What Happens To Spammers

ONE of Russia's most infamous spammers has been found beaten to death in his apartment, prompting thinly veiled jubilation among many of the country’s estimated 14 million internet users.

Vardan Kushnir, 35, had bombarded almost every e-mail user in the country for years with unsolicited adverts for the American Language Centre that he ran. Police, who found his body on Monday, said that he had been hit several times on the head with a heavy object and his apartment in central Moscow had been ransacked. They declined to comment on a motive for the murder.

"This was not a contract killing or revenge for spam," a detective said.

But Russian media could not resist speculating that Mr Kushnir had been killed by an irate recipient of his e-mail advertisements. "An Ultimate Solution to the Spam Problem," one headline read. "The Spammer Had it Coming," read another. "Ignoble Death Becomes Russia's Top Spammer," read a third.

[ TIMES Online, Jul 27 2005 ]

If Rats Could Talk....

The ISLAND tackles the concept of discrimination and prejudice using a different angle. Set sometime in the mid-21st century, you will be taken to a period when the rich-and-famous can afford to live longer by creating clones of themselves in the hope of getting an endless supply of body organs and tissues to be used for replacement for worn-out body parts ravaged either by disease or accidents. Each clone costs around US$5 million.

In the film, two clones --- Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan McGregor) and Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson) discover the truth painfully when they uncovered the truth behind the lie of a false lottery reward termed "the island." Along with the other clones, both Lincoln and Jordan inhabit a huge utopian center where they live a systematic and uniform life, which can also be described as boring. The only happiness of resident clones is the promise of winning the lottery which promises to send the winner to "the island" for a vacation.

In reality, "the island" is nothing but a poor excuse to harvest the needed body organs from the clones. So, while winners exhibit undescribable happiness winning the lottery, they really don't know the horrible nightmare that awaits them.

Lincoln is an aberration to the harmony imposed in the utopian facility. He has recurrent dreams of being in a boat and escaping the facility. He also questions why they are there, why they are doing their repetitive tasks in the facility, and what awaits all residents. Dr. Merrick (Sean Bean), the facility's founder and doctor, is also puzzled with Lincoln's erratic behavior. When Lincoln and Jordan escaped, Merrick hired Albert Laurent (Djimou Hounsou) to initially capture the escaped clones, but as the days passed, finally decided to have them killed.

Checking its performance and critics' reviews, I felt disappointed that it is not number 1 in the US box office and the amazing thumbs-down given by most movie critics. Most were probably disappointed with Michael Bay's fast paced setting and explosions. With me, it was perfectly fine, relevant, and typical of a Mike Bay film like his Pearl Harbor and Armageddon.

I also think that the movie whose screenplay was done by Caspian Tredwell-Owen (he also wrote the screenplay for Beyond Borders) is very relevant as it tries to address a potential future scientific and ethical problem in the future. Can we really clone humans in the hope of prolonging life? If so, how do we treat and interact with clones? Will we consider them human or plain commodities which can be disposed of when we get their organs and tissues? Perhaps, a more relevant question is: Does a clone possess a soul? If lab rats and other animal specimens could talk, will we give them the time of day to speak their mind on how they are treated?

BOTTOMLINE: Brilliant movie. Watch it with an open mind. Fast-paced as expected. Johannson is lovely and poignant at the same time.

Neil Gaiman for President

Neil Gaiman of the Sandman fame is was in Manila. He was here from July 9 to 11, and he had some amusing comments on his stay here:

"In the Philippines, the people are enthusiastic on a level that makes the Brazilians look reserved and polite. They shout very loudly when they're happy, too. There's a noise that a few thousand of the locals make when they all shout at once to let you know they're happy to see you that made me finally understand the idea of a wall of sound..." - July 9 quote

"I don't think I've ever been more exhausted at any point in a signing tour than I am right now. (Having said that, I don't remember ever having felt so loved by so many people.) But I get to sleep until I wake up and that's so good..."

