And the man gets kicked in the face

With all the Gaddafi negative press out there I can't help but feel sorry for the man sometimes. Although this probably makes many people very angry out there.

So here's some pictures of the man who has defined the moment for good or bad, Gaddafi or in other ways of spelling Gadhafi.

All images via www.google.com/images

The style showdown

Despite what happened or is currently happening to their countries, these politicians manage to keep their personal style intact. From Hosni Mubarak to Moammar Gaddafi, who has the best style?

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/qSlR6ka9clb/Obama+Meets+Egyptian+President+Mubarak+White/vQha3N2OaGf/Hosni+Mubarak


First, we have Hosni Mubarak who seems to enjoy tuxedos and slick back black hair, in reality he is an 82 year old man who probably dyes his hair, whilst using tons of hair gel, and has regular botox intakes for his face; to keep those wrinkles out!

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3554776,00.html

Then, there is Moammar Gaddafi who seems to be eloquently dressed everywhere he goes, be it London or Paris. Goldren robes, MJ esque military suits, bright pattern shirts, etc. this man has it all!

So we think in comparison, Gaddafi definitely deserves a win in comparison with his less stylish opponent Mubarak.

Goodbye Larry King, Hello Piers Morgan!

Here is the man who replaced Larry King on his 9pm eastern time show, no other than Piers Morgan. I had been watching his show avidly for two weeks, and then suddenly found out that it was King's show that Morgan's replaced. I guess I don't watch CNN as much as I'd like to.

http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/morgan.piers.html

http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/king.larry.html

Racism in China PART II

http://randomthoughtsofadelusionalmom.blogspot.com

It was one of those lazy Saturday nights with the family, me, my mom, my little brother and I. We were seated in this Korean BBQ place just on Lucky Street in one of the back room sections, behind us a Russo-American couple was eating with their two young daughters. Another table of French men were eating right beside ours, the waiters like what happens every time Chinese nad Foreign customers are put into the same setting; decided to service the foreigners while we waited for our beef to turn stale and overcooked on the stove table. So my mother complained about it to the waiters, and they finally started treating us with the respect we deserved.

It was around this time that the American man who had been swiveling in his American country class slang, started yammering away at something that caught my ear. My mother was complaining to a waiter about their services while this American man told one of his young daughters “That lady is talking stink! Chinese ladies, they are always loud.” His conversation basically sounded like this, there were some other tid bits, which I don’t remember, but this is basically what he said on the spot. My chair being the closest of our table to his table, having overheard this conversation from him to his daughter I felt a fiery anger grow inside me, this man had not only mocked my mother, but he had mocked my race, I was sort of contemplating whether or not I should speak up and give him a piece of my mind, I slightly turned my head and looked at him, his hair was white, not like I had imagined from hearing his voice, although his oldness made sense the slurring tone in his voice.

I was determined to say something, of course he looked two times my age, but I figured if I didn’t say anything I would regret it. So I slightly turned, trying to be nice, because I didn’t know this man, suddenly standing up and having a direct conversation with him would be very strange and out of place, neglecting all manners. So I carried my dignity, and directed at him “Excuse me, what did you say about Chinese ladies?” I kept my tone in my flat American English. Right after, he said never mind started shaking his head and looking down on his seat. At first I felt like he had dissed me, but then I quickly realized in my mind that this man was embarrassed and probably regret his actions when he made those comments about my mother. They are really some quite foolish actions of his. But once I think of comments I have made in the past when I didn’t think people understood my English (Just as he had! He probably didn’t think anyone at my table spoke English, let alone a little Chinese girl like me!!!) I have made snide remarks too. But it’s different when I’m commenting or complaining about my own people or mother. This man had mocked my family and race and I wasn’t about to back down.

This leads me to the question “What would happen if I didn’t understand English?”, well as long as I understand something and it is saying something about me or someone I’m close to that I don’t like, I feel the need to tell them wrong. Because in life sometimes we need to speak up, whether we are Asian, yellow, a petite woman, or whatever. Sometimes the time to speak up is decided in seconds, but as long as we do speak up we realize that other people’s wrongs can be made right, that we can correct them. Just because he thought I didn’t understand English he could mock my race in a stereotypical way just like that?! Well in his own probable words “Not a chance buddy.”

Racism in China PART I

http://www.flickr.com/photos/djwerdna/413626958/

It was on a day such as this, that I walked to KFC for my takeout lunch.

Upon entering the shop I recognized one of my classmates and started a conversation with her, it was then that I remember the lady at the counter telling everyone in the line behind my classmate to start moving to the other line because her register was going to be closing, I didn’t hear her because I was talking to my classmate, but later when she repeated it I moved into the other line, so ignoring the situation as one of those annoying times when I had to spend some more time in line.

It was then about two seconds after I had moved to the next line that this unfortunate event happened. Some African kids from my school had come in with their parent also to get some KFC; they headed to the line I had just left which was non-existent. The lady at the register, who had told me to move to another line because her register was closing, directly started servicing them for their meal. This made me annoyed, as I had often seen this happen too many times in China, the Chinese being discriminated by the Chinese in favor of helping a foreigner for unjust reasons, and the foreigner privy to special services which the Chinese themselves did not provide for their own kind, too inhospitable even to normal service standards, this was the problem.

