Using Children for Political Ends = Crossing the Line

I first got wind of this news from Yahoo! main page, in a video about a congressman's daughter writing a letter in support of a position he did not. It seemed funny at first. Can you imagine if you are a Republican and your children grow up to become Democrats? Some serious rebelliousness issues there. But then I read a little more thoroughly and...was appalled.

As the DailyMail reports, the congressman, state representative Mike Stone, received a batch of letters from third-grade students compelling him to raise the state budget. Among those students writing was his own 8-year old daughter. In particular, the daughter wrote "please raise the budget" and to help keep two teaching assistants. What makes this appalling is that the teacher intentionally organized the students to write on this issue, voicing such a position, for the explicit purpose of sending off to congressmen of influence. In this case, there was direct knowledge that this young girl's father was Mike Stone. Furthermore, it seems like these actions were initiated by the entire public school system.

Representative Stone declared that "as I read through this [letter], anger completely shot through me" -- a sentiment he has every reason to express. Not only is his daughter supporting a political action he objects to, she is too young to understand the issue itself. An eight-year-old girl has much better things to be concerned with than politics, like unicorns and barbies (I kid slightly). It is pretty obvious that she was just being used as a political tool by the teacher/school system for a certain end. How does this come together? The budget issue is about the current clash between the state Republicans and the Democrat governor Beverly Perdue. And as anyone knows, Democrats have the express support of the public school systems and vice versa.

There are methods to influence your representatives, but using their children to do is not one of them. Think about this for a second: do children have the right to vote? The answer is "no", which means they should not be directly contacting their government representatives either. That is the responsibility and right of their parents. Ultimately, children are children -- and not political instruments.

(One thing I just thought of is this: why would the daughter be writing to help the two TAs keep their jobs? Teacher assistants are not needed for most part, unless there are special needs. Teachers should be able to manage their own classes, without further help. If they can't, then maybe they shouldn't be teachers. TAs are largely there to reduce the workload for teacher -- akin to a student taking an exam but having outside help in doing so.)

Apple WWDC 2011 Recap: iOS 5, OSX Lion, and iCloud

The title to this post is a bit misleading. Although I own no Apple products (as noted here), I consider it a responsibility to follow all tech-related news. Therefore I cannot in good faith consciously exclude Apple announcement. To such effect, I had to follow Apple's WWDC 2011. (I am a couple days behind, I know...)

Although Apple introduced a host of new products/changes like the iOS5 and OSX Lion, I think the picture reflects on the most important announcement of this conference. As expected, Apple revealed its competing service to the Pandora, Amazon's Cloud Player, and Google's Music (Beta). Nothing new needs to be said, other than just greater detail than what was predicted before. Music labels will be much happier with Apple's approach than the other two behemoths (Pandora is technically a "music recommendation" service). I foresee some nasty lawsuits in the future.

The other two major announcements (iOS 5 and OSX Lion), pardon my lack of enthusiasm, were very underwhelming. Nothing significant was really introduced -- simply a myriad of implications to improve user experiences. Fanboys left and right are either bashing or commending Apple for its approach. I am indifferent about both. The reason? My answer: why fix something that is not broken? In addition, the competition is not that strong anyway. For example, Android OS is more powerful but lacks the proper interface to make it popular; Windows Phone 7 is more intuitive but lacks the brand power and hardware support. On the OSX Lion front, everyone knows that OSX will always be a distant second to Microsoft's Windows OS. Even Apple knows this very well.

What's more interesting is how Apple is consolidating its gains in the marketplace. Namely, they are streamlining their entire ecosystem so that consumers are likelier to keep buying their products. This is very sound strategy. For example, once you have an iPhone, you'd likely buy a MacBook to synchronize with your new phone. Not only would this lessen the chance your customers will sample other products, it also breeds fanaticism. Power of Apple indeed.

