Random thoughts, Must-do chores & Everything else

Wars Fought to Maintain International Cooperation

2008-05-05T23:29:00.002-04:00

Introduction The deliberate taking of human life is generally deemed morally wrong. Whether one approaches this moral position from a rights-based perspective, namely, that no one has the right to take another human being’s life or from a duty-based perspective, namely, that one has the duty to respect the sanctity of human life, killing is equally objectionable because it is particularly

David Brooks on Kennedy's endorsement of Obama

2008-01-29T15:42:00.000-05:00

January 29, 2008 Op-Ed Columnist The Kennedy Mystique By DAVID BROOKS Something fundamental has shifted in the Democratic Party. Last week there was the widespread revulsion at the Clintons’ toxic attempts to ghettoize Barack Obama. In private and occasionally in public, leading Democrats lost patience with the hyperpartisan style of politics — the distortion of facts, the

Just War Theory

2007-11-29T01:28:00.000-05:00

I am working on a research paper these days on just war theory. The idea is very simple. Just war theory is about the admission that wars cannot be eliminated, but its frequency can be minimized. In order to minimize wars, the just war theorists draw a line in the sand and call some wars just, the others unjust. Then with the power of moral debate and public discourse, hopefully the unjust

一个故事

2007-05-12T13:36:00.000-04:00

写文章写了一半。心情乱糟糟的，也写不下去了。所以还是劳作些有意义的事情吧。我想说一个芒果和麦兜的故事芒果和麦兜老早就认识的。初中就是同班同学，大家一起玩着长大。麦兜对芒果有些蒙胧的好感，不过芒果只拿麦兜当作一个朋友来对待。麦兜的朋友丁丁很帅，毕业的时候芒果和丁丁开始谈朋友了。麦兜尽管心里有些难过，但都是蒙蒙隆隆的感情，摇摇头就忘了。高中麦兜去了一个新学校，每天忙着读书，生活非常滋润。麦兜也忘了是怎样有和芒果遇上的。芒果要高考了，麦兜已经报送了。所以麦兜就提议帮芒果补课。天天能见到芒果，麦兜很开心。然后忽然就想起了原来对芒果的好感。好像真的有点喜欢这个小姑娘。具体的事情太久远了，都不记得了。但麦兜清楚的记得在芒果参加高考的时候，他等在路上，祝芒果好运，然后骑着车送她去考试。考了几天就送了几天。哦对了，芒果填写志愿的时候，麦兜原来想叫她抱交大的。但芒果包了上外。不过麦兜有点混混厄厄的，

2007-05-10T08:30:00.000-04:00

i must document my feelings at this moment. i cannot remember the last time i ve been so emotionally distressed and utterly stunned. i used to believe that i was invincible. little did i know that no one could rise above the law of the cruel world. the wise used to say that only those that you care for can harm you the deepest. it is in the thounderous sound of snapping the

Crim

2007-02-08T17:41:00.000-05:00

A few quick reactions to my criminal law class with Rubenfeld: 1. Should we use tougher deterrence for crimes harder to deter? Rubenfeld raised the possibility that the difference in categorization and eventually in sentencing between 1st and 2nd degree murder is less than intuitive. 1st degree murder punishes cold-blooded killing that also has present intent to kill, premediation or

Interracial marriage

2007-01-20T18:07:00.000-05:00

JUST three decades ago, Thurgood Marshall was only months away from appointment to the Supreme Court when he suffered an indignity that today seems not just outrageous but almost incomprehensible. He and his wife had found their dream house in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C., but could not lawfully live together in that state: he was black and she was Asian. Fortunately for the Marshalls,

gay couples' right to adoption

2006-12-13T18:19:00.000-05:00

This is a highly debated area. the supreme court employed a rational basis + a bite test in sexuality related cases, e.g. Lawrence v. Texas. But when it comes to adoption, I believe at this point in time, a pure rational basis test is adequate. First, to decide what level of scrutiny to employ, we must decide what's the source of this right or privilege. I guess it fits under either liberty or

