The Fighting 44s

See, this is the kind of ignorant western reaction that annoys the crap out of me. Der Spiegel describes western outrage over the recently-passed “men rule women” laws with words like “shocking,” “outrageous,” “worse than the Taliban.” And I have to ask, just what the fuck did you think was going to happen? You march into a country that doesn’t even have a stable agricultural base (poppies don’t count as food), much less industrial or informational, and you install a goddamn democracy where people have only ever known tribal and ethno-religious rule. If a huge chunk of the population is going to be strongly ethno-religious, how the fuck do you think they’re going to vote? Liberally? Fucking morons. This is the same shit as when Hamas got voted into power, and the west was shocked and outraged. Stable democracies with liberal pluralist, equality values can’t just pop up out of pre-liberal, pre-rational, pre-equality ground: you need an agrarian-to-industrial techno-economic base, a strong educational base, and some significant chunk of the population that buys into liberal democratic values (like middle-class knowledge workers who take survival for granted).

Posted in Politics, Religion & Spirituality | | Permalink

An interesting article from Der Spiegel on the history and resurgence of German biopics, “grey” national heroes, and the Nazi who saved 200,000 Chinese lives in Nanking. I’ll be watching the movie when I find it!

THE GOOD NAZI?
German Films Delve into Difficult History

By Lars-Olav Beier

The biopic genre is booming and new screen epics are in the works to celebrate a host of German icons. This week “John Rabe,” a film about a Nazi who saved tens of thousands of lives, opened in cinemas across the country.

He looks anxiously at the sky, watching the low-flying fighter planes drop their bombs into the fleeing crowd. It is December 1937, and German businessman John Rabe, the representative of the Siemens Group in the eastern Chinese city of Nanking, is witnessing Japanese fighter pilots as they attack the company’s facility there, killing helpless civilians.

In that moment of despair, he suddenly has an idea. Rabe, a long-standing member of the Nazi Party, quickly orders his workers to unfurl an enormous swastika flag that the party had sent to him in China. Then Rabe and large numbers of Chinese crouch under the flag. The ruse works, and the Japanese, allied with the Germans, call off the attack.

Posted in Arts & Literature | | Permalink

(Artwork from Hilary Page)
The awesome admins of BicoastalBitchin sent me this link to one of their blog posts. It’s about the media and their portrayal of Asian people. The blogger specifically focuses on AF/WM. When I read it, I cracked up laughing. It reminded me of the grand old days of 44-dom, when I would read General Tojo, Dialectic the Stealth MC, Xian, Maogirl, Catty, and Seoulbrother going back and forth on the CCB’s and other similar topics. That was five years ago when the 44s was new, carving out a very influential niche in the Asian American blogosphere. That was how the 44s built its reputation–for better or for worse. Now, the 44s, like many other sites that began during that era, is facing mid-life.

The best sites in the AA blogosphere grew up on militancy and calls for action. From Asianguy to ModelMinority to even Goldsea, militant passion was the way things were done. These days, however, most AA sites have shifted down to the point of…well, tasting like sawdust. ModelMinority became so militant that many lost perspective.  Goldsea became overly tame. Asianguy died. The 44s was going well until the latest melee, which came by way of certain people (led by a certain person) complaining, then not contributing when the owners provided space.

Posted in Opinion | | Permalink

Hahahaha, fucking quantitative Asian Males, you’ll be the death of us all!!! From The Star:

Meet the man whose big idea felled Wall Street

Math whiz proposed applying this statistical formula to credit risk, and financial meltdown ensued
Mar 18, 2009 04:30 AM

Cathal Kelly
STAFF REPORTER

Note: This article has been edited to correct a previously published version.

Former University of Waterloo statistician David X. Li didn’t burn down the American economy. He just supplied the matches.

As economists and market watchers cast about for people to blame for the U.S. market meltdown, Li has surfaced as a scapegoat. Recently, Wired magazine ran an article on Li’s work subtitled, “The Formula That Killed Wall Street.”

The formula in question is the so-called Gaussian copula function. On the most basic level, the formula allows statisticians to model the behaviour of several correlated risks at once.

In a scholarly paper published in 2000, Li proposed the theorem be applied to credit risks, encompassing everything from bonds to mortgages. This particular copula was not new, but the financial application Li proposed for it was.

