Wednesday, February 27, 2008

bit of a rant. forgive me.

consider yourselves lucky, you get 2 consecutive blog entries in as many days...

alright, allow me to vet a bit this morning (i need it); check out this article from the NYT, i've included some clips below:

"Senator John McCain apologized Tuesday after a conservative radio host who helped introduce him before a rally used Senator Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, three times, while disparaging him....

“Whatever suggestion that was made that was any way disparaging to the integrity, character, honesty of either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton was wrong,” Mr. McCain said. “I condemn it, and if I have any responsibility, I will take the responsibility, and I apologize for it.”...

He also said that it was not appropriate to invoke Mr. Obama’s middle name. “I absolutely repudiate such comments,” Mr. McCain said. “It will never happen again.”"

This angers me. and NO, im not angry with the radio commentator for using BO's middle name. I'm angry at john mccain and the media actually for insinuating that somehow someone's middle name is inappropriate to use addressing a person. if the commentator decides to try to suggest something by using BO's middle name, he's simply a coward and needs to say in plain words what he wants to convey. HOWEVER, the notion that somehow a man who's name comes from an immigrant father should be ashamed of his name because its muslim is offensive and clearly, hypocritical. For years now, the Bush administration has been attempting to paint the war on terrorism as a war on militant islamists, not on the muslim faith. mccain's claim that it is inapprorpiate to use BO's middle name, doesn't exactly help the cause. it has the undertones that if you have a muslim (or just different) name, you should attempt to somehow hide it because it would conjure up some memories.

what this is, is a slap to the american intellectual ability (this will probably be the only time that i'll defend americans as been smart). its offensive to think that americans aren't smart enough to know that not everyone named hussein is a bad person (and i would venture to claim that many many americans, especially young americans, know someone, someone good, named hussein). so why label the use of one's middle name as inappropriate, never to be used again? its his friggin middle name. use it. let everyone know that your name does not prescribe that theres a target on your head.

i'm probably botching up this argument, cuz it was very much a knee jerk reaction, but the article and mccain's apology just seems to imply that somehow BO should be ashamed of his middle name and no one should use it. everyone should use their middle names and be proud of it, if they so wish. and people wonder why i strongly dislike republicans at times. this is why.

btw, anyone that wants to use Oluwatofarati is more than welcome to use it when introducing me. And if anyone apologizes to me and implies that somehow its offensive to use my middle name, i'll cut u. [end rant]

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

politics and more

Alright, i've been scolded a few times now for not posting new stuff on my blog. its really not my fault...just that my life hasn't been all too interesting lately and i didn't wanna have to bore you with the way in which i got up from bed, brushed my teeth, got into my car (which is in the shop for the second time), turned on the radio, got to work, etc...i will mention the fact that i almost lost it with the phone people the other day. i've been trying to get a contract phone for ~a month now (i'm still on pay-as-you-go) and everytime i go theres one problem or another. this past saturday, i finally got the contract fully authorized and actually got my new phone and was told it would be activated in 24-48hrs. well, 48hrs came and went and nothing happened...i gave it more time and eventually checked the new phone to find that i'd received an sms welcoming me to vodacom and giving me my new number and stating what contract plan i was on. 2 problems: 1. my number was not supposed to change; 2. it stated the wrong plan. so i call the store and they apologize and tell me that they're fixing the problem, but they need to give me a new sim card which i have to come to get. 1 problem: 1. this store is 45 minutes away from me. so i ask if they're going to pay for my gas to get there and for all the other times i'd been there fruitlessly. i wasnt joking. well, eventually i got them to agree to ship the sim card to a nearer-by store and it should be there by thursday. im not holding my breath.

