Michel Fournier, a 64 year old French ex-army officer, will tomorrow attempt he what calls, The Great Leap, a jump to be taken literally in the upper stratosphere (approximately 130,000 ft. or 25 miles up), where one can see the separation between the blue sky, and the darkness of space.  He will take a two hour trip to this altitude on a helium balloon, for a 15-minute fall back down.  In doing so he aims to set 4 world records, and break the sound barrier.

This is no mere parachute leap (which are usually done between 10,000 and 20,000 feet high), as the stunt is fraught with multiple perils.  This outline from the New York Times illustrates the magnitude of what Fournier will try to do.

This horror story written by Susan Antepuesto regarding her dispute with Bank of Commerce (whose slogan is "Looking After You"), if true, shows that we really are the mercy of banks when it comes to real estate investment.  Be warned.

A lot of us are aware of the dangers of exposing our personal lives over the web.  But there are many users who feel the instinctive, almost redemptive need to share this very information.  Some do it for selfish reasons, others do it as a form of therapy. 

It's true that many blogs are of little value to the average internet user, but nowadays, I'm disinclined to judge the motives or desires of bloggers because I myself have been tempted many many times to reveal personal details.  Knowing that your digitized thoughts are of interest to even just a few people is a very seductive and empowering feeling (many columnists won't tell you this, but this is what drives them).  But for me, anonymity is a warm blanket.  It's cowardly to keep complete anonymity, but foolhardy to expose yourself completely.

Emily Gould, who used to be co-editor at Gawker.com, has just written an account of her personal crises in having her life shared so publicly over several blogs and websites, both openly and anonymously.  It's not the usual stories one hears about, like being taken advantage of by scammers, or petty images being photoshopped.  Emily is an experienced blogger who was well aware of such amateurish escapades.  What she does detail is the psychological toll it takes on people who thrive on or need such attention.

A lot of the commentary that has been directed at her piece has been negative, but whether her reasons are trivial or not, she has painted a rich picture of what many bloggers secretly or openly crave for.  And the very commentary that she has elicited indicates that even those who don't like her writing or her actions, seek to satisfy their own desires to be heard.  In the end we're all a little like Emily Gould.  This is a long, but worthwhile piece.

"This too shall pass." - Hebrew Proverb

Wise words indeed when dealing with government bureaucracy.  With patience and persistence we finally made it.  Today, our maid's visa was approved, and will last one year to this day.  It wasn't so straightforward in receiving it though.

From the article:

"The burger, created by chef and co-owner Kevin O'Connell, seeks to justify its price with a Kobe beef patty, lots of black truffles, seared foie gras, aged Gruyere cheese, wild mushrooms and flecks of gold leaf on a brioche bun."

Of course!  I've always been looking for good ol' gold in my burger!

One would normally associate this type of story with third-world nationals trying to find work illegally in the U.S.  But an Italian law graduate with American ties, being detained for 10 days, refused entry AND prevented from returning to Rome? 

Italy is one of 27 "visa waiver" countries, whose citizens are permitted to enter the U.S. for 90 days without a visa.  Their admission is subject to Customs and Border Protection personnel.  According to the article such detentions are rare (less than 0.05% if you do the math), but the point is is that it can happen to anybody.

The nightmare isn't over.  Though we were told last week by Malaysian Immigration that we needed POEA clearance for them to give our maid a significant extension, my wife and I decided to take our chances and proceed to the Philippine embassy to appeal (beg) for consideration.  The fates smiled as the labor attache agreed to give us clearance.

The End.  I wish.

I wanna give this guy a hug.  God bless him.

Probably not the best phrase to use.  Just reading the report is more wincing than seeing James Bond's torture scene in Casino Royale.

All the more reason why I should thank mom for putting up with me.  Happy Mother's Day ma (and no this is not the only gift I sent you)!

It was a surreal moment for me and my wife today at the Malaysian Immigration office.  Our maid came into the country a few weeks ago to help take care of our baby as both of us are working.  Rather than have her exit the country and come back in again through Singapore, a practice which I find rather abusive and shameful, we tried to have her applied under a special visa for maids under expatriates.

The Malaysian government has recently introduced guidelines allowing Visa on Arrival facilities to dependents of expatriates, which according to their website, can include immediately family members and maids.  When we found out about this measure, we were ecstatic, as the red tape in the Philippines regarding the processing of househelp can be downright silly.

Stanley Fish, a prominent literary theorist who occasionally writes for the New York Times, recently blogged about a trio of Avis Car commercials all about "the other car".  Each ad shows a car voicing it's (male) thoughts, voicing its feelings of betrayal and depression over its owner's alleged preference for another.  It's funnier than it sounds.  Check them out: