What Lance Armstrong Has In Common with Resident Evil

Big time sports and video games are among my leisure activities. Once in a while those worlds merge. And I don't mean a video game about big time sports.

Sorry but my philosophy has always been the sport has to be interesting for me to pay attention. Y'all know NFL/ NCAA football is #1 for me and baseball is #1A. Sorry cycling is boring. The only people that care are the flag wavers. If the pinoys ever produced a world class cyclist then the pinoys will gravitate to cycling that they were experts and that it was life and death.

Resident Evil is a video game series basically about biological experiments designed to take over the world. In the last installment of the franchise Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar are two agents of Commando/ SWAT team type force who specialize in dealing with these "biohazards" or "Bio Organic Weapons". Creatures and humans with freakish strength, speed, agility and ways of manipulating their bodies.

In any other context you would be amazed that these biological freaks who are fast enough to dodge bullets Matrix style and fast and coordinated enough to catch handheld launched rockets somehow lose to normal humans in the end. The cut scenes always show the freaks in hand to hand combat with the human agents. Their limbs caught up in impossible situation that will dislocate normal people with the slightest twitch.

Resident Evil is a video game though as you might astutely notice. It's fantasy. A backdrop for interactive entertainment. You are supposed to suspend belief in order to be entertained by the medium. The whole ideal of sports at least to me is competition, mano a mano. Level playing field. Let the best man/ woman/ horse win. The problem is the whole notion of if you aren't cheating you aren't trying. Cycling if anything is a field of competition where everybody seems to try real hard.

Lance Armstrong all these years wanted the public to believe that cycling was like Resident Evil. Humans facing biological freaks and yet the humans still come out on top. All the charity work he has done for good causes for me does not erase making his reputation and his living by being a biohazard. Duping his fans into thinking he is a hero when he is actually more chemicals than God given talent. Let me remind you of one thing that most of us forget. Every time a cheater wins , someone who works hard and plays by the rules doesn't. Do you really want that? That's not fair even in video games.

Ed

http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=dw-wetzel_lance_armstrong_faces_new_allegations_051911


They just keep coming for Lance Armstrong, one accusation after the next, one story after another, one old confidant after old racing buddy.

The whispers about the seven-time Tour de France champion using performance-enhancing drugs have turned into on-the-record “60 Minutes” interviews.
Tyler Hamilton (above) is the latest to accuse Lance Armstrong of taking performance-enhancing drugs.


FILE - This Jan. 24, 2011, file photo shows Lance Armstrong during a fundraising bike ride in Brisbane, Australia. U.S. authorities are asking European officials for help gathering evidence against Armstrong in a case related to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. People familiar with the investigation have told The Associated Press that the request for evidence made to French officials mentions Armstrong by name and specifically targets him and other members of his former U.S. Postal team.


The circumstantial (and common sense) doubts have become personal allegations once again, now from a former teammate who claimed direct knowledge of Armstrong taking the blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO).

“I saw [EPO] in his refrigerator. … I saw him inject it more than one time,” Tyler Hamilton told “60 Minutes” in an interview set to air Sunday. “Like we all did. Like I did, many, many times. … [Armstrong] took what we all took … the majority of the peloton [riders]. There was EPO … testosterone … a blood transfusion.”

It’s a damning statement for myriad reasons. There’s an eye-witness account. There’s the first-person credibility of a teammate. There’s, maybe most importantly, one more admission that the sport of cycling was chock-full of cheaters during that era.

Yet we’re to believe that the man who dominated a sport full of blood dopers was not only a cancer survivor but clean as a whistle? One miracle is a lot. Do you believe in two?

“20+ year career. 500 drug controls worldwide, in and out of competition. Never a failed test. I rest my case,” Armstrong tweeted in response.

It may rest his case but it won’t end the deliberations.

Unfortunately for Armstrong, trust in the anti-doping tests of that era is low – and continues to weaken as more and more cyclists come clean. The sport was clearly a mess, yet the doping system could be beat with some regularity. It either makes Armstrong’s record more unbelievable or, well, more unbelievable.

At this point, it probably doesn’t matter.

Most people have made up their mind about Lance. Many think he’s a cheat. Many others (maybe many more) think he’s a hero – mostly for his ability to provide comfort and inspiration to cancer patients around the globe.

It’s from those cancer wards where his strength remains. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. It soon spread to his lungs, stomach and brain, requiring four rounds of brutal chemotherapy. The Armstrong that emerged was an even greater cyclist, going on to win every Tour de France from 1999 through 2005.

To the similarly afflicted, his recovery made anything seem possible. In the broader view of aiding humanity, the millions of sick he helped through Livestrong count for far more than any bicycle race.

