The latest tweets and Facebook status updates are reflecting the anxiety and stress of the bar exam week. The exam can last anywhere from two to three days depending on the state you take it in. Furthering aggravating the stress is that in some states, such as California, you don’t get the results until Thanksgiving weekend!

In retrospect, I wish I had the confidence during the exam to go and exercise or get a massage during the breaks and at night. I was one of those nervous nellies that brought the review materials to the damn testing center and studied obsessively until the proctor called us into the exam room.

For those taking the exam this week, finishing the exam is just the last leg of the law journey as you still have four months to wait before results will come out. Just keep in mind that it is the last leg and congrats on getting into law school, completing law school, finishing your bar review course, and still maintain your sanity for the bar exam. The reward at the end is phenomenal. Good luck!

It’s been over two years now and it seems the old adage applies, it feels like it’s been much longer.

Still fascinated by the haphazard and cultural contradictions of life in Bangkok with what is seemingly civil in the US, and then realizing it simply comes down to perception and experience. In Thailand, you live your life in a confinement of proper etiquette and respect to the royal family and the elders, yet there are daily bombardment of contradictions that are obscenely ignored or dismissed. Stopping at red lights for pedestrians appears to be a simple guidance and not law. Driving over the speed limit is acceptable if not expected. Setting up stalls in the middle of the sidewalk so that you have to walk on the street to get to your destination seems simply the norm. Being loud is considered rude, yet spitting on the sidewalk and coughing open mouth is the way of life.

Foreigners dying in Thailand is simply the farang way (foreigner’s way) and almost predictable. The death of US actor, David Carradine, albeit tragic, can be explained away by the mere fact that he was a foreigner and that’s what happens to foreigners in Thailand. Is it just another foreigner that died in Thailand while engaging in questionable behavior or it purely the beauty of living in Thailand? It has been two long years.

The last few weeks in Bangkok has been one massive headache, fueled by anxiety and mounting frustration with the political strife permeating every corner of Thailand.

Bangkok’s political struggle and its major players, the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) which overthrew Thaksin Shinwatra’s government in 2006, and  the People Power Party (PPP) which took office after the collapse of the military rule. In the past weeks, demonstrations has escalated as PAD occupying the Government House has moved onto Bangkok’s international airport, Suvarnabhumi, and domestic airport, Don Muang.

Among the issues were allegations of corruption and and tax evasion, leveled against Thaksin and his current “proxy” government. Thaksin’s populist economic polices and attempts at decentralizing power was challenged by the PAD as it was not in line with the status quo. Thaksin is widely, and deeply, supported by the rural Thais because of his policies to reduce health care costs for lower class and affordable business loans. The World Bank estimates are that during Thaksin’s tenure poverty fell from 21.3 percent in 2001 to 11.3 percent in 2004, and farming incomes rose by around 40 percent. PAD consists mostly of businessmen, intellectuals, academics, and activists who are mainly from Bangkok, where the urban and “old” elites reside.

The PAD are arguing for electoral reform, which in essence would restrict national suffrage to those who are educated and informed. This would mean that 70 percent of the population would be left without the right to vote, and power would be transferred to an assembly which would appoint judges and furthermore, that MPs be elected on the basis of occupation and rank.

Following the seige of the Government House in August 2008, the PAD took it’s fighting power to the grouds of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and soon after, Don Muang. The sit-in protest brought Bangkok to its knee, stranding thousands of travellers and costing millions of dollars in its aftermath. This move to topple the government was rather strategic and proven to be quite effective. While the international community admonished such disruption and inconvenience to its foreign nationals, they were reluctant to get involed in “domestic issues. ” Each day that the PAD occupied the airports, the deeper the frustration and uncertainty of the future of Thailand’s democracy.

The PAD friendly Constitutional Court had to forge a face-saving exit for the PAD and expedited the trial against the PPP for electoral fraud, which then issued a ruling against the PPP on Tuesday, November 2, 2008. The Constitutiona Court, in a predictable move, ordered the disbandment of the ruling party and several members of the cabinet ministry from entering politics for 5 years. However, Reuters reports:

Whatever the final opening date, Thailand looks set to remain politically riven and chaotic for much longer.

Dissolution of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) will heal none of the basic rifts between Bangkok’s royalist elite and middle classes, who despise ousted and exiled leader Thaksin Shinawatra, and the urban poor and rural masses who love him and continue to vote his allies into office.

Reuters also noted that despite the changes, the disbanded party is still in charge.

Even though Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat — Thaksin’s brother-in-law — and several cabinet ministers were banned by Tuesday’s court ruling, most MPs have survived and simply switched to a new “shell” party.

Parliamentary numbers suggest they have a comfortable majority, and acting Prime Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul said parliament would convene on December 8 to select a new prime minister, the third in as many months.

