Miranda is now in her 32nd week. She is huge and as usual grouchy and .... :(
She is seeing her doctors twice and sometimes three times a week. She is doing very well. (Her doctor said so) Her sugar level is under control, her blood pressure is also under control (I guess she has no stress now) and everything else are good as well.
Now that I am her driver driving her back and forth from the doctors visits, I am missing so much work that I think my stress level is getting up there :)
We visited her perinatologist this morning. They did all the routine tests and they measured the fetus' growth again. Everything is good and the doctor is very happy with her progress. The baby now weighs 4 1/2 pounds.
We are now looking forward to the 36th week, when the doctor will do an amniocentesis to determine if the baby's lungs are matured enough to breath on his own. Once his lungs is ready, the doctor will deliver the baby to avoid any further complications.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We will keep you posted.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Our Email to Jan, our Special Counsel regarding AQMD's Recent Letter
From: Citizens Against Stadium <citizensagainststadium@gmail.com >
Date: Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 1:11 PM
Subject: AQMD's Recent Letter
To: Jan Chatten-Brown
Date: Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 1:11 PM
Subject: AQMD's Recent Letter
To: Jan Chatten-Brown
Dear Jan,
CAS is always concerned about the deficiency of SEIR approved by the City of Industry and friends of CAS have been very actively pursuing various public agencies' comments with regarding to the proposed Stadium project.
Recently, a friend of CAS, Howard Wang, pursued the road of AQMD. On Feb 6, 2009, he went to the AQMD board meeting and spoke in front the entire Board meeting during the oral communication. He was the first one to speak. As you can read from the attached AQMD public comments by Howard, he made a very powerful speech. His speech was immediately echoed by the Chairman of the Board of AQMD, Dr. Burke. Subsequently, the SCAQMD did issue comments and guidelines to the City of Industry's SEIR on Feb. 11, 2009 (see attached). We have read their letter and are thrilled by the AQMD's comments such as "As acknowledged in the Draft SEIR, air quality impacts from the proposed project are expected to exceed most of the SCAQMD's recommended regional significance thresholds for construction and operation by a wide margin and are also expected to exceed the localized thresholds for PM2.5 and PM10 by a relatively large margin during construction." ; However, it seems to us that the following concerns were not addressed by the SCAQMD sufficiently:
1. The lack of enough comments and demands from AQMD with regarding to the air quality impacts of the continuous operation of the stadium combined with the grid lock traffic.
2. The air quality effects of the proposed 'peak-time' GAS-FIRED Power Plant at the Bixby Rd.
3. The greenhouse effect of the 660 acres greenery turned into a 660 acres of asphalt area that has the potential of increasing carbon/dioxide emissions as well as overall temperature in our region.
We are wondering if the above concerns can be raised by you during future litigation. San Gabriel Valley has the worst air quality in the nation. Stadium certainly will not help improve that title. Howard Wang has done a great job in AQMD meeting. Now we are counting on you to protect us with the many serious issues of air quality.
Thank you for your continuing response to our concerns.
Sincerely,
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
An Open Letter to Jan Chatten-Brown from CAS
From: Citizens Against Stadium <citizensagainststadium@gmail.com >
Date: Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 11:24 AM
Subject: An Open Letter to Jan Chatten-Brown from CAS
To: Citizens Against Stadium <citizensagainststadium@gmail.com >
Cc: jlim@ci.walnut.ca.us, tcartagena@ci.walnut.ca.us, tking@ci.walnut.ca.us, msu@ci.walnut.ca.us, ntragarz@ci.walnut.ca.us
Date: Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 11:24 AM
Subject: An Open Letter to Jan Chatten-Brown from CAS
To: Citizens Against Stadium <citizensagainststadium@gmail.
Cc: jlim@ci.walnut.ca.us, tcartagena@ci.walnut.ca.us, tking@ci.walnut.ca.us, msu@ci.walnut.ca.us, ntragarz@ci.walnut.ca.us
Feb. 11, 2009
Dear Jan,
Thank you for your 'Open Letter to Residents of Walnut Concerned about the Proposed NFL Stadium' (see attached)
After review of your letter, we as a group of very concerned residents in the Walnut and Diamond Bar area, would like to express our serious concerns and comments to your letter as follows:
1. Why did we see so many times, the word "mitigation measures" in your letter? In the third paragraph you wrote you will ask Industry to "adopt all feasible mitigation measures and alternatives." In the fourth paragraph you wrote "the City of Walnut will continue to try to identify the most stringent mitigation measures feasible and propose them to Industry in case the stadium project is ultimately approved." You also wrote you want our views, and said "Your views on what measures could be best to protect the interests of Walnut residents would be very much welcome."
We think the central focus of your work for us should not be to keep finding 'Mitigation Measures' instead, your focus should be to ask the City of Industry to redo a completely new EIR which will fully disclose all the negative impacts which were either not disclosed, or not fully disclosed, or disclosed in error in the EIR they just certified!
2. In your 5th paragraph, you asked the residents to provide you with specific adverse impacts of the proposed stadium project. The whole purpose of a new EIR is to disclose all of the specific adverse impacts. We need to hire a team of experts to provide accurate data to prove to the court that serious adverse environmental impacts do exist! It should be our City's responsibility to hire a team of experts to gather all the specific adverse impact information. You wrote we need "photographs of traffic or testimony about how long it already takes you to travel on streets that would be impacted". This data might be helpful, but what we really need again is comprehensive expert analysis and evaluation of all the negative impacts, supported by accurate data and not a few residents' unscientific pictures or comments!
3. In your 6th paragraph, you asked us to provide you with studies about "economic benefit". If you go to our website http://www.nonflstadium.com , you will find so many study and articles about this subject. Attached is the link to one of the studies at http://www.cppa.utah.edu/
There is so much research available to prove that the long term, sustaining 'economic benefit' from stadium project claimed by the developer is simply not true.
4. In your 7th paragraph, you asked us to explain why the Industrial Business Center planned originally would be better than the Stadium and Entertainment Complex.
Again, it is unfair for the residents to provide you the explanation. This analysis should be done by the traffic engineer, economist and other experts who must be hired by our City, to fully compare the two projects economic and environmental impacts to the regions.
We have consulted with other real estate attorneys who are well versed in the CEQA law, and we were advised that:
If we want to legally challenge the EIR, it is perfectly legal to do so NOW!!!
We know that you are a very reputable environmental attorney. Unless you have been instructed otherwise by our City Council Members, we urge you to reconsider your present stand on legal action to challenge the EIR and advise our City Council members to authorize you to take that action NOW!
We, the Walnut residents are counting on you to take the most aggressive stand to legally challenge the EIR NOW and later legally challenge the 'Project' once it is approved. We look forward to your continuing effort to protect us. We will do our very best to support you. Your hard work and the ultimate success will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
CITIZENS AGAINST STADIUM
PROTECT WALNUT, DIAMOND BAR, ROWLAND HEIGHTS, AND OTHER SURROUNDING CITIES!
PROTECT OUR CHILDREN AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE!