lets talk politics a bit - south-african-style:
many people are worried about the inevitable "election" of jacob zuma as president next year. tho i must say, i'm impressed that i've also noticed a lot of people who are desperately trying to put the situation in the best light, knowing there's really not much they can do. i've been hearing on the radio lately that people should just give this guy a chance, and given all his mistakes, he could actually turn out good for the s.african people and even the economic situation. i also heard today a dj mocking people for expecting political leaders to be moral leaders. i kind of agree with this; however, i got to thinking...i liked prez clinton even during his much publicized infidelities, so what makes zuma, and his much publicized polygamous ways, different. but i think there's a difference, ne? there was a sense that clinton knew what he was doing was wrong and so tried to keep it hidden. zuma, on the other hand, makes no effort to conceal the fact that hes on wife 4 (and working on #5 and 6, all simultaneously). now i recognize that polygamy still occurs in some cultures and it may be fine in some older communities, but in the world we live in today, i am a strong believer that the incumbent of the office of presidency of any nation should be someone worthy of being a role model. what does it say to the society when the most developed country in africa is led by a 60-something yr old man, taking 20-something yr old women as wives? and why isnt there more discussion about the inevitable ensuing fight among the women regarding who will be first lady? anyway, just strikes me as not right.

2ndly: the latest bruhahah is over a forum for black journalists that was held here recently. white journalists that were excluded from the meeting weren't too happy. so the question arose: in a democratic south africa, is there room for organizations solely based on race? my initial reaction was of course not. but its not that simple. if a group feels there are issues that pertain especially to them, they should be able to organize to find ways to deal with those issues, ne? however, if a similar organization for white journalists was established, wouldn't there be a huge row about the racist nature of such organization? in america there are many race based organization (congressional black caucus, society of black engineers, black student associations, etc). i think the very definition of democracy is the ability for any group to organize based on pretty much any interest as long as it does not unnecessarily or violently infringe on the rights or the interests of other groups. so where do you draw the line? are these organizations acceptable cuz their membership at one time were discriminated against? or is it because they are minorities and minorities, at times, need to organize to get their voices heard? if the latter is the case, then the s. african situation is a bit awkward, because whites are the minority and, with that argument, they could organize and claim that the black govt is not listening well to them...touchy issues. thoughts?

to the US we go:
have you seen John mccain's wife. i mean, have you looked into her eyes? next time she's on tv take a good gaze into her eyes and you'll notice, you cannot see the brown (or whatever color it is) in her eyes. it looks all white. its really scary. like a ghost. it freaked me out. and still does. and when i heard her speak, i almost shit my pants. for all my conservative friends, there's no insult meant by my comments; her eyes just freak the hell out of me. i actually like john mccain, except for his unwavering support for the war and new found fondness, and courtship, of W.

lamest campaign line: "that's not change you can believe in, that's change you can xerox"...luckily she redeemed herself later with a sentimental, congratulatory nod to BO ("...i am honoured to be here with barack obama..."). thanks for the endorsement hillary. thanks for the memories.

post-post: i just saw some pics of snow covered chicago. i love snow, so it looked lovely, but i also know it won't take long for that snow to turn into dangerous, disgusting ice, so i feel bad for y'all chicago-ans. its nice and sunny and warm here, so feel free to drop by for the weekend for some warm weather!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

sunday musings

best singles awareness day love line: "my love for you is like diarrhea...i just can't hold it in". there were lots more good ones on the radio, but my memory fails me.

lesson of the week: i learned a valuable lesson this week, thats actually been brewing a bit for a while. outsiders be advised that when a south african gives you directions and tell you "don't worry...its straight forward...you can't miss it," be worried. very worried. chances are it is not straight forward, and you have to try really hard NOT to miss it. this has happened a few times now and initially i was content to think that it was my lack of directional skills, but no longer.

one of my bosses asked me to be in pretoria (30min-2hrs from joburg, depending on traffic) on thursday within the hour, so i pack up my stuff, ask a couple people how to get there, got the "it'll be right in front of you; you can't miss it" response and was on my way. without much traffic at all, i got there 2 hrs, 14 illegal u-turns, a foray into the heart of downtown pretoria, and 6 "where the hell am i!$" exclamations later. the place was so confusing to find and the company building was hidden (the opposite of "you can't miss it") and the sign was as small as my pinky finger. hmph, not a fun experience. south africans are really good at finding their way around, just not explaining that to anyone else in a reasonable way. yes its a generalization, but my limited experience so far tells me its true. thats my story and im sticking to it.