Apple's New Spaceship Campus

I haven' been posting as frequently as I should -- "my bad". It's been a busy week looking for housing, especially now that I definitely have to move out by the end of this month. Apparently the person I was subleasing is not allowed to sublease to others and, as a result, he is getting evicted. This means we are also.

Personal quips aside, I just came across a fascinating report about Apple's upcoming plans for its new campus. Yahoo News reports that Steve Jobs himself made a pilgrimage to the City Council meeting in Cupertino (California) and revealed plans for a brand-new, state-of-the-art company headquarters. This is something to be expected. After all, Apple's sales revenue is growing by leaps and bounds -- along with its profitability.

BUT, what was not expected was the design of the this new headquarters building. As evident from below's image, it looks like....an ALIEN SPACESHIP!

The proposed building will apparently be four stories high and house 12,000 employees. It is important to note that given Apple's current employee headcount of 2,800, they are expecting even more incredible growth for the foreseeable future. The actual location will be on the current Hewlett-Packard campus, near "Pruneridge Avenue and Wolfe Road" (whatever that is). It'll span 150 acres.

Putting aside the awesomeness (not to mention audacity) of the design, it's interesting to note that the middle of this disc-shaped building will be a courtyard. This complements Steve Job's alleged affinity for mother nature and zen-ish themes. The proposed plan will obviously be approved -- especially when Steve Jobs himself is making an appearance. Let's see how Microsoft and Google compete with that!

Obama's Ratings Fall Back to Earth

A few weeks have now elapsed since the news of Osama Bin Laden's death broke out and everyone showered praise onto President Barrack Obama. Although the credit was not entirely justified, we can't say too much just as blame for the current recession was not Obama's work neither. Sometimes very significant events occur without our foresight. One simply has to take things in stride, adjust accordingly, and move forward.

Just as predicted/expected, it appears Obama's public ratings have now fallen back to pre-Bin Laden's death levels. As Yahoo News reports, his approval rating "back" to 47 percent while 49 percent disapprove of his performance. In greater detail, approval rating on the budget deficit is 33 percent (a new low) while 59 percent (a new high) is the new high for his disapproval rating on handling the economy. (All these approvals and disapprovals can be confusing, I know.) This is obviously glim news for Obama's reelection bids.

If it wasn't obvious before, I am no supporter of President Obama. He seems to be a good character, but is largely incompetent and ill-advised on important issues. I will even go as far as saying that, in spite of all the ridicule given to former President George Bush, Bush accomplished more as he was better advised. For example, what exactly has Joe Biden done? Cheney was a crook but at least he knew what he was doing. The bigger waste is always having the power to accomplish something, but not doing anything with that power. My opinion is not politically-based as I am no Republican either -- but largely derived from reviewing Obama's track record since his election.

Do I think Obama will get reelected? I do not, especially if the economy maintains its sluggishness until the end of the year. Inasmuch as the public is charmed by Obama's oratory ability and persona, we also recognize the pressing needs of our country today. Problems such as a tax system with more holes than Swiss cheese, massive government bureaucracy, soaring trade deficit, rising inflation, and rampant unemployment are no jokes. Nor can we afford to defer action on them any longer. What we need is a leader with an intricate understanding of our problems and a willingness to do what is right for the people, rather than for his (or her) political prospects. Tough decisions have to be made and implemented -- decisions that Obama has shown to be incapable of making. Examples? How about an austerity plan to tackle the country's massive deficit? Republicans have come up with a controversial plan, but at least they have a plan.

For one, we need to start making sizable cuts to the military spending. Because what is the point of having a state-of-the-art defense system when there isn't much left to defend?

Time to Buy an Xbox 360 + Kinect?

This week is E3, which stands for "Electronic Entertainment Expo" or aka the annual gaming convention. Companies worldwide flock together to demonstrates their upcoming hardware, software, and games. It's a pretty exciting time for any gadget enthusiasts, especially if you are also a gamer. To sweeten the deal, Apple likes to schedule its annual WDDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) in the same week. Definitely much more exciting stuff than the recent (failure) of a Computex 2011.

