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June 13, 2010
 Bananas - Courtesy Suat Eman, freedigitalphotos.net Today while shopping at Costco, I had to pause and contemplate how weird us humans really are. It happened when I was grabbing a bag of bananas.
Being a wholesale store, you can get a ton of bananas in bags for $1.32 at Costco. Some bags may have 10 while others may have 12 bananas. Some bananas may have a few spots while others may still have a green streak or two. In the end it really doesn't matter which bag you get. It's just $1.32.
What's amazing is that some people (myself included) seem to spend an eternity searching and hunting for a perfect bunch or perhaps that prized bag with the most bananas. And for what? $1.32.
Weird, people blow $10 on a pack of cigarettes, $5 for a beer at the bar, or $20 dollars playing lotto. We spend money on all kinds of stupid things, but we take all the time in the world to find that perfect $1.32 banana bunch.
May 2, 2010
A beach resort isn't exactly my idea of a vacation spot. I'm more of a desert and mountain type and I like it cheap. The Bahamas has no mountains and it's not cheap, but keeping a promise to my children, I recently visited the country and came back rather positive about the experience.
Ok, no mountains, but the running was good, lots of swimming in the Atlantic, and jet-skiing for the first time. Staying away from fancy restaurants, gambling, and alcohol helped stretch the budget. And is there any reason to go clothes shopping in fancy stores when all you need is your swimming outfit or a pair of shorts and a t-shirt?
I knew there will be beaches, and palm trees and turquoise-colored water, and the fact that Columbus landed there. But I also learned a few new things about the Bahamas, among them:
- The Bahamas consists of hundreds of islands, some uninhabited.
- The Bahamas is not really that far south. If you drew a line from Nassau heading west, you hit Florida.
- The Bahamas is a sovereign country with its own government.
- The Bahamian dollar is pegged to the US dollar one for one. Both currencies are freely accepted. No need for a conversion calculator or exchange fees.
- Traffic in the Bahamas follows the British system. They drive on the left. be careful crossing streets.
and a few shots:
March 28, 2010
Murderers or saviors? This is the story of 4 people who have found themselves on the opposite side of the law after their group was accused of facilitating the death of a suffering patient.
The group, known as Final Exit Network, helps terminally ill and suffering patients to end their lives peacefully and with dignity. No physical assistance is provided, instead the patients are given group support and guidance on how to end their own lives as painlessly as possible.
I don't know these people nor have I any knowledge of their motives. All I know is that on the surface their work on suicide guidance is nothing but admirable. They have had the courage to defy cruel and sadistic laws and help people end their pain and suffering. If they have flouted the so-called divine (superstitious) laws, so be it.
The state should have no business meddling in people's lives and their private decisions, specifically those who are obviously in such great pain. Nor should they be punishing those who only give guidance on suicide. It's one thing to intercede when a jilted teenager wants to commit suicide on a whim. It's an entirely different matter when a terminally ill patient in great pain wants to die in peace and dignity.
A message to the anti-euthanasia crusaders: You want to live till your last breath, that's your decision and I respect that. I want to die on my own terms. Leave it at that and do something positive, like perhaps donate to a cause for curing cancer.
suicide,euthanasia,assisted suicide
March 22, 2010
Today Google decided to pull its operations and Web site out of China. Remember that Google, like many other technology companies, is filled by the sort of people who detest bowing to authority. And why should they? What China calls subversive is people voicing their opinions. Why should any government repress its people? Take away their freedom and deceive them with relentless propaganda and half-truths? Treat them like cattle? What kind of a hellish place would that be to live in? By the way, I am an Iranian ex-pat. Enough said.
Kudos to Google for demonstrating that doing the right thing trumps potential profits and market share growth. Ok, I'm sure Google does have its own evil side too. what corporation doesn't? But any company who would take such a big risk in the name of freedom and human rights deserves respect. My hat's off to Google for showing its spine, not bowing to pressure, and standing up for what's right.
google,china,freedom,democracy
March 1, 2010
Winter Driving may be treacherous but it sure looks beautiful. For me, no scene can match the beauty and appeal of a forlorn snow-covered landscape.
Enjoy 
winter driving,snow
February 2, 2010
 A quarter of century or so ago a friend of mine dumped his American-made car for a Toyota. back then the Japanese were also making alarm clocks and calculators, but that was the first time I'd heard about the Japanese auto quality and that memory has stuck with me ever since.
Over the years I've owned a few different Japanese car models, all used cars. Some have been better than others, but I've been generally satisfied with them. Interestingly I've never owned a Toyota, the paragon of quality in Japanese autos.
It's difficult to see a once unblemished record scuffed by the faulty accelerator issue. I suppose no one is more rattled than Toyota itself. But it would have been naïve not to expect something like this after years of flawless operation. Perhaps the company is now too big, too arrogant, too careless, or too distracted. It's hard to maintain a perfect record year after year while growing at the same time. The laws of probability eventually caught up.
In the end, Toyota will pass through the storm and will become a better company for it but alas its reign won't last. New rivals will emerge, old rivals will rise, tastes will shift, and times will change. It's just the way it is with everything in this world, nothing lasts forever.
toyota,cars
A quarter of century or so ago a friend of mine dumped his American-made car for a Toyota. back then the Japanese were also making alarm clocks and calculators, but that was the first time I'd heard about the Japanese auto quality and that memory has stuck with me ever since.
