe that if he had been tougher on those issues, he’d be better able to weather disappointment over his health care compromises.

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Funny::AT&T: Strictly for losers

It gets worse. Cringester A. H. swears he saw the words “You’re a Loser” flash across his screen seconds before the official “Sorry; you’re not an instant winner today” graphic displays. Sure enough, perusing that image’s properties shows the alternate text that will appear if your browser can’t display it: “You’re a Loser.”
I am not at all surprised. When you treat your customers with this much contempt, you can’t think of them as anything but losers. I don’t see how Apple can continue its exclusive relationship with AT&T for much longer. It’s becoming an embarrassment.
via AT&T: Strictly for losers.

Companies like this should not be allowed to continue existing.

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Learned Today::The .Plan: A Quasi-Blog: More negative evidence on stretching

Didn’t stretch when I played basketball earlier this afternoon. I didn’t have the time, this was somewhat comforting. PS I was able to do some warmups so the evidence is for what I did! hehehe!

More negative evidence on stretching
For Dr. [Stephen] Thacker's paper “The Impact of Stretching on Sports Injury Risk: A Systematic Review of the Literature,” he and his colleagues pored over nearly 100 other published medical studies on the subject. Their key conclusions: stretching does increase flexibility; the highest-quality studies indicate that this increased flexibility doesn't prevent injuries; few athletes need extreme flexibility to perform their best (perhaps just gymnasts and figure skaters); and more injuries would be prevented by better warmups, by strength training, and by balance exercises, than by stretching.
via The .Plan: A Quasi-Blog: More negative evidence on stretching.

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Funny:: Nice Pacquiao Mention

Smiled reading this!

Q: If the boxing higher-ups had any sense whatsoever they would give us Pacman/Mayweather in six months. I would stop everything to have a fight night party for this event. I have not paid for a boxing event since Holyfield/Lewis in 1999 but I would spend at least $300-$500 to see this. What is the holdup?
— Seth Johnson, Middletown, N.Y.
SG: It’s going to be disappointing. Just warning you now. Floyd Mayweather Jr. could never in a million years trade punches with Manny Pacquiao. He will be on his bicycle for 12 rounds. There is no way that, at this point in his life, Mayweather wants any part of Pacquiao, a concrete-headed, indefatigable freak of nature who can finish with either hand from every angle. If Mayweather gets in the ring, he’ll end up doing more laps than Steve Prefontaine did for the University of Oregon. Just keep your guard up when you’re spending that $64.95.
(Important note: Will I be spending that money? Of course! Happily! I made the decision during Pacman’s glorious evisceration of Miguel Cotto that he finally had reached the exalted “I Don’t Care Who You Are Fighting, I Am Watching It Live & That’s That” status, which puts him in the following company: Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tyson. My own personal Mount Rushmore. Pacquiao hit Tiger/Federer status about a year ago, and nobody cared. That’s why he needs the Mayweather fight so badly. We’ve seen dominant pound-for-pound guys these past two decades, but nobody with finishing power anything like what Pacman has. He’s like a coked-up Aaron Pryor, only without the coke. Insane. If he’s fighting, I am watching.)
via Bill Simmons’ Thanksgiving mailbag – ESPN.

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Impeach The Comelec ::Pleasure and subversion: Psychiatric Association of the Taliban

Impeach the Comelec

Psychiatric Association of the Taliban
Dear Editor
Is there anyway to impeach the following Comelec Comisssioners: Nicodemo T. Ferrer, Lucinito N. Tagle and Elias R. Yusoph?
They must be impeached because they have openly decided to turn the country into a religious state instead of a secular one. I am referring of course to their decision to outlaw Ladlad on the basis of upholding religious beliefs. They quote the Bible and the Koran forgetting that they should consult the Philippine Constitution instead. Only in the Philippines would we have high government officials who state that obedience to religious beliefs trumps other more cogent legal provisions as a basis for policy.
If stupidity were a basis for impeachment, the proceedings would be quite short. Their display of ignorance of current scientific knowledge on sexuality is quite appalling. They should have taken the simple expedient of asking any psychiatrist or psychologist who upholds the standards of organizations like the World Health Organization or the American Psychiatric and Psychological Associations. They would have been told that homosexuality was delisted as a psychological pathology more than 30 years ago. They either did not bother to read for themselves or consulted the psychiatric association of the Taliban when they decided that homosexuality is an abnormality.
As a Filipino citizen who is neither Christian nor Muslim; as a practitioner and teacher in psychology and sexuality; as someone who cares that we do not look like backward bigots to the world community; I urge the impeachment of these men who have violated morals, scientific truths and our laws against discrimination.
I am so upset. I'm gay starting today and until Ladlad gets accredited.
Sylvia Estrada Claudio, M.D. PhD.
Director, University Center for Women’s Studies
Professor of Women and Development Studies
University of the Philippines
Posted by Sylvia Estrada Claudio at 4:08 AM
via Pleasure and subversion: Psychiatric Association of the Taliban.

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Villar: Choose president based on competence, managerial ability – Nation – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News

FUCK  YOU Villar, If manegerial ability is what is really needed then I would rather have someone like Bayani or Binay for president. Mr Villar where was your volunteer operations, were you able to mobilize “UNPAID” people to help you? Yes maybe you are a good manager but what we need is a real leader. The verdict is still out on who is the best leader among you presidential wannabees but You must also understand that a leader is only as good as the (UNPAID/UNCOMPENSATED) people who choose to follow him, and in that department you are sorely lacking!

Villar: Choose president based on competence, managerial ability
AMITA O. LEGASPI, GMANews.TV
10/02/2009 | 03:52 PM
In an obvious snipe at his prospective rivals, Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. on Friday urged Filipinos to choose their next president based not just on popularity but on competence and managerial ability.
Speaking at the national convention of public attorneys at the Manila Hotel, he said having good intentions alone is not enough qualification to lead a country that has plenty of problems to deal with.
“Karanasan sa pamamahala, hindi lang malinis na intensyon ang kailangan natin (Experience in governance, not just good intentions, is what this nation needs)” he said.
via Villar: Choose president based on competence, managerial ability – Nation – GMANews.TV – Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs – Latest Philippine News.

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Catch-22 Philippine Presidential Politics edition

malabo ito masyadong maraming skin in the game na si manny villar, nasa point of no return na siya, although pag pinili niyang hindi tumakbo, naku parang proof na rin iyon na isa siya sa dapat na tumakbo, I like the way this sounds so catch22

Estrada to drop presidential bid if…

By Kristine L. Alave
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:46:00 09/01/2009
Filed Under: Elections, Politics, Inquirer Politics, Eleksyon 2010

MANILA, Philippines—Ousted president Joseph Estrada, who is eyeing another go at the presidency, on Tuesday said he would only cancel his planned run if the entire opposition unites behind Liberal Party’s Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
Estrada said this in the wake Senator Mar Roxas’ announcement of backing out from the presidential race in 2010 throwing his support behind the Aquino should the latter decide to run for the highest post in the land.

Estrada, in a phone interview, said Aquino, son of the late president Corazon “Cory” Aquino and martyred senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., is a qualified candidate, being the son of a hero and a former president.

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Walkable Cities Meme::Does closing roads cut delays? | csmonitor.com

In the Philippines people practice something called counter flowing, this is the act where a driver moves his car and enters a lane that is going at the opposite direction. You see this behavior whenever only one side of a busy road is experiencing heavy traffic. Well this behavior is dependent on two weaknesses. ONe is that when they are trying to get back at the proper lane drivers are either scared or kond enough to let them back into the proper lane. This creates a feedback loop where you one up other people by not following the rules and it is expected. This is bad because this causes the other lane to be more congested and in turn creates a very bad traffic jam. I suggest that traffic enforcers be made to book these traffic offenders to lessen this driving barbarism and that we do not let these types of drivers dominate the streets. If you read the article it has a nice dissection of the problem. The individuals are optimizing for themselves and thereby decreasing the total societal value. What is needed is for traffic enforcers to be the ones, through doing there jobs, force these players into a nash equilibrium where everyone wins!

But maybe these two traffic models have more in common than it first seems. Both encourage individuals to drive more slowly so that everyone gets to his destinations faster. Both favor a holistic approach to traffic, one that designs from the perspective of the overall flow rather than that of an individual driver. And both open up more space for pedestrians.
It’s not too difficult to imagine a city designed with these principles in mind. Fewer roads with slower but smoother traffic. Spaces that can easily be converted to car-free zones to suit the needs of the network. And fewer opportunities for people to drive like jerks. Sounds like a nice place to take a walk, actually.
via Does closing roads cut delays? | csmonitor.com.

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Good Guys Lose

from this excellent post
no comment:

Fortune Favors the Brave by Dr Chris Hart

Chances are your mother always told you to go for a nice guy. Someone who’s dependable, loving, committed and getting on in life. And who likes children.

Good advice, eh? So how come it’s so easy to fall for an out and out rogue? It’s all to do with how bravery’s so seductive. Having a big brave guy at your side – even if only to boost your ego – is pretty irresistible, isn’t it? But what about the sensitive, caring ‘new men’ we’re all supposed to admire? Yes, well maybe. But heroism and risk-taking’s what really gets to us. You prefer a brave man to a wimp, don’t you? Both for a partner or as a friend? Maybe because in the past women needed brave men to protect them and their children. A man who could hunt well and provide food. Even now, in our violent world, having a man around who’s willing to protect you feels like a good idea.


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MRT at Midnight

I intentionally went to work at around noon and left work at around midnight, this was all done to ensure that I would be at the MRT station after midnight!
Some observations:
-I have to confess a certain fantasy that a scene in my sassy girl would be repeated. (No Go)
-I had to wait about 18 minutes for the train to arrive.  I am told that the trains arrive every thirty minutes, but it also depends on the number or people wanting to ride, they adjust depending on demand.
-It’s either surprising because the plain was relatively full without being shoulder to shoulder with other people being the first day, or it is full because it is the first day, I suspect a combination of these two.
-It’s surprising for me that most people were going out at the north avenue station not the cubao station. I believe this is because after around 5 stations taking the mrt is more economical than other transport options.
-I was unlucky enough to be caught in the middle of the downpour. Half of my body was wet.
-Surprising how many of my friends were awake at midnight.

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