Paper ideas

2006-12-08T11:31:00.000-05:00

I am deeply convinced that authoritarian governments also mean well and want to serve their people. It is simply a different approach they are taking. The jury is still out how it stacks up against a demorcratic society. There are a variety of forces at work, which makes the battle between these two systems interesting. The U.S. enjoys a significant geographic advantage by being separated out

2006-11-04T22:28:00.000-05:00

Match point"The man who said "I'd rather be lucky than good" saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net, and for a split second, it can either go forward or fall back. With a litte luck, it goes forward, and you win. Or maybe

1L

2006-09-23T13:53:00.000-04:00

Three weeks into my 1L year"God damn it!" I wake up to the inceasant noise every morning, murmurring to nobody, "couldn't you stop that for one fucking day, spare yourself a moment, if not for me, then for this god damn rain?" The colosseum is being taken down. Dynamite is scheduled for mid october. Out of my window stands the skeleton of what-used-to-be the symbol of the city's revival program,

Norwegian wood

2006-08-25T17:33:00.000-04:00

Murakami, Haruki. Norwegian Wood. Vintage International. 2000. Translated by Jay Rubin.I must begin how Murakami opens up his memories.“Eighteen years have gone by, and still I can bring back every detail of that day in the meadow. Washed clean of summer’s dust by days of gentle rain, the mountains wore a deep, brilliant green. The October breeze set white fronds of head-tall grasses swaying.

Wittgenstein's Poker

2006-08-07T20:15:00.000-04:00

Edmonds, David and Eidinow, John. Wittgenstein's Poker -- The Story of a Ten-Minute Argument Between Two Great Philosophers. HarperCollins, First paperback edition 2002. pp. 16. "Don't try and shit higher than your arse," which Wittgenstein applied to philosophers like Popper who thought they could change the worldpp. 33. "To learn from Wittgenstein without coming to adopt his forms of

In Shanghai again

2006-06-14T03:33:00.000-04:00

Gloomy sky overshadows the skyline. I am in Shanghai again. I can't figure this city out. So many encounters are underpinned by inquisitions into other people's wealth, salaries and social status. People are indulged in their money thirst, adding no other meaning to life than making more and more money. Should we take a quick minute to think about the most successful money makers against

The unbearable lightness of being

2006-05-21T14:09:00.000-04:00

Kundera, Milan. The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Harper Perennial Modern Classics. (1999) Translated by Michael Henry Heimpp. 8 There is no means of testing which decision is better, because there is no basis for comparison. We live everything as it comes, without warning, like an actor going on cold. And what can life be worth if the first rehearsal for life is life itself?pp. 31 Not

perhaps its time to move on

2006-04-20T11:37:00.000-04:00

I am a firm believer that in fact I am a very unique guy. I embody a number of great qualities: smart, funny, interesting, curious, energetic, etc. I am so certain that to those that can recognize these charateristics and are able to appreciate them, I am a rarity, difficult to find, but once found forever to cherish..It is somewhat discouraging when I find out that Juliee is wavering, not

Sharp debate over ideology

2006-03-12T20:49:00.000-05:00

March 12, 2006 A Sharp Debate Erupts in China Over Ideologies By JOSEPH KAHN BEIJING, March 11 — For the first time in perhaps a decade, the National People's Congress, the Communist Party-run legislature now convened in its annual two-week session, is

The world is flat

2006-03-05T04:20:00.000-05:00

Tom Friedman in his book The World is Flat describes the global playing field is being leveld at lightning speed compared to what human history had witnessed in all its existence. This leveling trend however was first observed and predicted by Karl Marx in his Communist Manifesto -- The inexorable march of technology and capital to remove all barriers, boundaries frictions and restraints to