Plummeting tourism and the looming global recession will inevitably affect Thailand in 2009. As the world buckles down for the ominous recession, the political chaos in Thailand may be a disincentive to travel to the Land of Smiles.

This amazing, inspiring speech by the the 44th President of the United States of America, moved many people at home and abroad. It is an astounding moment in U.S. history to election a president that has such a diverse background. I truly believe that change is coming to America.

Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama
Election Night
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
Chicago, Illinois

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Politics and sex, an apt combination in light of the deep economic and political turmoil currently rippling through the United States.

Controversy abounds in the U.S. with less than a week away from the National Presidential Election. Carl Rove has instigated a last desperate attempt to demoralize voters and disenfrancise Democrats by spinning the hate-mongering wheel he does so well.

From late night comedians to political commentators, the jokes are rampant regarding Sarah Palin’s wink in Obama’s latest campaign ad, further combined with last week’s fiasco with Palin’s wardrobe, which costs the Republican National Committee a whopping $150,000 at taxpayers’ expense.

Rovians working on Sarah Palin’s camp has a few more campaigning days before Election Day, which has edged the party to desperation mode. In the latest attack, Conservatives are calling the Obama camp sexist for including an image of her winking in his recent ad. Nevermind the fact that the underlying message in his ad was the substance, or lack of, in McCain’s choice of VP. Here’s a suggestion, perhaps Palin should just stop winking at the camera.

Calling foul and spitting mad, the Conservatives have now embraced feminism. Their message seems somewhat counter-intuitive, vote for the candidate that you can relate to as a mother, woman, feminist. Counter-intuitive since Palin has little in common with the vast majority of women voters.  Yet, Rovians are resorting to sex and gender to galvanize women voters to empathize with Palin’s model as a wife, working mother of five, and politician.

This pure desperation attack is a last ditch effort to revive a campaign that shows Barack Obama leading in almost double digits in most national poll. Obama has taken the lead by focusing on having a dignified and intellectual stimulating campaign, a position that the Republican Party has been unable to maintain in the last few months. Obama has avoided being drawn into meaningless and distracting discussions of Palin’s exterior portrayal and has consistently stayed on the issues. Not once did he say about his running mate that he was “proud” of him, something that McCain has used in a few instances when referring to Palin. That is sexism.

My colleague just shared this article with me. I liked it so much that I could not resist the urge to share it with you. I hope you like it too.

The article explores the effect that Obama has had on the ‘Global Village’. (The Guardian on the upcoming US election.)

===START=================================

If Sarah Palin defies the conventional wisdom that says elections are determined by the top of the ticket, and somehow wins this for McCain, what will be the reaction? Yes, blue-state America will go into mourning once again, feeling estranged in its own country. A generation of young Americans - who back Obama in big numbers - will turn cynical, concluding that politics doesn’t work after all.

And, most depressing, many African-Americans will decide that if even Barack Obama - with all his conspicuous gifts - could not win, then no black man can  ever be elected president.

But what of the rest of the world? This is the reaction I fear most. For Obama has stirred an excitement around the globe unmatched by any American politician in living memory. Polling in Germany, France, Britain and Russia shows that Obama would win by whopping majorities, with the pattern repeated in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. If November 4 were a global ballot, Obama would win it handsomely. If the free world could choose its leader, it would be Barack Obama.

The crowd of 200,000 that rallied to hear him in Berlin in July did so not only because of his charisma, but also because they know he, like the majority of the world’s population, opposed the Iraq war. McCain supported it, peddling the lie that Saddam was linked to 9/11.

Non-Americans sense that Obama will not ride roughshod over the international system but will treat alliances and global institutions seriously: McCain wants to bypass the United Nations in favour of a US-friendly League of Democracies.

McCain might talk a good game on climate change, but a repeated floor chant at the Republican convention was ‘Drill, baby, drill!’, as if the solution to global warming were not a radical rethink of the US’s entire energy system but more offshore oil rigs.

If Americans choose McCain, they will be turning their back on the rest of the world, choosing to show us four more years of the Bush-Cheney finger. And I predict a deeply unpleasant shift.

Until now, anti-Americanism has been exaggerated and much misunderstood: outside a leftist hardcore, it has mostly been anti-Bushism, opposition to this specific administration. But if McCain wins in November, that might well change.

Suddenly Europeans and others will conclude that their dispute is with not only one ruling clique, but Americans themselves. For it will have been the American people, not the politicians, who will have passed up a once-in-a-generation chance for a fresh start - a fresh start the world is yearning for.

And the manner of that decision will matter, too. If it is deemed to have been about race - that Obama was rejected because of his colour - the world’s verdict will be harsh. In that circumstance, Slate’s Jacob Weisberg wrote recently, international opinion would conclude that ‘the United States had its day, but in the end couldn’t put its own self-interest ahead of its crazy irrationality over race’.

