Husker Glory years and New Beginnings

It's August and College football camps have opened all over the USA. In honesty, I love my life here in Thailand, but there is nothing like a fall chill in the air and the smell of freshly cut football grass. I get homesick one time of year, and that is when the leaves begin to turn, the pads begin to pop, and the polls spur the only worth while discussion in America: WHO IS NUMBER 1?

Beware of the day the SUN goes away

WOW, August is coming in with a magical solar eclipse. This of course happens when the Gods of the ancient world have not been appeased by blood. It is important for people in Canada and norther regions of Russia and China, to quickly sacrifice an oxen or sheep in order to protect their village from this horrible event. Please check the video by National Geographic for more information, but don't take too long, as we all know if the sun leaves our planet we will all be FROZEN in seconds. Don't be responsible for such a disaster. KILL SOMETHING NOW!

Reality Is … So Unreal

The butterfly effect is a concept that really gets my mind reeling. It is the basic theory that even the smallest event or stimulus can create, over a long period of time or a short abrupt period of time, reactions somewhere else in the world. It all began with that famous quote about a butterfly:

"The phrase refers to the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different. Of course the butterfly cannot literally cause a tornado. The kinetic energy in a tornado is enormously larger than the energy in the turbulence of a butterfly. The kinetic energy of a tornado is ultimately provided by the sun and the butterfly can only influence certain details of weather events in a chaotic manner."

Now something so infinitesimally small, so insignificant and minute, changing a tornadoes path could be seen as inspiring – shockingly so. Yet, I hold to this contemplative fear, "what if that tornado was supposed to miss me, and now it's headed right for my new 3.5 million baht home, 'to which I have no tornado insurance.'"You see when fate or cosmic karma is out to balance or unbalance the scale, it just might be me or you who is about to weigh in and that sucks. I mean every situation begins with something, in movies they say it's the plot point – you know our divergence from the normal into the drama of our story. Consequently, any time I start to feel bored and do a lot of thinking about what bolder in my life is teetering ever so ominously on some cliff I'm destined to walk beneath, I have to remind myself "maybe there is a super butterfly that could fly between me and that bolder and smash it to pieces with its little wings?" But then again, maybe not?

My Genius is in the Coffee

An article on MSNBC has confirmed a long standing suspicion of mine. My Genius may be a result of my massive use of coffee. Study sessions at university in which we crammed an entire semester and 3 or 4 text books into a 24 hour enlightenment period, always made me wonder, "is it the incredible effort I'm putting in which is giving me the good grades, or is it just the coffee?" Researchers created a list of 4 foods which help memory recall and slipping in at number 4 is every teacher's friend, every cop's life blood, black gold, coffee. Now this is wonderful news for me, because I've always indulged myself with coffee as a pick me up which can aid me through my less than stimulating day as a high school teacher. 

Now if they can just come out with a study that says watching movies and eating cake all day will help me to understand quantum physics, then I will be really happy. 

Article from MSNBC:

Coffee (adjust to your personal tolerance)
Good news for coffee lovers. About two years ago, researchers from the University Innsbruck in Austria found caffeinated coffee can temporarily sharpen your focus and memory. After giving volunteers the caffeine equivalent of about two cups of coffee, they observed that their brain activity was increased in two locations—one being the part responsible for memory. Results were observed using MRI technology. Without caffeine, there was no increase in brain activity. 

Then, earlier this year, another study published in a leading Neurology journal, found the effects of coffee may be longer lasting — specifically in women. This four-year long study involving about 7000 participants... all participants went through thorough baseline evaluations – cognitive function was tested, along with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other vascular issues. Participants were re-evaluated at the two-year mark, and again at the four year mark. 

At the end of the four year period, researchers found that women age 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee per day (or the caffeine equivalent in tea) had 33 percent less decline in memory over time than women who drank one cup or less of coffee or tea per day. The results held up even after researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect memory abilities, such as age, education, baseline cognitive function, depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, medications, and other chronic illnesses. This caffeine-memory association was not observed in men — the authors hypothesize that perhaps that’s because men and women metabolize caffeine differently.