saturday was an interesting day. after i tried for the 7th time to get my contract phone and for the 7th time failed (i wont bore you with the details), i went to get some fried chicken, like a good african (this was around 5pm, i had played some futbol earlier, was running on an empty stomach and carrying a dizzying headache which made me feel like i was gonna faint). while waiting for my chicken i decided to go to the fruit and veg store next door and maybe get some fruit. before i entered i saw these gigantic mangos on display outside (probably among the biggest mangos i've ever seen). so when the owner came out to ask me what i wanted i joked (or tried) around by asking what lab those mangos were genetically engineered from. welll this guy (who looked exactly like the scary white guy from the addams family, and talked like him) did not take that joke very lightly. he started on this rant about how he's a christian and would never do such a thing (hmm, i'm sure there are some christian genetic engineers, no?!). then he went on to ask me if i was a christian and even after telling him i was, went on to preach to me for a good 10 minutes while holding the medium-sized mangos i decided to buy. and it wasn't good preaching; rather incompressible jargon that would have made even less sense if i didn't know much about christianity. anyway, i think he had good intentions, so i can't fault him for that; but with that addams family voice, height, and facial structure, i thought i unleashed a freakin devil and all i wanted were some sweet mangos. i'll put that joke in the ever rapidly growing list of jokes never to tell again.

today, i found my new favorite store: builder's warehouse. its so close to me and even tho i had been looking for a place like this, i didn't realize that it was just down the street. think home depot, only better. by far. i know, i asked myself the same question: what could be better than home depot? but i found the answer, and its builder's warehouse. its got pretty much everything u can think of when it comes to home improvement. i just walked around the store (which is huuge) and had the sincere urge to build something, anything. it was nice. then at the end, this beautiful store became even more awesome. as i was walking out, the guy that checked my bag, gave me a free sunday newspaper. FREE. no strings attached (well, except that i bought something from the store of course). but how cool is that.

post-post: on a much more serious note...sometimes i think i try to come off as a hard person, but i think i'm pretty soft on the inside. this NIU shooting really got to me and if anyone knows people at the university or has any affiliations there, just want you to know that my thoughts and prayers are with you all. i'm not sure exactly why it got to me so much (these things are getting increasingly numerous); perhaps it was because it conjured up images of how i felt when the events at columbine happened and how my high school rallied around one another and around other schools in the community. or because it reminded me of 9/11 and brought everyone in my uni together and accelerated the feeling of community, even tho i'd only been there for a few months at the time. whatever it was, for a little bit on friday, things were put into perspective for me. still not sure exactly what to make of it, but its helped raised even more questions in my mind. life is short; live it to the fullest. if i died right now, i'm not sure i would be able to say that i've lived my life to the fullest...

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Singles Awareness Day

i apologize...this post really has little to do with s. africa, except to say that most everyone here has a girlfriend or boyfriend (or several)...tracking devises (in the case of girlfriends), as a friend so rightly put it. so if there's one thing the US has over SA, its the fact that i had way more support for my state of bachelor-hood there than here. in any case, on to the topic...

remember back in the day when you used to start essays with "webster defines xyz as..." (ok, maybe u didn't but i was a not-so-good essay writer and constantly needed webster to define xyz for me and serve as my topic sentence)? well, its 2008 and webster has been replaced. so i say to you: wikipedia defines this day many people celebrate on feb 14 as "the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending cards, flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs. yea, its a christian holiday u pagans. anyway the whole thing is a scam to me. wikipedia actually has a nice history and blurb about it (good read). but what it boils down to is that this day is a hallmark and de beers holiday.

why can't i show my "love" any other day of the year? or buy flowers at other times of the year? why do you make me (or other guys) feel obligated to go all out and find the best restaurant, the best card, the best flower arrangements, the best diamonds, just to please the lady? the way i look at it, i (myself, me, just me) should be more than enough for any girl; no need for flowers and candy and jewelry (this may explain why i don't currently have a girlfriend, but thats beside the point...). i thought this was only a western thing before, but its pretty wide spread around here as well. I keep getting asked what am i doing for v-day? who's the lucky lady? and i tell them: "Get Thee Behind Me, Hallmark!".

