So Bill Clinton Succeeded in bringing back the captured journalists from North Korea. He even did a nice photo session with the North Korean Leader, Kim Jong Il.
But was he the true Hero?
According to Daniel Sneider, associate director of research at Stanford University’s Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, Clinton “didn’t go to negotiate this, he went to reap the fruits of the negotiation,”.. The journalists’ release is the result from weeks of quiet negotiations between the State Department and the North Korean mission to the United Nations..
I thought he still deserves credit.. considering he risked his life just by going there in the first place… you think??
But Why Bill Clinton?
International affairs analysts say the former president offers something the North Koreans crave — status and bragging rights. “Let’s face it. He is a rock star of sorts. And they probably get the most sort of payback, or payoff if you will, from having a visit from him as opposed to the other candidates,” said Jim Walsh, a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies international security.
The other candidates were… former U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson, who has traveled to the country on similar missions previously; former President Jimmy Carter, who made a tension-defusing visit in 1994; and former Vice President Al Gore, who co-founded the Current TV channel the jailed journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, worked for… I Would have chosen Bill Clinton as well… The coolest dude from the other candidates..
Now that he is returning to the U.S. a hero… just this morning I was reading twitter posts about the possibility of Bill becoming the president again… Is that possible?? Would the U.S. citizens vote for him again if he could??
If you have driven during peak hours in Jakarta, then you’ll agree with what an Indian friend of mine once said.. “If God wants to punish someone, God would’ve made that person become a driver in Jakarta in peak hours on a manual drive car.”.. Not only is the traffic a disaster.. There are drivers who doesn’t even know that traffic rules exists!!
So I’m surprised to read an article about a new traffic study by physicists at Sweden’s Umea University, who found that while we’re all taught to obey the traffic rules no matter what, doing so just makes bottlenecks. They are saying that with some drivers breaking the rules, logjams would begin to ease as those drivers start overtaking from the emergency lane or as they decide to cut the queue of cars by going against traffic on a two-lane road, that it actually helps to keep the traffic flowing smoothly.
However, the article also mentions that while it is occasionally beneficial to sidestep the letter of the law, the ideal ratio seems to be 60-percent going with the flow, and 40-percent going fast and furious..
So what side of the percentage are you on?.. If you’re in the 40%.. Good luck explaining the research findings to that cop that would eventually get you.. Maybe you should print this article and put it in your car.. Just in case..
I wonder if this theory works in Indonesia though.. look at the traffic.. there isn’t space to maneuver at all!
From the previous news about Mbah Surip, I’m reminded of this news that I want to share about the death of another man.
Bruce Rossmeyer was considered by many as the “world’s largest Harley-Davidson dealer” with 13 dealerships and over 500 new Harley-Davidson motorcycles to choose from. Bruce was known for his love of bikes and as a big supporter of children’s charities.
The 66 year old died last week in a motorcycle accident. He was riding in a rally in Wyoming when he was hit by a Ford pickup truck while trying to make a pass.
He died while doing what he loved.. But he forgot the most important aspect of riding.. he wasn’t wearing a helmet during that incident.. Although wearing a helmet may not guarantee survival in an accident, it is as good as it gets in protecting your head while riding a motorcycle..
I run a motorcycle dealership with my partner in Indonesia, we sell Bajaj branded motorcycles in the South Sumatera Province.. Before running the dealership, I hardly ever ride the motorcycle.. Now I’m a frequent rider.. Although the Bajaj Pulsar is no where near the size and power of the Harley.. I wouldn’t risk riding without a helmet..
My relatives keep reminding me.. “In a car.. Its metal covering your flesh.. On a bike.. Its your flesh that’s covering the metal..”
So.. Helmets on while riding please! Safety First!
I was on the way to the quarry when my wife told me the news..
Mbah Surip has passed away.. News was that he fainted and was then pronounced dead possibly due to a heart failure.
For those who didn’t know who he was, he was no music legend like Michael Jackson so most probably there isn’t going to be any grand tribute concert for his funeral.. In fact until recently, mbah surip was an unknown street musician, dedicating his life to spreading the music he loved, reggae..
With the unique fashion sense.. Donning the reggae colours on his head cover.. His dreadlock hair.. Pointy bright colored shoes.. His loud laugh.. His straight forward comments.. and his now famous quote “I Love you Full !”.. He was a one hit wonder with his catchy hit song “Tak Gendong”..
The most famous line in the song goes “Tak gendong.. Ke mana mana..” which means “I’ll carry you everywhere..”
It wasn’t the greatest song.. It was definitely catchy for most Indonesians.. But more than that Mbah Surip and his song was an inspiration to the many street musician in Indonesia to not give up on their quest for musical glory..
Mbah Surip born as Urip Ariyanto on 5 Mei 1949, was divorced for 26 years and he is survived by his 4 children and 4 grandchildren.. He mentioned in an interview that before he became a full time musician, he tried a number of profession.. Working in an oil field, diamond mine, and he’s even traveled to Canada, USA and Jordan to look for work.. He also said that he holds an Engineering degree, an MBA degree, and even a Doctorate degree.. I’m not sure how much of it were true… but it doesn’t make him any less interesting..
It is rumored that his estimated wealth to date was 82 billion Rupiah.. That’s about 8.2 million US dollars.. If true its an unbelievably large amount for someone who rose to fame less than a year ago.. I’m guessing that his wealth comes mostly from royalties that he is supposed to get from all those commercials, TV interviews, Live shows, and of course the airing of his song.. He did publicly say before that most of his royalties hasn’t been paid to him in full.. I hope that all those millions does actually come to his family and not be manipulated by the corporations who owes him those money..
My wife was shocked when she heard of Mbah Surip’s death.. I told her.. “I guess its God’s way of telling him that he’s done enough.. Time to rest..”
Today, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reports that former U.S. President Bill Clinton is on his way to North Korea to try to negotiate the release of two American journalists convicted of “grave crimes”.
Have you heard about their case? The journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, were from a U.S. media outlet, Current TV co-founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore. They were arrested when working on a story near the border between North Korea and China. Last month they were sentenced to 12 years hard labor.
That’s harsh huh? 12 years of hard labor for taking pictures and writing up some news? Would that be considered as punishment for spying? If so then all reporters are spies then huh? I wonder what the definition of “hard labor” is in North Korea.. No where near what “hard labor” is in the U.S. I bet..
What’s Clinton’s chance of getting them out I wonder.. Why is he doing it in the first place? He hasn’t been known to be a hero to women.. Al Gore asked for his help? Not sure.. Obama sent him? Unlikely so.. Hillary told him to? Most probably..
Whatever the reason.. I hope he went there with a platoon of security.. and hopefully mission accomplished.. For the girls’ sake.. And for Bill’s own sake..This time it’s a good thing what he’s doing for these women..
Michael Schumacher is BACK!
He announced on 29 July that he is looking forward to the challenge of replacing his injured former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa for the rest of the 2009 F1 season. What happened to Massa was a tragedy, but I hope that Schumacher could turn the situation around..
Its NOT CONFIRMED that he will [...]
This is Sidebar 2. You can edit the content that appears here by visiting your Widgets panel and modifying the current widgets in Sidebar 2. Or, if you want to be a true ninja, you can add your own content to this sidebar by using the appropriate hooks.