Still, years after he faded as a top-line athlete and three months after his full retirement, the accusers keep coming forward, almost like clockwork. Armstrong was always a controlling personality, a tough talking, in-your-face Texan and suddenly he’s hopeless to this recurring barrage.

There have been books and newspaper investigations and criticism from respected racers. A year ago it was former teammate Floyd Landis who claimed first-hand knowledge of Armstrong taking EPO, which increases red blood cell counts that guard against tiring. Now it’s Hamilton, who was a trusted teammate as Armstrong won the Tour in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

Armstrong’s team has blasted Hamilton’s credibility, the way it did with Landis. Both riders had previously lied about their own performance-enhancing drug use.

“Hamilton is actively seeking to make money by writing a book, and now he has completely changed the story he has always told before so that he could get himself on ’60 Minutes’ and increase his chances with publishers,” Armstrong’s attorney, Mark Fabiani, told the Associated Press in a statement. “But greed and a hunger for publicity cannot change the facts: Lance Armstrong is the most tested athlete in the history of sports: He has passed nearly 500 tests over twenty years of competition.”

Actually both Hamilton and Landis have claimed Armstrong failed a drug test in 2001, although why that result has never come out is unanswered. And U.S. investigators have asked for a frozen urine sample from the 1999 Tour de France, according to the AP.

Until there’s definitive proof – and maybe even after – all we have is word against word. Armstrong’s is forceful, but the other side is growing in numbers.

And while Hamilton has changed his story, that isn’t unexpected for a guy who was cheating. He also may, indeed, be looking for a book deal, but going on national television and giving away the best parts of the story before having a tome to sell would redefine foolish. If money was his motivation, he would’ve written now and talked later. That said, Hamilton offered surprisingly few details (exact dates, locations, etc.) in the “60 Minutes” clip released on Thursday.

Mostly there is the growing mountain of doubt that what Armstrong did was even possible.

The sport was undeniably dirty. The riders were desperate for any edge. The drugs that can make climbing an Alp more bearable were all over the place.

To think the king who rose above this era of epic cheats and laid waste to the competition like no mortal ever was innocent requires an immense amount of faith.

All these years later and Lance Armstrong still says he’s clean. All these years later his old teammates keep stepping up to say otherwise.

Neither the defense, nor the debate, nor the legend of Lance is anywhere near resting.

I Got Married Last Month, Sorry

Sadly enough, what seems like a long time ago I read those words. Like everything else in the last 10 years pre-Twitter, we find out through text. I am so old that we were told certain things should not be said on the phone. They should be said in person. Little did I know that those same things will be read on the phone. The details are not important. Just know it did not happen recently. Just know that the phrase "felt bad at the time" does not quite cover it. I did not have a wedding dress nor was I trying any on. I don't want to paint anybody a villain. You can blame me for whatever expectations I shouldn't have but I was blindsided. It was not a fun episode of my life but it happened. You just live through it. Regardless how alone you feel. Regardless how foolish you think you might have looked. Having been through that I would like to speculate what happened two days ago in Changchun City. A woman was so emotionally distraught that she almost plummeted off a building with her wedding dress by her own volition.

By using armchair psychology and personal experience (albeit watered down compared to hers) let me try to delve deeper into what she was feeling at that moment. A feeling strong enough to even consider hitting a pavement about 6 stories below.

You have heard this a zillion times, "don't judge a man until or unless you have walked in their shoes". I have not been in that bride's shoes. They did not fit me. Still point being I can relate to the feeling somewhat. Reading others making unsympathetic remarks made me make this blog. You read a bit deeper in the story of the bride and you find out that her husband to be married another woman. That fact to me is not trivial in this case. Think about processing this: The groom is basically saying goodbye to the bride, they are no longer a couple. But for additional salt in the wound, that life the bride envisioned with the groom, the groom will have with someone else. All out of the blue. All at once. Crashing down like a ton of bricks all at one time, all in one place. What you saw in The Wedding Singer was quite mild.





Pete Townshend once sang a friend is friend nothing can change that. I am not sure how true that it is. If you watch the video by clicking the song title you see the little boy playing the giant Iron Man for a fool. He abused his trust.




Sometimes friends turn on you. Sometimes you can give them reason to turn. Sometimes they discard you on their own. None of us are perfect. I have made a ton of mistakes. How do you think I fill this blog?


If I make mistakes, then I realize that my friends make them too. I have to forgive them just as they have to forgive me for being human. Easier said than done.


"People who have treated like you like dirt are good for something. They can teach you empathy and how your own actions may be received by others so you don't end up doing the same thing. "

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/notes/item/415


I wrote that a week ago because being somewhere I am seldom at triggered a memory. It's like Dexter with The Code and his step father. Great, I am now comparing myself to a fictional serial killer. I really try not to dwell in the past and if I do revisit hopefully its to further learn from experience and change course in my present direction if necessary.


