The United States handed over sovereignty over to Iraq two days early of the June 30th deadline. This is certainly a surprising move, but one that makes a lot of sense. It would certainly prevent insurgence activity that, most likely, would have aimed to symbolically disrupt the power transfer that would have happened otherwise on June 30th. It is certainly a win-win situation for the US and Iraq. 1. The US shows willingness to step back from power, signaling that the US does not intend to be imperalist. 2. Iraqis can hopefully see this move by the US hopefully give more backing to the efforts to restabilize Iraq.
Right now, it's all up to the Iraqi government to make things work, after the US botched so much. The best to them.
20040628
20040618
My little complaint to AAMC about the MCAT
Just to fill in some dead-time with some personal business...
btw. my MCAT score came in and it was a 34N... I could have done, much, much better... I know. Typical Asian overachievement, but the score distribution was all weird: P14;V09;B11;WN
-------
Dear MCAT Program Office:
I am writing to you to file a complaint/concern in the testing procedures and environmental conditions of the MCAT administered at Case Western Reserve University (a.k.a. Case or CWRU) on April 17, 2004. Upon reading the statement on the AAMC's MCAT website on "Test Center Regulations," "The MCAT Program Office and AAMC attempt to ensure that the testing environment is comfortable and that testing procedures provide for fair, equal, and secure testing conditions." Despite this statement, CWRU's testing environment was short of comfortable; the testing procedures, unfair.
Upon entrance into the examination building before the examination began, I noticed that the building was warmer and more humid than the pervious day, when the building was comfortably cool (around 70 degrees with low humidity). After testing check-in and moments before the examination began, the test proctors acknowledged the air conditioner system was not functioning, since the system was under maintenance. Whether the system was broken was uncertain, though unlikely. The test proctors did not make any effort in considering the relocation of everyone to a different building to administer the MCAT exam under more controlled and more comfortable environmental conditions. Instead, they brought in one stationary 26" fan to replace the role of the air conditioners that absent as an attempt to ventilate and cool down the 35ft by 35ft examination room in which I and more than twenty other people were testing.
As the examination proceeded, the small testing room steadily became warmer and more humid as the examination proceeded. By the end of the Writing Section and through the Biological Section, the room temperature was at least 90 degrees with humidity that was absolutely unbearable (I am guessing around 95% to 100%). The room was poorly ventilated; there were no open windows and no air movement whatsoever through any vents. Despite its presence, the fan did little to alleviate the miserable testing conditions. No other steps were taken by the test proctors to make testing environment conditions more comfortable.
After the examination was finished, the air conditioners were still non-functional, as the room conditions were still muggy. The building would continue to be muggy for another four to five days. (I noticed the duration of the lack of environmental control, since I work for a research group in an adjacent building that shares the same air conditioning system.)
In retrospect, I believe that the testing proctors should have had some notice from the university administration, warning that such an essential building function was not operational, and that the testing proctors should have relocated or should have at least made attempts to relocate the examination to another building on campus that had better environmental controls and that was more comfortable. Yet, the test proctors did not take such measures.
I also believe that my performance on the MCAT was adversely affected by this substandard maintenance of testing environment quality. The excessive heat and humidity was unbearable and deterred me from focusing on the exam. I had taken precautions to adjust to any reasonable variances in normal examination room conditions, given that the proper cooling, or at least ventilation, of the test room. I was not notified that the air conditioners would be shut off own for maintenance, even though my office was affected. There was no way I could have prepared for such an extreme testing environment.
Granted, everyone else taking the MCAT exam at CWRU also received equal treatment in environmental conditions. However, what had happened there was certainly not standard or equal in any way compared to every other examination site, in the United States and abroad, that had reasonable and operational environmental controls. I believe that the testing environment at CWRU and how the test administrators handled the aberrant testing conditions were completely unacceptable for me and other test takers at CWRU, which put us at a disadvantage relative to other MCAT examinees in the rest of the world.
