Teej's Secret Box

Just a brief stop to Sydney, Australia.  I wish you all well even though you may be a day slower than I am.

In-depth travel report will be forthcoming here soon!

Fly on!

Imagine if you could, of the lives that are being lived just south of the Eight Mile bordering Detroit and its suburbs. Enshrined in the film starred by Marshall “Eninem” Mathers III, the southern area is predominately black, and invariably deep in poverty and despair.

Now, imagine, if you could, that the mayor of Detroit and his government are deep in a severe level of corruption that angers the local population. The roads are ill-kept, businesses are leaving in droves, and social welfare is not well kept.

Now, imagine, if you could, that a group comes in, promising the city of Detroit, and actually providing them with a level of service and quality of living far better than the government for the city themselves would provide. But the quality of living is still not anywhere near as good as those living north of the Eight Mile. But of course, it is not this group’s fault. Why, it’s that thieving people up North, that is stealing all of the resources that is rightfully their! They refuse to pay all the taxes, and take away all the good cops, and the good people of this city. They got the fantastic schools, while our own schools are still struggling. It is ALL their fault!

Now imagine the subgroup of people within Detroit who are raised listening to this group’s philosophy. Without hearing any other perspectives, this message could be quite convincing to them.

Now finally, imagine them armed to the teeth with explosives and weapons.

* * *

Everything up to the last scenario has happened everywhere. Whether it is the Catholics and Protestant in Ireland, the deluded people within city and countryside of United States and Canada, and most illustratively, the Hamas and Hezbollah of Palestine and Lebanese.

When Moses of the biblical fame guided his flock around the desert for decades in order to ‘get the Egypt out of the flock’ — he was weeding out the thinking process developed by the Egyptian community, and indoctrinating the newcomers (children) with the new thinking process of Israelites. This can be done for good, and it can be done for bad.

By separating, isolating, and pounding the population with a narrow viewpoint of the world, it is far too easy for the population to lose the ability to see the world in the same way as we do. That population breeds people who are willing to act upon their discontent. Those people are directed by the group who most desire to remain in power, and find their power strengthening by distracting the population away from the real problems.

That is why the Fatah was voted out, and the Hamas brought to a helm. Fatah was a highly corrupted bunch of cronies, and the Hamas was those who provide social aid, and a better way of life. When Israel ceased to be a constant enemy, Palestine took a look inward, and boy, they didn’t like what they saw. But there’s Hamas, acting like Robin Hood — helping the poor, and willful to steal from the rich to do so. That rings true especially compared to Fatah, and thus the population entrusted Hamas with their country’s rule.

Of course, there are growing evidences of problems in Hamas’ ranks. So what will Hamas do? Easy, continue to distract the local population by using the fanatics’ desire for fame and glory to bring in Israel as the constant enemy once more.

In my earlier blog posting, I mentioned how inadequate it would be for students to just do a LOA, as it would only garnish a small population of supporters. Now, imagine if those supporters, fanatics in their hearts, were convinced to attack the financial aid office, and run away with the millions in endowment funds, that would be extremely effective in gaining attention, but with a huge negative cost to those people. Just as the suicide bombers — they sacrifice their lives just to gain attention, because they deeply believe it will give them more than what it does provide.

It is all about control of the population. All about blaming others for their own problems. All about distracting from the corruption by distracting the population with goodwill. With poorly educated population under your control, it is far more common and far more deadly game that they are playing.

All for fame.

All for glory.

All for nothing.

The Bible is full of stories about people like them on both sides. Israel knows this all too well and hence explains their extremely aggressive responses.

To solve this problem, we must convince the population of Palestine and Lebanese that we can help them better than their own people could.

Good luck.

Note: This was written on September 25, 2005.

* * *

Hi, I am T.J., a consultant with a multi-national company. Basically, I am the resident geek, all-knowledgeable, and all powerful with the tools we sell to our clients. But that is not the primary concern with this journal. What I hope to do here is to provide one of gazillion of insight within my life. Particularly, my travel life.

In the past year, I have flown an estimated 250,000 miles, have far too many stamps on my passport, slept in foreign bed more often than my own, and live around my clients for more hours than with my neighbors. I am currently an elite dude with no less than two dozen airlines (of course, I cheated, and counted Star Alliance & Skyteam as part of my elite team — I am really just a Chairman for US Airways, and Gold for Continental). Hertz worship the ground I walk, Marriott laughs all the way to the bank.
I am a real life traveler. Suck on that, Weasley Crusher! (Mind you, Wil Wheaton is one very cool internet-savvy dude with a lot to say about HIS own life. Check out his blog.)

* * *

One thing I want to ask everyone today, who may have flown a plane. As part of the plane ride, we go through the aerial version of potholes — turbulences. Luckly for us, most planes are designed to flex nicely through all but the most severe of vibrations (although one plane crash in 2001 outside of JFK airport in New York City illustrate how bad things could go if you have fractures in your composite parts — illustrating the importance of maintenance inspections. Some other time, I would love to make some illustration of how far we have come along in air safety.

So, turbulence. Jiggle-jiggle-jiggle goes the plane from time to time.

Now let me tell you about bathrooms. In most planes, they have a very small area in the front and back (and sometimes in the middle) that they reserve for the lavatory. Anyone willing to join the mile-high club are usually finding themselves in such a small space that is just barely enough for one, let alone two people. With some close and very intimate motions, it would work, and the experience no doubt would be enhanced by the potholes. Such a shame I haven’t found any volunteers to conduct some experiments with yet.

That aside, the normal function of the lavatory is to expell whatever snacks (or the occasional meals) the airliners decide to serve, along with the drinks (both free and the overpriced cheap booze) throughout the flight.