"PS. I think I'm now addicted to calamansi juice." --- July 11 quote

[Neil Gaiman's Journal]

During his last two days, I have estimated that he averages about 550 book-signings per day. He is very popular with local geeks like me. So, with that in mind, I thought of a strategy of going on a Monday (I took a half-day off) with a working assumption the his batting average might be reduced somewhat because people will either be at work or in school. Was I wrong! There were still more than 500 people who had their stuff signed yesterday.

Here's my adventure with Neil Gaiman in pictures and why I think he should be President.

1. First stop was the Greenhills press conference and writer's forum which was by invitation only. I got to join this event through the help of my soulmate.




2. The Greenhills forum was held at the Music Museum. The place was jampacked.


3. Neil answered questions diligently. This is where I learned that he liked Daniel Pinkwater. That when he writes, he prefers solitude and silence. He says by being silent for a long time, one becomes bored, and when bored, the mind operates creatively. He got the inspiration of writing American Gods while lying still on his bed for a long time. He said that he began writing Anansi Boys (to be released September 2005) while drinking the worst tea at a bar somewhere in Iceland. I also learned that he loves writing using colored fountainpens instead of word processors.


4. We left for Fullybooked Bookstore in Gateway Mall in Cubao, QC., to be early for the book signing. We arrived there around 3:30pm and this was what greeted us. The orange arrow points to the front of the bookstore and the yellow arrow points to what we thought was the end of the line.


5. What we thought was the end of the line was actually a long snake of Neil Gaiman fans that stretched through Stairway 1....


6. ...and Stairway 2....


7. ...and along the sidewalks outside(!!!) of the Mall building.


8. Finally, we found the end of the line near the MRT Line 2 Araneta-Cubao Station. There we were pleased to meet James and Miggey who were the last two people in the long snake of people we tracked from the Mall to the sidewalks. Neil Gaiman, Manila fans love you this much!


9. 4pm....5pm....6pm....7pm.....we were still outside the Mall, along the sidewalks, and enjoying the heat of the sun and the air pollution....people were starting to make friends....and making calls to other friends who might still want to catch Neil on his last day in Manila...




10. This is Mr. Daez, the accomodating and kind owner of Fullybooked bookstore who periodically came out to check out on us, count how many we were, and put us on some sort of cliffhanger because he couldn't give us an assurance right away that Neil Gaiman can still see us. My soulmate and I were fan numbers 508 and 509, respectively.


11. By 8pm going 9pm, we were finally beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel, and were actually becoming more confident that Neil might be able to accomodate us.


12. By 9pm, we finally reached the bookstore and I observed Neil was getting tired. His head was probably whirling now considering he has signed more than 500 items already. He sure has good hands and fingers! I was already proposing to my friends that perhaps it might be better if he just thumbmarked our items instead. It will be easier for him and for us. Well, so much for my bright idea.


13. In spite of hunger and exhaustion, he continued smiling, signing, and shaking hands with people. He even apologized to us for making us wait so long in line. Mr. Daez was right. Neil Gaiman is truly a people-person.


14. He always made sure the fans left the store with happy hearts.


15. Finally, it was my turn....


16. ...and soulmate's, too!


17. My Neil-Gaiman signed book!


18. For those who didn't have any Neil Gaiman item, Fullybooked had on display for sale some of Neil's hot works:


19. INTERMISSION-- On one corner of the bookstore, I saw stacks and stacks of boxes like these. Perhaps the big event next week?


20. After we had our items signed, we said goodbye to our new friends who are all proud owners of Neil Gaiman-signed works like Marvel 1602, the first issue of Preludes and Nocturnes, and The Wolves in the Walls.

Now, before I forget....why Neil Gaiman for President, instead of you-know-who? Well, because Neil Gaiman has a good heart. He truly cares for people. He knows how to sacrifice and emphatize when he sees other people sacrificing along with him. He also knows the value of an apology. He apologized for making us wait for hours. That kind of humility soothes the nerves of equally tired people like us.

Another reason? He's very popular.

Of course, don't take all these too seriously. We all know that this person won't resign. At least, that's what she says.

BOTTOMLINE: Neil Gaiman is not just a great writer. He is also a good man. These days, that is a rarity. Especially in celebrities and....(ho-hum!) politicians.