BAT

2006-03-05T04:18:00.000-05:00

The following scribbles were jotted down before / during / after my BAT trip to Munich, Kitzbuhel and Vienna.Jan. 7, 06 9pm ShanghaiBack from dinner with Julie at Lan Xin. She apparently did not enjoy the food as much as I did, especially the "oil fried shrimps." But I took her by surprise with a nice swarovski necklace. It is a beautiful necklace with a simple but elegant crystal -- exactly the

Rubicon

2006-01-05T09:02:00.000-05:00

I finished reading Rubicon a few months ago. Bought this book at the airport in Cincinnati when my flight was delayed and I was basically bored out of my mind. Such little occurances sometimes in a strange way bring something significant to your life for the months to follow. Let me spend a few minutes discussing how I bought this book in the firstplace.I am bored, sitting, waiting, staring into

dreams are powerful

2005-12-20T04:33:00.000-05:00

i saw this girl. leslie something from r&i at the shanghai xmas party. it was weird. i swear to god i saw her in my dreams before, wearing exactly the same dress. she was not even that attractive althougn yu ning disagrees with me violently on this point. it is so strange to see people, places, and things in dreams first then again in real life. Life is planned out and all encounters are fates.

3 months in china

2005-12-20T03:54:00.000-05:00

i've spent almost three months in china so far. it's been quite an experience and i am still not so sure what i think about it. one thing is for sure though, i feel i will need to give it a few more years before i move back permanently. there are a number of good things about this country, but i will come back at a later time to detail them out. the main problem is that i am not mentally

Fanatics

2005-10-11T18:17:00.000-04:00

Paul de Sa gives a concise definition for fanatics: those who double the effort and lose sight of the goal. I might fall victim to my desire of working in China and prove to be a fanatic. But what can you do?

back in dc, only to leave again

2005-10-10T11:18:00.000-04:00

For a couple of months, life can be depicted with endless, abysmal disarray. almost from the v end of my outcry, things start to spiral downward until it all gets out of control, until hope is lost and until white flags are flying over my head.Nothing is more devastating though than the mentally ready myself finds no place, no work, no sympathy in my hometown. I was ready to stay, and was

so few days left in dc

2005-09-04T12:47:00.000-04:00

She has really broken my heart. I sat in front of my house all night, one cigarette after another, singing songs that only I could understand, aloud, as if there were only me existing in the universe. I was lonely, helpless, not knowing where life is leading toward. Perhaps every end feels the same, this one hurts particularly bad though especially after knowing about van. why i cry out why...

a little scared

2005-08-30T10:13:00.000-04:00

Don't know why i'm so bent out of shape this time. suffer from insomnia, bought first pack of cigarettes and a sense of sadness just lingers on.I'm a little scared as I never lost control of my emotions like this time. Exposed a multitude of grief, self-pity, and on top of all this, vulnerability. Feelings are fragile like paper boats in the water, like last candle in the wind. I thought I could

Outcry at the last breath

2005-08-27T15:30:00.000-04:00

Braveheart ended with an eternal outcry of "Freedom" that echoes in every viewer's heart. My outcry at the last breadth resonates with little hope for the future, dying love buried deep in my heart and everlasting darkness in the tunnel with the evaporation of the mirage of oasis at the other end.Crafted this email, very late on 8/25. Physical exhaustion agitates only the mind to an active domain

an old photo

2005-08-23T13:40:00.000-04:00

many old photos bring back good memories, like this one..

A strange sense of reality

2005-08-14T21:07:00.000-04:00

So a number of things happened over the weekend. In fact, nothing happened at all. Just I started to learn about a number of things that took place recently and life is beginning to spin out of control as my world is turning upside down. This is still an exaggeration. Life is cruising the way it always has been, but new perspective has been brought to the center stage, and a labyrinth of

no subject

2005-08-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

been busy with many meaningless chores. Life shall be different.Thy self thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel

be mean

2005-07-13T18:20:00.000-04:00

One of my clients asserted that you'll have to be mean to girls to make them like you. An interesting point. I might actually have heard of that somewhere else sometime before. But now I can associate that thought to someone special, instantly I realize how feeble I am to live out this proposition. Not that I am terribly nice. And I can totally be mean to the girls I don't like with my whole

i lost it

2005-07-11T19:02:00.000-04:00

I know it will be pretty boring to read, but this is exactly what I felt like. On Sunday all day, I thought I lost it. I thought I couldnt do this any more. Getting into this I was well aware that it would be an uphill battle to do this solo, not to even expect anything in return. I thought I was prepared for all the ups and downs. But when the downs hit, they are vastly larger than expected and

