We are at a crossroads where our choices will determine how the U.S. can get out the mess that is Iraq and recession. We have Democrats and Republicans who are fighting for the prized presidency of one of the most significant countries in today’s world. Let me tell you right from the start that I believe the most qualified people on both sides are not in the mix that we have today. You have to be really good at backstabbing, manipulation, and probably self-selling to run successfully for the president of the United States. But I tend to agree with most candidates that what America doesn’t need right now is someone who lies to your face to get your vote. So who’s the biggest evil here? Mrs. Clinton. I am not suggesting that she has lied the most on the campaign trail, but I do not see any reason why she is more qualified to be the president of the U.S. than let’s say Oprah or Senator Craig’s wife. She claims to be ready to start working from the first day, but I doubt being Bill Clinton’s wife makes you a more qualified candidate.  Here are my top 5 reason why America does not need Clinton(s) (nothing personal against her of course!):

1. Ruthlessness: I have seen many ruthless men and women who logically have to act that way to win the top office or other top positions. But the way Clinton has gone after her rival, Barak, by spreading rumors that he is Muslim or was a drug dealer is shameful. Sure, she never said it herself, but it’s coming from her campaign, so you can’t blame people for putting that on her tab. Of course, she claimed that she was unaware of all this, but we all know politicians are good liars, aren’t day? I admire people who try to prove to people that they value their votes and really like to have the job, but she has disgusted me by her drive to get the job by any means possible! If Mrs. Clinton’s plan is to get the job even if it means dividing America further, then why put her in the office?!
2. Inexperience: Hilary has talked about how experienced she is when it comes to foreign policy and other matters. I don’t know where she is getting that from, but the last time I checked when you go to a job interview (and make no mistake, this is a big interview for the most significant CEO position in the nation) and claim to have some experience, you are usually asked for some sort of proof. I have not seen that from Mrs. Clinton, and I doubt we will get to see it as it’s not there. Having a relationship with Bill doesn’t count here! I’d like to be proven wrong, but to tell you the truth, everyday that passes us by convinces me even more that she is not nearly as experienced as she claims to be (she know Boto, so what?).
3. Dishonesty: What is worse than being stupid? Being Dishonest! George Bush has made some dumb mistakes, but I wouldn’t blame only his stupidity for those. George is a terrible president because he has made the wrong decisions and has been dishonest about them from the start. That’s what I see with Clinton. She may not be as dumb as George Bush (it’s hard believe me!), but she is as dishonest it seems. She claims that she has had a say in almost everything that Bill Clinton did during his tenure. Wait a second… I thought the president of the U.S. was supposed to be making the decisions by himself/herself, so technically Hilary is claiming that she was the REAL president of the U.S. in that period as she was making the real decisions.  That would also mean that what people got from Clintons the last time was a complete fluke as Mr. President was allowing his wife to make the more important decisions. Dishonest… Dishonest… Dishonest…
4. Weakness: Hilary may be a strong individual but she has shown incredible weakness in allowing her husband to come to her defense times and times again. Instead of acting like a strong woman that she is, she has acted like a victim, a little girl that is ganged up on by bully boys! Is that what we need for America in these challenging times? Are we really voting for Mrs. Clinton or is it really Bill who is anxious to have another run as the real top dog in the U.S.? I will get to the issue of “girl against men” later, but Hilary’s got to stop playing that card. While some voters may sympathize with Clinton, all this portrays her as a weak individual.
5. Sexism: Many of you may disagree with me but as much as Clinton has played the gender card, she is the one that is sounding like a sexist. I have not seen the so-called “boys” claiming that they should get the votes because they are boys or they are superior to women. However, Clinton is using her gender to beg for votes. In essence, she is using gender as a strategic means as others can’t call her on that or they will be considered sexist. Using the gender card is as low as one can get in an election and that’s what scares me. We need someone who is strong, honest, and the right person for the job. Mrs. “I am your girl” Clinton certainly isn’t that person.

I am certainly not suggesting that I think any of these guys are actually going to do America some good, but there are better choices than Mrs. Clinton. Why is it that someone like Ron Paul or Dennis Kucinich is looked at like clowns even though they have some good ideas? I have not heard one original good idea from Mrs. Clinton, and yet she is the front-runner? She never answers a question and always comes up with some generic half-hearted answer that really shows how much she cares about America. Mrs. Clinton may sound like a nice individual and she has certainly connected with a significant number of women in the U.S., but her being a woman or former first lady does not qualify her for the top job. 2008 is too important for the Americans to put someone in the office because of name, fame, gender, or race. I don’t give a nickel if we get the first African American or female or gay president as long as he/she is the right person for America.