What I was thinking when I wrote that was maybe what we are hurting from now, we may have done in the past or we can do in the future. When I was 14 I heard Tom Petty sing "There's no one as honest as those in pain". The problem is the only way to know that for sure is to be in the state of pain. Pain gives a certain clarity. Hopefully even pain can be a teacher. That our inconsideration hurts others. We choose to either end that cycle of pain or perpetuate it. Just being considerate solves a lot of problems and a lot of heartaches.


Your significant other should be your friend or else they don't deserve that space in your life. Romance is a two way street and we all get that. But if romance is not to be on one side, there should be at least the consideration of a friend. I said this a long time ago (since I am that old) but have not heard it anywhere: Your friends have way more potential to hurt you than your enemies. You trust your friends therefore you are vulnerable to them. You are guarded with your enemies. Your defenses are up.


The Trojan Horse was a gift. It was supposed to be a symbol of goodwill. Something accepted in trust. That is why the attack from within hurts so much. It is so devastating. Usually when you fight with regular enemies it's like two heavy battering rams meeting in the middle. Maybe not visually but symbolically.

When a friend let's you down it's like a chainsaw through jello. You don't see it coming and you just give it token protest. There is no contest. The psychological hit is so devastating that I can easily imagine what that girl went through.






There is a scene from Wedding Planner where the main male lead breaks off his originally scheduled wedding. If there ever was a proper way to call something off that would have been it. Movies are scripted, real life is not. I am referencing a chick flick. What has become of me?




"Do you hear that, Fezzik? That is the sound of ultimate suffering. My heart made that sound when the six-fingered man slaughtered my father. The Man in Black makes it now. His True Love is marrying another tonight who else has the cause for ultimate suffering?"



That is of course from The Princess Bride. One of my all time favorite movies.Clip provided below. Oddly enough the Princess Bride was either a topic of conversation or something I always gave a copy of to almost every woman I have dated more than once in the last 21 years. Maybe that's the secret to remaining unmarried that long. If you dated me more than once in the last 21 years and don't have a copy let me know. You are entitled. The concept of ultimate suffering is something you hope you don't relate to but probably do.


When things like this happen. Where one party feels so critically aggrieved. The answer sometimes lies in the selfishness of the other party. Assuming that's true, would you want somebody that selfish as the most important relationship in your life?


One thing about the Internet is you can see different people's reaction to the same story. One person said the bride in China is fortunate to see that side of her groom before the wedding and not after. You may have also heard the expression Karma is a bit*h. If that groom was willing to do that to the original bride in the story, you can't tell me that flaw will never ever show up in his relationships again.

Let me tell you where I think the pain of the bride is coming from. I am no stranger to romantic rejection. In time every single one of them made sense. But the pain the jumping bride experienced comes from a different place I think. The pain of deception and concealment. Which is different from a straight forward rejection. Having this separate reality that she had no clue. Giving someone trust then hit on the middle of the forehead with a tire iron. In the immortal words of Rigby Reardon:


All dames are alike: they reach down your throat and they can grab your heart, pull it out and they throw it on the floor, step on it with their high heels, spit on it, shove it in the oven and cook the shit out of it. Then they slice it into little pieces, slam it on a hunk of toast, and serve it to you and then expect you to say, "Thanks, honey, it was delicious."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_piLm38E_U&feature=related (Dead Men)

The bride probably felt that moment of clarity that someone was in a spot that should be hers. A whole wedding happening that had nothing to do with her. In this post almost everything relates to the Princess Bride. The lyrics from the main song include the phrase "Its as real as the feelings I feel". I suspect those real feelings motivated her right out that window.

I suspect it's that's feeling of being alone drove her out that window. With God you are never alone. You just have to call on your faith.

There is another saying that God does not send you something you can't handle. I heard Carroll O'Connor tell CNN that when his son committed suicide. I have never had anything that drastic happen to me but it may be useful to take that to heart. I have had my bad days but they help put things in perspective and help you take stock of what's important. Besides, things you may have lost helped you find things you would not find otherwise. Obviously I needed friends to help get me through this. I thanked both of them recently, years after the fact. One remembers it well, the other completely forgot.

A song I would recommend to fight that feeling of being alone is the Peter Gabriel/ Kate Bush song Don't Give Up. The song does have that depressing mood to it to start. But it helps set up the mood for struggle we go through. The album So by Peter Gabriel is highly recommended. Specially to those that can't appreciate an album since there have been no good ones released in a long long time.

http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/13037/



This phrase seems to describe the isolation

No fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I've changed my face, I've changed my name
But no one wants you when you lose



This phrase helps describe the process of taking stock what you have.