Even if it’s not ethnic prejudice, but some other aspect of the culture wars, that proves decisive, the point still holds. For America to make a decision as grave as this one - while the planet boils and with the US fighting two wars - on the trivial basis that a hockey mom is likable and seems down to earth, would be to convey a lack of seriousness, a fleeing from reality, that does indeed suggest a nation in, to quote Weisberg, ‘historical decline’. Let’s not forget, McCain’s campaign manager boasts that this election is ‘not about the issues.’

Of course I know that even to mention Obama’s support around the world is to hurt him. Incredibly, that large Berlin crowd damaged Obama at home, branding him the ‘candidate of Europe’ and making him seem less of a patriotic American. But what does that say about today’s America, that the world’s esteem is now unwanted? If Americans reject Obama, they will be sending the clearest possible message to the rest of us - and, make no mistake, we shall hear it.

===END==============================

Sarah Palin is arguable the most unqualified candidate to run for the vice presidential race in US history, which is only to affirm our suspicion that John McCain is a desperate, deeply disconnected man resorting to desperate measures. Palin is not only an ultra social conservative, she vetoed the bill denying benefits to gays as unconstitutional on Aug 2008, deemed it acceptable to deny benefits to homosexual couples in Aug 2006, and in July 2006, she was against spousal benefits for same-sex couples.

Even more egregious is her perspective and policy on women’s rights. While most conservatives are pro-life except in cases where the victim was raped and involved in incestual relations. They make wider exceptions iin situations where the woman was victimized in some way or form.

Palin advocates the illegality of abortion for women who are victims of rape or incest. To put it in pictures, if your are a 15 year old daughter was gang raped, she cannot abort the fetus. If she was raped by a family member, she cannot abort the baby. In an interview with Katie Couric on this matter, Couris asked Palin how she would respond to the scenarios above, and her reply was “I will counsel her to consider life.” What Palin neglected to mention is that her policy would make it illegal for the 15 year old to have an abortion.

As a social conservative, Palin claims she respects her 17 year old daughter’s “decision” to get pregnant while unmarried when in reality Palin has a record of slashing funds for programs to support teen mother.

Moreover, Palin hates fellow Americans beyond the Alaska border. Why else would she be a part of an organization that supports Alaskan secession from the US. Rosa Brooks from The Los Angeles Times reported:

Over the years, Palin has actively courted the Alaska Independence Party, or AIP, an organization that supports Alaskan secession from the U.S. To be clear, we’re not necessarily talking about friendly secession either: As the AIP’s founder, Joe Vogler, told an interviewer in 1991: “The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government. … And I won’t be buried under their damn flag.”

The Washington Post claimed that the selectin of Sarah Palin smacks of desperation and fraught with peril for the Republican nominee.

CNN commentator, Paul Begala, said that in choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate, he is not thinking “outside the box,” as some have said. More like out of his mind.

Begala continues:

Palin, a first-term governor of a state with more reindeer than people, will have to put on a few pounds just to be a lightweight. Her personal story is impressive: former fisherman, mother of five. But that hardly qualifies her to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.

For a man who is 72 years old and has had four bouts with cancer to have chosen someone so completely unqualified to become president is shockingly irresponsible. Suddenly, McCain’s age and health become central issues in the campaign, as does his judgment.

Irresponsible and a complete mockery to women everywhere, that we are so disenfranchised and intellectually inept that we would vote for a candidate that is against our own rights. The Republicans must be desperate.

Michelle Malkin is at it again, and this time she’s placing the blame on illegal immigrants for the financial crisis with WAMU. This misguided woman has taken her credibility to an all time low, which is evident by her fellow conservatives criticizing her for arguing such a far-fetched, conspiracy theory. Normally, her anti-immigrant, illogical reasoning and prejudicial ranting doesn’t phase anyone, but now, even her own party is distances themselves from her. In her most recent blog, she’s blaming the current financial crisis bailout on illegal immgrants, making fellow conservatives cringe with embarrassment.

You’ve heard a lot about Fannie/Freddie and the minority lending shakedowns, but you haven’t heard most commentators/analysts on either the left or the right talk about the massive illegal alien mortgage racket — a topic I’ve reported on for the past five years. That’s because fault lies at the feet of the crime-enabling banking industry and the ethnic lobbyists and the illegal alien-enabling Bush administration.

Malkin argues that illegal immigration may be the cause of this financial crisis, an issue she has been reporting on for the last five years. This radical argument brought out fellow conservatives such as UCLA professor Stephen Bainbridge, who comments:

“Some of my fellow conservatives are not only embarrassing themselves during the financial crisis, they’re embarrassing the rest of us who share that label.”

There’s a lot of room for legitimate criticism of the bailout and there’s a lot of room for partisan point-making to ensure that the public remembers that the Democrats bear more than their fair share of the blame for this mess, but the raving of people like Malkin and Krikorian should be taking place in a padded room in Arkham Asylum not in the public discourse.

