Survived another hurricane

I made it through another hurricane this weekend. I don't know what the deal is, but I have comfortably slept through the last two of them, easily. This last one was a category three. I've heard that's a big storm. It seemed pretty weak to me.

I've started training at my new job. It's cool but I feel like I'm going to to get thrown in knowing about a quarter of what I need. Not like I haven't made it through that situation before. What is it with Asian countries and the way they teach English. They make some arbitrary requirements to teach in their country. Usually it's a bachelor's degree or a two year degree and a TESOL certificate. If you have one of those things you can teach English in any number of countries. And a TESOL certificate takes about 4 days to get, and can cost as little as $450.

Once you meet the criterion, then you are automatically deemed an English teacher and given a class. If you're lucky you get a day or two of "training", which usually consists of some combination of videos, looking at a book with your new boss, and sitting in a class. If schools in Asia would get their act together and either train, or hire better teachers, I honestly think they would save money in the long run. Once the kids learn basic English in elementary and middle school, you won't have to be teaching "My name is John" to High School and College students.

Anyway, I saw this in the news, and I've never seen a better example of why "hate" crime laws are unnecessary and divisive. Every crime is a crime of hate and should be treated like one. would crime have been any different if the perpetrator had been white? Of course not. Laws that divide us will always keep us divided.

Typhoon Kalmaegi strikes

Well, the Typhoon came and went with a whimper. I've seen stronger storms while riding a bike around Mankato. Apparently it was worse in the southern and western parts of the country, but in Taipei, it was pretty weak. Which is disappointing, because I had planned to take some good advice and get some pictures of my white ass mooning the dreadful hurricane. Instead me and Dookie stayed up all night drinking some absolutely horrible Taiwanese alcohol, known only by the two western symbols found on the bottle; "58".

I also had the inevitable first finger pointing by a child yesterday, while on the shuttle bus to go to the Hospital. (No, I wasn't hurt, it was just a mandatory screening so I can get my Visa.) The kid looked back, and then did a double take when he recognized through my black Versaces that I was a "Way Gwou Ren", otherwise translated as Foreigner.

Now, this is not an earth shattering occurrence. After living in Korea, I was used to kids constantly shouting and pointing, "Way Goo Kin" or "Hello" over and over again when they would see me or any other white face. A black face tends to get a less positive response.

Anyway, the thing that really got me thinking was when the mother of the kid actually scolded him for such rude behavior. After being desensitized by Korean parents who let their kids get away with anything, as long as it was not being done to a Korean person older than them, it was shocking to see this, to say the least.

Lastly, let me tell you a little bit about the hospitals here. Optimistically, we'll call it "efficient". I have never experienced a more assembly line approach to health care. In the time it took to take my blood and get my chest X-Rayed, I wouldn't have gotten past the opening chit chat with an American doctor. But of course, the American doctor might have actually found out how I was feeling. I will give the blood doctors some credit however. They were able to get the blood they needed in the first stab, something that usually takes at least three stabbings before hitting a good vein. Cheers.

Am I going to live through a Hurricane tonight

Well, according to CNN and the WeatherUnderground, there is a storm forming south of Taiwan. I'll keep you posted but just so you know, I am excited. I've never seen a hurricane before and I've heard that the ones in southeast Asia are the real deal.

Another hurricane seems to be forming back home (of course a political hurricane...that is all I write about you know). I hope this issue doesn't gain any traction but it exposes a side of the right that I really disagree with. I am talking about Barack Obama's statement that kids in the US should learn another language. The Weekly Standard recently listed it on their snobbery watch; the Gateway Pundit accused Obama of calling monolingual Americans "boorish". I saw some talking heads on CNN and BBC trying to attack Obama on this. GIVE ME A BREAK.

Americans do need to start learning other languages. Language education in the US is a joke. I won't even get into English education, but you don't even start to learn a second language until high school. All scientific studies show that by far the best time to learn a second or third language is when you are young. On top of that, the languages we learn are vestiges of the 19th century, not even the 20th century (ie Russian). We are still learning German and French...We might as well be teaching our kids Icelandic and Tagalog for all it matters. (for the readers knowledge, I have a basic fluency in German, learned in High school and College).

In every world, but especially todays world, knowledge of foreign languages is VITAL, and yet reactionary elements in the US are still opposed to really focusing on giving this important tool to our children.

And as usual the right has missed a golden opportunity to hit Obama right where it hurts. The man is an empty suit! Instead of calling him a "snob", they should be asking him why, after spending 8 years in the Illinois legislature, he did absolutely nothing to improve foreign language education in his state! Or after three years in the US Senate why he never worked to improve the chances of our children having a better stake in the global economy. But of course, the talking heads all stick to the memo saying we need to paint Obama as out of touch...Sigh

Oil Oil Oil

The issue of oil prices is now becoming the number one topic on peoples minds today, and will perhaps be the most important issue for voters in the upcoming election. Fortunately this has put talk of drilling for oil in the US to the front of peoples minds. I'm glad, too, that people are starting to realize that the fear mongering about Nuclear energy, the cleanest, most efficient fuel source known to man, is just what it is; fear mongering.

I could post pages and pages of thoughts and stats here but I won't bore you. What really gets me is the response we are now getting from the anti-oil crowd. In the past it was environmental concerns, which were always BS, but with $1 a gallon gas it's easy to just agree. But now, the environazis have changed there argument to the patently disingenuous "drilling for oil will not affect the price of oil"...

It's really mind boggling to hear this kind of argument but nevertheless it is made and accepted by some. Let's think rationally for one moment, please. Adding any amount of supply to a market will ALWAYS reduce the cost. ALWAYS, whether it be textbooks at a University, highways in a metro area, or beer at a liquor store. This is a fact that is as unchangeable as gravity. Drilling for oil in the US, and anywhere for that matter, will lower the price of gas. Now, the real dollar price of gas may go up, that is quite possible. But adding supply to the market will make the future price less than it would have been, sans drilling. It's just simple fact.

Second, the amount of money we send overseas for oil is astronomical. According to the US State Department, from January - August 2007, oil imports were a whopping 34% of the entire US trade deficit. That means that every single barrel of new oil we obtain from the US is one less dollar we borrow from the Chinese, and a dollar we invest in jobs and infrastructure in The US.

This should not even be an issue, and never should have been, but the environazis do not play nice. My favorite talk show host Bob Davis always says that "the cure for high prices is high prices", and I just hope that the high price of oil will wake Americans up to the foolish energy policy we've had in place for the last two decades.