PS. We noticed that your open letter was printed on the City of Walnut's letterhead without your signature, please provide explanation if possible. Thanks
Open Letter to Residents of Walnut Concerned about the Proposed NFL StadiumEmail from Leo Lee, a traffic engineer for 30 years regarding the 'misleading' info. on 'traffic' impact put out by the developer
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Leo Lee
Date: Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Subject: Stadium Flyer
To: Citizens Against Stadium <citizensagainststadium@gmail.com >, Save My Valley <SaveMyValley@yahoo.com>, Jaoquin Lim <jlim@ci.walnut.ca.us>, T King <tking@ci.walnut.ca.us>, M Su <msu@ci.walnut.ca.us>
I got a flyer in the mail today about the proposed stadium that I suppose is mailed to all Walnut residents. It has an article entitled "The Truth about Traffic" that talks about how little traffic impacts there will be to Walnut roads, and an addition of "about 1900 cars would be added on Grand Avenue through Walnut, not the 75,000 cars some stadium opponents claim".
As a Traffic Engineer by profession of 30 years, I cannot agree with its content. I have reviewed the Traffic Impact section of the SEIR, and I found that it is flawed in its basic assumptions.
Firstly, it is a supplemental EIR to the IBC development. A stadium is a major land use change that would require an EIR of its own.
Secondly, the study only attempts to address the traffic impacts of the proposed stadium and associated facilities, it doesn't address the impacts of 'secondary developments' - hotels, restaurants, bars, etc. that would spring up in the surrounding neighborhoods spurred by the stadium.
Thirdly, even the technical analysis was flawed, leading to a gross underestimation of the amount of traffic that may be generated (like only 1900 cars on Grand).
Fourthly, it doesn't address how the traffic mitigation requirements will be built. The study recommended widening Grand Ave at a number of intersections, but the City of Industry will only be responsible for a 'fair share' of 10% to 40% typically, depending on the location. But without the stadium, these widening would not be required, so the fair share analysis is not applicable here. Fair share allocation is usually used in smaller developments whereby the impacts are so small that it won't warrant any immediate improvements, and yet the improvements may be needed in future when the cumulative impacts of the future developments make the mitigation measures necessary, so a 'fair share' cost is applied to this current developer such that the City gets a coffer of money for future mitigation use. A Stadium by itself is a major developments, so that any negative impacts shall be 100% paid for by it.
Please spread this word so that more City residents is aware of this and will not be misled.
From: Leo Lee
Date: Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Subject: Stadium Flyer
To: Citizens Against Stadium <citizensagainststadium@gmail.
I got a flyer in the mail today about the proposed stadium that I suppose is mailed to all Walnut residents. It has an article entitled "The Truth about Traffic" that talks about how little traffic impacts there will be to Walnut roads, and an addition of "about 1900 cars would be added on Grand Avenue through Walnut, not the 75,000 cars some stadium opponents claim".
As a Traffic Engineer by profession of 30 years, I cannot agree with its content. I have reviewed the Traffic Impact section of the SEIR, and I found that it is flawed in its basic assumptions.
Firstly, it is a supplemental EIR to the IBC development. A stadium is a major land use change that would require an EIR of its own.
Secondly, the study only attempts to address the traffic impacts of the proposed stadium and associated facilities, it doesn't address the impacts of 'secondary developments' - hotels, restaurants, bars, etc. that would spring up in the surrounding neighborhoods spurred by the stadium.
Thirdly, even the technical analysis was flawed, leading to a gross underestimation of the amount of traffic that may be generated (like only 1900 cars on Grand).
Fourthly, it doesn't address how the traffic mitigation requirements will be built. The study recommended widening Grand Ave at a number of intersections, but the City of Industry will only be responsible for a 'fair share' of 10% to 40% typically, depending on the location. But without the stadium, these widening would not be required, so the fair share analysis is not applicable here. Fair share allocation is usually used in smaller developments whereby the impacts are so small that it won't warrant any immediate improvements, and yet the improvements may be needed in future when the cumulative impacts of the future developments make the mitigation measures necessary, so a 'fair share' cost is applied to this current developer such that the City gets a coffer of money for future mitigation use. A Stadium by itself is a major developments, so that any negative impacts shall be 100% paid for by it.
Please spread this word so that more City residents is aware of this and will not be misled.
Monday, February 23, 2009
降落古晉機場‧亞航客機爆胎滑出跑道
砂拉越‧古晉）亞航一架客機於週日（2月22日）晚上在古晉國際機場降落時，因爆胎導致客機滑出跑道。
這起事件是週日晚上9時許在古晉國際機場發生，發生意外的客機是亞航AK2512班機，從吉隆坡飛往古晉。
據機場詢問柜台消息指出，客機在降落跑道時因輪胎爆胎，滑行偏離原本路線，衝出跑道。
事發後，機場相關單位即刻前往處理，而浮羅岸消拯單位接獲通知後也趕到現場提供協助，同時當局也派出巴士把乘客載往機場。
據本市一名旅行社員工在機場指出，上述班機因在吉隆坡延遲起飛30分鐘，因此在晚間8時30分才從吉隆坡起飛，9時許抵達古晉國際機場，不料卻發生爆胎事故。
另外，因上述爆胎事故，多趟航班遭受影響，其中多趟晚間10時許原本飛抵古晉國際機場的班機被迫轉往其他機場降落。
Details of state, federal tax changes
Kathleen Pender
Sunday, February 22, 2009
If you're feeling dazed and confused about your finances these days, join the club.
In the past two weeks alone: Congress passed an $800 billion economic stimulus bill that includes more than a dozen new tax cuts, mostly for low- and middle-income Americans. The Treasury Department announced a $2.5 trillion bank-rescue plan. President Obama launched a $275 billion housing program that will provide mortgage relief to some homeowners but not others. And the California Legislature raised state income and sales taxes and vehicle license fees.
Will these changes, taken together, leave you better or worse off?
The answer depends on whether you are working, retired or unemployed; your income; how many kids you have and if any are in college; whether you buy a house or car; who owns your mortgage; how you commute to work and other factors.
As you can see, many of us will never know the answer.
That's a problem for the economy, which desperately needs a jolt of business and consumer confidence.
The biggest enemies of confidence are fear and uncertainty. Perversely, these efforts to right the economy seem to be breeding more fear and uncertainty.
It's hard to feel confident when our president and governor warn us we are on the brink of "catastrophe." Even if that word is used as a political ploy to rally support for a stimulus bill or budget, some people take it literally.
And it's hard to feel certain about anything when the rules change almost daily and are virtually impossible to understand.
Let's take one example.
To stimulate new-car sales, Congress created a tax break. If you buy a new car or truck between Tuesday and Dec. 31, you can deduct - on your federal tax return - the state and local sales tax paid on up to $49,500 of purchase price.
If you take the standard deduction, you simply add the sales tax to your standard deduction.
If you itemize deductions, you add it to your deduction for state income taxes.
However, if you itemize and have been deducting sales taxes in lieu of state income taxes, "you get the car-sales-tax as part of your normal sales-tax calculation and this legislation gives you nothing additional," says Mark Luscombe, principal tax analyst with the tax information firm CCH. People in this situation might be better off taking the standard deduction or itemizing deductions and choosing the state-income-tax option and adding the car-sales-tax to one of those.