Don't give up
You still have us
Don't give up
We don't need much of anything
Don't give up
'Cause somewhere there's a place
Where we belong

That shock to the system provides you an illusion that you are alone. Often times you are not. A good person attracts other good people. Stick to what you believe in and treat others well. Be like Guo Zhongfan and the others who helped Li instead of doing what most people would do nowadays. Take out their cell phones and video the event.



Ed



If you see no videos please go to http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1243

Videos Listed below:


1 & 2) Video entirely in Chinese of the bride who tried to jump. Identical, watch which ever

is faster or works.

3) Ultimate Suffering from the Princess Bride

4) Rigby Reardon giving his grab your heart speech around the 11th minute.

5) Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush video for Don't Give Up

6) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform the line there's no one as honest as those in

pain.

7) Compilation of Scenes From The Princess Bride.

Other songs are in the links themselves.





http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/jilted-bridetobe-tries-to-jump-from-window-16001972.html


A Chinese man performed an incredible rescue of a woman who tried to commit suicide after her boyfriend called off their wedding.

The man, a worker at the building in Changchun City, north-east China, held the 22-year-old woman after she tried to jump out of a seventh-floor window .

The bride, named Li, cut her wrists and tried to commit suicide after her boyfriend broke up with her just before their planned marriage.

Dressed in her wedding gown, 22 year-old college student, sat crying on the window ledge of the building before threatening to jump, saying she could not live with the fact that her fianc� had left her and married another woman just days before their wedding.

Police called her relatives after she dropped her bag containing her mobile phone from the building.

She was grabbed by Guo Zhongfan who held Li by her neck and arms as she dangled above the street, while a man in the apartment below reached out of the window and pushed Li's feet up, as she was pulled to safety.

Li was sent to hospital following her rescue. Policemen and relatives were unable to contact Li's former fianc� by phone.

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/jilted-bridetobe-tries-to-jump-from-window-16001972.html#ixzz1Mx8zbqLj

Noynoy Aquino Gay? One Man's Conspiracy Theory

red herring –noun


something intended to divert attention from the real problem or matter at hand; a misleading clue.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/red+herring

I am really convinced Noynoy Aquino is gay. What comes next is me just reading the tea leaves. But the tea leaves for me point in that direction. Why else can he not have a relationship with a woman that lasts more than two minutes. The parade of women in the front pages of our papers are just there for photo opportunities and as decoys. Red Herrings as I said before. I told somebody over the weekend, your answer to a question is not as important as how you defend your answer. Somebody can differ in opinion but they can come to that opinion with a process that will make sense if they have some framework or past experience that impacted them in a way.

Rock Hudson, Richard Chamberlain and Cole Porter at the peak of their careers all lived private lives contrary to their crafted public image. Are you totally 100% sure the same thing is not happening with President Noynoy Aquino?

I am not alone in the speculation. Additional video here. Just my opinion but why stage all these dates that the press will see and then beg for privacy. It does not make sense. Unless you are a matador and you want the bull to believe that your torso is one place when it's really somewhere else.

Malacanang is kind of like the Wizard of Oz. One previous president wanted you to believe he had a brain. Another wanted you to believe she had a heart and still another wanted you to believe he had a soul. Noynoy wants you to believe females arouse him and not males by bombarding you with pics and gossip about him and a plethora of women. As of this writing there is a story about the President's latest baby doll but no names. What is funny is that someone under the employ of the president did not want the media probing for pictures or even a name but used the line "give the romance time to blossom." Which clinches the fact that this is prepackaged B.S. It's their way of saying that now that we got your attention, this is what we want you to know.

Last weekend I spent most of my day in a local mall. My activity involved standing in one place doing the same thing over and over. When you are in that position you can't help but people watch. I saw two separate groups of about 5 high school aged boys. All overtly effeminate. It may not be my choice to act that way or project what they project. But in a way those guys were free. They could care less what I think. In their own way they were courageous.

Now take Noynoy. Going out of his way to massage his PR that he is this man about town dating a bevy of girls. What if I am right that this is just choreographed deception? Then Noynoy is the exact opposite of those boys doing their Priscilla Queen of The Desert routine. He is not free but trapped. He is not courageous but cowardly.

This seems so staged and of course Inquirer has story.