Well, all the talk in American sports world seems to be the possibility of the New England Patriots going undefeated. Will they? There is a good chance that they will, but why is it that important? I tend to agree with Miami Dolphins’ old guys that only the first is important. Think about it. You can’t beat an undefeated season, and the Patriots still have to go through the Jaguars and the Colts just to get to the Superbowl. Now that doesn’t mean that these guys won’t get there. On the contrary, I believe the Patriots have as good a chance as anyone to finish the season and post-season undefeated. But imagine, just imagine, what happens if they lose in the AFC championship or the Superbowl. Can this team bounce back from that?

We all do dumb things especially come holiday times. But is it dumb or what to put I am legend (full movie) on YouTube? Well, it seems someone did that last night, and some people actually got to see it. The guy is still putting some other movies on YouTube (e.g. Rush Hour 3). But in an era where MPAA will sue everyone and anyone who infringes on their copyright claims, you should be really dumb to attempt such stunt. Sure, a lot of people who probably didn’t want to pay $10 to see the movies got to see it as an early Christmas present, but you are technically putting the whole community in danger by putting these full movies online. YouTube could potentially get sued heavily for this, and I am sure even Google has a threshold on how many lawsuits they can handle. People who have used eMule, and Kazaa know how community brings down community, and that could certainly apply to YouTube. Do I wish I had seen the movie while it was online? Absolutely! Am I jealous of people who got to see it? Darn sure I am! But I feel bad for the movie industry. They are so hopeless in figuring out how to better the experience of movie-goers that they are losing some to YouTube (with its low-quality, cam version movies). I wonder how many people who saw the movie last night will buy the DVD as well –I doubt that many!

I was ready to have a great night last night until I found out that my baby, Toyota Prius, had its mirror smashed by some jerk. I guess it was too optimistic of me to expect the guy/gal to left his/her insurance information. The funny thing was that I was told at AutoZone this morning that 24 other people had their mirror smashed last night! So why people smash mirrors close to Christmas? Is that part of the tradition… Santa comes down and drops a $350 bombshell on you? Well, I decided not to use my insurance to cover the cost, but it was certainly painful to find out so many cars get their mirrors broken close to Christmas time.

The associated press player of 2007 is not Tiger Woods, is not Federer, but a Tom Brady who’s been lucky to have some of the best players in the NFL around him to bail him out when he is off! So why Federer gets no respect in the U.S? I would blame patriotism for it. Federer is no American, and as such we should not care about him nor consider him worthy of a worthless award such as AP Player of the year or SI’s athlete of the year. Farve or Brady, none of those guys really deserved all these awards unless we are giving awards to second or third best athletes now!

Times has been really having a bad time choosing the person of the year for the past few years. First they decide to give it to us, users who generate content around the web, and then they give it to Mr. Putin, a dictator who is trying to work out a way to stay in power forever. I guess the more important question right now is who the heck cares about Times anyway!

Gata Kamsky finally ended Alex Shirov’s challenge and won the chess world cup to set himself up for a match against the fallen champion Topalov for the right to face the winner of Anand - Kramnik. Kamsky has had an amazing comeback year and though he will be an underdog against the mighty Topalov, he will be in it with a chance. Can we have the second U.S. world champion after Bobby Fischer in Gata Kamsky? Time will tell.

A few months ago one of the largest pure VOIP service providers in the nation decided to take people’s money and disappear into the night. SunRocket promised cheap monthly charges and a bunch of exciting features that made their offer irresistible to some, especially small businesses. So for us who lost their SunRocket connections, there is ooma. Ooma is a new service that allows you to make unlimited calls within the U.S. without signing up for a contract. Of course, you pay an upfront fee but that is it. You won’t pay a penny or that is what is advertised. So I decided to investigate how true this P2P VoIP offer from ooma is

» Continue reading “VoIP Innovation: Should You Go ooma?”

New England Patriots are destined to be undefeated this season, but they have had some close calls. For one they should’ve lost the match of century to the Colts. Then a close call against Baltimore and a gift against Eagles allowed to stay undefeated. But I would be surprised if they manage to win the whole thing. Not because they are not the best team, but due to the team’s arrogance. Their head coach is simply one of the biggest jerks around, and the Patriots team has developed this sense of superiority that makes the players feel as though it is their right to win matches against everyone. I think these guys look awfully similar to San Diego Chargers of 2006. Though Patriots will be more difficult to overcome, another close game against the Colts and this time they may actually lose. I guess the bigger questions is why do the Patriots like to be the villain of the story?

For all the talk that was in the media that Hatton was going to beat Floyd Mayweather, the fight ended in an anticlimactic fashion. Mayweather dominated Hatton in almost every round and then knocked him out to easily win the title. Boy these guys are  pros in making giants out of  ordinary fighters. The only legend that I saw in the ring was Floyd even though deep down I wanted Hatton to knock that arrogant boy down. But Hatton was outclassed, outhit, and outboxed. Too bad. Hatton could retire now knowing that he wasn’t good enough and in fact was protected by the fights the picked in the past. Oscar gave Floyd a much tougher fight!