Like most tax breaks, this one phases out - or shrinks and eventually disappears - if you make too much money. The phaseout range is $125,000 to $135,000 in adjusted gross income for single taxpayers and $250,000 to $260,000 for married couples filing jointly.
Tempted to buy a new car? Not so fast.
In California, you'll pay more to the state.
The sales tax is going up by one percentage point April 1. If you qualify for the new federal tax deduction, that's not a problem. Bear in mind, though, that sales taxes are not deductible on your state tax return.
Also, the annual vehicle license fee will rise from 0.65 percent to 1.15 percent of market value starting May 19. If you trade in an old clunker for a new set of wheels, be prepared for a big fee increase.
Drawing conclusions
What conclusions, if any, can we draw about these tax changes?
Federal tax breaks, which go mainly to low- and middle-income taxpayers, will be undercut by state tax hikes, which will be spread across the board.
Under the federal stimulus plan, virtually all of the tax breaks phase out for higher-income taxpayers. The phaseout range is different for every break.
The broadest tax break: Most workers will get a federal tax credit equal to 6.2 percent of wages up to $400 per person in 2009 and again in 2010. Couples can get up to $800 each year, even if only one spouse works, says Roberton Williams, senior fellow with the Tax Policy Center.
The credit will start showing up in paychecks this summer in the form of lower federal tax withholding. This credit phases out for singles with $75,000 to $95,000 in adjusted gross income and for couples with $150,000 to $190,000 in adjusted gross income.
Low-income families will do especially well under the federal stimulus.
The existing $1,000 child credit will be extended to more families that don't earn enough to pay income taxes. Low-income families with three or more children also will get an expanded earned income tax credit.
Many of these federal tax breaks will be offset by tax increases in California.
The state income tax rate is going up across the board, either by 0.25 percent or 0.125 percent, depending on how much money California gets from the federal stimulus plan.
Families with children will also pay more because the state tax credit for dependents will shrink from $309 per eligible dependent to $99.
Credit for home buyers
The federal and state governments have both created credits for home buyers, but the rules are quite different.
Under the federal plan, if you have not owned a home in the past three years and buy a new or existing home between Jan. 1 and November 30, you could get an $8,000 federal tax credit. This credit is refundable, which means you can get it even if you don't earn enough money to owe taxes. The credit phases out between $75,000 and $95,000 in income for singles and $150,000 and $170,000 for couples.
Under the state plan, if you buy a newly built home in California on or after March 1, 2009 and before March 1, 2010, you will be eligible for a state tax credit equal to 5 percent of the purchase price or $10,000, whichever is less, according to Gina Rodriquez, Spidell Publishing's Sacramento editor. The credit must be spread over three years, and you don't have to be a first-time buyer.
Within one week of the sale, the seller must certify to the California Franchise Tax Board that the home was new and unoccupied. The state has set aside $100 million for this program and will dole it out on a first come, first served basis. There is no income limit on the credit, but it's nonrefundable: You can't benefit from it if you don't pay state taxes.
You'll have to pay back the state credit if you don't live in the home for two years, and repay the federal credit if you move out before three years.
In the weeks ahead, I'll try to explain more details of these plans. If you have questions, drop me an e-mail and I'll answer as many as possible in my column.
Net Worth runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. E-mail Kathleen Pender at kpender@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page D - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Schwarzenegger Signs California Budget, Tax Measures
By Michael B. Marois
Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a $130 billion budget and a package of tax increases, spending cuts and borrowing plans, ending a four- monthlong impasse that left the most populous U.S. state on the verge of going broke.
The nearly three-dozen bills Schwarzenegger signed close a record $42 billion deficit expected over the next 16 months, enact a $92.2 billion general fund budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, make mid-year cuts to the current budget and place eight related measures on statewide ballots for voters to consider. He vetoed $1 billion of spending from the budget.
Passage in the Senate yesterday ended a deadlock in the Legislature that left California short of cash and with the lowest credit rating among U.S. states. The impasse threatened the jobs of 10,000 government workers and had forced the state to halt $5.5 billion of bond-financed construction of schools roads and other public works.
“During a down economy and facing an historic budget deficit we had to make some very difficult decisions, but I am very proud that California is back on the best path forward,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement. The signing was not done in public.
The budget raises the state sales-tax rate to 8.25 percent from 7.25 percent and boosts vehicle license fees to 1.15 percent from 0.65 percent of the value of an automobile. The package doesn’t contain a gasoline-tax increase that was included in previous versions.
Tax Increases
The plan also adds 0.25 percentage point to all personal income tax brackets for two years, so that a resident currently taxed at 8 percent will face an 8.25 percent levy. That increase would drop to 0.125 percentage point depending upon how much money California receives under the economic stimulus measure signed by President Barack Obama. The budget anticipates at least $7.8 billion in such federal funds.
The spending plan also cuts $15 billion of spending, half from schools and colleges, and anticipates issuing $5 billion of bonds backed by the state’s lottery, though voters must approve the debt in an election in May.
The cornerstone of the plan, $13 billion of tax increases, passed after Republican Senator Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria broke ranks with his party to cast the deciding vote in exchange for support of unrelated changes to election law. His support allowed the budget package to attain the two-thirds majority needed for approval in the Senate, where it had languished since Feb. 14.
Democratic Control
While Democrats control both chambers of the Legislature, taxes and budgets must be approved by a two-thirds supermajority equal to 27 of 40 seats in the Senate and 54 of 80 in the Assembly. The tax increase passed 27-12 in the Senate; 54-26 in the Assembly.
Signing the budget will restore California’s ability to raise money by selling bonds to investors, which it hasn’t done since June. Without the ability to borrow, the state in December cut off funding for 5,300 public works projects, seeking to conserve cash until the Legislature acted.
Treasurer Bill Lockyer will review the state’s finances over the next few weeks with an eye toward returning to the bond market “as soon as possible,” he said in a statement today.
“This budget paves a major segment of the state’s road back into the bond market,” he said. “We’re still assessing all the short-term and longer-term ramifications of the final product, but I believe investors will conclude this plan passes the credibility test.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Michael B. Marois in Sacramento at mmarois@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: February 20, 2009 17:50 ESTSunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The power of encouragement - is it in you?
Randy Jelinek - 2/21/2009 5:00:00 AM
In these challenging and confusing times many people may be questioning God's sovereignty and pre-eminence in the universe. The question is not why this is happening. The question is: How are we, as Christians, demonstrating our faith to others in a time of great need and uncertainty.
In these challenging and confusing times many people may be questioning God's sovereignty and pre-eminence in the universe. The question is not why this is happening. The question is: How are we, as Christians, demonstrating our faith to others in a time of great need and uncertainty.
Perhaps you heard the unbelievably tragic story of a husband and wife from Los Angeles, who both lost their jobs and decided to commit joint suicide. As horrific as that idea sounds, what came next was beyond belief: What to do with the children?
In a downward spiral of utter hopelessness, these unfortunate souls did what they thought would be best. Not wanting their children to be cared for by strangers, they decided to take them with them. That's right. They killed them -- and then they took their own lives.
As tough as it may be for those of us who have lost jobs or can't pay the mortgage or the light bill or the phone bill, we have to recognize that God has placed us here for such a time as this. What does the salt and light look like to a lost and hurting world at a time like this?