So if memory problems are a major concern for you, and if you don’t have a medical condition that precludes caffeine, feel free to indulge in a cup or two in the morning to jump-start your brain.

Luc Besson RULES with BEAUTY

The Fifth Elemnt she is "Perfect"

Recently I installed a projection system in my new home. It is so cool to see movies on a 92 inch projection screen and to hear the powerful surround sound, that I basically only leave my house for work and food. One of the great pleasures in having a new system to view movies is pulling out old favorites and watching them again. It has been during this glut of film indulgence that I have come to realize just how much I love Luc Besson. 

Luc Besson is one of my favorite film directors. I know every film school nerd loves to babble on and on about Kubrick -- yes, yes, the patience the calm, he is a brilliant director -- but for my box office bucks I love Besson. He certainly does not have the track record of a Spielberg or Lucas, but what is amazing about Besson is his ability to tell a story. To tell it to an audience that may or may not understand much about science or even fiction, and to use compelling characters to tell his stories. 3 of my favorite films of all time, and I've seen far too many films to make this statement, are Besson's famed jewels: La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element, and Leon The Professional. Action films with a sense of humor, romance, color, and most importantly a human factor that far too many directors fail to access.  Leon is one of the most singular character in any film, and his relationship with his adopted young lady is magical.

If you have not seen all of his films, check his bio by clicking on the title of this article. You will be taken to an article about his retirement in 2006 which goes into great detail about his career. Chose one of his 10 films and rent or buy it and check him out. You won't be disappointed. 

Motorcycle Taxis go to WORK

It is the year 2551 here in the Kingdom of Thailand. Sometimes I feel like the nation is trapped in the 50's of the west. I mean there is an innocence here very similar to that of the 1950's in America. We have a steadily and rapidly emerging middle class, we have young people who are the first family member to graduate from a university, we have ice cream shops packed with students on giggly dates, movie theaters, ice skating rinks, and so much focus on teen life. But, in other ways I feel this county is way ahead of the west when it comes to technology. Phones here are, as a group more advanced for the money, banking is so much easier as everything can be done with the ATM machine.

So as I look to the future of the planet I think perhaps the planet will be looking at Thailand for its answer. You see for decades here we have had the motorcycle taxi. Now if you want to get anywhere at any time of day, there is really only one vehicle which can deliver -- the motorcycle taxi. These crazy people are willing to slip through seems in the gridlock that many needles would shy away from. When the street becomes completely impassable, the sidewalk or even fields beside the road can become a viable means to an end. As gas prices seem to be soaring beyond all expectations, and more hikes expected on a weekly basis, I will suggest for the rest of the world that you should introduce the motorcycle taxi. It's cheap, it's doable, and they can go to places your car could never dream of going anyway.

Most importantly the PRICE IS RIGHT! Motorcycles will be making a huge comeback in the coming decade, because cars and cheap fuel are about to become a thing of memory. Truthfully, who can spend 30% of their monthly earnings to cover transportation? This number was thrown out as an estimate of spending by middle class citizens on the planet Earth. I for one, moved closer to my work and plan to do as much WALKING as I can.

College Football's Most Memorable

I am a college football fan, and specifically I am a HUSKER fan. I was born and raised in Nebraska, so what else could I be. Recently Sports Illustrated did an article on the names that have survived long after their playing or coaching days were done -- legends of the game. If you came up with 10 names, what would your list be?

After you have thought about it, check out the live link by clicking on the title. You can see who they chose and who they did not. I was NOT HAPPY when Tom Osborn did not appear on this page, but most of the names were not surprising at all. 