To start things off, Microsoft went ahead and demonstrated upcoming changes to its Kinect motion-sensing controller. And boy did they hit a home run. Aside from a host of new exclusive games such as Gears of War 3, Mass Effect 3, Star Wars (doesn't everyone dream of dueling like a Jedi?), Microsoft also dramatically expanded its games offerings to the other audiences. The latter includes Sesame Street: Once Upon a Time and a Fun Labs that allows innovative uses of Kinect equipment, as well as the usual sports titles (Kinect Sports Season Two). I am personally thrilled to see the multiplayer capability of Dance Central 2, which before could only track the moments of only one player at a time. Now it can do at least two. It's time to learn some contemporary dance moves!

[It would be redundant to breakdown all the new offerings by Microsoft. You can check the Engadget articles here and here if you'd like. They have good photographs too!]

What I will do is provide a brief analysis of what these announcements mean to Microsoft. Obviously Microsoft is riding a wave of positive image right now -- Sony Playstation's reputation is smashed after its shutdown of its Playstation Network. I might even go out and purchase an Xbox (with Kinect of course) to take advantage of these new changes. Let's return to using our trusty bulleted formatting system to present some thoughts:

• Nintendo better reveal a solid successor plan to its Wii system, lest they want Xbox to also dominate them in sales. The Wii's novelty has worn off, especially now that with Kinect one no longer needs any controller. More alarmingly, Microsoft is bent on targeting a rounder demographic -- which has always been Nintendo's stronghold. Let's hope Nintendo's rumored "Wii HD" is competitive.
• Cable television providers also better watch out. As this initial revelation suggests, Microsoft is looking to expand its lineup of television offerings through the Xbox. I have friends who have already ditched cable television subscriptions for plans offered by Netflix and Hulu. Heck, even Netflix should be cautious as this new ability of the Kinect may pose a challenge to its business model.
• The emphasis on Kinect in this year's Microsoft E3 presentation hints that the next iteration of the Xbox will not be released for another 2 or 3 years at least. Microsoft is simply betting (with its development wallet) too much on Kinect to just forsake it after a year. Anyone holding out for the next iteration should just go ahead and buy the current one.

What does this mean to Microsoft's stocks? I'd recommend holding on as blogged about earlier. The pessimism is too heavy on the stock market right now. However, it doesn't mean you can't wait out the summer by buying yourself an Xbox 360 + Kinect (as I very well might).

CNNMoney: "We're in for a weak summer"

And I agree with the statement by a senior trader at ETX Capital, as reported by CNN Money. This summer looks very bearish for the financial markets -- even by their standard inactivity in the summertime. The past two or three weeks has seen stock markets across the world plunge; and it doesn't look like things will change for the better.

I can't say I'm happy because my stocks have been losing ground too. Although losses have not been catastrophic, they largely do not seem to have sense. For example, AMD is making a push on the its Fusion front and Ford's monthly sales are still growing worldwide. But pessimism appears to be contagious in the financial markets. Everyone is scared that the economic recovery is stagnating and might eventually dip downward. This, coupled with high oil prices, means less business activity in general.

But this opens up an opportunity for value investors. As I have written before, it's easy to profit on a bull market but much more difficult in a bear market. It's what differentiates the smart investors from the not-so-smart ones. The famous Warren Buffett once said that "It's only when the tide goes out that you learn who's been swimming naked". Along these lines, I am not sure what I will be doing in the coming months concerning my own positions. Maybe I will invest more and further diversify my portfolio.

Time to Reevaluate the Mandy Situation

Since there have yet to be any exterior feedback/comments (I give myself feedback often but that doesn't really count), I have no idea how YOU (the reader) take to my posts about this person named Mandy. Mandy is a real person, around my age, and the most amazing girl I know. She is beautiful, kind, funny, and a Christian. I have written considerably about her before, either explicitly or mentioned her in one of my posts (here, or here, or pretty much anywhere with a "Mandy" tag). In short, I am in love with her.