this brings me to my next point: why can't we celebrate this day the way the japanese and koreans now do. according to wikipedia, this day "has emerged in Japan and Korea as a day on which women...give candy, chocolate or flowers" to their men. damn straight. how 'bout some recognition the other way, huh?? show a little appreciation. ok. fine. seriously, no need to give in to hallmark either way. i really have nothing against you lovers out there (or at least not too much), but sometimes this day and its preparations can get out of hand and its just simply unnecessary. in fact, its gotten so out of hand that people refer to it now as singles awareness day; why don't y'all with significant others just rub it in our faces and we'll just sit in our coaches and watch cnn and afmag and order chinese take out and take it.

i would like to offer a much better celebration of feb 14. really this day should be celebrated for what it is. the true essence of tomorrow and why i cannot wait: it is the official FIRST DAY OF TRAINING CAMP. yes that is right. american baseball is right around the corner and pitchers and catchers report to camp tomorrow. although prospects for my team (the ex-world champions St. Louis Cardinals) are a bit dim, i still will follow a lot of the action. probably not the best thing as it's probably gonna cut into my sleep time, but whats sleep when you've got baseball to watch. so lets celebrate feb 14: Baseball Begins Day.

post-post: as promised, I dedicate this post to mina. the apple of my eye. the finisher of my sentences. the completer of my life. the lo in my ve. (disclaimer: im only joking. foreal. no hate mails, please).

for another good read, check out:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/opinion/13alsanea.html?th&emc=th

Thursday, February 7, 2008

sun city fun

so this company must have racked in seriously last year. the last 2 days (tues, wed), they just sponsored a "thank you" day away at the amazingly extravagnt resort called sun city here in joburg. it was actually a lot of fun (you'll rarely hear me complain about 2 days away from work). in addition to meeting new people, there were some interesting activities planned (e.g. an "amazing race" comp. including blow darts, soccer, golf, jet skiing, swimming, sliding, etc...). They also sponsored an open bar night (always dangerous) with lots of dancing and invited Freshly Ground (an awesome South African band) to perform live. They were simply amazing; very unique sound. needless to say the night was lots of fun and the morning was painful. i've posted some pictures...check 'em out.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/okunadef/SunCity_Feb08

random post #45734: my awesome baby (still searching for a proper name) has a couple problems; she makes funny sounds and the AC decides when it feels like working (apparently its a problem with the compressor...whatever that is; im a city boy, what do i know about cars??!). So I took her to the audi shop and they gave me a loaner car. its a station wagon which is not so cool, but its an a4, 1.8T, all leather, all auto. i was really looking forward to doing some damage in it, but i just got a call from the dealership to tell me that its ready for pick up. man, if only i could pick what people would be effecient with. that was super fast, and now i have to give the loaner car back. well, good thing i like my baby.

for the user feedback section of this blog, the lines are now open for suggestions on what her name should be...

Monday, February 4, 2008

still so so bitter

i apologize in advance to those of you how don't give a rats bottom about this post, but i MUST dedicate this entry to american football. let me go on record to say: suck it pats! i didn't get any sleep last night because i stayed up to watch the superbowl and it was worth every minute. as much as i dislike the giants and eli manning, nothing compares to the awesome feeling of watching the pats, and pretty-boy-brady lose in grand fashion. yes, i'm still bitter from several years ago, when the pats stole the trophy from my beloved st. louis rams, but i think i've been vilified. this couldn't have been a better ending, with the cocky pats on the verge of making history, thinking nothing could get in their way, esp. not the manning family. well thats pretty much it; i hope the pats go home and sulk in their loss, cry themselves to sleep, then drown in their tears, then suck for the next 96 years.

staying with the bitter theme, i watched the nigeria v. ghana match in the quaterfinals of the african cup of nations. it was disgusting. the eagles actually played pretty super for the first half and the first 10minutes of the second half. then they suddenly forgot their new found, revitalized game and reverted to the old sucky one. they lost. i was not happy. until, of course, the last minute of the superbowl...