End of discovery

2005-06-30T10:38:00.000-04:00

A quiet Thursday morning. The rest of the team in a meeting with Judith. I don't get to go. This is a little frustrating. This reminds me of two things Greg used to tell me all the time. First, you can't let shit like that stress you out; Second, one way to get ahead - and often times an easier way - is when the person in front of you gets shot.

An intimate moment between George and Paris

2005-06-27T18:47:00.000-04:00

good stuff!

unreasonable and illogical (lifted from mforme.blogspot.com)

2005-06-08T13:41:00.000-04:00

Unreasonable and illogicalLast night rain, thunder and lightning kept me company. The day was simply too hot and beautiful...the skies could not help but cry....And I could not help thinking.I've been doing a lot of that this past week...reassessing everything..love, marriage, truth, faith, etc.And somewhere between last wednesday and last night, I became acquainted with another type of love...

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

2005-06-07T10:41:00.000-04:00

I am re-reading Rousseau's Social Contract theory and will post some thoughts on it soon.But here's something i read recently and found it very insightfulIt is important to recognize, moreover (a point thatOliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. stressed repeatedly), thatpersonal wealth, no matter how great, is a part, and a constructive part, of aggregate social wealth. The rich do not burn their money, or

a few updates

2005-05-30T21:18:00.000-04:00

a second time, my entry was disrupted and dislodged by computer glitches and spotty internet connections. As stated in my last attempt, I believe all this difficulty is by the design of the devine providence. I must admit though my patience is wearing thin and willingness to write is dropping to zero. I will simply write down the ideas I had and let time distill them into some meaningful wordsThe

First day of 2005

2005-01-01T19:50:00.000-05:00

It's the first day of 2005. Me here at the Caribbou coffee in northwest dc. listening to the incessant music and sound of murmur by norah jones looking into the vacant thinking about the vacant why the hell is this world progressing in such a strange fashion letting no stop of the ticking of the clock and letting no mercy to the sons of god this oughta end this oughta give way to the begining of

Christmas in Cambridge

2004-12-25T13:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I do know the post below is pure fiction. But stories like this always make me love the world we live in and become convinced that with love, peace and hope we can all enjoy everyday of life. Another month has slipped away without a single entry. Ashamed as I am, I must confess that time has been the major obstacle for leissure and posting. It's Christmas day and I am in Boston with

Christmas Eve of 1914

2004-12-25T13:23:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day, 1914 My dear sister Janet, It is 2:00 in the morning and most of our men are asleep in their dugouts—yet I could not sleep myself before writing to you of the wonderful events of Christmas Eve. In truth, what happened seems almost like a fairy tale, and if I hadn’t been through it myself, I would scarce believe it. Just imagine: While you and the family sang carols before the fire

Thanksgiving in Philly

2004-11-28T21:35:00.000-05:00

Spent my thanksgiving in philly this year with Troy, Sandra, Tina, Sue and Papa. It was a very relaxing time. We left for philly on Wed., 11/24, on an Amtrak train. In fear of crowded thanksgiving travel, we got to the dupont metro station at 6p for our 7:10 train. Getting to the station turned out to be just fine and we get two benches on the train facing each other. This setting was

Poem

2004-11-04T23:57:00.000-05:00

I really liked this poem. 既不回头，何必不忘；既然无缘，何需誓言。今日种种，似水无痕；明夕何夕，君已陌路。

Some updates

2004-11-02T14:09:00.000-05:00

A lot of things happened in the last month and I will probably be a little slower than usual to update this blog. First, I started to work at McKinsey on 10/7. The first a couple of days, I went through office training and got a new laptop and a blackberry. On 10/10, I went to Palo Alto again for a week long training program. Saw Dan and Frank again. Three people I met at the BCR were really