Put simply, the freezing up of the credit markets doesn’t have anything to do with either affirmative action or illegal immigration, and people who believe it does are on a par with the conspiracy theorists who think fluoridation is a Chicom plot.” Read it here

Malkin was not the only anti-immigrant activitist speaking out about the the financial crisis. As Bainbridge referred to above, fellow commentator Mark Krikorian basically implied that the crisis is due to minority employees. Say what??

Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, juxtaposed the downfall of Washington Mutual with its competitive diversity policies and programs, insinuating that minority employees were responsible for the bank’s failure. Read it here.

Bainbridge noted some interesting facts which lead to the crisis, none of which had any connection to illegal immigration or ethnic workers.

When you look at the data, it’s true that minorities are slightly over-represented in the sub-prime mortgage market. Yet, whites (non-minorities) received 72.5% of subprime mortgages. Blacks got 16.2% of subprime mortgages, which isn’t all that different from the 12.4% of the general population that blacks comprise. The Hispanics about whom Malkin is so hysterical got only 6.2% of subprime mortgages, significantly less than their 14.8% of the general population. But you don’t find an analysis of that data at blogs like those of Malkin or Krikorian.

Anti-immigrant haters such as Malkin and Krikorian must be living on another planet. Soon they will blame illegal immigration for the war in Iraq.. hmmm, I think Malkin did that already.

Here in blogville, we can basically post what we want into cyberspace and hope that someone, somwhere, will see it and think about it. As we’re fast approaching the US Presidential Election, many are clueless as to what each candidate stand for in regards to health care, the war in Iraq, the war against terrorism, social security, education, and most dear to me, immigration. Now that we’ve moved beyond Sara Palin’s inadequate foreign policy experience, inept experience in being the second in command, and her ultra conservative position on women’s rights and gay marriage, lets assess what the presidential nominees are are up.

What most of us want to see is passage of fair and just immigration reforms that will protect immigrants from employment discrimination, human rights violations, and provide meaningful opportunities to be able to become US citizens. We hope to have a de-militarize border with Mexico, fairness in refugee and asylum processes and an end to constitutional rights violations. We want an end to frivolous and unmerited detention and raids, and restoration of justice in our policies and programs.

Do we really need to spend billions of dollars securing our borders with Mexico when historically Mexico has supplied our nation with labor and resources it had needed for decades. Can’t we use that money to fix our Social Security system, our Medical programs, or our treatment of victims of Hurrican Katrina and elsewhere?

Read here for the candidates position on immigration. It’s middle ground and considering it’s this close to election, it’s not surprising.

Another arrest and another dark bruise to immigrant advocate groups in the US. immigration system. While most advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, wherein millions of immigrants may be removed from the shadow and consequential abuses by employers and substandard health care, there are those that will abuse and exploit the immigration system for economic profits.

Here’s the Press Release regarding the arrest:

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Two men were sentenced Thursday in federal court for participating in a conspiracy that allowed dozens of Chinese nationals to illegally enter the United States based on sham marriages to U.S. citizens. These sentences resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced Le Guo Wu, 31, of Philadelphia, Penn., to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Houa Vang, 24, of St. Paul, was sentenced to12 months and one day in prison along with two years of supervised release. Vang and Wu each pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiring to profit from arranging, facilitating and participating in fraudulent marriages.

“These sentences show that admission to the United States is not for sale,” said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge of ICE’s Office of Investigations in Bloomington. “Such marriage fraud schemes not only undermine the integrity of our nation’s legal immigration system, they also pose a potential threat to national security.”

“This conspiracy used lies and deceit to prey upon our nation’s immigration laws,” said U.S. Attorney Frank J. Magill. “In the end, this was about generating a profit by trafficking United States citizens and Chinese nationals through our immigration visa system. The integrity of our nation’s borders must be maintained, and these types of crimes will be prosecuted.”

According to their plea agreements, Wu, assisted by Vang, led a coordinated effort to pay U.S. citizens to enter into sham marriages with Chinese nationals to illegally evade U.S. immigration laws. Both men admitted to committing marriage fraud for several purposes, including: profiting financially from the arranged marriages, facilitating the fraudulent entry of Chinese aliens into the U.S., and facilitating the fraudulent acquisition of lawful permanent residency by Chinese aliens.

Wu recruited dozens of U.S. citizens in multiple states to participate in the conspiracy beginning in 2004 and continuing through October 2007. He ran the operation from Philadelphia, but also operated in the Twin Cities, Minn.; New York; and from within China. Vang recruited U.S. citizens to participate in the conspiracy.

Both defendants assisted the recruited U.S. citizens with completing and filing petitions and visa applications to facilitate aliens fraudulently entering into the United States. Wu arranged for U.S. citizens to travel to China so they could document their purported relationships with Chinese nationals, and compensated the U.S. citizens for their participation in the conspiracy.

