I had a chance to visit Anfield 4 years ago. During the visit, I made my way to the Hillsborough Memorial at the Shankly Gates to pay my tribute and respect.

Hillsborough Memorial

You can see the video rendition of how the tragedy unfolded on the BBC website.

What happened to the family of those who died at Hillsborough in the aftermath is nothing short of injustice. First they have to endure the pain of  the accusation by the S*n tabloid who accused Liverpool fans of pickpocketing and urinating on the victims.  The editor of the tabloid became public enemy #1 in Liverpool. The tabloid circulation dropped from 200,000 to 12,000 a day; which in my opinion is 12,000 too many.

And second, no one was ever held accountable for the disaster.  Families of those who died with the help of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign is still searching for justice. We will not stop until we find the truth on what happened on that day on April 15, 1989 3.06 pm.

On the 20th anniversary today, I want to pay my respect to my brothers and sisters who died that day. You will never be forgotten and we will keep pursuing the justice in search of the truth.

Justice for the ’96.

You’ll Never Walk Alone.

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At cousin Asin’s wedding, everyone was heartbroken when cousin Atu sat next to aunt Jenny at the tea-serving ceremony.  It should have been you.  No one in the room didn’t think of you at that moment.  It was hard.  My mum was the first to cry.  I asked her why and she said you were at the tea-serving ceremony with her when Siao Mei got married a year earlier and only two of you made it to Jakarta for her wedding.

I came by to see you at the temple a couple of months ago on my way to my hometown.  You looked peaceful.  I miss you Uncle Welly.  I hope you are doing well up there.  I love you.

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You can catch some of the flickr pictures of the sign change.

Bush St. was changed to Obama St. in San Francisco

Obama Street Sign

Obama Street Sign on the entrance to Chinatown

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I haven’t seen the country this excited in the 14 years I’ve lived here.  I hope this is a sign of better things to come.  The country is longing for a leader and a visionary.  And I hope we’ll find that in Barack Obama.  And I also hope the country can move beyond the prejudice, the hate, the bigotry, the discrimination, and the racism.  We are one and Yes We Did.

To commemorate this historic event, I am dedicating my site today to Barack Obama.  It is the Barack Obama Day on Joefiro Dot Com on January 20, 2009.

Barack Obama Day on Joefiro Dot Com January 20, 2009

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The world has gone crazy, the stock market has gone haywire, I have new websites, I took another trip to Jakarta, cousin is married, roommate is too, I went water-skiing and quad-ing (ATV) for the first time in my life, I made new friends and some enemies along the way, visited Children Hospital in my hometown in February and again a week ago, and I have a girlfriend.

But since it’s thanksgiving today, I want to take this opportunity to write down things I am thankful for. First and foremost I am very thankful to be blessed with good life and good health that allows me to wake up each and every morning (some people call it afternoon :-p) to live another wonderful day.

I am very thankful of my family and my friends, some of whom I consider as my own family (you know who you are). You guys are the greatest. The last two years have been up and down and I couldn’t have done it without all of you who have been a steady presence in my life.

And finally, I am extremely thankful to have met my girlfriend and won her heart. She is one of the most down-to-earth, caring, loving, and beautiful person I have ever met. I can honestly say when people talk about a person being beautiful inside and out, I know just the kind of person they are talking about. Although we live so far away from each other, right at this moment, I am looking right at her … sitting in front of me. I feel blessed.

Oh, I almost forget … I am also very thankful and excited Barack Obama won the election.

Happy Thanksgiving …

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This was overheard at a recent Vice Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin.

Moderator:

Governor Palin, what’s your take on the Russia – Georgia crisis? Should US send any troops if a conflict breaks out between the two nations? If we are to get involved, should we institute a draft considering we are short on troops due to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Governor Palin:

The Russians are bullies and as an American, I will not let Russia attack Georgia. My friend Governor Bobby Jindal in Louisiana and Governor Charlie Crist in Florida will help whatever Georgia needs. They are very close to Georgia so they can send immediate help if Russia attacks Georgia.

Moderator:

But Georgia is in Europe …

Governor Palin:

That’s what the Liberal wants you to be believe. Like my friend Senator John McCain said a few weeks ago, we are all Georgians. So if Russia attacks Georgia, it’s an attack on America. And I will not let that happen without any response.