I’m not usually what you’d call a brave kid, sure I’m courageous at times, but usually I don’t show it so much. Of course at times I feel like I should stand up for what I believe in, sometimes trying to be nice I let things slide. But this one I thought, in a rapid way as I progressed in my head, I definitely wasn’t going to let go of. I addressed the register lady in my line, “hey, what’s this all about? I was in line then that lady told me to move to this line, and now some other people come in and she serves them even though she says her line is closed?” I paused the energy in KFC began to change; I could see out of the corner of my eye and feel that everyone in the store was looking at me. “Are you guys being racist to your own people, Chinese people! Or are you just trying to make more money, since there’s more of them?” (The kids from my school who were being serviced were in a group and I was just by myself) I can remember saying something of the kind, then I told them I’d call the customer service complaint number, and they said there wasn’t such a number, I told them I’d get it by calling 114 (the help dial service). So there I was, standing in line “hey you got the number to complaint services…yeah I want to complain about KFC!” well okay, so they didn’t have a number for that like for some stores, but they had the number for the KFC main company, “6555-9888, okay”. I then looked up and realized some people were still pondering at what I was doing, or how my dilemma was being progressing. I looked up at the counter to my line there was a man with a tie there, “hey are you the manager?” I asked, “yes” he said, he had obviously heard my complaints so I started yammering away to him, if anyone was going to fix my problem I know he was going to. “You know I was in line, and was told to move because they were closing the register, then a group of foreigners came in and they’re being serviced, come on! We’re all Chinese why discriminate against your own people? I mean there’s one of me, how long can it be to service me, don’t discriminate against your own people! You guys are either discriminating, want more money, or didn’t want to service me because there’s one of me. You know what? Don’t be so discriminating, I can speak English you know, “Your restaurant is terrible, because the management here is just so bad…” (I think I stuttered a little probably sounding a little Chinese local like, losing my own accent… on account of being very peeved, and also with all the attention I was causing.) “Hey Chinese person not speaking Chinese language” one of the lady’s who worked at the register squirmed, I don’t even remember which lady gave me bad service, but then with the caps and classes they all wore I really couldn’t tell them apart.

I’d originally even wanted to see the nametag of the lady that gave me bad service, but their uniform looks confused me so whatever I thought. I replied to the lady’s retort with “Yeah, I just don’t want you to think I’m not cultured!!!” so then I pressed on for my order. The manager asked me what I wanted, after one customer or so ahead of me, he made sure the register lady got my order, single handedly made sure my two chicken wraps and milk tea were ready-pouring the milk tea into the container himself. And then soon, not as soon as I would have liked though, my order was done.

Of course I didn’t want to create any uproar with the people who had been serviced, the kids from my school and not me, but I couldn’t stand it. Like in Chinese elementary school, the teachers always treated the foreigners better than they treated me when we got the same grades in school. This KFC scenario wasn’t me being rude or discriminating, my own people the very people of my ethnic group had betrayed me, which actually happens a lot in China, there are so many examples of this that there are often too many to list. No it doesn’t happen everyday but it happens at times. And I wasn’t going to let myself stand by this time and let this happen to me, sure I’m Chinese, but I as a human should have been serviced with equal chances. Just because some new people came in doesn’t mean that they should be serviced right away when everyone else was required to move to a new line and wait it out. If we all keep waiting it out in line our whole lives without addressing unfair service and racial discrimination against our own people’s rights to services, how can this world ever be good enough for one to live in and call ourselves part of a nation?

To note I am not against the people from my school who were serviced before me, I am not racist, I was just standing up for rights I believed in, my right to be serviced, and not to let the foreign hospitality that often hinders my own people step in the way of my own life. For those of you who have never been to China, this is China, for better of for worse. I may not be the bravest person in the world, but I’m glad I said something about it. Although this probably happens everywhere in the world at least once a week, there you go, the cultural differences and issues we 21 centurions face today…

Bahrain-A small country with a big problem

I have an ex-school teacher who now works in Bahrain, one day he said four people had been killed due to protests and everyone was given a free day off in the capital. Recently things in Bahrain have gotten hotter. As the Shiites's and Sunni's couldn't agree on less.

Read full story: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/23/analysis.bahrain.two.worlds/index.html

The search for a father

Libyan-American brothers searching for their father, a political activist against Gaddafi's government, jailed in the late 1980's by Gaddafi's government via Cairo then to Tripoli, they last heard sightings about their father in 1996. The Lebyan revolts have given new hope for the brothers to find their father, because their father was against Gaddafi's government, now that Gaddafi's government is in a shaky stage they hope that their father is still alive. So the search continues.

Read the full story: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/25/libya.missing.father/index.html

Donald Trump on Piers Morgan

Here is an interview of Donald Trump on the new Piers Morgan show from about two weeks ago. Trump not only told Morgan that he is definitely thinking about running for president, but also proclaimed that China is the enemy of the USA. I have got to hand it to Donald, he would make a hell of a president, like when Wall Street steps into politics, or remember when Hollywood stepped into politics, Arnold Schwarzenegger anyone?

Day 1: The Breakdown is born!

Today marks the birth of The Breakdown. Where political news, and other news impacting the lives of people around the globe will be discussed. Contrary to what some people might think "breakdown" here actually means a good thing, our meaning of "breakdown" refers to breaking down bit-by-bit of the news we are discussing, so that we try not to miss an inch of detail.

So bring out the champagne!! Today is officially the start of this new blog, with new ideas, and interesting takes on worldwide issues.