Read the story here:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/6617/aquino-dates-mystery-lady-at-hotdog-gig


Quick little review. The media is supposed to report the news not be the news or make the news. I am telling you that the media is going overboard to make Noynoy seem like a lazier Hugh Hefner. Should you doubt that for a second just remember the kind of butt kiss coverage he got from everywhere the moment he announced his candidacy: 

http://edrlopez.blogspot.com/2011/03/noynoy-bites-hand-that-fed-him.html


http://antipinoy.com/noynoy-aquino-media-pet/

http://antipinoy.com/sws-and-pulse-asia-polling-firms-owned-by-relatives-and-friends-of/

http://antipinoy.com/to-pinoy-media-nuff-with-the-hail-noynoy-we-need-economic-growth-and-economic-development/
 


Besides any individual who can buy a Porsche in this economy can buy off what passes for a press in this country. I have nothing against gay people but I do enjoy good gay jokes. I explain myself better here. What I do hate is gay people pretending to be something they are not in order to exploit people. It's one thing to be John Amaechi who hid his true self because it would be an extreme distraction while he was an NBA player. It's different because his job involves playing a sport well. Not winning over the public trust. Trust is a two way street. I don't trust Noynoy and I don't trust the media that coddle him.


Noynoy ever since was surrounded by his sisters and his mother and yayas. His dad well you know how often he was not in the household. Noynoy has always looked at women to provide his own identity. You saw that in the campaign. Always associating with his mom and his sister and never with a living or recently living male.I am no psychology expert but that female dominated environment had to take it's toll on the guy. If I am right in my premise here that means this country voted for someone who was so in denial over his own sexuality then the Philippines is no better than American Idol when Clay Aiken was a finalist. The problem is you have someone who is constitutionally ingrained in political decision making for the whole country yet he has to deceive you in a matter like that.

Rumor has it that in the next Miss Gay Philippines pageant they are already rehearsing a song called "What if Noy Was One of Us".


Speaking of politicians running under false pretenses I can not help but bring up the Sperminator himself Arnold Schwarzenegger . He ran for Governor despite having a child out of his marriage. Now we know why he is a Republican in favor of abortion. I bring Arny up because we found out this week the guy ran for governor despite having that love child around as an election liability. Who knows what forces in play kept that a secret all this time? Simple as that. Malacanang wants you to see Noynoy with a woman. In the concerted effort to make you believe that he is interested in having a romantic relationship with them. But remember this is politics. 95% of politics is deception. Sleight of hand. Every move is planned to mystify you. Our voters are so shallow I bet you anything if Noynoy was outed before the election in 2010, 98% of the people that ended up voting for him would not. If my theory is right what does that tell you ? That the Filipino could care less about leadership or brains or achievement but more about family ties and sexual orientation. I don't mind having a gay president as long as they are also a good president.

Deception. Politicians since the beginning of time have been deceitful and manipulators. They rarely are who they claim to be. Yet during campaign time when one says they have honesty and integrity , there will always be a flock of sheep willing to eat it hook line and sinker.And you wonder why I don't buy this PR campaign that Noynoy is straight?


You can laugh at my theory all you want. But ask yourselves this. Why are we being oversold on every single date he goes on? Does he look or act like a guy who would be appealing to the women you see in the papers? Why do these women have a very short shelf life? What kind of woman would respect a man who used the mama's boy strategy to get himself elected? Being married or unmarried really means nothing in the overall equation. How many marriages are broken up over one party leaving it to be with someone of the same gender?

In the 70s Rico J. Puno was a superstar singer. I can't remember if I read it in the newspaper at the time or what but for a while his girlfriend was kept secret so as not to hurt sales. Hurt sales? Girlfriend or not is he not the same singer? That is how shallow the market is. Sales were not about his singing but about the perception of availability. Part of my naivete died that day. What does that tell you? It's not about intrinsic value, its' about perceived value. The customer is fickle. They buy emotionally and try to defend logically. I believe Noynoy is gay because in an environment known for falsehood, lying and deception I am being told over and over again he is a red blooded man interested in women. I am force fed snapshots of him and some girl. Then next week it will be someone different. Lather, rinse repeat.

The world is full of guys who hid their sexual orientation because the truth might hinder their career. In a world where Richard Chamberlain hides the fact he is gay then anybody else can be too. Much less a 50 year old who campaigns with the cry "Mama!!!". If the President wants my respect for the very first time all he has to do is come out of the closet while he is in office. I much rather our president be gay than dumb. Unfortunately he might be both.


bading, homosexual, bakla



I believe Noynoy is gay. I also believe that he is extremely under qualified for his current position. I believe he can not lead his way out of a paper bag nor do I believe he can lead a whore to bed. I have supported all the other beliefs in the past. I believe he is gay because his handlers, spin doctors and image crafters are trying too hard to make us believe otherwise. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." is the quote from Hamlet. For more on why you should be suspicious of people that are too fanatical or too vocal please read this.