I am a lazy bone

2004-10-06T13:14:00.000-04:00

Looking back at my trip to Tibet, I am still deeply moved by every and each moment I spent there. This is the time I truly feel that my words cannot express the feelings and every excitement I experienced in Tibet. Let down, I feel a little. But quickly I realize that this is not something I actually want to present on paper or in writing, for not only are these feelings very personal, but the

Tibet: Lhasa Saint Swan Hotel

2004-09-11T21:45:00.000-04:00

We came back from 林芝。 It was a little cloudy. But in fact, the beautiful senes were different from what we saw yesterday given the clouds. There was nothing much to talk about except for the last stretch of the journey. Our driver pulled over as soon as we saw the group of nuns who were kowtowing to Lhasa. We all thought there was something wrong with the car as it did happen a few times on the

Tibet: Lin Zhi ying bing hotel

2004-09-10T22:45:00.000-04:00

The trip to 林芝 turned out to be more treacherous and troublesome than I had imagined. It is, after all, not easy to travel by oneself away from the assistance of a local tour guide. Before I go on ranting about the problems, I must note here that the scenery and landscapes along the way from Lhasa to Lin Zhi were simply out of this world. It solidified my desire to return to Tibet for a second

Tibet: Hong Qiao Hotel

2004-09-09T21:55:00.000-04:00

I arrived in Tibet last night. A bus and a tour guide were waiting for us at the airport. But looking outside the window at the airport, I could see rolling mountains that dwarf any humans and man-made edifices. Teh sky was blue and the coulds were white. There were some Tibetans giving out Hadas. Together with seven other people, we went to Lhasa. Their names were 章小虎，张洁，Mrs. 章小虎, 杨小可，王建国，李雪，王鑫。

Cute Air Hostess

2004-09-08T21:53:00.000-04:00

The first flight took 2:45 hours and the 2nd one took 1:50 hours. There is a very cute flight hostess on the 2nd flight. Her name was 丁慧。

Flight CA 4520

2004-09-08T09:15:00.000-04:00

Sunny with few clouds; temperature around 78 F. I just left Shanghai for Tibet. My flight will make a stop in Cheng Du. The takeoff in Shanghai was slightly delayed as one passenger showed up late. In fact, I was not aware of the takeoff at all-- I had to get up at a quarter of six this morning and was severely lack of sleep. The boring wait and the warm temperature in the cabin easily put me to

Pu Tuo Shan

2004-09-05T13:45:00.000-04:00

I have to make these up now. During my stay in China, I travelled to a few places and, of course, also logged my thoughts, feelings and inspirations. Too bad, dialup just couldn't satisfy my blogging needs. Perhaps, it was not the dialup connection, but the Chinese servers blocking these blog sites. Or perhaps even, these are just excuses for my being lazy. Anyways, it is time to make these all

The Myth of Left-Wing Harvard

2004-09-01T09:56:00.000-04:00

It is true enough that the Harvard faculty is "liberal" in exactly the way The New York Times is "liberal," as its Public Editor recently informed us: namely, on a range of social issues, it ranges towards the more tolerant and libertarian, and away from the fearful, moralizing, and authoritarian. Put aside this pleasant, tolerant "liberalism"--whose only real opposition comes from the Taliban,

Back in Shanghai

2004-08-30T04:09:00.000-04:00

I've been back in Shanghai for roughly 10 days. It's been interesting to see my family and old time friends. Every one is engaged in a different walk of like and it is only up to oneself to plot up a life plan. I am convinced that people are born to be a lone star, exploring the world in his own way. Ahh.. only love can provide the transient illusion that there is someone else in the world for

Canon Powershot S410

2004-08-06T17:20:00.000-04:00

I bought this Canon digital camera from Digital E Tailer a few days ago and it finally arrived here today. I am quite excited about this new toy and have spent a good amount of time playing with it. The sales rep was a slimyball in my opinion and tricked me big time. He basically told me that my battery will only last 30mins and I need a new one that goes me a boost of 2 hours and a half. It

random...

2004-08-05T10:28:00.000-04:00

Quietly, I let another week slip by without a single entry. There has not been much happening lately.. but no, this just sounds like a big excuse. I had too much to drink last Friday at Recessions. And unsurprisingly, I behaved in a very inappropriate manner and could have potentially offended Vanessa, Pablo's girlfriend. I saw Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911 for a second time yesterday. It was

My Birthday

2004-07-25T15:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I know this should be better written, but I really don't have the time. So instead, I will have a quick rundown of all the events that took place on 7.22.04. My mom called me early in the morning, when I was in the shower getting ready for work, to wish me a good day as, well, that was the time that in both time zones, we were on the 22nd. Then off I went to work where I discovered a

Beautiful Tour de France Hostesses

2004-07-22T10:42:00.000-04:00

Jen sent me this article and it is just drop dead funny. It's consolating to know that there are news reporters and editors just like me out there. See some fantastic quotes. The Tour de France has its hotesses. (The term means "hostess" in French, not "hotty," despite the resemblance.) This nation's leggy, high-cheekboned angels have been bewitching men for centuries. Beautiful women are

Undergone major changes

2004-07-18T22:13:00.000-04:00

I was unhappy with how my blog looked like. After browsing around for a while, I decided to change it to the current view, powered by Blogger.com. It is surprisingly simple to switch templates, but all the additional links that I used to have were lost as a result of this facelift. I managed to restore most of them. Now there is still two features I would like to have. First, it would be nice

Beijing flooded after a rainstorm

2004-07-14T21:11:00.000-04:00

Beijing was completed flooded after a severe rainstorm. Walk bridges became real bridges as streets turned into rivers. Buses and cars also became vessels.

Rain

2004-07-14T16:42:00.000-04:00

A gust of wind whisked down the alley. I was waiting for this to happen. The sky has been grey for almost half an hour now and the air is so thick that I could barely breathe. A moment ago, I was still rushing home, hoping to make it back before the rainstorm hits. But when I was sweating more and more, one idea hit me. What I try to avoid is being soaked in the rain, but I've already

Friends' Blogs

2004-07-08T09:18:00.000-04:00

I had a chance to carefully go through Josh's blog yesterday and it was rather impressive. The layout and sidebars make it easy to navigate, but I was much more interested in the contents, especially the creative writing Josh does from time to time. From there on, I went to see Tim's blog and enjoyed it too. What I find interesting is that when I see a person and become friends with him, I

Poetic

2004-07-07T18:02:00.000-04:00

I think I can be quite poetic from time to time. I found the following piece in my AIM self-description and am lovin' it. I looked left, then right, then left again, but still couldn't find you. Then, down goes my spirit. I know you occupy my whole heart, but still long for the extra physical presence of yours. And also this... What are we struggling for and what are the purposes of our

2004-06-13T03:05:00.001-04:00

A Tibetan Lake

2004-06-13T03:05:00.000-04:00

Potala Palace

2004-06-13T03:04:00.000-04:00

Josh took these pictures during his trip to Tibet. Tibet, I am coming soon!

China Scene

2004-06-13T02:47:00.000-04:00

Josh Blumenstock found the text below on China Daily under a section named China Scene. It's almost the Chinese version of The Onion. Only that these are all supposedly based on facts. Drunkard drinks boiling water: A drunk man in Nanjing drank boiling water directly from a thermos bottle and seriously injured his throat, neck and chest, reports Yangtze Evening News. The man surnamed Liu, 35,

2004-06-13T02:44:00.000-04:00

Star Rated Toilet

2004-06-13T02:43:00.000-04:00

How succinct the Chinese language is.

Long Long Day

2004-06-04T16:44:00.000-04:00

Everyday's encounter keeps reminding me how different people are in this world. It is commonplace for us to assume, or at least hope, that people function in similar ways as we do. I am not exactly sure if it is genetics or different environments in which people are brought up that shape people's personalities and help them to form their own ways of seeing the world and handling day to day

Some old friends

2004-05-31T17:39:00.000-04:00

I got a chance to speak with a few old friends today. One of them went to High School with me and is now studying at Rutgers and another one I knew from a long time ago and just got his Masters degree from Boulder and is working at Maxtor Inc. It is rather striking for me to see how far each of them has come and in reflection, how different a person I have become.I also realized that some of my

Busch Gardens

2004-05-31T17:32:00.000-04:00

At Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA on 5/16/04.

Thoughts on graduation day

2004-05-28T16:37:00.000-04:00

I tried to leave this message yesterday, but by mistake hit the Back button before it was published. Well the result was simple and cruel. I lost everything I typed in. But the idea I developed whilst typing the message has stuck with me and despite the different language I will use here, I hope to reproduce it, record it and provide my future thinking with a reference point. I went back to

Purpose of our existence

2004-05-28T16:36:00.000-04:00

What are we struggling for and what are the purposes of our existence? Nietzsche would scoff at such questions as to him, life, being and the world come into existence before rationality has reigned. We should not be too disappointed if we failed to explain the former with the latter. In fact, Niezsche concludes that this is the very source of our unhappiness. But what does this have to do with

NeoCon makes sense

2004-05-09T00:03:00.000-04:00

I finally found a school of thought that I can, with a few qualms, submit myself to. Indeed, I agree with quite a number of views held by the neoconservatives. Below I post an article by Irvine Kristol that articulates the views and beliefs of the neoconservatives. ---------------------- Found on Weekly Standard 8/25/2003 Vol. 8 Issue 47. The Neoconservative Persuasion From the August 25,

The Constitutionality of Gay Marriage II

2004-02-25T10:58:00.000-05:00

And here's the NYT piece. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 25, 2004 Putting Bias in the Constitution ith his re-election campaign barely started and his conservative base already demanding tribute, President Bush proposes to radically rewrite the Constitution. The amendment he announced support for yesterday could not only keep gay

The Constitutionality of Gay Marriage I

2004-02-25T10:56:00.000-05:00

This is a very powerful piece. I highly doubt it if Bush will succeed in pursuing this constitutional amendment. But if we take one step back, and view this problem in a different light, we may realize that this again is an example of democracy running into a wall. I say so because it's apparent to me that the only reason Bush said what he said is that he's counting on half of America to like it

Do grades help or hinder?

2004-02-14T19:03:00.000-05:00

Do grades help or hinder? By: Raphael Minder Now jobs are scarce, business school students find themselves with anew balancing act to master: how to improve their recruitment prospects while making sure the tougher competition does not lead to a less pleasant learning environment. One question that has come to the forefront is whether grades should matter. On Monday Columbia Business School

2004-02-08T09:54:00.000-05:00

We went clubbin' last night at Crush in Adams Morgan. There are times when you just no longer want to think and only want your body to go its own way. Who said that your body doesn't have its own will? Stress, frustration and a sense of hopelessness have found their ways into my life and built up such a strong...what shall we say...despair, looking to shout out. The man-made world turns out to

2004-01-25T16:43:00.000-05:00

I shall outline this idea I recently started to formulate. That is, if there are prostitutes in the world, I am saying if their existence is taken as granted, it is almost only moral to sleep with them. I should elaborate on my conclusion a little more before I even indulge in laying out my analysis. Sleeping with prosistitutes is not the only moral thing to do in my opinion, but considering

2004-01-25T15:32:00.000-05:00

Conventions usually do not survive well the scrutiny of a rational mind despite their popularity among laymen. Nurtured by the indolence and comformity of many, conventions are rarely challenged, but rather hard-wired into those innocent unscrupulous minds by their similarly brainwashed parents. The danger of such process manifests itself through the establishment of a value system founded on

