Current Events
The Only Law They Enforce in Thailand… Usually
My friend John sums up Thailand’s version of law enforcement beautifully: “There are no laws here until there are laws. Then they’re completely unbreakable.” I remember last year when some City Hall genius decided that Bangkok taxis could only be hailed at designated spots along the streets. Signs were put up, curbs were painted and [...]
RIP George. Punch Jesus in the Nose for Me.
Today is a sad day for people who like to laugh. George Carlin, the legendary comedian and one of my favourite all-time performers, has died at 71, from heart failure. When I was growing up, I listened to Bill Cosby non-stop; my Mom had a ton of his records. They really helped to shape my [...]
How A Burmese Election Works
A friend of a friend, who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons, has just returned from Burma. She was sent by one of the media outlets she works for, who told her to head up for a few days, pose as a tourist, and very gingerly snoop around to see if she could learn [...]
The Revolution Will Be With You Shortly…
Cyclone Nargis, which tore a path through Burma last week, might end up being the straw that breaks the camel’s back, assuming the camel is the brutal military regime that ‘runs’ the country, and the straw is a horrifying death that climbs even higher as the useless generals sit on their asses and wonder what [...]
An Olympic Scrap at the FCC
That a country like China can claim the international prestige of hosting the Olympics is pretty ridiculous. I won’t bother getting into their flagrant human rights abuses, censorship borne of a fear of knowledge and unmitigated arrogance on the world stage; that would be redundant. The question sometimes comes up as to whether someone with [...]
Censorship in Thai Cinemas
Despite Thailand’s leaders promoting the country as a democracy, it’s still got quite a way to go until it truly is what they claim. Nowhere is this more evident than when you go to see a movie, where scenes deemed ‘harmful to Thai society’ are routinely blurred, pixelated, or just plain excised. In [...]
The Fitna Controversy
If you haven’t been reading the news lately, Dutch MP Geert Wilders has released a 17 minute movie called Fitna, which means ’struggle’ or ’strife’ in Arabic. Fitna is causing a lot of controversy around the world because of its extreme anti-Islam stance. On the heels of the Muhammad cartoon controversy, Islamic extremism [...]
NIN: Leading a Musical Revolution
For those that don’t closely follow news of the music industry, you might be surprised to hear that the industry as you know it - as it has been since the very first record was sold to a consumer - is in its death throes. Traditionally, artists have recorded their music in a recording [...]
Microsoft Keyboards Suck
More of a short rant than anything resembling a big blog post. About two months ago I bought a Micro$oft wireless keyboard and mouse set, model number 700, and it sucks royal ass. Do not buy this thing. The mouse drains the two AA batteries in about three weeks (when it works), [...]
Going, Going…
Let’s face it, love it or hate it, America - as a culture, as an empire - is not what it used to be. In fact, as a fan of entropy, I have to agree with one - and only one - of the many ranting diatribes that Muslim fanatics spew toward America - [...]
