Lessons from the second 2012 presidential debate

What valuable lessons have we learned from the second presidential debate?

The Town Hall debate style blows.

Watching the debate, I had a urgent feeling of wasted time. Why? Staging together some random people, aka undecided voters, in front of Obama and Romney with their whining gluteus maximus questions was just unbearable to watch.  Perfect example, question from Jeremy Epstein aka Jeremy the College Kid:

Mr. President, Governor Romney, as a 20-year-old college student, all I hear from professors, neighbors and others is that when I graduate, I will have little chance to get employment. What can you say to reassure me, but more importantly my parents, that I will be able to sufficiently support myself after I graduate?

Guy, you are 20 years old, still in college, having fun, possibly binge drinking, although I highly doubt it, and you’re asking the government officials about how to get your first real job?

The real question should be: have either of you ever had munchies after a wild frat party?

But really, how about showing some initiative and getting your face out there to get an internship or work-study job? What is this? A college student version of the lady in 2008 yelling that Obama will pay for her gas and mortgage? Whatever happened to that lady anyway?  That would be a great follow up story for this election.

I’m sure with the national exposure, Jeremy will be employed soon. Perhaps a syndicated reality show called “I Epstein Your Honor” dealing with courtroom hardship of a rookie attorney trying to make it right in the wrong reality.

Did I mention that Town Hall debate style blows?

The other gem question from Michael Jones, just reassured my thesis about houses built before 1978 containing way too much lead paint and affecting nervous system of an average American: 

Mr. President, I voted for you in 2008. What have you done or accomplished to earn my vote in 2012?  I’m not that optimistic as I was in 2012. Most things I need for everyday living are very expensive.

Really Mike? Really? What gave you that idea?

Yes, we realize that the cost of living went up. The price of gasoline pretty much dictates the cost of our existence. Food, common goods, utilities, services, daycare – everything is going up with the salaries being stagnant. We all know that. We also realize that the President of the United States doesn’t directly control the cost of gasoline. The government might influence the cost but the speculators set the final price.  

The bickering between the candidates and the weak moderator.

CNN’s, Candy Crowley, shamelessly lost the control of the debate giving in to the bickering of both Obama and Romney.  No, not because she’s a woman but because we need Barbra Walters to the rescue.  United States is not Turkey and live stage with 65 million Americans watching is a Turkish bazaar.  We’re lucky they didn't start a brawl with all that finger pointing in close proximity.

By the way, Candy Crowley is a woman? Just wait when Arnold Schwarzenegger finds out – enter Conan.  At least she doesn't have to worry about the green card.

Lack of clear points and a strong message.

Yes, President Obama came through more aggressive this time around but neither he, nor Romney, made any clear points about their agenda for the next four years. There was a lot of blame and false numbers going around but no strong substance.

I ask: where’s the beef?  Give me your clear plan.  Herman Cain’s 999 tax plan was questionable but everyone remembers his idea. Though, not so much in Germany.  You would think that a month before the election, both guys would bedazzle the voters with clever ideas about the future of our country.  Financing of Planned Parenthood is not my idea of a plan for a whole country.  We are still waiting meatless here.

One must hope that the 3rd time’s the charm and we’ll finally see some classy statesmen debating the hot issues at hand. People want real answers to real problems.  Meow Mix Meow Mix please deliver! 

St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship for sale marketed by a Dubai based Range Developments

What’s the easiest way for a person from a questionable country to infiltrate the United States or the European Union countries?  Change and the identity and nationality.

St. Kitts & Nevis, the two-island Caribbean state, must be in really bad financial shape since its citizenship is for sale by a Dubai based Range Development group.  According to its website:

Founded by Mohammed Asaria and Munaf Ali, Range Holdings seeks to develop hospitality complexes in areas that enjoy unique tourism dynamics.

The tourism dynamics must be great since for “only” $400,000, one can receive a St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship within 3-4 months!  Yes, they make you jump through some hoops but overall, if you have cash, things will move forward quickly.  Read about the details here.

Photo by Urlik at sxc

Since Range Developments is building the “finest 5 star luxury resort on Banana Bay, part of the Christophe Harbour on the Eastern Caribbean island of St. Kitts”, they have the leverage to invite the investors from the Middle East with added bonus – the citizenship.

So what’s the big deal?  Some wealthy person spends some cash and in return has the open access to over 139 countries.  The deal is: who really screens those people?  Will this become a back door access for some shady businesses or some radicals?   Although the program started in 1984, the actions of this little country are very disturbing.

However, there is more to the story.  On the legitimate St. Kitts & Nevis Citizenship-by-Investment Program website, there is an official disclosure stating:

Be advised that any advertising concerning the Citizenship by Investment Programme of St Kitts and Nevis is strictly prohibited. Developers and Service Providers are restricted to only stating that they are approved under the Citizenship by Investment Programme and by the provision of a link to the website ciu.gov.kn.Failure to comply would result in either immediate revocation of the status of the Approved Project or of the License to operate under the Citizenship by Investment Programme.The Citizenship by Investment Unit advises the public that the only entity authorised to promote, market or advertise the investment programme in any manner whatsoever is the Citizenship by Investment Unit.  No information, promotion, advertisement  or publication in relation to Citizenship by Investment shall be published or disseminated publicly by any media or by any person unless in compliance with the guidelines issued by the Unit or specifically mandated by the government.
Further, there are persons who claim to be capable of submitting applications to the Unit on behalf of persons seeking citizenship of St. Kitts and Nevis via the investment option.  The only persons authorised to submit applications under the investment programme appear on this list of authorised persons.  There are no exceptions.  The requirements and procedures of the programme are available for review here.

Once again, the financial incentives bend the rules and government seems to be fine with that.

