A Horsemeat With No Name

During the early 1970s, there was a popular song by the band America called a Horse With No Name.  It was believed to be about heroin use or hallucinations, but maybe not.  The current uproar over horsemeat in the European food supply causes me to think that horsemeat needs a new name.  When you think about the popular meats, beef, pork and lamb, they are not named after the animals they came from.  For some reason horsemeat isn’t called something else like rior or chol.   If it was, then we could easily disassociate this most likely delicious meat with the elegant animals call horse.

The horsemeat scandal is an interesting story.  Horsemeat was intentionally mislabeled as beef, passing through a number of countries and inspection systems, before ending up at big name processors such as Nestle and Birds Eye.  Most recently, the famous IKEA Swedish meatballs were found to contain horsemeat.  I have been to IKEA and have eaten their tasteless meatballs.  Horsemeat, and possibly some black pepper, would help them tremendously.

I have eaten the meat and organs of many animals, and I have always wondered why horse was off limits.  I can see where it may not be an efficient animal to raise solely for meat, but horses are much closer to being livestock than they are to a family pet.  In the early 1970s, beef prices spiked and horsemeat appeared in some stores. I think the popular TV series All in the Family actually addressed it at that time on a show, though my memory may be fuzzy.  Eventually it was banned for consumption, but several years ago, Congress quietly passed legislation allowing U.S. processors to slaughter horses. 

We should eat horse and plenty of it. Diversity of diet makes food more enjoyable. Rather than act shocked they unknowingly sold horsemeat, Nestle should hold a contest to rename the meat to something more marketable.  Nestle could become the horsemeat market kings and sell IKEA all of the horse they can pack into their meatballs, and the meatballs will taste better, causing IKEA to sell more crap furniture, and the economy will improve….    If we eat horsemeat, life will be better.

Why Republican Party Cannot Avoid Extinction

Much has been said and written about the inevitable death of the Republican Party.  Even Republican leaders have warned they will become modern day dinosaurs, unless they change and change quickly.

The problem is that the Republican Party is a fractured group of several political ideologies that can no longer function as one group with common goals.  Libertarians, Tea Partiers, Moderate fundamentalists, etc. all act quite differently from each other, and fail to support the candidates and platform that is ultimately put forth.  Assuming the Republicans will survive is like suggesting the European Union can function with a common currency.  It won’t happen.

We all know the demographic makeup of the party is a detriment.  A party full of old white men does not bode well as whites become a minority in the U.S., males are already a minority and old will never be a majority, but it is probably the best thing the party has right now.  The party’s exclusion of intellectuals, educated women, people of color, non-Christians and many more subgroups, has created a majority for these groups of minorities.  They don’t necessarily have a great deal in common, other than a strong desire to make sure we don’t get another Republican President.  I doubt we ever will again.

After some strategizing, the party has embraced immigration reform to capture Hispanic voters.  Great strategy, but Obama won’t let the Republicans claim it as their own.  Most Latin Americans, with the exception of Cuban Americans, don’t trust the Republicans and will not give them their vote.  As Hispanics become less passive in the election process, the Republicans cannot see much hope for their future.

All organic things eventually die off, and so must the Republicans.  In school we learned how the Republicans replaced the Whigs, which is proof that political parties in the U.S. die.  The Whigs were essentially the founding party of the U.S., but couldn’t come to grips with how to deal with slavery.  While largely opposed to it, they were a fractured, unorganized group of men that didn’t deal with “modern” day problems.  The Republican Party was formed and a few years later Abraham Lincoln was elected the first Republican President, and the rest was history as the saying goes.  Eventually the Democratic Party began representing people like the Republicans, and the Republicans became more exclusive and narrow in their representation; the two parties essentially flipped their ideologies.

The Republicans will continue to have a majority within the House of Representatives, creating difficulty for a Democratic President and Senate to move the country forward.  However, they will never elect a President again, which is amazing since we are only 25 years after Reagan.  A reasonable replacement for this party, that is inclusionary and progressive, would have a real chance to defeat the Democrats.

Immigration Reform Will Boost Economy

We all know the immigration story and how illegal immigrants have been a politically difficult subject.  As a country that achieved unparalleled success because of broadly liberal immigration rules, it has seemed absurd that the U.S. remained stalled on the issue of what to do with the current immigrants that haven’t, or in most cases, are unable to achieve legal status.  Most everyone that has citizenship or legal residency in the U.S. has benefited from previous sensible policies. 

By conservative estimates, there are 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.  There are likely many more.  Almost 80% are Latin Americans and 75% of those are Mexicans. Several years ago I worked with an immigration attorney to help a Mexican employee gain a visa.  She commented that if the employee were Chinese, Russian or Indian, she would have a 10,000 times greater chance of gaining permanent residency, but because she was Mexican, her chances were low.  Our country’s policies and our views as a people towards Mexican immigration, is blatantly racist.   Many times I have been in debates with people that blurt out ridiculous statements such as Mexicans should just do it legally and then we wouldn’t find it so objectionable.  When I explain that our government hands out very few visas to Mexicans, and we make it almost impossible to be legal, my debate foes dismiss me and change the subject.