Vang agreed to enter a fraudulent marriage with a Chinese national in 2006, and made trips to China to document the sham relationship. Vang was offered $20,000 for his part in gaining his fraudulent wife’s illegal entry into the U.S., but ultimately received less than that amount.

ICE agents investigated this case; it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Genrich and LeeAnn K. Bell.

These people are disgusting because as they continue to flagrantly disregard and violate the law, they do it in the name of the ultimate good for immigrant families.  First of all, if a Chinese family living in China can afford to pay $20,000 - $40,000 to have a child married off in a sham marriage, they are not exactly considered disadvantaged in their home country. In situations like this, we applaud the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers for this keen investigative work in bringing down these criminal mavericks who egregiously flout our immigration laws.

This child predator was nabbed while at the Los Angeles airport, preparing to board a plane to Bangkok, Thailand. How did the federal government uncover the nefarious, criminal activity? Think internet and think dumbass here posted an article on Craigslist.org requesting assistant with arranging sex meetings with 13 year old Thai boys and Thai girls. This slimeball was ultimately nabbed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers posing as the prospective guide, wherein emails and telephone calls were exchanged so said slimeball can confirm his arrangements.

Here’s the article:

Los Angeles, California - A Santa Barbara sales representative made his initial appearance in federal court here this afternoon to face federal child sex tourism charges after he allegedly advertised on the Internet site Craiglist.com for a “guide” to help him procure children for sex in Thailand.

Michael Patrick Mahoney, 51, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents at Los Angeles International Airport Saturday night as he boarded a flight ultimately destined for Bangkok, Thailand.

Mahoney is charged in a criminal complaint with one count of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, a violation that carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. At Mahoney’s initial hearing this afternoon, U.S. Magistrate Charles F. Eick set his bond at $100,000.

When ICE agents arrested Mahoney, he had in his possession children’s stuffed animals, Disneyland shirts, chocolates, and approximately $800 in U.S. and Thai currency.

The investigation into Mahoney began last week after ICE agents spotted his suspicious posting on the Craiglist website.

Subsequently, an undercover ICE agent posing as a travel guide e-mailed the defendant and offered to make the requested arrangements. In subsequent e-mails and phone conversations with the undercover agent, Mahoney expressed interest in engaging in sexual activities with 12 and 13-year-old Thai boys and girls. Mahoney asked the agent to call him to confirm that he would be able to procure the children for sexual encounters with him in Bangkok this week.

“This case is yet another disturbing reminder that those who have a sexual interest in children believe they can evade detection and prosecution by committing sex crimes overseas,” said Robert Schoch, special agent in charge for the ICE office of investigations in Los Angeles. “Fortunately for the world’s young people, foreign authorities and U.S. law enforcement are allied in their resolve to combat this problem and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

ICE received assistance in the investigation from its attaché office in Bangkok and members of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Mahoney is being charged under the provisions of the PROTECT Act, which was signed into law five years ago. The PROTECT Act substantially strengthened federal laws against predatory crimes involving children outside the United States by adding new crimes, increasing sentences, and modifying the burden of proof requirements for federal prosecutors to bring charges.

Mahoney’s arrest is part of Operation Predator, an ongoing ICE enforcement initiative launched five years ago to target those who prey upon and sexually exploit our nation’s children, including Internet pornographers, human traffickers, international sex tourists, and foreign national sexual predators. Since the initiative began, ICE agents have arrested more than 11,000 individuals nationwide.

ICE encourages the reporting of suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678.

- Imperial Valley News (USA) / 19 August 2008

Do people really think that law enforcement do not peruse the Internet? Oh wait, we’re talking about low-life scums who prey on children so they actually don’t really think.

It’s at a point where we can no longer hold false hope that a woman will become the next US president, and the only true hope we can hold onto is the distinct possibility that we may have a black US president. Lets hope that we can hold onto that hope in the next few months as the Democrats and Republicans fight it out in the sensationalized media and closer to home, our morals and values.

As we approach the US election, many will ponder the ideology and political stance of each candidate, whether it be their policy on the Iraq war, health care, education, social security, or international human rights and diplomacy, we are never far from the personal truth that America will have to deal with the personal decision of whether they are comfortable voting for a man that may embody their values and politics but is of another race, versus a man that is from the old Bush institution of outdated ideology but is much more comfortable choice for the average white middle class.

However we decide to vote, lets hope that America is better for it. Lets hope that more responsible Americans will go out and vote for the candidate that will parlay a positive image for America and take us out of this inevitable recession.

As I said in my earlier post, Hillary Clinton finally stepped aside and expressed her support of Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for the Presidential Election this November ‘08. It is now the beginning of the Democratic hate-fest sponsored by the Republicans.