Nuts Rule

I get a lot of grief from my friends about always chewing on peanuts, almonds, cashews, or any other squirrel feed I can find. I've just always liked it. But recently I read an article that has defended my love of this natural food. The article comes from National Public Radio's website and was entitled, CAN "BLUE ZONES" TURN BACK THE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK? It was an interesting piece about a study done on some of the oldest people alive today. Most of it was stuff I had heard before, such as exercise in small amounts often during the day seems to prolong life. Living in regions with less stress of course helps. Having an extended and supportive family is seems to give people a reason to live, but I had honestly never heard this one before. The quot below is very optimistic for me:

"One of the idiosyncrasies we discovered is that people who eat nuts four to five times a week, 2 ounces at a time, tend to live two to three years longer than people who don't eat nuts. That was a big surprise for us," Buettner says.

Two to three years is not bad at all!

CHECK out the story on super old people by clicking the title of this article.

Bangkok Protests Getting Bigger

Phot provided by the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7466221.stm

The tension is rising in the capital of Thailand. Please check out this link to see some video footage from yesterday's protests. It is looking like something is going to happen. I hope violence is not going to follow, but without a doubt tension is rising and people are starting to push it. You'll see in the video the protesters charged through a police checkpoint line and seem to be moving without any hard line resistance. I fear this may change soon. 

The basic issue at hand is that the congress, made up of Taksin supporters, want to change laws that will make it possible for Taksin to return to Thailand without facing any legal penalties. This group is out to stop that once and for all. It is an issue that is dividing Thailand nearly 50/50. It would seem the protesters are winning over a lot of people, but we can't forget that this government just WON the election a few months ago.  

Could I be Wrong about McCain?

I really do not like politics, but it is an election year in the nation of my birth. I did a great deal of thinking about the economics of a new president and, wanting the American economy to go further down so that my Thai baht will continue to climb, I had thought that McCain was the natural choice. I know he will continue to force the dollar lower, the price of oil higher, and the housing market will completely collapse. Now this is bad, I know, but then I could afford to come back to America and buy a house really cheap and that would be cool for me. A summer house in the United States and a winter house here in Thailand, this would be awesome.

BUT, Iraq is the other issue at hand in this election and honestly this is of far greater consequence than me having a cheap house back in the states. I am proud of my friends who have gone to Iraq and fought, risking all for a cause that our nation has seen as necessary to protect our freedom. Still, enough it enough. Iraq is never going to be stable. Sorry to be the voice of doom here, but we could stay there for 1 year or 30 years and Iraq will still be fighting. The only thing we have to chose between is this, will Iraqis be killing Iraqis or will they be killing Americans? I don't have a clue what the proper exit plan is, but I do know we need an EXIT plan -- now! As the saying goes, "Sometimes its better to be nowhere than to stay some place your not wanted."

I cut and pasted this from the John McCain website and this is the last straw for me. Please read below to see his views on the war of Iraq. Please click on the title to see all of John McCain's views on his official website.

Strategy for Victory in Iraq The Importance of Succeeding John McCain believes it is strategically and morally essential for the United States to support the Government of Iraq to become capable of governing itself and safeguarding its people. He strongly disagrees with those who advocate withdrawing American troops before that has occurred.It would be a grave mistake to leave before Al Qaeda in Iraq is defeated and before a competent, trained, and capable Iraqi security force is in place and operating effectively. We must help the Government of Iraq battle those who provoke sectarian tensions and promote a civil war that could destabilize the Middle East. Iraq must not become a failed state, a haven for terrorists, or a pawn of Iran. These likely consequences of America's failure in Iraq almost certainly would either require us to return or draw us into a wider and far costlier war.The best way to secure long-term peace and security is to establish a stable, prosperous, and democratic state in Iraq that poses no threat to its neighbors and contributes to the defeat of terrorists. When Iraqi forces can safeguard their own country, American troops can return home.