Mexicans that come to the U.S. to work, want exactly the same thing all other immigrants want.  They want to improve their standard of living and give their children a better life than they had.  These Mexicans want to accomplish that by holding jobs and working hard.  They don’t want handouts, welfare or benefits they haven’t earned.  They would actually like to pay taxes, but often cannot without disclosing their lack of legal status.  In fact they usually pay into the social security system with FICA withholding applied against social security numbers they will never use again.  Because we make it impossible to be legal, Mexican workers will often keep their families in Mexico, sending their wages back home, and treat their jobs as temporary.  If they had legal status and could bring their families to the U.S., imagine the economic stimulation keeping their wages in the U.S. would provide.  These people respect home ownership, family and education.  Having 5 million or more people attempting to become a first time homeowner in the U.S. would be great for the housing market.

We need the Mexican workers and many employers have treated their illegal status as an inconvenience.  While we have a high unemployment rate in the U.S., many employers cannot find an adequate supply of workers.  Why is that?  That is an entirely different discussion. 

Countries with no population growth, and restrictive immigration policies, are facing difficult times.  Norway is one of the wealthiest countries, but cannot find enough workers to fill basic level jobs.  Rather than allow for greater immigration, they choose to suppress their life quality; there are not many restaurants in Norway because of a lack of workers, and Norwegians begrudgingly eat most of their meals at home. No wonder they cuisine doesn’t get any better. Japan’s population is projected to decline from the current level of 128 million people to 86 million in 2060, due to low fertility rates and restrictive immigration.  Japan already has the highest debt levels in the world and the population decline will decimate the country economically. Yet they do nothing to change the inevitable.

The Republicans have recently embraced citizenship for illegal aliens, attempting to take this reform away from Obama.  I’m sure the inevitable collapse of the party has led to discussions about gaining new support from the fastest growing demographic.  Regardless of the motives, I am happy to see real momentum to a problem we have ignored for too long.  The economy is set to grow and what better way to stimulate growth than to provide legal status for this hidden class of hard working people.

 

 

Control Ammo, Not Guns

I am a longtime advocate of gun control.  While I am a hunter and own rifles and a shotgun, I have no problem with having them registered and undergoing a background check to buy them.  I also see no sporting purpose for handguns and automatic weapons.  When it comes to gun control, I am more liberal than liberals.  The majority of people in the U.S. want gun control now and they want tougher controls than are currently being discussed by the politicians.

Years ago the NRA mailed registered voters their recommendations of candidates.  In my opinion, the NRA is about as anti-American as a political action group can be, with no regard to public safety and the rights of the mainstream public.  When they suggested who I should vote for, I went to the polls and voted for their opposition.

Eventually America will get behind significant gun control, but it will be too late to have an impact on safety.  By many estimates, there are already more than 300 million guns in the U.S., many of them purchased illegally or without background checks.  By the time real gun control finally becomes a reality, there could be almost 1 billion guns in the hands of the crazies.  Doomsday preppers, criminal and gangs, and other gun hoarding people are stockpiling weapons as fast as they can.  Every time there is news about a mass shooting or proposed gun control legislation, a run on guns at the thousands of retail outlets and gun shows takes place. 

The Über right wingers conveniently lean on the 2^nd amendment as proof of their right to arms.  The amendment says “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”.  The political right argues that “people” refers to individuals, yet most scholars would suggest that “people” was a reference to citizens as group, contrasted to an authoritarian government, king or dictator, which up until the late 18^th century was largely the only government known.  The Supreme Court has ruled and we now have a bill of rights that has been changed from the founders’ intentions.  That is very convenient.

Utilizing the same convenient logic, I believe we should outlaw or heavily regulate the sales of ammunition.  This would not infringe on the peoples’ right to bear arms, however it would make it far more difficult to use them.   Sure the preppers and hoarders would stock up on ammo once they hear about a ban.  They are already stocking up.  Ammo is largely consumable and would diminish in supply over time.  Ammo has a shelf life, though it is long.  In most cases, ammo can be reloaded.  Right wingers love to shoot their weapons, presumably for readiness against the everyday citizens infringing on their rights.  Over time, ammo supplies would decline and could create a shooting war between themselves, as they protect their hoards.

Yes, banning ammo sales would solve several problems and may be much easier than real gun control.

Macular Degeneration Prevention Supplements

Two years ago I went to my eye doctor for my annual checkup.  The doctor had me take a new test (new at his office).  His assistant had me look through a scope at a dot on a grid and indicate when I saw movement.  The movement seemed difficult to detect from normal vibrations in the room, but I did my best to appease them.  The doctor said I scored very low and was predisposed for age related macular degeneration.  AMD is a very serious disease resulting in blindness and I don’t want to sound as if I don’t take it seriously.  The doctor prescribed a vitamin supplement that I could conveniently buy from his office.   I received 3 months of a high dose capsule and instructed to take 2 each day and never, ever miss a dose.  The supplement is very expensive and I was told to return in 6 months for another exam.