Bagel-head Japanese sport a new freaky saline style

Only in Japan!  The new craze with the forehead saline injections is taking off among "self indulged indie elitists".  If you dare, watch the video from the National Geographic.  After injecting the saline, you press the bubble bulging from your forehead with your finger to create a bagel-like shape.

Is this the continuation of the horn implants and extreme piercing?  So what happens when the saline wears off and the loose flap of skin just skirts over person's eyes?  Luckily, when taking Shinkansen, no driving is required.

Perhaps the Einstein Bros Bagels will find this extreme body modification worthy of a bagel commercial.

British Snooki – Lorna Bliss at the UK X Factor 2012

Who says Brits don’t have a sense of humor?  Watch this hilarious video of the Britney Spears impersonator, Lorna Bliss, taking the X Factor UK 2012 by a storm – or a string.  Do we have a British Snooki debuting overseas?  Yes!





That's not all.  She tried the same stunt last year on the same show.  David Hasselhoff was delighted!

Comedian Rob Schneider at Chicago Improv of Schaumburg

Chicago Improv of Schaumburg

Comedian Rob Schneider performed last Friday night at the Chicago Improv of Schaumburg.  Who doesn’t remember him from movies like: Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, The Animal, or Grown Ups.  He was a cast member at the Saturday Night Live where he became good friends with Adam Sandler.

Schneider was funny – as expected.  He talked about his family, his new wife, his mom and dad.  Good material.  He got a little spooked when the lights went off for about 3 minutes.  Then, he got jumpy when a waiter approached the tables at the first row.

Funny thing, couple months ago at Improv, Tommy Davidson got spooked the same way when a guy from the first table tried to shake his hand.  When you are big-time star, the paranoia sets in.  Kim Kardashian, take a note.  It might save you from becoming a snowman next time some crazy fan throws a bag of flour in your direction.

Chicago Improv of Schaumburg: 5 Woodfield Rd., Schaumburg IL 60173 (inside the Woodfield Mall).

Madonna in Chicago on MDNA tour

Backed by a popular demand, we went to see Madonna's concert on Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago.  And yes, it was quite a show.

Concert supposed to start at 8 PM.  20 min. later, Paul Oakenfold started it off with about an hour of house/electronica music.  The guy sitting next to us, told us that the Material Girl is usually late to her performance about 2.5 hours - every time.  

He was right.  She didn't come up on the stage until 10:20 PM.  The famous girl is getting too tardy for the regular folks.  It was worth the wait, though.

The concert itself was very well put together.  Even then checkerboard stage with elevating cubes creating different shapes, was one of a kind.  The opener with the AK-47 machine gun and then shooting the dancers with the pistol, was kind of disturbing being so close to the south side with all that violence going on in the neighborhood.  After she got her anger out, the show went down with her greatest hits.  

For a 54 years old, Madonna can move!  She was doing splits, jumps, wall climbing, and all kinds of dance moves.  To prove that her butt is still firm, she even pulled down her pants as well.  And yes, it's firm.  Lady Gaga - you have a lot to learn!

The crew was awesome.  The dancers, the band, the backup singers - all top notch and very diverse.  After all, Madonna is an equal opportunity employer.  As for the the political flavor, no surprise here, she's against Romney. 

So the show, in the words of Will Ferrel: It's not great....IT'S FANTASTIC, you totally under sold it!  The pageantry, the costumes.  WOW.  What a musical.

Chicago Teachers Union strike is still not resolved

The Chicago Teachers Union strike supposed to end on Monday but the contract is still not approved.  About 26,000 teachers and paraprofessionals will go over the contract and decide if it satisfies their demands.  Both sides, CTU and CPS, simply cannot agree on the basics and the arguments seem to point to a power struggle between Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis and Mayor Rahm Emanuel.  What’s the issue?  NYT has a great list of the issues and how the CPS compares to other major school districts in U.S.

Photo by igoghost at sxc

For now, 350,000 Chicago students are waiting for the school year to begin.  If it’s truly all about the kids, both sides handle the situation is the worst kind of way. 

Remember Reverend James Meeks and the stunt he pulled in 2008?  He bused 1,500 students from the poor neighborhoods of Chicago to the affluent, suburban school district of New Trier to show the discrepancy is the school founding.  Of course, non-district kids failed to enroll in the New Trier schools due to residency requirements.

What did he accomplish?  Absolutely nothing, besides some disappointed kids and one day out of school.  He’s career hasn’t flourished after that stunt either.  Nothing, except high income, prevents anyone from renting or buying in New Trier district but how the schools are being founded, that’s a totally different issue.

So who’s the loosing side during the strike?  Kids and families.

Kids, since they cannot move on with their education.  Families, since they have to take off work or find another place for the kids outside of school.  How will family making below average pay stay afloat without the paycheck or overtime?  What about single moms having to pay for a sitter or some temporary care service?  Not cool CTU.  Not cool.

If nobody knows what is the real issue, the issue if money.  You can use kids as paws but everybody knows that the money is behind CPU’s actions.  Never mind the $750 million CPS budget gap.  The union “deserves” higher raises and “job security” based not on the performance but on some vague standards.  I wonder what the property owners will think when their property taxes go up again and again to cover the budget gap.

There is no simple or quick solution to the Chicago schools poor performance debacle but the problem haven’t materialized itself overnight.  It’s been known for years.  Nobody seems to have large enough cojones to tackle that issue head on.  Well, maybe Emanuel.  But the core of the poor test scores and lack of attendance is simple: broken families and lack of higher income.  My friend Michael brought up and excellent point: doesn’t matter how much money you throw at the educational system if the majority of the kids in the district are homeless or from broken families living in homeless shelters or on the street.  Fix the social fabric of the society and the rest will follow.  Teaching the kids blackmailing is not in the curriculum.