I'll tell you what it looks like: It looks like courage in the face of adversity; a peace that surpasses all understanding; and most importantly, like Christians love one another, genuinely.
Far from pretending everything is fine or the pain of job loss isn't as real for Christians as it is for non-Christians, the reality of the recession presents an opportunity to reach others who would never otherwise be open to receive Christ.
There is a sea of lost souls who know neither the truth of Heaven, nor the reality of Hell. Will your encouragement and example at a time of great need be a bridge that leads them to Christ?
As a Christian, you can be a light in the darkness during these extraordinary times; a light to Christians and non-Christians alike.
That's why in addition to calling those Christian friends you know are hurting, why not make an extra effort to call non-Christian acquaintances, co-workers and even strangers, and simply be a friend?
Pray and ask God to bring to mind the face of someone who could use a call from a friendly voice. When you call, tell them that God put them on your heart. That in itself could be a huge comfort.
Openly and actively decide to be an encourager to those around you -- especially those God brings to mind in prayer.
Be obedient to that divine nudge. When it comes, call them. Even if you don't know the person that well -- call them anyway. Your call, out of the blue, could be the only call this person gets that isn't from a bill collector.
To understand the power of encouragement you must understand the resurrection power of Christ manifested in you. You are His tool, created for His purposes.
Challenging times bring out the best in some and the worst in others. Those surrounded by friends and family and the support of a caring community will fair much better than those who are cut off, isolated, and alone.
Your call will not only make someone's day. It could save someone's life...and maybe even their soul.
Eat Healthy!
THE LAST LINE SUMS IT ALL UP !!!! (but read your way through to the last line!)
I love this Doctor
Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
'If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
And remember:
'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride!'
AND......
For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans..
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
Courtesy of my brother Lok
I love this Doctor
Q: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
'If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
And remember:
'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO, What a Ride!'
AND......
For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.
1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans..
3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
CONCLUSION
Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.
Courtesy of my brother Lok
Friday, February 20, 2009
Difference between White friends and Mexican friends
WHITE FRIENDS: Never ask for food
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Are the reason you have no food.
WHITE FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Call your parents mom and dad.
WHITE FRIENDS: Bail you out of jail and tell you what you did was wrong.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Would be sitting next to you saying, Damn...we fucked up...but that shit was fun!"
WHITE FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Cry with you.
WHITE FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Keep your shit so long they forget it's yours.
WHITE FRIENDS: know a few things about you.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.
WHITE FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds ass that left you.
WHITE FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, "I'm home!"
WHITE FRIENDS: Are for a while.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Are for life.
WHITE FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, "Bitch, you better drink the rest of that, you know we don't waste!!"
WHITE FRIENDS: Will talk shit to the person who talks shit about you.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Will knock them the fuck out!!
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Are the reason you have no food.
WHITE FRIENDS: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Call your parents mom and dad.
WHITE FRIENDS: Bail you out of jail and tell you what you did was wrong.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Would be sitting next to you saying, Damn...we fucked up...but that shit was fun!"
WHITE FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Cry with you.
WHITE FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Keep your shit so long they forget it's yours.
WHITE FRIENDS: know a few things about you.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.
WHITE FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Will kick the whole crowds ass that left you.
WHITE FRIENDS: Would knock on your door.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Walk right in and say, "I'm home!"
WHITE FRIENDS: Are for a while.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Are for life.
WHITE FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had enough.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, "Bitch, you better drink the rest of that, you know we don't waste!!"
WHITE FRIENDS: Will talk shit to the person who talks shit about you.
MEXICAN FRIENDS: Will knock them the fuck out!!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Walnut mayor sworn in amid controversy
Created: 02/14/2009 11:41:34 PM PST
Mary Su made history last week when she was sworn in as Walnut's first female Chinese-American mayor.
But tension was high as divisions in the city over a proposed NFL stadium in neighboring Industry dominated the ceremony.
More than 250 people crammed into the Walnut council chambers Wednesday and packed into the adjacent overflow room.
"I'm very proud because I'm also Chinese-American and she helps so many people in this community," said Jessica Lee, 17, of Walnut, this year's Miss Teen Taiwan World Queen. "She's the first Chinese-American woman to be mayor in Walnut, and I'm sure she inspires a lot of people in the community.
"The day before the swearing-in ceremony, members of the vocal community group Citizens Against the Stadium filed recall paperwork against Su and Councilwoman Nancy Tragarz.The group said they did not feel the two showed enough opposition to the project.
Members of the group were also angry about views expressed by the city attorney on the likelihood a lawsuit could stop a project in a neighboring city.
The council was scheduled to "evaluate the performance" of City Attorney Mike Montgomery, with possible action. Some had speculated he would be terminated, but the council expressed overall satisfaction with his performance and no action was taken.
Michael West, who lost a bid for City Council in April's election, is spearheading the recall effort.
He said community members were angry the council voted in closed session to suspend a citizens' stadium task force.
"It really shows where you're coming from and what your intentions are," he said. "(Councilman) Joaquin Lim has shown a lot of leadership.
"Officials have said the task force, appointed by the council to research the project, was suspended because a special attorney was hired to begin legal consulting on the stadium issue.
Some wore white T-shirts that said "No Stadium," while others wore stickers that read "Yes Stadium, Yes Jobs.
"In a move some called unheard of in Walnut, Lim, who has led an anti-stadium movement, abstained from voting for Su. He strongly disagrees with her on the stadium, he said.
"The stadium has become the centerpiece of politics and Walnut today," he said. "We don't see eye-to-eye on the stadium.
"Walnut residents expressed a wide variety of sentiments Wednesday night. Some talked about the recall effort.
"I want to let you guys know we're behind you," Kenny Silverberg told Su and Tragarz. "(They) are trying to recall people that have tried to help our community.
"Others talked of the $800million stadium and entertainment complex proposed for Industry by billionaire developer Ed Roski Jr. and his Majestic Realty Co.
Resident Brigid Bjerke said she wanted the council to pull out all the stops to halt the stadium.
Photo Gallery
Recall Election in Walnut?
From: Nancy Tragarz [mailto:ntragarz@verizon.net]
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 2:42 PM
To: 'Nancy Tragarz'
Subject: recall
The proponents of the recall claim Mary Su and I are not doing enough to oppose the stadium. I believe I have done everything I can legally or politically do to oppose the stadium and over the last six months I have spent hundreds of hours researching the facts, laws, speaking to elected officials and their staff and seeking support from the SQAMD, WVUSD and Regional Chamber of Commerce by speaking out at their board meetings The Council has done everything the CAS (Citizens Against the Stadium) group has asked us to do. The Stadium is NOT in our City. Attached is a timeline. Any phone calls or emails you can send AGAINST THE RECALL to the attached list of recall leaders would be great. Also attached is an Open Letter to Walnut Residents from the City's Special Counsel, an environmental law attorney we hired to advise us on this matter. Note a recall election would cost the City thousands and thousands of dollars. Mary Su and I need all the support we can get right now.
The recall isn't really about the stadium, it is about politics. See email below sent just after the election in April, long before the stadium issue arose. Only they are going after me since Tom King recused himself from the stadium issue. Tom Sykes would NOT help them.