Now, as men, we share one ultimost benefit over women — a penis. This amazing device is capable of not only be used for pleasure, but also enable us to pee standing up. This capability extends to the zipper pants, and the briefs or boxers with slits, allowing us to slip out ego-enabler out to the world in order to expel highly filtered water (with some coloring, minerals, and other stuff that is not quite good for you at all.)

Now, when we slip out the salami, within the tight cramped barely-large-enough-to-bang cubicle-like space, aim the tanker hose toward a toilet seat, 2-3 feet away, all while the plane is undergoing a weight-loss plan, ‘30-jiggly-style; (*deep breath*) How in the blue hell can anyone pee in this situation?

Whenever I feel the little bumps, my spincher just tighten up automatically. Unconsciously, I wouldn’t dare find myself peeing toward a spot that may splash against my feet (or elsewhere!)

Seriously, I always had to sit down like a girl in this situation. Is the same true for all of you guys? Can you actually say, “Screw it, my aim is olympic-quality”, and let a stream rip? What do you usually do when you just won’t go, other than be a girl?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Fly on!

* * *

• Each year, approximately 58 people in the United States are injured by turbulence while not wearing their seat belts.
• From 1980 through June 2004, U.S. air carriers had 198 turbulence accidents*, resulting in 266 serious injuries and three fatalities.
• There are currently no US federal regulation forbiddening you from using the lavatory when the fasten seatbelt indicator are lit during normal flight.

The Revolutionary War of America (1775 – 1783) against the British Empire was a major pivotal moment in history.

Thomas Jefferson played a role in his expression of passion, with the infamous quote – “Give me Liberty, or give me Death”. [EDITOR NOTE: This is incorrect, Patrick Henry was the man who utters that quote on March 23, 1775. My apologies.] But the real people of passion were those men (and women) of the Continental Army — they were the ones who sacrificed portions of their lives to be a part of a common cause. But it would have been a lost cause if it wasn’t for George Washington.

Unlike most of the autocrats in Philadelphia (and elsewhere) who are primarily concerned with the laws, rights of the people, and the difficult challenge in starting up a nation, it was George Washington who kept the nation together by caring for his men, and giving them sufficient rewards in exchange for their sacrifices.

Several years of your life, without working on your own farms, or businesses, can be very devastating for a person, even when the mission is just. It is a bigger cost when lives are sacrificed — 25,000 Americans Revolutionaries alone.

Here is a perfect moment to explain the selfish nature of humans. At the end of 1776, even with the victory in the Battle of Trenton — the first of many critical victories that George Washington was able to manage — the vast majority of Washington’s men were to be released from service. Washington desperately needs those men to continue the battle against Britain. [Source: The History Channel]

Naturally, Washington tried to convince them by using pride, passion, and honor for the new nation. Even a better future for themselves and their children. Not one man budged in volunteering again in face of this argument. But once Washington spoke of the benefits that better fit the needs of those men — the pay and benefit increases — volunteers for the re-enlistment finally stepped forward.

This would have not happened if Washington only express the need to be passionate to the cause, no matter how just it seems to us today. Ridor is advocating this very honor for the current students of Gallaudet University to protest the selection of its current president by means of LOA (Leave of Absence), without any tangable benefits for the same students.

Unlike what everyone would like to believe — changes occurs at a very slow pace, even with a new president at the helm. Al Simone’s efforts to improve quality of education and financial stability at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) only started to bear fruit after five years. For the students, like myself, from 1992 to 1997, there were very little direct benefit as Al Simone spent his time setting up the frameworks for the fruit to be harvested. Renovations, upgrades of the apartments, better buildings, bigger endowments, better scholarships, better teachers, and so on. All started to happens after five years of planting the seeds.

So, benefits by having a new president (which would require a new search by a new commission, if this was to be properly done) will not bear much fruit for the vast majority of current students at Gallaudet. In other words, life at Gallaudet will remain mostly the same after the changes, thus the minimal direct benefit for the protesters.

[Note: Gallaudet University is witnessing a protest against its newly elected president, Dr. Jane K. Fernandes , by a variety of organizations, primarly Facility Staff Students Alumni (FSSA), within the community.]

* * *

George Washington was very much loved for one particular reason — he was there to support his men, and he gave them direct benefits. Winter of 1777 was very brutal at Valley Forge. It was Washington who were seen working his tail off trying to get provisions for his men. Money, food, clothing, blankets, shelters are all scraped together by Washington as he strives to keep his men together, alive, and healthy. Despite his efforts, several men died each day due to starvation and disease.

By pushing the students to take that huge sacrifice in their education by applying for LOA, Ridor is dooming some of these students to a life of ‘career death’ — the failure to achieve the most in their lives as they could possibly can. The difference between being a burger flipper, and a well-respected executive could easily come down to the student’s inability to return to college to further their education.

After all, there is a huge risk that Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) may decide to withdraw their support. Scholarship may dry up. Grants and Loans may be restrictive. Enrollments may be closed. This person may start a family. This person may get a job 3,000 miles away. In a nutshell, life happens, and it is not an easy thing to return back to college, no matter how intense the desire may be.

There is a huge risk in doing LOA for political purposes. What is the reward for that person? Pride? Passion? Glory? That is considered as intangibles, not a direct benefit.

Until FSSA consider the students’ sacrifices, and consider the appropriate rewards for those students making this huge commitment, this sacrifice will be wasted, as the message will not be carried out by anything larger than a fringe group. This will results in minimal impact on this political situation at Gallaudet University.

Looks like someone took advantage of a bug or two with WordPress 1.5.2 and erased my entire content.

Quite amusing. So I took matter in my hands and installed the latest version. Never to fear, I do have a personal backup, but without the witty links (and any other corrections/updates), so you will see them here soon.

Bear with me here, please.