I returned in 6 months, retook the test, which seemed very subjective to me.  I could see movement, but wasn’t sure it was the movement they were looking for.  The doctor said my results improved slightly, but I was still in danger of AMD.  I took more expensive supplements and was retested 6 months later.  This cycle went on for two years.  One time I failed the test so bad, they said my result scored near zero.  I explained it seemed very subjective and asked to retake it.  I then received a numeric score that was near normal.  The doctor said to keep taking the supplements conveniently sold at his office. 

I stopped by his office one day to restock my supplement supply and the assistant remarked that a large number of the doctor’s patients were taking them.  While I was slightly suspicious before, I became highly suspicious at this time.  I explained this to my wife, who is a scientist and medical researcher.  She read some studies and had me look at one published by the Cochrane Group in London.  The eye health division of Cochrane concluded the supplements provided no benefit. 

Recently I switched eye doctors and asked about my predisposition to AMD.  My new doctor said my macular looked fine.  I explained the test taken and supplements prescribed.  She said the test was referred to as the Amsler grid and the proper application was to detect whether there was a break in the grid or the lines were distorted.  Movement detection was not part of the test and there are no numerical scores given.  I looked at the Amsler grid she held in front of me and the lines looked perfectly straight. She said the supplements wouldn’t hurt, but she doesn’t recommend them either.  I announced I had been scammed.  My new doctor didn’t disagree, but was cautious to avoid the word scam.  She said her desire was to secretly go to other doctor offices for eye examinations and see what happens elsewhere. I wish she would; I was scammed.

 

My Blog Statistics

15 months ago I began my blog to allow friends and family to keep track of where I was and what I was up to.  I had retired from the company I worked at for 28 years and was ready to move to Taiwan and marry.  I did that and I am happily married, however life continues to evolve, as it does for everyone.  I became bored not working and re-entered the workforce after 7 months of retirement.  I continue blogging approximately every week and have posted 65 blog entries to date. 

Sometimes I try to add some humor to my work, though many people would be surprised to hear that.  I occasionally receive comments that suggest my humor has failed.  While living in Taipei, I described the noisy, polluting motor scooter swarms and wrote why they were part of the culture, but largely unnecessary after a great public transportation was installed.  I included some Hello Kitty references, lame motor scooter gang discussion and even modeled a nice pink helmet.  This was an anti-scooter piece, yet I received a comment that my blog was right on target; they were necessary in Taipei.  Since then I have worked on my writing skills to better communicate my thoughts.

My blog reading audience initially was the intended friends and family and it has grown to include many people largely unknown to me.  The intended targets have read it less frequently over time.  I am often told when I see friends, that they have not read the blog in a while.  My life isn’t that exciting, so I believe writing about what I did each week or where I traveled, may not be too interesting.

I can see what countries the readers are from and which blog posts they read, though I cannot tell who the individual readers are.  I have few formal followers, though there is larger group of consistent readers, based on the blog stats.   The country with the most blog reads is the U.S. with 75%, followed by Taiwan with 10%; which I expected.  Third place is Canada.  My sister-in-law lives in Toronto, so I hoped for some Canadian traffic.  She asked that I include more pictures of her sister.  Since I began adding more pictures of my wife, my Canadian traffic has gone down.  The interesting readership follows in descending order: Russia, Germany, Singapore, U.K., Poland, Spain, China and many more.  China is interesting because you cannot access the Google blog website through normal internet channels and most likely have to use a special VPN connection.

The blogs that generate the most readership seem to be the human and social interest stories, and less about my personal life.  Sleeping Asian Hidden Danger is by far the most popular with a 2 to 1 margin over second place Umbrellas for Rainy Taiwan.  I often see a 50 hit spike on Sleeping Asians within one hour and I assume someone is passing the link around. My political commentary of Tommy Thompson is a Piece of Crap was popular for 2 weeks during the election season and is third place. Motor Scooters and Love Motels are fourth and fifth.

Based on the declining interest in my life, and the apparent interest of blogs unrelated to my life, I think I will change the focus of my writing.  I still enjoy writing and will continue.

 

 

Little Drummer Boy

As a youngster and teenager, I took drum lessons and played in the school band, the orchestra and the civic band.  My favorite drumming was the cadence played in marching band.  Every year we played a drum solo in a judged competition and the best drummers played for a larger audience. My favorite solo was The Little Drummer Boy.

I have a high end electronic drum kit that I use periodically.  My grandson loves to play the kit with me (or without me).  For Christmas, my wife and I gave him a small toddler sized kit.  This is not a toy, but a small scale set equipped with seat and base drum beater.  My grandson loves playing his drums and often starts by clicking his drum sticks together for a 1..2..3..4 count.

Attached are pictures of my Grandson playing my kit with me, his own kit and a link to YouTube to see him in action.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E3n4O5RfYw&list=UUDKZBZk0VKw3EfUk9m4oLXw&index=1