----- Original Message -----
From: Lawrence Reinhold
To: 'Tom Sykes' ; Pissedoffpapa@aol.com
Cc: 'J.A. Lim' ; 'JUNE WENTWORTH' ; rexyee@juno.com ; 'Rex Yee'
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 11:13 AM
Subject: Next Election Cycle
Hello Tom:
Sorry about the election.
Are you interested in working with me to help bring about change on the council? I would like to see Mr. King replaced at a minimum, but my goal is to replace both Mr. King and Ms. Su.
Please understand, I am not suggesting that you run again. I am asking you to help me. I believe your assistance along with others will be quiet rewarding.
Lawrence Reinhold
Law Office Of Lawrence Reinhold
A Professional Law Corporation
9660 Flair Drive, Suite 438
El Monte, California 91731
Ph: 626.453.8880
Fax: 626.453.8887
Email: lr@law-r.com
Website: www.law-r.com
Time Line
Open Letter Stadium
Recall Leaders
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Perak Speaker suspends entire Exco
Wednesday, 18 February 2009 19:31
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider
Perak state assembly speaker V Sivakumar has suspended Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and his six state executive councillors from the state assembly for 18 and 12 months respectively for contempt of the assembly.
In a printed statement released to the press this evening, Speaker V Sivakumar, as chairman of the committee, said that this was because the seven BN lawmakers failed to give any explanation during the inquiry convened after Wong Kah Woh (DAP-Canning) had last Thursday made an official complaint.
“I have decided to bar Datuk Zambry with immediate effect from attending any assembly session for the next 18 months and the six exco members have also been barred for 12 months,” stated Sivakumar.
Earlier, Wong told reporters that he had “presented my complaint against the appointments of Zambry and the six excos which were unconstitutional before the committee,” before leaving the inquiry held at the state secretariat.
Arriving at 3pm, Zambry and his six state executive councillors spent just half an hour before the state assembly’s privileges committee before leaving without speaking to reporters today.
The committee remained holed out in a meeting room at the state secretariat after Zambry and his exco left and exited at 6.30pm.
Sivakumar was quizzed as to whether he or the committee had the power to suspend the assemblymen without first bringing it before the assembly as he left the state secretariat building.
“I will notify the assembly,” he told reporters before leaving in his car.
When Sivakumar had told the press last Saturday that the committee was summoning Zambry and his exco, he had said that the committee can only carry out an investigation and table a report and proposal at the next assembly sitting for the assembly to decide on.
Referring the BN government to the committee is one of Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) last-gasp strategies to reverse the Feb 5 power grab masterminded by BN chairman-elect Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The ousted mentri besar, Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin has also filed a legal suit in the Kuala Kumpur High Court to declare Zambry’s administration illegal.
The privileges committee is made up of PR assemblymen with only one representative from BN, Temenggor’s Datuk Hasbullah Osman who was absent from today’s hearing.
The six exco members are Perak MCA Youth chief Dr Mah Hang Soon (Chenderiang), Perak Umno Youth chief Zainol Fadzi Paharudin (Sungai Manik), Hamidah Osman (Sungai Rapat), Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid (Kamunting), Datuk Ramly Zahari (Manong) and Datuk Saarani Mohamad (Kota Tampan).
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Abolishing Monarchy.... Who is next?
Throughout history monarchies have been abolished either through legislative reforms, coups d’etat, or wars.
One example is the overthrow in 1649 of the English monarchy by the Parliament of England, led by Oliver Cromwell. The monarchy was restored in 1660. Another is the abolition of the French monarchy in 1792, during the French Revolution. The French monarchy was later restored several times until 1871. The ancient monarchy of China ceased to exist in 1912 after the revolution of Sun Yat-Sen. The last emperor of Korea lost his throne in 1910 when the country was annexed by Japan. After the death of the last khagan in 1924 Mongolia became a republic.
In 1893 foreign business leaders overthrew the Queen of the Kingdom of Hawaii. They established a republic, which joined the United States in 1898. The monarchy of Portugal was overthrown in 1910, two years after the assassination of King Carlos I.
World War I led to perhaps the greatest spate of abolition of monarchies in history. The conditions inside Russia and the poor performance in the war gave rise to a communist revolution which toppled the entire institution of the monarchy, executed the Tsar and implemented a proletarian dictatorship. The defeated empires of Germany, Austria and Turkey saw the abolition of their monarchies in the close aftermath of the war. During the war, monarchies were planned for the Grand Duchy of Finland (to have a Finnish King), and for Lithuania (Mindaugas II of Lithuania), with a protectorate-like dependency of Germany. Both intended kings renounced their thrones after Germany’s defeat in November 1918.
In 1939 Italy invaded Albania and removed the existing King Zog and instated the Italian King as its new monarch. Italy, along with the other eastern European monarchies of Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania joined with Germany in World War II against the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the western allies and the Soviet Union. As the axis powers came to a defeat in the war, communist partisans in occupied Yugoslavia and occupied Albania seized power and ended the monarchies. Communists in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania removed their monarchies with strong backing by the Soviet Union, which had many troops and supporters placed there during the course of the war. The King of Italy had switched sides during the war in favour of the western allies, but a referendum in 1946 saw the monarchy ended there as well. A unique feature of the war was the Japanese Emperor who had held a debated but important role in Japan’s warfare against the allied powers, being reduced in stature from a divine monarch to a figurehead one by the occupying United States, instead of being abolished altogether.
In Greece the king was forced into exile after a coup d’état in 1967 and the republic was proclaimed in 1973 (confirmed by referendum in 1974).
The monarchies of India, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe were abolished when, or shortly after, they became independent of the United Kingdom, while remaining within the Commonwealth in the middle of the 20th century or later. That of Ireland was not abolished when Ireland became independent of the United Kingdom in the 1920s, but was abolished by the Republic of Ireland Act of 1948, which came into force in 1949. Pakistan became a republic in 1956. The monarchy in South Africa was abolished in 1961 by referendum. The latest country to become a Commonwealth republic was Mauritius in 1992.
That of Egypt and Sudan was abolished in 1953, after the revolution of 1952; that of Tunisia in 1957, that of Iraq in 1958, that of Libya in 1969, that of Iran was abolished by the Islamic revolution of 1979. In Ethiopia the emperor lost his throne in 1975 due to a communist takeover. Communist revolutions put to end the monarchies of Indochina after World War II: Vietnam in 1955, Laos in 1975 and Cambodia in 1970. Later the monarchy was restored in Cambodia under Norodom Sihanouk in 1993.
Brazil rejected an attempt to restore its monarchy in the 1990s, while efforts to restore the monarchies of some of the Balkanstates in the former Eastern Bloc continue. In Bulgaria, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who was deposed from the Bulgarian throne in 1946, was elected and recently served as the Prime Minister of his country from 2001 to 2005. In a 1999 referendum, the voters of Australia rejected a proposal to abolish their monarchy in favour of a specific republic model. The proposal was rejected in all states, with only the Australian Capital Territory voting in favour.
On December 24, 2007, the Nepalese government decided in an accord to abolish the monarchy after the elections to be held in April, 2008. The Nepalese monarchy was formally abolished on 28 May, 2008.