In the news, there are numerous articles outlining the beginning stages of the hate wheel rolling all over Obama. For instance, right wing social conservative Fox News headlines that “Johnson Steps Down From Obama VP Team, Marking First General Election Casualty” falsely implying that Johnson, who was on the team Obama is using to vet for his vice president candidate, is somehow plays a bigger role than that. Apparently, by keeping Johnson on the team would indicate that Obama is hypocritical and by getting rid of him, Obama is caving into pressure. I appreciate Obama’s honest response that in this campaign - there’s no time to vet the vetters, especially in this writer’s opinion, there are so many important issues facing America. Nonetheless, there’s no stopping Fox New’s residential hate bomber, Michelle Malkin, from name-calling, innuendos and all around attacking Obama for being “best friends” with Johnson, and through some unnamed sources has managed to get special treatment in one loan in 1998. No revelation of sources, just lots of hating. There’s no winning with these Obama haters.

Another FOX News headline, “Does Obama Really Not Mind High Gas Prices (As Observed by GOP)?” stating that Obama believes that America should shoulder the high costs of oil, when in actuality, he is stating that it should be a gradual increase. John McCain’s campaign has ignored the fact that they just voted for Big Oil profits and their cronies in the White House want to increase the supply of oil, making prices lower, but at the same time, increasing America’s dependence and consumption of oil. Is that really a solution to the problem? Leave it to Fox News to distort and twist the truth. At least Obama is looking for a long term solution to ease America from its dependence and focus on green alternatives and alternative fuels. Where are the right wing conervatives’ solutions? Oh right, they want to reduce gas prices by a few cents, thereby giving them the sound bite to declare they have the people’s interest at heart.

To further distort and spread lies, Malkin has gone on air and called Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle, “Obama’s bitter half.” This is based on Michelle Obama’s comments about how she’s never been so proud of America as she is now. While her husband’s people quickly clarified her statement to mean that she’s proud of the way America has responded to this election year, with record turn outs from young voters and minority voters - Malkin did not miss an opportunity to dispense her hate bombs in the foray to advance her own agenda. Malkin constantly picks on peripheral issues and take things out of context to advance her own neo-nazi conservative voice.

In case you have not heard some of her arguments, here’s a sample -she thinks the Japanese internment was not only justified, but was also necessary in the name of national security. Another issue? Lets deport illegal immigrants, even those who may have professional degrees and lived in the United States for decades, even those who have paid their taxes and have United States citizen children - all in the name of national security. Oh, and she also believed the John Kerry, back in the 2004 election, had shot himself intentionally while in the Vietnam War so that he could undeservingly receive the three purple hearts. All from either unnamed sources, or sources that have since recanted, and further hateful allegations.

I digress. Now it’s just between Barack Obama and John McCain, but don’t think that it will be a clean fight from hereon. Better take off those kiddie gloves because the smear campaign has only just begun.

It’s finally official that Barack Obama will prevail in the Democratic nomination for the Presidential election in November ‘08. Perhaps now the overzealous media will cease chattering on about when Hillary Clinton will concede, how will she do it, and why she has not done it already. Instead of focusing on meaningful issues such as her substantial overhaul of health care, education, social security, and the puttering economy, the last few months has been about irrelevant, superficial headlines aimed at targeting the woman, not the candidate.

While Barack Obama is a strong candidate,with an idealistic attitude about the new direction for the White House, much more publicity has been focused on Hillary Clinton’s other running mate, Bill, her misty eye moment on the trail, her comment regarding Martin Luther King Jr. (which was taken out of context), and debate on her ability to lead because she is a female - rather than Barack Obama’s association and loyalty to his volatile, racist minister and his light experience in politics.

The media outlets have lambasted Clinton and have been screaming for her to quit when statistically, she was leading in the popular vote and had substantial votes from delegates. She was not without bargaining power and her legitimacy was ratified by the strong support of women voters and workers of all ethnicity across the nation.

Rather than target pertinent, contentious issues such as the war in Iraq, commentators such as correspondent David Shuster from MSNBC interviewed two guests about Chelsea Clinton’s role in her mother’s campaign as in some way “pimped out in some weird sort of way.” This sort of language and dialogue is reminiscent of the Rush Limbaugh days during Bill Clinton’s administration where he insulted Chelsea Clinton by calling her ugly and compared her to a dog. This sort of exchange is infantile and belongs in the school yard.

It is a personal attack with sexist undertone to debate an topic such as looks from a candidate’s family, absolutely impertinent to the how effective that candidate may be in office. Further,  Chelsea Clinton is an adult and was supporting her mother’s campaign which has been insinuated that it is in some way a form of prostitution. Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, who has appeared on numerous news outlets in support of her husband’s campaign was not mentioned in the same program from MSNBC.