2004-01-23T16:24:00.000-05:00

I am perplexed by the fact that Google doesn't cover my page. Well, it's kind of alright. I'd like to keep this private anyways. Last night, I went to dinner with Laurie, Joe and this new guy Vance. It's the first day of Chinese New Year and this is the year of Monkey! Laurie was just sooooooo nice. She gave a red envelope--the only one I received this year. We chatted, laughed and had a

2004-01-20T16:06:00.000-05:00

Dan is kickin' my bu*t in the stock competition. His strategy is rather good: Buy cheap risky stocks. It's virtual money anyways and we should not be afraid of losing. But then if you take a step back, we use this venue to learn about the market and to become more knowledgeable of trading. Perhaps it's best to trade the way one would with real money. I do know cases where people do better

2004-01-19T14:53:00.000-05:00

Allan Shore's friend came to the office and asked for help. His wife committed adultary with her colleague and Allan's friend was immensely hurt for her disloyalty. A divorce seems in order although giving up $7 million, or half of his wealth, to such a woman seems ludicrous at the time. Allan's friend provided him with information of where and when his wife sees her lover. Allan, in his

2004-01-19T14:43:00.000-05:00

It needs no further explanation if you also watch the show. Yes, The Practice is the only show on TV that's worth your time glueing yourself to your couch on Sunday evenings. I don't care how much other people like Sex and the City and other cheesy comedies. The Practice is the real stuff! Starting this week, I will write a TV review on every Monday, not just to summarize the synopsis of

2004-01-19T14:06:00.000-05:00

Dr. Martin Luther King's day. I'm hiding in my office again, listening to Nirvana. There's no single soul around me. And I'm turning the volume of my speakers to its max, playing About a Girl, singing along it. Oh maybe I should just go turn off the light and fill the abient with Kirk Kobain's and my own cry!

2004-01-17T15:47:00.000-05:00

This site has undergone a few major changes. First, the background color was changed to slategray from pure white. It looked rather blend before. Second, I finally decided to put my email address here at the risk of clogging my inbox with spam emails. Since it will take forever to implent a comment feature and to be frank I don't even know if that's a good idea to begin with, I guess an email

2004-01-15T10:11:00.001-05:00

J.P. Morgan and Bank One announced a $58b merge today. Bank One's CEO Jaime Dimon will take over as the CEO of the merged Bank in 2006. He's currently 47 years old and will be at most 50 by the time he becomes the CEO of the 2nd largest bank in the U.S. Wonder when I will make my first pot of gold and get on with my career.

2004-01-15T10:11:00.000-05:00

From NYT: Cellphones are a paradox of the modern era: the Mars rover may be able to send home color pictures from 35 million miles away, but just try to make a cellular call from Temple Sinai, a synagogue in the middle of New Orleans. You might have better luck on Mars.

2004-01-14T12:04:00.001-05:00

Scarlett Johansson was on Jay Leno and she was just absolutely beautiful. It was a little disappointing to hear her talk though. Granted, she's only 19 years old and, despite her success, is not very mature yet. I hope she'll spend some time studying, thinking and will not become another Paris Hilton. Anyways, here's a nice article on her.

2004-01-13T19:07:00.000-05:00

I managed to put links on the rightside!! =)

2004-01-12T17:17:00.000-05:00

mmm.. Looks like other people's blogs are much nicer. And I'll need to implement comments feature. The CD is now playing the last track Where did you sleep last night?

2004-01-12T16:51:00.000-05:00

What's that song playing now? Oh, it's Polly from Nirvana's CD Unplugged in New York. It's 4 of 5 on a Monday afternoon. Shendovski wants to become a blogger for two reasons. First, it's jealousy. (Ha! No surprise.) So many of his friends have nice blogs and he wants one too! mm.. He knows it's no goood to be jealous, but still struggled to find it an economic rationale--Competition is always