WHO IS NEXT?
No sex, please, we’re Malaysian. Right! – The Malaysian Insider
FEB 17 – Despite her brave words a day earlier about staying on and serving the people, Elizabeth Wong today tearfully quit all her political posts over a nude photographs and video controversy that rocked her party.
There were more calls for her to stay on than to step down. She was urged to remain by nearly 90 per cent of The Malaysian Insider readers in a snapshot of a poll at 1.10pm today.
But she decided to quit, knowing full well the impact of the controversy to the Pakatan Rakyat coalition and PKR as both battle twin by-elections after losing the Perak government and three lawmakers earlier this month.
In Malaysia, party comes above self and no one really survives a sex scandal, as the 37-year-old politician popularly known as Eli found out in the last 24 hours.
The PKR leadership met last night to discuss and end the issue before it weakens the party further, leaving the human rights activist finding it untenable to stay back and fight to defend her reputation.
Just as current MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek was forced to quit all posts last year under similar circumstances.
And 20 years ago, then MIC secretary-general D.P. Vijandran had his political hopes crushed by a stolen sex video that was in public circulation.
Former Melaka chief minister Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik, too, found his political career in tatters after allegations of impropriety that, ironically, sent current Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to jail for publishing a false document.
Compare that to Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, who pleaded “not understanding English” when caught carrying Australian $1.26 million in cash at Brisbane airport in 1996, losing his job as Selangor Menteri Besar but later rebounding to now being senator and rural development minister.
The fact is, morality in Malaysian life, and particularly in politics, is measured by the goings-on in the bedroom rather than the machinations in the boardroom.
Those caught with bulging pockets might still live to fight another day but those caught with their pants down lose everything.
It does not matter if the photographs or videos were taken without consent, as in the case of Elizabeth and Chua, or privately, as in the Vijandran scandal.
What matters is public perception and morality as defined by the few over the many.
It’s a perverse morality but one that is bound in so-called Eastern traditions that what happens in the bedroom should be private and never see the light in any visible form. Any such recordings, even unwittingly, cast aspersions on a person’s character and morals.
(Oddly, oral or aural accounts – so-and-so sleeps with so-and-so – seem survivable since they’re not proof, just rumours, unlike pictures that are deemed incapable of lying.)
But bribery, graft, money politics and corruption is forgivable and, after some time in the political sin bin and wilderness, one can always make a comeback.
Double standards? But that’s the reality that Elizabeth found herself up against over the past 24 hours.
Malaysian legislator quits over nude cell photos
Photos of woman sleeping naked were circulated to the public by cell phone
By Eileen Ng 
updated 1 hour, 58 minutes ago
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A prominent Malaysian opposition legislator resigned Tuesday after photographs of her sleeping naked were circulated to the public by cell phone, an embarrassing disclosure that she slammed as a plot to discredit her party.
The People's Justice Party, however, told 37-year-old Elizabeth Wong to go on extended leave, and said it will decide later whether to accept her resignation from the central Selangor state assembly.
It is the latest incident in Malaysian politics to intrude into the private lives of politicians, most of whom have been opposition figures. Among them was People's Justice Party leader Anwar Ibrahim who has been accused of sodomy twice. The government has denied a role in the scandals, including Wong's pictures.
In an emotional news conference, Wong, a well-known human rights activist, did not deny that the pictures in question were of her.
She said it was "an insidious and underhanded attempt" to smear her reputation, adding that "the real objective is to discredit the party."
"I have done nothing wrong. I wish to state that I am not ashamed of my sexuality as a woman and as a single person. I have broken no law," she said, her eyes brimming with tears.
"In the interest of my party I have decided to offer my resignation," said Wong.
News reports say the photos were believed to have been taken by her ex-boyfriend without her knowledge in her home last year.
She filed a police complaint Sunday after being informed that a newspaper had received the photographs from unidentified sources.
Wong did not blame the governing National Front coalition directly for her embarrassment, but leaders in her party charged it was politically motivated."We asked her to rethink her options. I am angry. I am personally disgusted with this kind of gutter politics" by the National Front, party chief Anwar told reporters.
Four changes to Gmail contacts
Over the past few days we've made a lot of small changes to Gmail's contact manager which, combined, should make it easier to organize the contacts you want and get rid of some of the cruft. Here's a quick summary:
1. Contact merge (and an important caveat about auto-complete)
Many of you may have seen Monday's blog post about Google Sync which mentioned contact merge. Nothing had been annoying me more than seeing several copies of "Jeff Jones" on my iPhone — only one of which actually contained his phone number. I now have one "Jeff Jones" which contains all of his contact information. To do this, select the contacts you want to merge and then click "Merge these..." as shown below:
Now that you can sync your contacts to a variety of devices, being able to merge contacts is more important than ever. Please note that as we mentioned on Monday, there's a known issue with merging contacts that affects address auto-complete, making merged addresses sometimes come up in a suboptimal order (e.g. auto-complete may bring up your friend's work address first even though you usually email their Gmail address). We're working on fixing this so the email address you use the most for any given contact will always come up first.
2. All Contacts
Instead of Suggested Contacts, you'll now see a group called All Contacts which, as the name would suggest, is where all of your contacts live and thus a good view for merging duplicate contacts. You can still see suggested contacts by clicking the "View Suggestions" button from My Contacts. From there, you can select frequently emailed contacts to add to My Contacts.
3. Remove people from My Contacts
You can finally move contacts out of the My Contacts group — especially useful if you're planning to sync your contact list to your phone. Prune the contacts you don't want synced to your phone from My Contacts (click "Groups" and then "Remove from My Contacts"), and they won't get synced.
4. Search across all contact fields
We've heard you loud and clear, and contact search now works much better: instead of just searching contact names and email addresses, it now includes phone numbers, notes fields, and mailing addresses as well. So, if you're visiting the Bay Area and looking for friends to catch up with, you could try typing "650" or "415" in the contact manager search box.
Please keep the feedback coming — we're working hard to make Contacts better and more useful for you.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 5:48 PM
1. Contact merge (and an important caveat about auto-complete)
Many of you may have seen Monday's blog post about Google Sync which mentioned contact merge. Nothing had been annoying me more than seeing several copies of "Jeff Jones" on my iPhone — only one of which actually contained his phone number. I now have one "Jeff Jones" which contains all of his contact information. To do this, select the contacts you want to merge and then click "Merge these..." as shown below:
Now that you can sync your contacts to a variety of devices, being able to merge contacts is more important than ever. Please note that as we mentioned on Monday, there's a known issue with merging contacts that affects address auto-complete, making merged addresses sometimes come up in a suboptimal order (e.g. auto-complete may bring up your friend's work address first even though you usually email their Gmail address). We're working on fixing this so the email address you use the most for any given contact will always come up first.
2. All Contacts
Instead of Suggested Contacts, you'll now see a group called All Contacts which, as the name would suggest, is where all of your contacts live and thus a good view for merging duplicate contacts. You can still see suggested contacts by clicking the "View Suggestions" button from My Contacts. From there, you can select frequently emailed contacts to add to My Contacts.