Over the years I've owned a few different Japanese car models, all used cars. Some have been better than others, but I've been generally satisfied with them. Interestingly I've never owned a Toyota, the paragon of quality in Japanese autos.
It's difficult to see a once unblemished record scuffed by the faulty accelerator issue. I suppose no one is more rattled than Toyota itself. But it would have been naïve not to expect something like this after years of flawless operation. Perhaps the company is now too big, too arrogant, too careless, or too distracted. It's hard to maintain a perfect record year after year while growing at the same time. The laws of probability eventually caught up.
In the end, Toyota will pass through the storm and will become a better company for it but alas its reign won't last. New rivals will emerge, old rivals will rise, tastes will shift, and times will change. It's just the way it is with everything in this world, nothing lasts forever.
toyota,cars
September 22, 2009
 I already knew that Iran is the only country in the world where the sale of the kidney is not only legal, but government sanctioned and subsidized. When I sat behind my desk to watch the documentary, Iranian Kidney Bargain Sale, I already knew what to expect - sort of.
There were 2 things that affected me quite deeply:
1- The human faces and stories behind the kidney trades.
2- The tough ethical and moral questions that creep up on the viewer.
Here you have two desperate and nearly hopeless people, each clinging to the hope that the other party can resolve their devastating problem. One gripped with such destitute that has decided to sell a vital organ, the other in urgent need of a kidney to regain a semblance of a normal life.
As I watched the movie, I kept wavering between siding with the donor and the recipient. I would condemn the Iranian government for allowing the kidney trade, only to condone it a few moments later.
This is not a simple black and white matter. It's one big gray area. Is it fair for people to sell their kidneys for as little as $3,000? Is it fair that potential recipients continue to haggle over price, as if buying a car? And yet, is it fair that some of the lives saved could have been lost without this trade? Or perhaps barring the legal trade, unscrupulous black market operators abuse and intimidate potential donors at their most vulnerable times, the way it's done in India or Pakistan?
To be fair, the government does seem to have strict policies in regards to who can donate and who can receive a kidney. Among the rules, they must both be Iranian citizens (eliminating potential abuse by wealthy foreigners) and they must pass rigorous medical exams to qualify for the procedure.
I would imagine that the little money the donors receive could hardly resolve their problems. In most cases they would be back at their original financial position, minus a healthy kidney. The recipients seem to benefit the most from the trade, that is if the transplants are successful.
In the end I still couldn't make up my mind on whether allowing this practice was ethical. Given all the parameters, I think the kidney trade in Iran is somewhat beneficial to the society, because it does assist in saving lives. Not just the lives of the recipients, but also the lives of the donors who would otherwise be at the mercy of the black market operators.
Then again my opinion couldn't possibly carry that much weight, since I haven't walked in the shoes of the people on either side of the kidney trade.
kidney transplant,iran,laws
September 18, 2009
 I'd heard about the documentary movie, The Bridge, and always wanted to see it. Thanks to Hulu I got to watch it last night.
Based on what I had read, the producers had set up cameras around the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, filming for the entire year of 2004. The intention was to capture jumpers. Of course they hadn't mentioned that detail on their permit application.
The movie tells the stories of a few jumpers that succumbed to their deaths and one that actually survived the fall. Shots from their attempt is interspersed with interviews with families and friends. It's a powerful commentary on human frailties and struggles.
Possessing a dark side of my own, I can understand why some people may decide to end their lives. What I don't understand is how their logic and reason is so completely circumvented. I must assume that for the jumpers all hope was lost and despair dominated their lives completely. What was striking is that most were young and healthy. I can understand (and support) the desire to die from an elderly patient stricken with a terminal disease, but these people had many chances to turn things around. Time was firmly on their side.
I don't know, who am I to judge? Maybe we make too much of a big deal of life and living. We're all destined to be recycled anyways.
May they rest in peace.
golden gate,san francisco,suicide
July 26, 2009
If you ever find yourself in Bavaria, southern Germany, one of the attractions you won't want to miss is the Neuschwanstein castle. The castle was built in the late 1800 by King Ludwig II but its design was borrowed from the splendid castles of the medieval period.
What makes the Neuschwanstein castle a popular destination is its amazing location, perched on a hill at the base of the Alps mountains, its enormous size, and its majestic design. It seems like the king spared no expense in making sure that the castle was grand in its splendor and beauty, bringing it to the top of its class among its peers.
Being a private king, the castle was off-limits to the public, but after the king's death it was opened for all to come and admire the structure.
That's why on a recent visit to Bavaria, I put the castle in my list of places to visit and it didn't disappoint. The castle is about a 2-hour car trip from Munich. Once we reached the town of Fussen, we just followed the signs to the location. There's ample parking at the base and the castle is about a half hour walk up. There are also horse-drawn carriages that can take people up the hill for a nominal fee. Parts of the castle are off-limits but visitors can still wander about the grounds as they try to imagine what living in such a structure must have been liked. There are also guided tours inside the castle in English and German.
With its combination of history, natural surroundings, and architectural beauty, the Neuschwanstein castle is a treasure well worth a trip to experience.
Neuschwanstein,germany,bavaria
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