Moderator:

Does that mean we will attack back? You still haven’t answered how we are going to fight back considering we are short on troops.

Governor Palin:

Well, if you let me explain my strategy; you will see how brilliant this works. First and foremost, I will NOT institute a draft. The American people will not agree to a draft. I am a lifetime member of the NRA, and we have about 4.3 million members. That’s more than enough people to fight the Russians.

Moderator:

But they are not militarily-trained. How can they fight for America in a war against the Russians?

Governor Palin:

You don’t think the NRA members know how to use weapons? Of course they can fight for America. Even Senator Obama said it in his speech. We don’t fight for the Blue America, we don’t fight for the Red America. We fight for the United States of America. All the NRA members are ready to fight at a moment notice. You just tell us when and where, and we will be there.

See, what you don’t know is Alaska is located in the north, and we are actually closer to Russia than the lower 48 states. We will attack the Russians from the North, and Bobby, Charlie, and state of Georgia will attack from the South. Victory will not he that difficult because the Russians will not expect attacks from two fronts. We can achieve victory. The surge has worked. Senator Obama will not admit his mistake the surge has worked.

Moderator:

But this is just a hypothetical scenario.

Governor Palin:

Exactly. Senator Obama won’t even admit his mistake in a hypothetical situation. That is not “change”. That is more of the same.

Moderator:

More of the same of what?

Governor Palin:

Of failed policies that do not put Americans first. In a moment of seriousness, Senator McCain was a POW for 5 1/2 years. He is a true patriot for this country. He is a true Maverick. He will fight for this country. He will protect Georgia. Remind me of Ray Charles Song “Georgia on my Mind.” Anyway ….

Moderator:

? ? ? ? ? ?

Moderator:

Senator Biden … same question.

Senator Biden:

ROFLMFAO

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Walk Score ranks city across the nation to find which city is the most “walkable”. And as a San Franciscan, I am proud that my city is ranked number 1; followed by New York, Boston, and Chicago. Walk Score ranked almost 2,508 neighborhoods and it gives a score of 0 – 100 depending on its “Walkability” index. It takes into account shopping district (known as center), the density, housing demographic, parks and public space, pedestrian-centric design, school system, and the streets.

San Francisco’s Walk Score is 86. I am curious what my neighborhood Walk Score is. I entered my address and it is 100 out of 100 aka Walker’s Paradise. That’s a 14 points differential. In a political race, that would have been considered a land-slide victory.

Just look at the map below. Presidio is a few blocks north and Golden Gate Park is a few blocks south. And within half a mile radius, you will find endless number of restaurants, cafes, bars, groceries stores, shops, parks, movie theaters, yoga centers, libraries, book stores, schools, etc.

The Song Almost Paradise is ringing in my head.

Almost Paradise, we’re knocking on heaven’s door. Almost Paradise, how could we ask for more?

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Well, this is what happened when a corporation did not respect your privacy.  As part of the class-action lawsuit settlement for selling customer information to other businesses, TransUnion will provide a free 24-hour credit monitoring service for up to one year and a free credit score (not FICO score) to anyone who has an open credit line between January 1, 1987 and May 28, 2008.

If you are eligible, you may choose one of the two following benefit options:

1. Sign up for six months of credit monitoring services. If you select this option, you can also register to possibly receive cash benefits in the event of a cash distribution or file an individual lawsuit against the Defendants.  Valued at $59.75.
2. Sign up for nine months of enhanced credit monitoring services. If you select this option, you will not receive any further benefits, including a cash payment, and you will not be able to file an individual lawsuit against the Defendants.  Valued at $115.50.
3. Register to possibly receive a cash payment. If you select this option, you can also sign up for six months of credit monitoring; however if you receive a cash payment, you cannot file an individual lawsuit against the Defendants.  Payments won’t be made for two years and will only be paid if there’s money left from the $75 millions settlement.

You can register your option by going to the Class Action Lawsuit website.  You have to register by September 24, 2008 to receive the benefit.