The problem with the president is not just his cabinet but the fact that he is in the closet.


Ed

What Prince William, Noynoy, The Royal Tradition and Philippine Elections All Have In Common

" Filipinos deep inside can relate to royalty. A system where somebody who serves no function beyond symbolism is popular . You don't believe me? Look at our president. "

https://twitter.com/#!/edrlopez/status/63623571095830529



I really think I said a lot there in four sentences.

Majority of Filipinos go by this simple mantra "Basta Pinoy Da Best". Don't you ever deny to me that this is not the case. How many times do you get bombarded with emails to vote for the Filipino entry regardless of how good the competitors are. They don't want you to know there are competitors. The problem with that thinking is it implies just by being born Filipino then you are ahead of everybody else. Isn't that what the Royals of the UK are? Entitled because of birth? No need to really do anything. They will cheer anything Pinoy and refuse to believe anything has more merit if it is from a different country. The spotlight is only on the pinoy. Take the case of Efren Penaflorida. All the pinoys wanted you to vote for him like it was a one candidate race. What they were saying is don't vote for the non-pinoys. We won't mention who they are what or what good they also they did. If that is not racism tell me what is.

With all this blind lemming type flag-waving , you get this slanted, twisted view that it's all about being Filipino and not about being good. And that my friends is racism. Adolph Hitler may have taken it to bigger extremes but in terms of mentality , hate to break it to you. You are in the ballpark if you blindly vote Pinoy on any international ballot (CNNN Heroes/ 8 Wonders of the World/ American Idol) every time. You are in the ballpark if you live by "Basta Pinoy Da Best".

It's all about competing. Specially now in the global economy we are in. When a certain discipline is ignored because there are no pinoys then how do you expect the struggle in that discipline to improve? You learn from the best. You go against the best. The Royals do not have to go against anybody. Being born is enough. Prince William then Prince Charles before him then the current Queen then before her the King's Speech guy. The Royals don't know competition from a hole in the ground. Noynoy did not have to do anything. He did not have to compete. Being offspring is enough. Having a sister who endorsed everything including athletic supporters also helped.

Noynoy in his campaign did not talk any substance. He did however talk about Destiny. Face it, from the day Diana gave birth to William this wedding today was destiny. It's like automatic pilot. No surprises. That is birthright. Noynoy did not have to be about birthright but then again he had nothing else to run on so he made it about birthright. Noynoy did not have to be about birthright but he convinced us it was because we are dumb enough to believe it. All he did was harken to days of yore. He was not part of Laban yet he flashed their sign. He was the only candidate that ran on the image of his parents and not what he has done. It's like picking someone who will make economic , legal and international relations decisions using the criteria of American Idol. Text your vote!!! It has nothing to do with merit. Forget about Noynoy looking bad. WE look bad.

Name recognition is not equal to deed recognition. When it becomes about blood and not about accomplishment then in the back of your mind that sense of birthright holds you back instead of focusing only on what you have to do. When it comes down to it, you can not be thinking your country of origin gives you any kind of advantage whatsoever in a variety of different arenas. You can't use it as a crutch or even a cross. There is no such thing as Royal Blood or noble blood. All this bunk about Royal Blood , I am sure it is just as red as yours and mine is.

What have they (Noynoy and Prince William) done to deserve the attention? Both had mom's whose funerals stopped their respective countries.I fully expect getting correspondence from the Royal Family threatening to sue me for daring to compare one of their own to Noynoy.


For those who don't know. The Queen, the Prince of Wales , Prince William and Harry, they all decide nothing. They just sit there. All the politics are taken care of Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Members of Parliament. Do you see what I am getting at? Noynoy is voted in because he is a symbol and not necessarily the nuts and bolt of performance and action. Yet he is in position where he has to decide on things that affect economy, laws and international relations. Take all those separate spheres of British tradition and government and Noynoy is performing them both. I don't even think he can do one sphere competently and he has both.


As a former long time Canadian resident, I thought Royalty is really much ado about nothing. Granted the one glaring exception to that was March 1983. Still all this stuff about prim and proper , stiff upper lip etc just really wore on me. Exact anti thesis of somebody like Bobby Knight. Bobby Knight now there is a guy. I am sure the Royal Family will not know what to do with Bobby Knight.



Back in 1994 Victoria , B.C. hosted the Commonwealth Games. Its mentality and terminology like that which make some British people think of places like Canada as the "Colonies". What I don't understand is people making a big deal of the Commonwealth Games. You have to go back as far as Roger Bannister before anybody can conjure up a Commonwealth game memory. We have free elections, we get to decide our path. Even if it's a dumb path. As the Master Tom Hopkins said , people buy emotionally and try to defend logically. If you don't believe for a second that intellect is not required to persuade the Filipino People, I dare you look at the commercials of ABS CBN / GMA7's most highly rated prime time and noon time shows and you not arrive at the same conclusion. Power to the people? Well sometimes you see the people are dumb.