3. Remove people from My Contacts
You can finally move contacts out of the My Contacts group — especially useful if you're planning to sync your contact list to your phone. Prune the contacts you don't want synced to your phone from My Contacts (click "Groups" and then "Remove from My Contacts"), and they won't get synced.
4. Search across all contact fields
We've heard you loud and clear, and contact search now works much better: instead of just searching contact names and email addresses, it now includes phone numbers, notes fields, and mailing addresses as well. So, if you're visiting the Bay Area and looking for friends to catch up with, you could try typing "650" or "415" in the contact manager search box.
Please keep the feedback coming — we're working hard to make Contacts better and more useful for you.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 5:48 PM
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Hysterical Passenger
HONG KONG (AFP) - A video of a hysterical passenger screaming at airline staff and writhing on the floor after missing a flight at Hong Kong airport has become a YouTube hit.
By Sunday, the three-minute clip of the furious woman had racked up close to 40,000 hits in three days on the video-sharing site.
The video starts with the screaming woman running towards the departure gate and bouncing off a female security guard, after she learned that her flight has been closed.
She then starts banging a desk before collapsing to the floor and rolling around, while maintaining a high-pitched wail.
A man unsuccessfully tries to comfort her and get her off the floor, but the shrill screaming continues.
The footage, entitled "A woman missed her flight at the boarding gate HKIA" appears to have been shot with a mobile phone from behind the staff desk.
The woman was travelling on a Cathay Pacific flight to San Francisco on February 4, a Cathay spokeswoman told AFP.
"All passenger doors had already been closed and the crew was preparing the flight for departure," she said.
"As the passengers had failed to show up on time, we had already offloaded their checked baggage to comply with the security requirements."
The spokeswoman said the woman had been able to take a flight a few hours later, adding passengers are always advised to arrive at the gate no later than 20 minutes before the scheduled departure time.
"We do not know who shot the video or who posted it on the web," she said.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Drunk Drivers Test
A policeman pulls a driver over for swerving in and out of lanes on the highway.
He tells the guy to blow into a breathalyzer.
"I can't do that, officer, I'm an asthmatic. I could get an asthma attack if I blow into that tube."
"OK, we'll just get a urine sample down at the station."
"Can't do that either, officer. I'm a diabetic. I could get low blood sugar if I pee in a cup."
"Alright, we could get a blood sample.""Can't do that either, officer. I'm a hemophiliac. If I give blood, I could die."
"Fine then, just walk this white line."
"Can't do that either, officer."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm drunk."
He tells the guy to blow into a breathalyzer.
"I can't do that, officer, I'm an asthmatic. I could get an asthma attack if I blow into that tube."
"OK, we'll just get a urine sample down at the station."
"Can't do that either, officer. I'm a diabetic. I could get low blood sugar if I pee in a cup."
"Alright, we could get a blood sample.""Can't do that either, officer. I'm a hemophiliac. If I give blood, I could die."
"Fine then, just walk this white line."
"Can't do that either, officer."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm drunk."
Home prices dropped a record 12.4% in the final quarter of 2008
National Association of Realtors reports that home prices dropped a record 12.4% in the final quarter of 2008 - the biggest year-over-year decline in 30 years.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Home prices fell 12.4% during the fourth quarter of 2008, the largest year-over-year decline since the National Association of Realtors began keeping comprehensive records in 1979.The median price for a U.S. home sold during the fourth quarter of 2008 fell to $180,100, down from $205,700 during the last quarter of 2007.
Distressed properties, the foreclosures and short sales that have flooded the market, accounted for 45% of all deals. That has driven sales volume up in Nevada, California and other states hit hard by foreclosures, but these heavily discounted homes have also pushed median prices down."People are responding to discounted prices and are slowly absorbing the excess inventory," said NAR President Charles McMillan. "Buyers clearly see value in today's pricing."
Pain is widespread
The vast majority of metropolitan areas, 134 out of 153, recorded price declines compared with the last quarter of 2007."Home markets are weak just about everywhere," said Pat Newport, an analyst with HIS Global Insight, "but in a few states, distressed sales are driving transactions."
Cape Coral-Ft. Myers, Fla., which has the third highest rate of foreclosure filings in the nation, according to RealtyTrac, prices fell a devastating 50.8% for the year, to $110,900 from $225,300. That was the most precipitous plunge for any metro area.
In Saginaw, Mich., prices fell 41.4%; Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., prices dropped 40.8%; and San Jose, Calif., prices declined 37.7%.
The Beaumont-Port Arthur area of Texas bucked the national trend. Its median home price jumped 16.7% to $132,600 - the highest increase in the nation. Other winners included Bloomington, Ill., up 9.6%; Dover, Del., up 6.5%; and Bismarck, M.D., up 6%.
The high number of distressed sales pushed prices down for several reasons, according to Lawrence Yun, chief economist for NAR. For one thing, many sales were in low- and moderate-income housing developments where buyers during the boom years financed their purchases using subprime mortgages. In higher-end areas, fewer exotic mortgages were used.
"Take Orange County, Calif.," said Yun. "It's the lower-priced areas there where homes are selling. The high-priced areas along the coast are not. That has skewed the results."
And the high number of foreclosures means banks are willing to slash prices deeply to move inventory. Many of the properties they've obtained through repossessions now sit vacant, soaking up lender money for maintenance, heating, property taxes and insurance. The banks willingly take lower prices to end those cash outlays, which brings down prices even for normal sellers.
Then there's also what Yun calls a "frozen" jumbo-mortgage lending market, which has also slowed sales of higher-priced homes and reduced median prices.
The good news is that bargain prices are bringing many new buyers into the market." Many are first-time homebuyers who were priced out of the market during the boom," Yun said.
Stimulus help
NAR is hoping a piece of the stimulus bill before Congress will build on that momentum and provide an extra incentive for buyers.
"Assuming housing provisions in the economic stimulus package are quickly enacted and provide enough encouragement for homebuyers, we could see a quick lift in home sales for the critical spring home-buying season," said Yun.
On Thursday, it appeared that the final iteration of the homebuyer's tax credit, which had very different provisions in the House and Senate versions of the stimulus package, was shaping up to be closer to the House bill, according to Yun.
That means a credit of $7,500, perhaps $8,000, or 10% of home price for first-time homebuyers. This windfall will not have to be repaid by homebuyers and can be taken off 2008 taxes. NAR estimates that could draw in an additional half million buyers this year.
"It could help reduce the high inventory of homes for sale," said Yun, "and get housing markets moving again. It's hard to get the economy back to growth until that happened."
Thursday, February 12, 2009
If God made the world, then who made God?
Written by: Sean McDowell
Date: Dec 16th 2008, 15:00
I remember lying in bed as a boy wondering about how God could have always existed. Maybe like me you have wondered, “If God made the world, then where did God come from?” This is actually a question that has been raised not only by kids, but also by some great philosophers and scientists. In his bestseller, A Brief History of Time, physicist Stephen Hawking asks the question about what started the universe, “Or does it need a creator, and if so, does he have any other effect on the universe? And who created him?”1
When we consider the nature of God and the origin of the universe such questions are perhaps less difficult to answer than first imagined. Such questions need not puzzle us and detract our ability to trust God wholeheartedly. Rather, they can point us to appreciate the power and majesty of God, much like the prophet Isaiah, “‘To whom will you liken me that I would be his equal?’ Says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars. The one who leads forth their host by number, He calls them by name because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing” (40:25-26).