Posted in Business & Finance, Funny, News | | Permalink

These are some great examples of the utter rhetorical bullshit in financial news reporting from today. And this is just one day in one Canadian paper. I shudder to think about how they’re speaking on American televised financial news. Are we feeling EXCITED?!!

1.
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1402499
The first paragraph alone:
Financial markets did a dramatic 180-degree turn Wednesday, with stock markets erasing losses to surge higher, the U.S. dollar plunging, bond yields tumbling and gold soaring after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced it would crank its printing press into higher gear in an all-out effort to revive credit markets and thwart deflation.

2.
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1401818
I figured the last article covered all the word possibilities. Not quite:
North American equity markets roared back from early losses Wednesday after investors embraced the U.S. Federal Reserve’s latest actions to unclog credit markets and get the economy running smoothly again.

3.
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1401972
Look at this crap. The loonie went from 0.78-ish to 0.8-ish, and they say …
Loonie leaps to three-month high on Fed boost

When we get back to par with the U.S. dollar in one day, then you can say it fucking leapt. The article continues …

Posted in Economics, News, Opinion | | Permalink

This is not the entire interview, but it brings the point across very, very well. Man, Cramer sounded like he was about to cry. And what Stewart’s talking about, that’s exactly what I was talking about (in my last post and the comments) when it comes to the news media, and the financial media in particular.

Gotta say, though, poor Cramer, ’cause CNBC is making him the face of this ugliness, and I think they’re going to scapegoat him.

From the Huffington Post:

Posted in Business & Finance, Video | | Permalink

Nothing to do with Asian Americans, other than they’re in big screwed America. Jon Stewart fucks CNBC up the ass for their highly irresponsible market media reporting. I’m sure the kids don’t need to be reminded, but I’ll say it anyway: DO NOT TRUST THE MASS MEDIA. Don’t trust them on anything: money, war, education, science, social issues, anything. They exist to amp up your emotions, usually fear, anger, and greed, for ratings, ad money, and prestige.

Posted in Economics, Entertainment & Media, Video | | Permalink

Lopan was right; if you ever kill someone, start eating their organs and muttering like crazy! From CBC:

Greyhound bus killer found not criminally responsible
Last Updated: Thursday, March 5, 2009 | 10:56 AM CT

Vince Li has been found not criminally responsible for the unprovoked killing and beheading of fellow passenger Timothy McLean on a Greyhound bus last summer.

Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench Judge John Scurfield said Thursday that Li, 40, could not be found guilty of murder and is not criminally responsible for the crime because he was mentally ill at the time of the killing.

“These grotesque acts are appalling… but are suggestive of a mental disorder,” the judge said.

“He did not appreciate the act he committed was wrong.”

Li had pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder. Psychiatric evidence at his trial suggested he is a schizophrenic who suffered a major psychotic episode last July 30 when he fatally stabbed McLean, 22, ate some of the body parts, and cut off McLean’s head.

For five hours after the killing, Li wandered around on the bus, from which passengers had fled along the Trans-Canada Highway, defiling the body while an RCMP tactical team waited to subdue him.

Posted in News | | Permalink

(Double posted on big WOWO)

Remember this?

According to this CNN article:

The investigation criticized the pilot, who was being trained on the F/A-18, for not consulting a pocket checklist that outlined emergency procedures. While controllers aboard the aircraft carrier that launched the jet urged the pilot to land at a nearby Navy airfield at North Island, squadron officers relied on “incorrect assumptions and inaccurate data” to guide him back to the plane’s base at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.

“No one in the ready room stated or understood the severity of the low fuel emergency at this time,” Rupp said. “This is a critical moment, and this is collectively bad decision-making by the duty officer, by the operations officer and by the squadron’s commanding officer.”

It looks like the military had an investigation, and people are being punished.  Good to hear.

Seriously, there is no excuse when a military plane, flying over the citizens whom the military is supposed to protect, crashes and kills civilians.  “Mistakes” like this are not acceptable.  I’m glad that the Marines are taking steps to find those who are responsible.

Posted in Politics | | Permalink

(Photo from CNN.)

I got tired of looking at ugly Miley and equally ugly Chuck “Wutchoo talkin’ about” Willis.  I had to put something on this blog to push that story down.  The people in the picture above are a lot more attractive than Racist Miley and Silent Chucky.

Anyway, Slumdog won a total of eight Oscars.  I haven’t been to a movie theater in three years and counting, but I hope to check it out when it comes out on DVD.  I’ve heard the photography is stunning.

Posted in News | | Permalink