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There are plenty of reasons to be negative about but I tried to find the positive of the situation. Some of the benefits I can think of are as follows:

1. Health

If you’ve been to restaurant or grocery store lately, you will find the cost of food has risen significantly. Some restaurants either raise the food price or serve less food for the same price. Some people would just pay the extra cost and eat the same amount, but I am sure some would eat a little less. US is arguably the fattest country in the world with rampant obesity nationwide so eating a bit less might not be such a bad idea.

At $4.00 a gallon, people are becoming more pro-active in finding alternative to combat the rising cost of gasoline. More people are taking public transportation to work. People are walking more. People are riding their bike to work. Even taking transportation require some exercise. Walking to a bus stop, walking to a train station, or even just standing in a bus require some kind of physical activities. It’s much better than getting in your car and sit your ass down for the next half hour driving in traffic.

2. Environment

With the high energy cost, the time has finally arrived to find a solution. One of the solution is renewable energy. Renewable energy uses natural resources such as sunlight, wind power, rain, etc. to create energy. Not only it emit little to no emission, it has potential to be cheaper than traditional source of energy. With less emission, it also helps combat the global warming crisis.

As I pointed out in point #1 above, with less people driving, the carbon emission from the car is also reduced.

3. Health Care

This ties to the #1 above. People who took the step to find an alternative way to get to work will benefit directly as a result. With increased physical activity, so does the health of the person. With people getting healthier, it reduces the number people who come through the health care system looking for treatment and cure.

I might be a bit naive to suggest with a healthier population and therefore less people to care for, it might reduce the health-care cost; knowing how HMO (health-care provider) would milk each and every single citizen for all its worth. For the very least, it could at least provide a better health-care service (again I might be a bit naive here) with less people to serve.

4. Transportation

With increased ridership in the public transportation, it will help offset some of the deficit facing local municipals who is struggling in the current economy. Not too long ago, the city of Vallejo declared bankruptcy with its inability to come up with money to pay for its debt. I am not saying the rise in transportation revenue is going to fix the problem. What I am saying is the extra revenue can
only help municipals who are facing difficulties in current economy.

This might also provide the boost for certain municipals to build a better public transportation infrastructure.

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I had a talk with a friend of mine yesterday about this year presidential election. I found out from another friend of mine that her husband is going to vote for John McCain in November although the reason was never disclosed. She was impartial as to who to vote for but during one of the discussion, the talk of higher tax under Barack Obama surfaced and might have played a part in her husband decision to vote for McCain in November.

There is no denying the fact that John McCain wants to extend the tax-cut under Bush Administration for the wealthy rich, and Barack Obama wants to let the Bush tax cut expires (affects mostly people with more than $250,000.) John McCain wants to keep the tax-cut and prolonged the Iraq war. Barack Obama on the other hand, wants to stop the war and repel the tax-cut for the wealthy rich.

People have the right to vote for whichever candidate they so wish; including the candidate who would keep more money in the taxpayer pocket.

Here is the fact figure, according to the IRS the top 10% of individual taxpayers break at Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $103,912 (for 2005, the latest stats available). The top 1% had an AGI above $364,657. A single taxpayer with $100k in AGI will pay $4,328 more in tax. A single taxpayer in the top 1% (AGI of $364,657) will pay $13,806 more in tax. For a $100k earner, it’s a saving of $11.85 a day. For the top 1%, that means a saving of $37.82 a day.

If you are making $250,000 a year, $30 a day (estimate based on the 2 figures above) should hardly be a problem. In fact, if you are making $250,00 a year and $30 a day is a stretch for your budget, I think you have a bigger problem than just money.

Before you go to the voting booth, please consider this fact …

It’s been 1,904 days (03/20/2003) since the start of the war. And US military casualties since the war began is a staggering 4,090 people. That means more than 2 soldiers died a day as a DIRECT result of the war.

John McCain will let you (the WEALTHY rich) keep $30 a day in your pocket but will also deliver 2 dead bodies daily along with it. Barack Obama will make you pay $30 a day more, but he will bring the troops home from the harm way.

Ask yourself this question, if you can pay $30 a day to save the lives of 2 men and women in uniform, would you do it?  Vote your conscience and your priority … whatever it is.

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