Ed



Technical Note: Just to show you I am not a Brit Basher, I present you pure genius coming from Jolly Old England. The show is called the New Statesman. I find the show to be extremely realistic in terms of the lack of ethics of 99% of politicians. Only the Brits have the sense of humor to show you the way it is. That show could never be made here in the Philippines where they pretend to be moral and do the opposite. Video after the reprint of Efren Penaflorida's rigged win. Also found in http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1238/What_Prince_William_Noynoy_The_Royal_Tradition_and_Philippine_Elections_All_Have_In_Common ****************************









http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1114/You_Mean_We_Have_To_Elect_A_Leader_

(Destiny)

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1004/The_Filipino_Cry_For_Attention

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/996/The_Queen_Invites_The_World_From_BC_Place_Stadium_March_1983_Video

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/132/Love_Him_Hate_Him_ (Bobby Knight)

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1065/What_A_Lame_Campaign_Noynoy_Related

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/British+Commonwealth

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/1238/What_Prince_William_Noynoy_The_Royal_Tradition_and_Philippine_Elections_All_Have_In_Common (original post)

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/951/One_Person_Wants_To_Make_Dancing_With_The_Stars_About_Race_And_Not_Dancing

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/tag/noynoy%20aquino (even more Noynoy)



http://antipinoy.com/like-filipino-elections-efren-penafloridas-rigged-win/ (written by rafterman of Antipinoy.com)






http://antipinoy.com/like-filipino-elections-efren-penafloridas-rigged-win/

Like Filipino elections: Efren Peñaflorida’s rigged “win”

Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 18:29

by rafterman


After a stressful day at work the way I relax my mind is to go on Facebook to catch up with friends and see what they have been up to since the last time I logged in. So after an extra hectic day today, I got into comfortable clothes, turned the heat up to a comfortable temperature, poured myself a glass of juice, settled in front of the computer and logged on to Facebook.

The website opened up with a list of most recent updates my friends have made and I noticed that a lot of them have posted something along the lines of “Congratulations to Efren Peñaflorida, CNN Hero of the Year!” and “I am proud to have voted for you.” Once again, I had to shake my head in disappointment about the highly predictable reaction of the common Filipino.

Memories of other on-line voting “triumphs” came back to mind. One was that of Jasmine Trias of the reality show American Idol whom Filipinos rallied behind like a pack of rabid dogs using all the phones they could get their hands on. The same thing went for Brooke Burke in Dancing with the Stars. Heck, even the Chocolate Hills (which is really nothing compared to other wonders of the world) was not spared from this on-line/phone voting frenzy that Filipinos wet their pants in excitement about.

So I replied to one of those who posted about Mr. Peñaflorida and I pointed this out:

There really is nothing to be so proud about in Efren Peñaflorida’s so-called victory.

Let me explain. The nature of his “win” is rooted in a system called “on-line voting”. On-line voting involves people logging on to a website to cast their votes which are then tallied by the system running behind that website. Usually IP addresses and/or cookies are used to uniquely identify individual votes captured by the system in order to avoid duplicates. It is easy to get around this. All you have to do is reconnect your modem/router and clear your cache, then you can cast your vote again. There are many other ways for people to game on-line voting systems to vote multiple times, but this blog is not about the fine technical points of such activities.

To understand the significance of the loopholes of the sort of on-line voting system that catapulted Peñaflorida to world renown, consider the recent activity I monitored in the various mailing lists on various subjects that I am a member of. Some of these mailing lists are of Filipino groups and some are primarily American. In the Filipino groups, we were always bombarded by messages to vote for Mr. Peñaflorida and to forward it to all our friends. Some schlemiels even forwarded it to all their friends and back to the group. In contrast to all this, the American mailing lists were all discussing topics consistent with the purpose of their group and not once did I get an email soliciting a vote for Americans who were also part of the CNN Heroes contest.

efren-penaflorida[1]

I explained these points to the poster on Facebook and she basically said that Efren won because Filipinos wanted him to win. I replied that that is exactly where the problem lies. He won because Filipinos wanted him to win and not because he really was the best among the contestants. Yes, Mr. Peñaflorida did good. Yes, he should be happy that he won, got recognition and harvested a big chunk of money as well. But Filipinos should not be trumpeting about how proud they are of his “victory” because the way it was “achieved” was through a system which yields results that are best taken with a grain of salt. Maybe the CNN Heroes organizers do not realize it, but Filipinos in the Internet and cel-phone age have developed a propensity to get into what we call voting frenzies. Too many people who just have too much time on their hands keep going on line, voting and soliciting the heck out of everyone to jump right into the voting horde just so some Filipino can win and quench their compatriots’ thirst for the next “hero” to latch on to.