The Beginning of the Universe
The Bible stands alone as an ancient writing that claims the universe had a beginning. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In contrast to the biblical account past thinkers such as Aristotle and Plato as well as atheists agreed that the universe was eternal and needed no cause for its existence. Christians believed that the universe had a beginning and that God alone was eternal whereas atheists claimed that the universe was eternal. Scientifically speaking there was no way to adjudicate between the two. But this has all changed with recent scientific advancements proving that the universe in fact had a beginning.
The big bang theory states that the entire universe came into existence along time ago in the past. In other words, the universe is not eternal; rather, it had a beginning just like Genesis states! This leaves atheists in a dilemma: either accept a transcendent cause for the universe (namely God) or believe that something can come from nothing. But to believe that something can come from nothing defies a commonsense principle: “Out of nothing, nothing comes.” Some-thing simply can’t come from no-thing. Atheist professor Kai Nielsen admitted, “Suppose you hear a loud bang…and you ask me, ‘What made that bang?’ and I reply, ‘Nothing, it just happened.’ You would not accept that.”2 If that is true of a little bang, then why not a big bang too?
So, Who Made God?
This brings us back to the question, “Who made God?” It is important to clarify that Christians do not believe everything that exists needs a cause. Rather, everything that begins to exist must have a cause. There are many things that exist that are uncaused such as mathematical truths and the laws of logic. Even if the world was not created it would still be true that 1+1=2. The universe had a beginning so it must have a cause. But God by definition does not need a cause, he is uncaused.
Philosopher William Lane Craig asks a penetrating question: “And this is not special pleading in the case of God. After all, atheists have long maintained that the universe doesn’t need a cause, because it’s eternal. How can they possibly maintain that the universe can be eternal and uncaused, yet God cannot be timeless and uncaused?”3
Finally, asking the question “What caused God?” commits a logical fallacy, namely the categorical fallacy. Two examples of categorical fallacies are: “What does the color red taste like?” or “How much does love weigh?” Clear the categories of color and taste are distinct categories that do not overlap, as are love and weight. Similarly, to ask what caused God is to commit a category fallacy, for God is by definition uncaused. Paul Copan explains, “If we reframe the question ‘Who made God?’ to clarify our categories, we will find that the question answers itself. Let’s rephrase the question this way, ‘What caused the self-existent, uncaused Cause, who is by definition unmakeable, to exist?’ Any further questions?”4
As a young boy I often wondered how God could be eternal. I concluded that if the universe had a beginning then something must have existed prior to it to bring it into existence. This thought boggled my mind as a young boy, and it still does today! While the human mind may not be able to grasp how God has always existed, we do realize that something had to exist prior to the beginning of the universe. God, it seems to me, is the most reasonable explanation.
1 Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time (New York, Bantam, 1988), 174.
2 Kai Nielsen, Reason and Practice (New York: Harper and Row, 1971), 48.
3 William Lane Craig was interviewed in Lee Strobel, The Case for a Creator (Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan, 2004), 109.
4 Paul Copan, That’s Just Your Interpretation (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 2001), 72.
Date: Dec 16th 2008, 15:00
I remember lying in bed as a boy wondering about how God could have always existed. Maybe like me you have wondered, “If God made the world, then where did God come from?” This is actually a question that has been raised not only by kids, but also by some great philosophers and scientists. In his bestseller, A Brief History of Time, physicist Stephen Hawking asks the question about what started the universe, “Or does it need a creator, and if so, does he have any other effect on the universe? And who created him?”1
When we consider the nature of God and the origin of the universe such questions are perhaps less difficult to answer than first imagined. Such questions need not puzzle us and detract our ability to trust God wholeheartedly. Rather, they can point us to appreciate the power and majesty of God, much like the prophet Isaiah, “‘To whom will you liken me that I would be his equal?’ Says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars. The one who leads forth their host by number, He calls them by name because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing” (40:25-26).
The Beginning of the Universe
The Bible stands alone as an ancient writing that claims the universe had a beginning. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In contrast to the biblical account past thinkers such as Aristotle and Plato as well as atheists agreed that the universe was eternal and needed no cause for its existence. Christians believed that the universe had a beginning and that God alone was eternal whereas atheists claimed that the universe was eternal. Scientifically speaking there was no way to adjudicate between the two. But this has all changed with recent scientific advancements proving that the universe in fact had a beginning.
The big bang theory states that the entire universe came into existence along time ago in the past. In other words, the universe is not eternal; rather, it had a beginning just like Genesis states! This leaves atheists in a dilemma: either accept a transcendent cause for the universe (namely God) or believe that something can come from nothing. But to believe that something can come from nothing defies a commonsense principle: “Out of nothing, nothing comes.” Some-thing simply can’t come from no-thing. Atheist professor Kai Nielsen admitted, “Suppose you hear a loud bang…and you ask me, ‘What made that bang?’ and I reply, ‘Nothing, it just happened.’ You would not accept that.”2 If that is true of a little bang, then why not a big bang too?
So, Who Made God?
This brings us back to the question, “Who made God?” It is important to clarify that Christians do not believe everything that exists needs a cause. Rather, everything that begins to exist must have a cause. There are many things that exist that are uncaused such as mathematical truths and the laws of logic. Even if the world was not created it would still be true that 1+1=2. The universe had a beginning so it must have a cause. But God by definition does not need a cause, he is uncaused.
Philosopher William Lane Craig asks a penetrating question: “And this is not special pleading in the case of God. After all, atheists have long maintained that the universe doesn’t need a cause, because it’s eternal. How can they possibly maintain that the universe can be eternal and uncaused, yet God cannot be timeless and uncaused?”3
Finally, asking the question “What caused God?” commits a logical fallacy, namely the categorical fallacy. Two examples of categorical fallacies are: “What does the color red taste like?” or “How much does love weigh?” Clear the categories of color and taste are distinct categories that do not overlap, as are love and weight. Similarly, to ask what caused God is to commit a category fallacy, for God is by definition uncaused. Paul Copan explains, “If we reframe the question ‘Who made God?’ to clarify our categories, we will find that the question answers itself. Let’s rephrase the question this way, ‘What caused the self-existent, uncaused Cause, who is by definition unmakeable, to exist?’ Any further questions?”4
As a young boy I often wondered how God could be eternal. I concluded that if the universe had a beginning then something must have existed prior to it to bring it into existence. This thought boggled my mind as a young boy, and it still does today! While the human mind may not be able to grasp how God has always existed, we do realize that something had to exist prior to the beginning of the universe. God, it seems to me, is the most reasonable explanation.
1 Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time (New York, Bantam, 1988), 174.
2 Kai Nielsen, Reason and Practice (New York: Harper and Row, 1971), 48.
3 William Lane Craig was interviewed in Lee Strobel, The Case for a Creator (Grand Rapids, MI.: Zondervan, 2004), 109.
4 Paul Copan, That’s Just Your Interpretation (Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 2001), 72.
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