In short, these were several deficiencies in environmental controls that resulted in stiflingly uncomfortable and substandard testing conditions that I am absolutely sure no other examinee outside of CWRU experienced during the MCAT:
-- broken building (central) air conditioner
-- high ambient (outdoor) temperature
-- poor to non-existent ventilation
-- small room
-- no attempt to relocate the testing area to a more controlled and comfortable environment
Such poor environmental controls resulted in:
-- room temperature of 80+ degrees
-- high humidity, probably 95+%
-- (what I believe to be) poorer MCAT performance compared to how I would have performed in a more controlled and comfortable environment and compared to the rest of the world
The fans that were used as an attempt to control room conditions failed to alleviate the discomfort in the testing environment.
...
Thank you for considering and addressing my concerns.
Sincerely.....
btw. my MCAT score came in and it was a 34N... I could have done, much, much better... I know. Typical Asian overachievement, but the score distribution was all weird: P14;V09;B11;WN
-------
Dear MCAT Program Office:
I am writing to you to file a complaint/concern in the testing procedures and environmental conditions of the MCAT administered at Case Western Reserve University (a.k.a. Case or CWRU) on April 17, 2004. Upon reading the statement on the AAMC's MCAT website on "Test Center Regulations," "The MCAT Program Office and AAMC attempt to ensure that the testing environment is comfortable and that testing procedures provide for fair, equal, and secure testing conditions." Despite this statement, CWRU's testing environment was short of comfortable; the testing procedures, unfair.
Upon entrance into the examination building before the examination began, I noticed that the building was warmer and more humid than the pervious day, when the building was comfortably cool (around 70 degrees with low humidity). After testing check-in and moments before the examination began, the test proctors acknowledged the air conditioner system was not functioning, since the system was under maintenance. Whether the system was broken was uncertain, though unlikely. The test proctors did not make any effort in considering the relocation of everyone to a different building to administer the MCAT exam under more controlled and more comfortable environmental conditions. Instead, they brought in one stationary 26" fan to replace the role of the air conditioners that absent as an attempt to ventilate and cool down the 35ft by 35ft examination room in which I and more than twenty other people were testing.
As the examination proceeded, the small testing room steadily became warmer and more humid as the examination proceeded. By the end of the Writing Section and through the Biological Section, the room temperature was at least 90 degrees with humidity that was absolutely unbearable (I am guessing around 95% to 100%). The room was poorly ventilated; there were no open windows and no air movement whatsoever through any vents. Despite its presence, the fan did little to alleviate the miserable testing conditions. No other steps were taken by the test proctors to make testing environment conditions more comfortable.
After the examination was finished, the air conditioners were still non-functional, as the room conditions were still muggy. The building would continue to be muggy for another four to five days. (I noticed the duration of the lack of environmental control, since I work for a research group in an adjacent building that shares the same air conditioning system.)
In retrospect, I believe that the testing proctors should have had some notice from the university administration, warning that such an essential building function was not operational, and that the testing proctors should have relocated or should have at least made attempts to relocate the examination to another building on campus that had better environmental controls and that was more comfortable. Yet, the test proctors did not take such measures.
I also believe that my performance on the MCAT was adversely affected by this substandard maintenance of testing environment quality. The excessive heat and humidity was unbearable and deterred me from focusing on the exam. I had taken precautions to adjust to any reasonable variances in normal examination room conditions, given that the proper cooling, or at least ventilation, of the test room. I was not notified that the air conditioners would be shut off own for maintenance, even though my office was affected. There was no way I could have prepared for such an extreme testing environment.
Granted, everyone else taking the MCAT exam at CWRU also received equal treatment in environmental conditions. However, what had happened there was certainly not standard or equal in any way compared to every other examination site, in the United States and abroad, that had reasonable and operational environmental controls. I believe that the testing environment at CWRU and how the test administrators handled the aberrant testing conditions were completely unacceptable for me and other test takers at CWRU, which put us at a disadvantage relative to other MCAT examinees in the rest of the world.