Killer Storms in Nebraska

Photos by Stacey Owens

Killer storms are hitting my homeland. It is terrifying. Many people are blaming global warming, which of course was caused by George Bush, but I think perhaps it is not his fault but rather the beginning of the end of days. In the past 2 weeks Kearney Nebraska has been hit by tornadoes, and close to Curtis Nebraska there was hail the size of softballs. We truly are in a very dangerous time. We don't even need to mention the hurricanes in Burma, the mud slides in India, or the earth quake in China. The planet Earth is unstable, perhaps angry with us for our lack of care, and now its impossible for anyone to argue that instability is the norm. As the salamander king said, "None of us will get out alive."

siminoe.com announce's support for McCain

I attempt to live a life basically devoid of politics. In my voting history I am yet to vote for a winner other than Bill Clinton. I am very proud of that vote, because he was a president who actually stopped terrorism with CIA operatives and spooks instead of plunging us into an all out holey war. He also created a nation so prosperous that our economy, for once, was BOOMING to the point of a word most republicans can't even spell -- surplus.
I also love Clinton because he had serious foreign policy. He drew limits that our foreign allies didn't cross, unlike our current administration who get pushed into doing everything the Arab world tells them to do.
"So why, SIM, are you putting your support behind McCain when he would appear to be ready to follow all the same leads which have brought the US economy to a certain collapse?"
Simple. I just love the absolute absurdity of the trickle down economics that plague the Republican party -- it's like watching a cat run into a glass door at full speed. I mean does anybody actually believe this insanity? "Um... you see we give tax breaks and government kick backs (which is collected tax money) to the rich, because they give the poor jobs."
Can they even believe the rubbish which is coming out of their mouths? If so they obviously never met any rich people. I have a lot of rich friends and I got news for you trickle down folks -- the rich don't spend money whether you give it to them for free or not. That's why they are rich! They don't spend money in hand, nor do they spend money on credit. The rich have, innately, a kind of gag reflex to paying a check or to buying something that is over priced or to giving jobs (which pay big salaries) to anyone.
"So Sim, if you don't believe in trickle down and you think tax breaks for the rich actually make the rich richer, why McCain -- cause this guy is an economic fossil."
Again, SIMPLE, my job here in Thailand pays me in THAI BAHT, and as long as the Republicans are in office the US Dollar is going to sink and sink until basically it will be worthless. This is good for me, because then I can send lots of Baht home and build a small fortune in the US. When I moved to the Thailand six years ago the baht was 43 to 1 dollars. Now, thanks to George Bush, it's 32 to 1. I love it. I was never going to make any cash in the US, but now I can make just a little baht and send it home and become RICH.
So it is official, we at Siminoe.com are voting for McCain so that the collapse of the US dollar continues and homes back in America because so cheap that even I, with my little teacher pay, could go home and purchase a really cool house.
Good luck Mr. McCAIN!

Tension in Thailand

Photo by Apichart Weerawong

All around the world political tension is rising. We have all become accustom to seeing protesters clamoring for change and soldiers or police officers being forced to confront the rage which is meant for the ruling party. But I must say it is becoming tense in the capital of Thailand.

Thais are, in general, passive and accepting of others. Still, they have a long tradition of protesting and picketing in order to bring pressure on the government. They had, just over a year ago, a very peaceful coup -- not one shot fired. Elections were guaranteed and those elections put right back into power the party that had been ousted by the coup. Frustrated as many intellectuals and scholars were, the vote was the vote and it was honored. Taksin, the ousted prime minister, is enjoying life in England. He bought a football team over there and is enjoying his time abroad while his followers prepare to change the constitution so that he will not face criminal charges for his money schemes. It is so in the face of the Thai people that there were bound to be protests.

SAMAK, is his long time follower and is now our current prime minister. He is a hard line guy, who most people blame for one of the few protests which did turn bloody back in the 70's when he was a younger politician. By all media accounts he was the one who gave the order for soldiers to FIRE ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS who were peacefully protesting against him and his party. The number of dead and wounded has been disputed since it happened.

SAMAK is sabre rattling again. He has said, of the 6,000 protesters meeting and making noise in the capital, he has the military power to STOP them if they do not disband soon. All weekend the fear of violence was high, but the group did not go away.

As a foreigner in this land it is difficult for me to know who is the best government for these people. I only know that Thai nature, peaceful and calm, is the best hope we have for avoiding a war. I believe their love of peace will win out over this trouble. Still the tension in some quarters around the city is truly palpable.

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