Another one for the 'Duh!' books

From National Geographic: Bikinis make men see women as objects, scans confirm:

Sexy women in bikinis really do inspire some men to see them as objects, according to a new study of male behavior.

Brain scans revealed that when men are shown pictures of scantily clad women, the region of the brain associated with tool use lights up.

Men were also more likely to associate images of sexualized women with first-person action verbs such as "I push, I grasp, I handle," said lead researcher Susan Fiske, a psychologist at Princeton University.

And in a "shocking" finding, Fiske noted, some of the men studied showed no activity in the part of the brain that usually responds when a person ponders another's intentions.

Fiske and colleagues asked 21 heterosexual male volunteers to first take a test that scores people based on different types of sexist attitudes. The subjects were then shown pictures of both skimpily dressed and fully clothed men and women.

Most of the men best remembered headless photographs of women in bikinis, even if they'd only seen the image for two-tenths of a second, Fiske reported this weekend in Chicago during the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

And the men who scored higher as "hostile sexists"—those who view women as controlling and invaders of male space—didn't show brain activity that indicates they saw the women in bikinis as humans with thoughts and intentions.

Evolutionary psychologists have proposed that women tend to look for mates who have wealth and power, so some of Fiske's colleagues have suggested running a similar test where women are shown pictures of men next to expensive cars or other affluent symbols.

But Fiske doesn't think such an experiment would work the same way, because women usually react to men they desire by "interpreting their minds, thinking about what they're interested in, and then trying to please them," she said.

Really? You think? Gee, that's so shocking. I would never have suspected that. Okay, enough sarcasm.

I suppose it's a bit biased that the lead researcher was a woman. I, for one, would like to know if the ratio of women in the whole research team before I assess the validity of the research. And obviously the findings being published a mere 2 days after Valentine's Day begs the question, "Was Dr Fiske at home planning this research project over Valentine's weekend while throwing darts at photos of her ex-boyfriends?"

That said, I agree. Men are bastards.

Women proud, men hungry and horny

From BBC: Two sexes 'sin in different ways':

Women are prouder than men, but men are more lustful, according to a Vatican report which states that the two sexes sin differently.

A Catholic survey found that the most common sin for women was pride, while for men, the urge for food was only surpassed by the urge for sex.

The report was based on a study of confessions carried out by Fr Roberto Busa, a 95-year-old Jesuit scholar.

The Pope's personal theologian backed up the report in the Vatican newspaper.

"Men and women sin in different ways," Msgr Wojciech Giertych, theologian to the papal household, wrote in L'Osservatore Romano.

"When you look at vices from the point of view of the difficulties they create you find
that men experiment in a different way from women."

Msgr Giertych said the most difficult sin for men to face was lust, followed by gluttony, sloth, anger, pride, envy and greed.

For women, the most dangerous sins were pride, envy, anger, lust, and sloth, he added.

That's pretty interesting. I mean for men, it was a bit obvious - the urge for food only surpassed by the urge for sex. That's like, duh! But women being too proud is a new one on me. I wonder if this survey was only in Europe or global?

Just for laughs

I'm such a big fan of dry wit that it shouldn't be a surprise to you that I love British humour (spelled with a u). So, of course, it became a minor cause of celebration that I found John Cleese's blog at http://www.cleeseblog.com.

I stumbled upon the blog through another lovely British man, Neil Gaiman, whose words I equally love, but not for laughs. And his blog is exactly what you would expect from the man that I grew up laughing at and with for so many hours.

Go visit and have a laugh. You'll find that your spelling improves because of it.

Senior Outrageous

From Reuters: Elderly New Yorkers angry as crisis hits poorest:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - From housebound grandmothers who rely on charity meal deliveries, to ailing retirees who cannot pay rising costs for medications, older Americans feeling the pinch of the financial crisis are getting angry and forming groups with names like "Senior Outrage."

In New York, with city and state tax revenues tumbling, benefits and services to the elderly are being cut, and many older residents are furiously drawing comparisons to the billions of dollars spent to bail out banks -- and pay Wall Street bonuses.

I think they should call themselves 'Senior Outrageous'. Or 'The RetireMen'. Or 'Senior Street Fighters'.

The Era of the New Politician

Once upon a time, politics was a respected profession. Not too long ago, a politician in Malaysia garnered respect and awe at their position and acts on behalf of the welfare of the nation. Today, politicians are ridiculed and distrusted, and generally expected to be acting on their personal benefit rather than the benefit of the nation, buying Rolls-Royces and luxury cars, charging 'business trips' to taxpayer dollars and living in luxury while the country's poor suffer.

What happens, then, when something new happens? I smell a change in the air.

From BBC: Extreme makeunder in the Maldives:

The island used to be the exclusive preserve of President Gayoom and his guests. But the new administration wants to open everything up. There's already talk of turning Arah into a marine research facility or even a writer's retreat.

In the capital Male, the presidential palace stands empty. Mr Nasheed says it is too big - he's happier in more humble surroundings.

So there are suggestions that the palace could become a museum, or the country's first university.

But some Maldivians aren't impressed. You can't, they argue, be a political activist for ever. Once you've been elected president, you have to start acting like one.