Again, we recall that Bill Clinton was dragged into the political foray when he made some comments about his wife’s substantial political experience and a better candidate for the presidency than Barack Obama - yet the media bombarded Hillary Clinton with questions regarding whether she would be able to “control” the other candidate if she were in office. Barack Obama was not attacked with the same furor regarding whether his wife would be a power player distraction in the White House. Not to say that Michelle Obama should be waging war with the media for the same treatment, but lets play fair. What’s good for the gals is certainly good enough for the guys.

Perhaps Hillary Clinton was an easier political target than Barack Obama, and it could be possible that Clinton made a harder sell for the White House due to her previous track record. Yet, throw in there media bias and a journalist’s preference for Barack Obama and we have a sexist, unfair campaign that has run rampant in United States media outlets in the last few months. Now journalists will focus on the divisive effect Hillary Clinton caused because she waited till now to concede - lets focus on this instead of actual issues people care about.

It has gotten to the point now where every celebrity gossip columnists will fight tooth and nail to slam celebrities for every photo op and every mishap that is caught on tape or film. While there are numerous financial reasons for such action, lets note that most of this exploitation is centered around female celebrities

Case in point, have we not heard enough about Britney Spears? While we are more than happy to sneer and cajole about the mishaps of Ms. Spears and her excess 20 lbs, but what happened to her deadbeat husband, Kevin Federline, who is dropping $2,000 tips in Las Vegas when his average gross income is merely $24,000! WTF? Can men really criticize what they have little to go by, such as putting on weight when you have children back to back? How many women actually can put on a size 8 or 10 after 6 months of giving birth to their second child in the last 24 months? It’s actually quite unfair to even compare the notion.

Why are we constantly attacking our female counterparts when our male counterparts are equally liable and responsible? Take the latest incident of celebrity exploitation where we are criticizing Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton for being skanks and illegitimate whores when we do not categorize their male companions for the same deed. Sex in rehab is not a one man job, especially for Lindsay Lohan, and Hilton with the latest member of Good Charlotte did not happen because she was a solo practitioner. Lets drop the sexism people because men are just as whore-ish as women yet they do not get half the backlash. While I’m more than happy to bash celebrity whores, I want to make it an equal opportunity basher. Don’t hold back because they are male, apply the same principle or else don’t do it. If we’re going to criticize someone for their weight, sexual preference, and public persona, apply it regardless of their gender. At least then we know that we are not differentiating indiscriminately.

U.S. researchers recently announced that when it comes to living longer, fitness is the key. Apparently, men and women who were fit, albeit overweight or obese, tend to have a lower mortality risk than those of normal weight but lower fitness level. This research was judged on a treadmill test tracking 2,600 people age 60 and up, examining how physical fitness and body fat affected their death rates in 12 years.

The study showed that even a modest effort to improve physical activity can provide health benefits, the researchers said. Those in the bottom fifth in terms of fitness were about twice as likely to die than those in the next fifth.

More than a third of U.S. adults are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer and the most common form of diabetes, the CDC said.

The CDC also has found that more than half of adults do not engage in regular physical exercise. Exercise cuts the chances of dying of coronary heart disease, as well as lowering the risk for stroke, colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure, the CDC said.

Any activity can increase your life span, even if it’s just for your mental health. Additionally, a healthy diet with no smoking or drinking vastly improves your quality of life and give you more energy combined. Given that these studies are not new or groundbreaking, why is it so many people are obese and disinclined to work out? Quite possibly the era we live in includes fast food, plenty of it and for nearly nothing the cost, and the heavy marketing from diet pill companies trumping quick fixes to weight loss. Instead of sweating it out in the gym or taking the stairs, many turn to diet fads and miracle diet pills, which may give them temporary weight loss but at the risk of jeopardizing their health and inevitably, even more weight gain when the pill is discontinued.

So study after study will show that fitness is essential in daily life, and may prolong life, yet many will turn to drastic dietary measures before hitting the gym. Bangkok is an example of fitness, but it’s more due to necessity than excess as many Bangkokians are more likely to walk than to travel by car. Then again, have you seen the traffic here? What sets Bangkokians apart is their diet, low in fat and portion control being key in their lifestyle. Even though there is a patent trend in obesity in the younger generation due to fast food and Western franchise influences, mortality rate in Thailand is generally lower than that of other Asian nations.

No magic pill, just hard work.

“Blogging can help you feel less isolated, more connected to a community and more satisfied with your friendships, both online and face-to-face, new Australian research has found.” ABC

This is wonderful news! This study shows that blogging actually improves your social life with a greater sense of belonging to a group of like-minded people and feeling more confident. The good news also extends to users of social networking sites, with the study finding than any online interaction makes users “feel less anxious, depressed and stressed.” TechCrunch

The research, from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, found after two months of regular blogging, people felt they had better social support and friendship networks than those who did not blog.

To all the people thinking about starting a blog or have neglected their blog, I say, blog on!