In short, these were several deficiencies in environmental controls that resulted in stiflingly uncomfortable and substandard testing conditions that I am absolutely sure no other examinee outside of CWRU experienced during the MCAT:
-- broken building (central) air conditioner
-- high ambient (outdoor) temperature
-- poor to non-existent ventilation
-- small room
-- no attempt to relocate the testing area to a more controlled and comfortable environment
Such poor environmental controls resulted in:
-- room temperature of 80+ degrees
-- high humidity, probably 95+%
-- (what I believe to be) poorer MCAT performance compared to how I would have performed in a more controlled and comfortable environment and compared to the rest of the world
The fans that were used as an attempt to control room conditions failed to alleviate the discomfort in the testing environment.
...
Thank you for considering and addressing my concerns.
Sincerely.....
20040603
A New Danger to Secularism?
So apparently, Bush is going to give Pope John Paul II the Presidential Medal of Freedom when he goes to Italy. Is this really a wise move on Bush's part?
Personally, I don't think so, given the timing:
1. Bush will look like he's pandering the religious vote, which has been divisive among American voters between church-goers vs non-church-goers and secularists during an election year. The prevention of Vatican criticism or an outright endorsement (at best, but not likely) from the Vatican is what the Bush campaign is aiming for to reign in votes more votes from the religous conservatives for the election campaign, something Kerry currently lacks.
1.b. He would also be seen as pushing to appease the Vatican with a medal and to also force their hand to avoid a tounge lashing on certain issues that the Vatican has been vhemently opposed to with international policy, if the tounge lashing was ever scheduled. Condemenation upon receiving the medal would be an insult to the US and would make the Vatican look bad, especially since it is related to what the medal stands for.
2. Given the events that have unfolded with current US national and international policy relating to terrorism and Iraq, and Abu Garib, the medal's significance has been tarnished due to the actions of the country bestowing the medal. It would not be an appropriate way to uphold the legacy of this medal.
3. This medal forces attention away from anti-war protesters in Italy and makes Bush turn a blind eye to popular sentiment of the anti-war movement. Like his visit to England last year, it makes Bush's policies and foresight very narrow and has dangerous consequences if he does not at least consider what is really going around him aside from the war on 'terror'.
Personally, I don't think so, given the timing:
1. Bush will look like he's pandering the religious vote, which has been divisive among American voters between church-goers vs non-church-goers and secularists during an election year. The prevention of Vatican criticism or an outright endorsement (at best, but not likely) from the Vatican is what the Bush campaign is aiming for to reign in votes more votes from the religous conservatives for the election campaign, something Kerry currently lacks.
1.b. He would also be seen as pushing to appease the Vatican with a medal and to also force their hand to avoid a tounge lashing on certain issues that the Vatican has been vhemently opposed to with international policy, if the tounge lashing was ever scheduled. Condemenation upon receiving the medal would be an insult to the US and would make the Vatican look bad, especially since it is related to what the medal stands for.
2. Given the events that have unfolded with current US national and international policy relating to terrorism and Iraq, and Abu Garib, the medal's significance has been tarnished due to the actions of the country bestowing the medal. It would not be an appropriate way to uphold the legacy of this medal.
3. This medal forces attention away from anti-war protesters in Italy and makes Bush turn a blind eye to popular sentiment of the anti-war movement. Like his visit to England last year, it makes Bush's policies and foresight very narrow and has dangerous consequences if he does not at least consider what is really going around him aside from the war on 'terror'.
Shrek 2
I went out on Sunday (yes, four days ago) with my sister and mother to see Shrek 2. Here are my thoughts about the latest release from Dreamworks:
With the whiz-bang, in-your-face performance of Shrek of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and the (almost too obnoxiously loud) Eddie Murphy and the Dreamworks CG team, it was tough to not expect a Shrek 2 performance that is better than the original animation. It met some expectations, while exceeding others.
The storyline picks up where Shrek ended: the honeymoon for the newly weds that passes quickly, and Shrek and Fiona returns to the swamp. A message comes to Fiona by a small sortie of messengers: her parents requests that she and her and her new husband go home to visit so that the newlyweds may receive a blessing from the king and queen. From there, the story takes off in same twisted path that Shrek took.