My explanation further inflamed the Pinay poster and she continued to defend Peñaflorida. What she and many typical Filipinos don’t understand is that it is not Peñaflorida specifically that was being criticized here. I acknowledge that he did a lot of great things and got funding (even a windfall if you count this latest one) for them. The criticism actually goes to the Filipinos in general (and maybe even Efren himself) who start tooting their own horns once things like this happen even if we all know deep inside that there was a lot of excess effort put behind his “win” compared to those of the other candidates.

Efren Peñaflorida’s “victory” did not prove that Filipinos are a cut above the rest. It was merely a recognition at most for what he has done above and beyond what a common man would do. What his “win” has proven though, is that:

1. Filipinos have a lot more time on their hands
2. Filipinos will exert more effort to win on-line or phone voting polls in order to create a new “hero” to worship than other nationalties
3. Filipinos will trumpet the “victory” of a person (or even a bunch of hills) even if what caused the win is a highly flawed system
4. Filipinos will get defensive and angry if you point out the realities behind the “victory” and resort to emotionalism
5. Filipinos need to get real and work on attaining real victories instead of virtual ones

As long as Filipinos keep on doing what they’re doing, what keeps happening to them will keep happening.

I am reposting this blog article in it's original form because sometimes the AP website is hard to get into.

Unscheduled Reunions

"The roses in the window box
Have tilted to one side
Everything about this house
Was born to grow and die"


From the song Funeral for a Friend by Elton John/ Bernie Taupin.

Today I went to the wake of someone who I went to school with for seven years. My entire Elementary school run. And that was over two different schools. If you recall on Saturday I did this Tweet/ Multiply Note/ Facebook Status:


Found out that someone I was classmates with from Grade 1 to 7 died tonight. We have not spoken since the mid 80s because of the physical distance and somehow we never reconnected back here. I am still saddened. You are in better place.


While at the wake the whole idea that I never reconnected with him while he was still living ate away at me a bit. I did try to donate blood to his cause but once at Makati Med I gave full disclosure about my higher than normal fasting blood sugar count. For those of you who know my writing and who know me in person, you can attest that my blood is the only thing about me that is sweet.

Some of these guys I literally have not seen since 1980 . Some of them I have not seen since maybe 84 or 85. I see the bond between them 26 years after their graduation and I do feel a smidgen of envy .Though I would not give up my five years of high school in Vancouver College for anything. The unity among my former classmates in their action tonight as well as them wearing their alumni polo shirts. It was good to see. We are now in our mid forties and already two of us from that class of about 32 that started the school in 1979 have already been called by the Lord.

From the time I saw familiar faces (some familiar because of Facebook ) and guys who changed a bit it was a bit of a time warp. I was glad to have helped minimally in the mass. I was also glad to talk to the bereaved parents and brother. The thing is this night was for the class of 1984 Southridge, Alabang. A class that I did not graduate with in high school, just Grade school. So part of me felt like a guy who was only the practice squad of an NFL team and not the real time that got to play on Sundays.

I told a few of my classmates tonight that I remember the weirdest things. Like one of them did a verbal book report on this book.

Being back with my classmates from Grade 7 tonight though remind me of

this book



and this movie.



I was listening to the first four guys talk and then it hit me. A particular story I could tell about fallen comrade. I composed it my IPod Touch while the other stories were going on. I want to thank out Master of Ceremonies tonight Mon Guerrero for giving me the floor for this story:

My only year in Southridge was very memorable. My previous classmates talked about suspensions. I was no saint but I was far from the worst behaved. Southridge standards for suspension though got me suspended from class for a day. But for us suspension did not mean staying home. You were put it solitary confinement. Back in 1979 it was known as the Hot Room. I did earn one days stay in the Hot Room. Back in 1979 I had a reputation in class of my jokes always bombing (not exactly flying). Once I served my suspension it was back in the school bus for the ride back to Makati. Adrian said to me "Eddie, it was really funny today in class" (He meant my absence made for better jokes) .

Goodbye Adrian. Sorry we did not see each other as adults. The other guys it seemed took care of you.I regret not being one of those guys. Though I did make it to the Makati Med blood bank. As Mr. Dumol said what you had was a benediction. You did to death what you did to academics and sports. You prepared for it well as it was said tonight by guys who knew you better. One day when I go, I hope I have close to the impact you had in 44 years.


Eddie


http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/notes

http://twitter.com/edrlopez