According to a study from Kennesaw State University in Georgia, women smokers who were extremely critical about their appearance were 35 percent less likely to say they wanted to quit over the next year than those with a healthier outlook. The study author, Sean Stickney, Ph.D. said the reason may be that they were afraid of gaining weight when they stopped smoking. He suggests that if that’s one of the main concerns then talk to a physician or mental health expert. Besides the health risks of smoking, having a distorted view of the body leaves you vulnerable to depression.

Quitting smoking may be easier now that Bangkok instituted their smoking ban in restaurants and pubs. While the Bangkok Post reports that the ban will not be heavily enforced and bars will not be fined until June 1, many restaurants and pubs enforced the ban on February 11 and some have created smoking areas outside the dining area. Aside from making it easier to quit smoking as it’s not as easily combined with drinking, the government should make smoking a stigma, thereby smokers become social outcasts and what better way to get one to quit than by peer pressure. Create public health commercials and educate the public on the abject harm of smoking. As for gaining weight, a few pounds will not kill you as fast as smoking can and will. Alternatively, exercising can shed those extra pounds you gain when you quit smoking, leaving you with a better self image and keep depression at bay.

If you’re stressed out and don’t even have time for a manicure, you have to create a haven of tranquility in the places where you spend the most time. According to Lisa Earle McLeod, author of Finding Grace When You Can’t Even Find Clean Underwear, you need to find your peace wherever you’re at. For instance, in your car, pack a healthy snack to help ease the munchies while you’re stuck in traffic. In Bangkok, you can pick up fresh fruit from the vendors along almost every street. Walk toward any public transport or shopping center and you’re bound to run into vendors with juicy red melons, sweet mangos, and ripe pamelo. You can also ease your mind by listening to relaxing music or a motivational audiobook. Try classical music! In your home, you need to designate a “me space” in which you can relax for a few minutes without being reminded of chores, or complaining kids, or needy husbands. This may be your bathroom, the balcony, or even the kitchen. In your office, stock your desk area with cozy slippers or a mood boosting live plant. Try standing up and stretching your back, neck, and shoulders several times a day to get rid of pent-up tension.

Apply that to Bangkok and you need to either get a weekly massage from a reputable massage parlor or simply go nuts from the Bangkok hustle bustle of traffic and pollution. You can also find that exercising a few minutes a day will help you organize your thoughts and relieve a bit of chaos in your mind, not to mention burning a few calories for a healthier, happier you. If you don’t have time to exercise and in need of a stress reliever, try and leave Bangkok for a few days and enjoy the many glorious, white sandy beaches or national parks for some R&R time.

Every time I encounter a situation outside my control and I’m baffled or frustrated, I try to breath deeply and think positive thoughts. I used to count to about 50, not 10 like most people, and in different languages so to delay reaching 50. Evidently, there’s research to show that positive thinking may help to yield a longer life span based on a healthier mental state and thus, contributing to physical well-being. Even if it doesn’t, logically you can deduce that it at least will counter some of the factors contributing to an early death, such as air pollution and second hand smoke which are ubiquitious in Bangkok. So I’d like to think anyway.

Positive thoughts has really been key in my survival in Bangkok. Like the other day when I nearly twisted my ankle and scratched my right foot when I walked passed a cable pole in the middle of the sidewalk. It was an awful Thai conspiracy. The uneven sidewalk involuntarily guided me into the pole, which was cemented in the middle of the pavement. As I screeched to a halt to avoid smacking into it headon, my right foot ended up scrapped by the sharp metal wires hanging loosely at the bottom of the pole. Tiny specks of blood squirted out from the right sandal. Prepared to curse the Thais for constructing such a moronic pavement and laziness for not putting the cables underground, I decided to breath and thought to myself, this is the reason why God gave me two feet instead of one and the blood is to remind me of how lucky I am that I have two feet and brought plenty of antibiotics from the States.

On a different day, I decided to sign up for Chinese lessons. I paid a Thai school for Chinese lessons and after attending two classes and realizing the class was not suitable for me, I asked for a reduced refund of my fees. The teacher informed me that not only was I not getting a refund but I actually owed the school money as I did not pay the entire amount upon signing up for the class. As I slowly counted (in Chinese) to 100, I smiled at the teacher, and said, perhaps we can find another way to use the money I paid. It wasn’t a lot of money but it was only two lessons and I only just paid her 80% of the tuition two days earlier. Thinking positive thoughts and forcing myself to smile, I thought to myself, poor woman must need the money more than me and besides, I am contributing to the local Thai economy.

More often than not I’m walking along the main road, Sukhumvit, and inhaling the smog and pollution emitted by the many public buses, taxis, trucks, motorbikes, and street vendors. When I arrive at my destination with a slight headache and smelling like I’ve been working in the factory, I always tell myself, bless the Thais for their driving skills and not running me over today.

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