Recently, it has been impossible to ignore the news on Jon Benet Ramsey's case. This murder-mystery has all the elements of "news as entertainment", a tragic ending to a beautiful thing/person/place, on Christmas day, many surprise suspects and, at least what has been implied, sex. The public just loves this and keeps sucking up the stories, regardless of the real value/relevance to their lives. The media in turn keeps churning out things that are barely of any importance. Although I am all for freedom of expression (artistic or otherwise), I think there is something inherently strange about dressing up little children in costumes and heavy makeup, putting them through rigorous training and expose them into public scrutiny and showcase like a "beauty contest". Any one who went through any sports, music or whatever competition as a young child know how stressful that is. But in most cases the kids like what they do and have some fun with it, with varying degrees of encouragement (or, admittedly, coercion) by the parents. Maybe Jon Benet did enjoy it, but it just does not seem like a natural thing a kid would be willing to do.
Another weird thing about the case is about the attention John Mark Karr has been getting. This story line is creepy at so many levels. John Karr seems to enjoy the "15 minutes of fame" a little bit too much, whether or not he actually is guilty of the Ramsey murder or other allegations of child molestation in Bangkok. Many people also made an observation that Bangkok is a haven for sex offenders and other creepy child molesters. Child prostitution is still rampant and all kinds of pervs are flocking there for a cheap thrill. Many probably live and work there under a disguise of English teachers like Karr.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Monday, August 14, 2006
Reverse B&T, anyone?
Most people in NYC use this somewhat derogatory term called: "B & T" which refers to the "bridge and tunnel" crowd who live in New Jersey, Staten Island, Queens/Long Island or Brooklyn, who would flock to Manhattan for work or play. It implies that these visitors or commuters are less sophisticated than Manhattanites (whatever that means....) and therefore inferior. In some cases its true, in others its just jealousy. People in Manhattan certainly don't have the luxury of space. We live in crowded space. The streets and subways are filthy, and we shop, and eat in really expensive places.
Last weekend I was lucky enough to enjoy the perfect weather at a house with a nice swimming pool in Rockland County which is about 1 hour north of the city (and I guess would qualify also as B & T). Needless to say, it was an awesome afternoon. On the way back I dropped by this giant Asian supermarket in Edgewater, NJ, called Mitsuwa, formerly called Yaohan. For those of you who ever lived in or visited Japan, you would feel like you have died and gone to heaven. The store is huge, clean and has endless array of fresh and packaged food, decent takout and bakery sections and a very nice "food court". Walking around inside really feels like you are in Japan, except the store aisles are REALLY wide!!! There is also a little mall outside and a Japanese steakhouse near the Hudson river, with supposedly awesome view of Manhattan. Don't have a car? Take the door-to-door shuttle bus from Port Authority ($2 each way). It's a short hop from the ferry and the NJ light rail if you wanna go that route.
This beats going down to NY Chinatown for grocery shopping and dining anyday. Going to Fire Island or the beach from Manhattan is a huge time consuming ordeal. You end up paying the city price and seeing the same people there. You hear also of people having a reverse commute from Manhattan. The thought of getting the hell out of here and living in a bigger, nicer, quieter place crosses my mind often. I guess the little masochist in me still keeps me from moving away. You just don't get the NYC energy (and the smell !) like the Big Apple.
Last weekend I was lucky enough to enjoy the perfect weather at a house with a nice swimming pool in Rockland County which is about 1 hour north of the city (and I guess would qualify also as B & T). Needless to say, it was an awesome afternoon. On the way back I dropped by this giant Asian supermarket in Edgewater, NJ, called Mitsuwa, formerly called Yaohan. For those of you who ever lived in or visited Japan, you would feel like you have died and gone to heaven. The store is huge, clean and has endless array of fresh and packaged food, decent takout and bakery sections and a very nice "food court". Walking around inside really feels like you are in Japan, except the store aisles are REALLY wide!!! There is also a little mall outside and a Japanese steakhouse near the Hudson river, with supposedly awesome view of Manhattan. Don't have a car? Take the door-to-door shuttle bus from Port Authority ($2 each way). It's a short hop from the ferry and the NJ light rail if you wanna go that route.
This beats going down to NY Chinatown for grocery shopping and dining anyday. Going to Fire Island or the beach from Manhattan is a huge time consuming ordeal. You end up paying the city price and seeing the same people there. You hear also of people having a reverse commute from Manhattan. The thought of getting the hell out of here and living in a bigger, nicer, quieter place crosses my mind often. I guess the little masochist in me still keeps me from moving away. You just don't get the NYC energy (and the smell !) like the Big Apple.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Cool gadget if you have money to burn
There's a new digital SLR camera which is soon to be released by Fuji . It uses either infrared or UV wavelenghts. So what?, you might ask... but imagine the cool things you can do--like night time photography or other home grown "forensic" projects (sounds kinky !!). Check it out..its supposed to cost a little less than $2000 which I'm sure will drop significantly once other newer models come out.
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