Yet this sentiment thus far has been relatively one sided. Despite what I perceive to be a form of reciprocity when we first met, this has lately become a one-way street. It involved mostly conversions via Google Gtalk (thank you Google!) for almost 2 (?) years. Our predicament climaxed at the end of last year, when I (shyly) presented with a gift and a note and was returned a straightforward email saying she did not feel the same. It was a heartbreaking revelation at the time but I, always the optimist, still held onto the faint hope that her sentiment would change in the future. Given our limited interactions as of late --a result of us living in different cities-- it has been difficult to gauge the plausibility of this so-called "dream". But an occurrence earlier today has pushed me to reevaluate our situation --and present it in this blog post.

While I attribute the quality of kindness to Mandy, it is an assigned quality out of my observations only. In our interactions, what I experienced have been a rough split between apathy and "engaged interest" (it means whatever you think it means). Perhaps out of my shyness, it has mostly involved an exchange of pleasantries and nothing else. Yet earlier today, I was shown a very concrete expression of her current sentiment toward me. This occurred as a I walking out of our church meeting room: she unexpectedly joined into the caravan of people I was walking with, I greeted her ("Hi Mandy"), she greeted back ("Hi____, how are you?"), but before I had a chance to respond, she had speedily walked to the front of the caravan and eventually out of sight. I was just shocked by this quick encounter. My immediate reaction is that her action showed a complete lack of interest in me -- to be point of not even bothering to have a conversation. On second thoughts, she might have been in a hurry but this succinct experience has nonetheless been traumatizing. In other words, it was heartbreaking to the person you have fallen for be so...cold. I think now that I should have better heeded my previous realization about the situation.

In more ways than one, I have thought Mandy as a surmountable wall and not a locked door. The difference between the two is that, while a wall can be climbed over, a locked door cannot be passed through -- unless one wishes to break down the door entirely. For a while now, the Mandy in my eyes has been analogous to a brick wall I have to scale over; and brick walls are there to give people an opportunity to show how truly (or badly) we want something. But I am really beginning to think that a locked door is a more realistic analogy. The truth is, I am powerless over our situation and her every indication lately (after taking off my metaphorical tinted lenses) that she does not like me. Perhaps not even as a friend.

And I don't blame her. She did not ask to be included in my numerous schemes or in situations where she'd have to interact with her. For the most part, I was the culprit behind those so-called opportunities. In her reply email last year, she gave a direct verbalization that she did not feel the same about me. Yet I have egged myself on. Revoking another Great Expectations quotation, I feel just like Pip when he was told by Estella that he would quickly forget her:

"Out of my thoughts! You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read, since I first came here, the rough common boy whose poor heart you wounded even then. You have been in every prospect I have ever seen since -- on the river, on the sails of the ships, on the marshes, in the clouds, in the light, in the darkness, in the wind, in the woods, in the sea, in the streets. You have been the embodiment of every graceful fancy that my mind has ever become acquainted with. The stones of which the strongest London buildings are made, are not more real, or more impossible to be displaced by your hands, than your presence and influence have been to me, there and everywhere, and will be. Estella, to the last hour of my life, you cannot choose but remain part of my character, part of the little good in me, part of the evil. But, in this separation I associate you only with the good, and I will faithfully hold you to that always, for you must have done me far more good than harm, let me feel now what sharp distress I may. O God bless you, God forgive you!'"

It dawned on me (for the second time) that we are likely to be worlds apart, in spite of being seemingly so close and so alike. In this unhappy ecstasy of a blog post, maybe I am really like Pip and she really is Estella -- that we will never be together. I will inevitably continue to see her, but must practice what I preached about in the "Limerence" post. It is time to be thankful for all the experiences I have had with her and...move on. There is always hope -- but it appears to be a fool's hope.

[My apologies about this wordy and emo-esque rant about a situation. I am sure my situation is not unique, but sometimes it is helpful to put in words.]