"I think he should move here," said a man wandering down the street outside. "I want to see him waving from this gate. Like the Queen does at Buckingham Palace." But President Nasheed has other ideas.

"It's all a bit extravagant for me," he said.

He showed me the old president's office, including his gold-plated toilet.

The new man has moved in down the corridor, sharing an office with his secretary.

"When we started this administration, the presidency was costing more than $150m (£105m) a year," he said. "This is something we simply can't afford. We've brought it down to $4m."

"I don't feel the cut, and we can use the rest of the money for old age pensioners, for schools, for housing and very many things we need now."

Perhaps I looked surprised, because he was quick to add a rider.

"No one should be concerned about my niceties and my comfort," he said. "I'm fine, I'm happy."

From Houston Chronicle: Does Oval Office have dress code?:

WASHINGTON — The clucking could be heard clear across the capital when resident
Barack Obama first showed up in the Oval Office without a suit coat.

“There should be a dress code of respect,” Andy Card, a chief of staff to former President George W. Bush, declared last week. “I wish that (Obama) would wear a suit coat and tie.”

It’s a matter of propriety and the dignity of the office, Card maintained.

They had taken that dress code pretty seriously under old “43,” a longtime aide and former counselor to Bush told the New York Times.

What happens when people want to concentrate less on 'image' and more on the actual work to be done?

In today's day and age of a more socialist point of view, where the world's population is concerned with the global environment and the suffering of those in other parts of the world, maybe these are the kinds of leaders we need: ones who put the people before themselves.

Do we really need leaders who pay themselves bonuses that are more than a basic employee's annual paycheck, when more people are going hungry?

Customer Service Review: Sonic Kleen Services

Business: Cleaning services

Location: Klang Valley

Website: http://www.sonickleen.com.my

The situation:

Following is a letter that I wrote to Sonic Kleen Services. I don't think anything further needs to be said.

Dear Sir,

Re: Notice of Termination of Cleaning Services

In response to your letter dated 5 February 2009 (Your Ref: 300109/NL/AD) regarding late payments and suspension of service, I would like to refer you to previous payments made for the following:

[Table detailing my cheque payments]

Please note the following:

1. In view of the cheque date and the cheque clearing date for payment for the month of December 2008, it is obvious that the payment was not late. As such, I will not be paying the overdue payment charges for the month of December 2008.
2. In view of the cheque date and cheque clearing date for payment for the month of January 2009, it is contestable that the payment was made late. However, in the interest of terminating contact with Sonic Kleen Services as soon as possible in a co-operative manner, I will accept and pay the overdue payment charges for the month of January 2009.
3. In view of the fact that payment for services has been up to date so far, your letter (ref. 300109/NL/AD) stating suspension of service due to late payments was sent in error and your suspension of services was not warranted.
4. Payments made by myself since commencement of services with Sonic Kleen Services by mode of leaving the cheque was made based on advice of Sonic Kleen Services employee Shawn who advised that the method was sufficient and acceptable.
5. Payments made via online transfer or cash deposit is not suitable for me because based on previous experience where I did so once, the fax number provided did not work. Following a day of attempting to fax the receipt, I then tried to email to a provided email address. Sonic Kleen Services employees still were not able to verify that I had paid despite me providing them with the receipt twice. In view of this experience, I am not willing to pay as advised because it is not an efficient way, and the employees of Sonic Kleen Services clearly cannot deal with emails/faxes.

Based on the above evidence that the customer service of Sonic Kleen Services is not of sufficient standard, and also due to the fact that the Sonic Kleen Services employee En Shawn with whom I have been dealing has not seen my needs sufficient to answer my phone calls, I conclude that there is enough reason for me to terminate services with Sonic Kleen Services effective immediately.

Please find attached the relevant bank statements, photocopies from my checkbook, a copy of the invoice and letter dated 5 February 2009, and a receipt providing payment for the following:

[Table detailing my payments]

Please accept this letter as notification of immediate termination of services and the payment of all outstanding payments to Sonic Kleen Services. I will expect the return of the following within 2 weeks from the date of this letter:

1. The keys to [my apartment] that have been provided to you and your staff for the sole purpose of cleaning; and

2. The 1 month cleaning services deposit of [amount] that was paid upon commencement of services to be banked into my account [account number]. I will also accept a crossed cheque made out to “[my name]”.

Just as you have highlighted in your letter, timely payment is important. For further clarification, please feel free to contact me at [my number]. However, please note that as En Shawn has declined to speak to me over the phone, I will appreciate if any further contact with me is made by a different employee of Sonic Kleen Services.

Thank you.

I am so pissed at them it's not funny. Not only was there no actual way to contact them unless you had the guy's handphone number, he actually refused to pick up my calls and answer my SMSes. It's ridiculous. And it's such a waste, because his cleaners are really good, too.

Oh... right...

I've just found out that I weigh more than my mother, who isn't just menopausal and a grandmother, but is also the mother of not 1, not 2, but 4 kids.

And this, the week I find out that the Nero Restaurants have just opened up a restaurant (Nero Fico) literally across the street. Oh woe... what am I to do?