Like its predecessor, Shrek 2 is a clever piece of work with a lot of thought put into it. There are more verbal and visual gags, but less action. And it's noticably darker, an area animation doesn't even dare to venture these days. Many homages and spoofs on many recent blockbuster movies saturate the movie, as well as many spoofs and abuses on well-known fairy tales and other animation productions (mostly geared towards the Disney productions). Generally, there is a lot more gagging and poking at previous works, making this movie a riot. It also has a little bit of something for everyone, for children, teens, and adults, unlike a certain animation group (ahem.. *Disney*). But it does come close in several areas to reek of Disney when characters start to break out in song and dance. Don't worry. In no way are characters and songs stereotyped. In fact, the lyrics are gems within themselves.
A nod especially goes to Antonio Banderas whose Puss-in-Boots spoof of Zorro is over the top. It, by itself, was worth the ticket price (matinee showing, of course).
As for me, after sitting through the 100 minutes, I (overall, at least for my age bracket) was pretty ambivalent to the movie. The premise of Shrek has become slightly more like an old couple that has gotten used to the spouse's existence with their lover's quarrels and all. It doesn't mean that the movie was bad; the movie just doesn't seem to be suitable for a guy my age other than the eyecandy. That, I've expected too much from watching too much anime. I can commend that the CG was absolutely stunning in execution and planning that is (of course) better than the predecessor, and that several characters have been improved in their roles in the movie. Unfortunately, American animation has hit a brick wall with the many stale templates that have been repeated ad nauseum. Shrek 2 put up against that same template, there are similarities, but at least it shines brightly. Expect Shrek 3 to be released in two years.
The Shrek franchise is moving in the right direction towards expanding the animation medium to encompass all possible age groups. I hope Dreamworks will keep the effort going to expand the real potential of animation that anime (from Japan) has already done for the last twenty-plus years
With the whiz-bang, in-your-face performance of Shrek of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and the (almost too obnoxiously loud) Eddie Murphy and the Dreamworks CG team, it was tough to not expect a Shrek 2 performance that is better than the original animation. It met some expectations, while exceeding others.
The storyline picks up where Shrek ended: the honeymoon for the newly weds that passes quickly, and Shrek and Fiona returns to the swamp. A message comes to Fiona by a small sortie of messengers: her parents requests that she and her and her new husband go home to visit so that the newlyweds may receive a blessing from the king and queen. From there, the story takes off in same twisted path that Shrek took.
Like its predecessor, Shrek 2 is a clever piece of work with a lot of thought put into it. There are more verbal and visual gags, but less action. And it's noticably darker, an area animation doesn't even dare to venture these days. Many homages and spoofs on many recent blockbuster movies saturate the movie, as well as many spoofs and abuses on well-known fairy tales and other animation productions (mostly geared towards the Disney productions). Generally, there is a lot more gagging and poking at previous works, making this movie a riot. It also has a little bit of something for everyone, for children, teens, and adults, unlike a certain animation group (ahem.. *Disney*). But it does come close in several areas to reek of Disney when characters start to break out in song and dance. Don't worry. In no way are characters and songs stereotyped. In fact, the lyrics are gems within themselves.
A nod especially goes to Antonio Banderas whose Puss-in-Boots spoof of Zorro is over the top. It, by itself, was worth the ticket price (matinee showing, of course).
As for me, after sitting through the 100 minutes, I (overall, at least for my age bracket) was pretty ambivalent to the movie. The premise of Shrek has become slightly more like an old couple that has gotten used to the spouse's existence with their lover's quarrels and all. It doesn't mean that the movie was bad; the movie just doesn't seem to be suitable for a guy my age other than the eyecandy. That, I've expected too much from watching too much anime. I can commend that the CG was absolutely stunning in execution and planning that is (of course) better than the predecessor, and that several characters have been improved in their roles in the movie. Unfortunately, American animation has hit a brick wall with the many stale templates that have been repeated ad nauseum. Shrek 2 put up against that same template, there are similarities, but at least it shines brightly. Expect Shrek 3 to be released in two years.
The Shrek franchise is moving in the right direction towards expanding the animation medium to encompass all possible age groups. I hope Dreamworks will keep the effort going to expand the real potential of animation that anime (from Japan) has already done for the last twenty-plus years
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