Southwest Airlines: If it* matters to you, it matters to us.

Southwest Airlines criticized after incidents involving Middle Eastern passengers

Southwest Airlines: If it* matters to you, it matters to us.

* Includes bigotry, racism, and fear towards Muslims (Sunni, Shia, whatever they're all the same), Arab-speakers, Iranians, headscarf wearers, people who request halal meals, non-hipster men with beards, and anyone who might look like they could've shared a falafel wrap with someone less than 6 degrees of separation from ISIS.

What ticks terrorists

The fundamental motivator of terrorism is not religion or ideology or money. It's self-righteousness. The firm belief that you are right and those who disagree with you, necessarily, wrong. Every dictator who ordered a massacre, every bomber who blew up a public space, every zealot who slew a heretic believed it was for the greater good, a righteous cause. Believe in your own righteousness and you can justify any atrocity your heart desires.

On the Bangsamoro

If it were up to me I'd grant the Bangsamoro outright independence and not mere autonomy. There has just been so much pain and injustice over the centuries. For them, Manila is an occupying power the way the rest of the Philippines saw Madrid, Washington, or Tokyo.

I'd like the peace talks to prosper just like anyone, but I can't see it happening under these circumstances. Too much bad faith. I'm also not sure if MILF are the right people to be talking with-- they have too little control over BIFF/PAGs/lost command/etc. (not to mention ASG) that a deal with them will not really end any of the hostilities (cf. MNLF 1996). It's not like MILF are the sole representative of the Bangsamoro, even if they fancy themselves to be such.

I say just let them go. Give them the vote. Give them the right to self-determination.

Check

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1. Australia
2. Azerbaijan
3. Brunei Darussalam 
4. Cambodia
5. People's Republic of China
6. Hong Kong, China
7. Macau SAR, China
8. Chile
9. Cyprus
10. Czech Republic
11. Ecuador
12. France
13. Germany
14. Indonesia
15. Iran
16. Italy
17. Japan
18. Kazakhstan
19. Republic of Korea
20. Kyrgyz Republic
21. Lao PDR
22. Malaysia
23. Myanmar
24. The Netherlands
25. New Zealand 
26. Papua New Guinea
27. Peru
28. The Philippines
29. Portugal
30. Qatar
31. Russia
32. Singapore
33. Spain
34. Sri Lanka
35. Taiwan
36. Tajikistan
37. Thailand
38. Turkey
39. United Arab Emirates
40. United Kingdom
41. United States of America
42. Viet Nam

Manila, T minus 50 days

Tendered my resignation from the Bank today. The reality of the situation hasn't sunk in yet. It will sink in in the next few days as the employment termination paperwork come in. And when goodbyes will be said.

The whole thing is kinda bittersweet. I've always been bitching about leaving the Bank, and for the most part I am quite looking forward to a new start. I've become too comfortable and complacent there. And, well, a bunch of other issues better not breathed into the interwebs. But I'm also leaving behind friends and security, which have helped me reach where I am now. There are a lot of things I will miss about the Bank. And a lot of things I won't.

See you in 50 days, Singapore.

Pictures from Phnom Penh

Khmer river fish amok

Independence Monument

Royal Palace

Street scene

ADB resident mission

Didn't catch the name of this one

As stated

Russian market

Manila, T minus 2 hours

Back at the SQ lounge in NAIA Terminal 1, about 3 months after my last trip. This time I'm on my way to Phnom Penh. Quite looking forward to seeing a new country, although not sure how much of Cambodia I'll see since the purpose of the trip is a workshop and a few meetings. Oh well, will try to make the most of the trip.

Breakfast at SQ lounge is, again, plain rice, steamed hotdogs (the red kind), and fried egg. Dessert is a few pineapple slices. Nespresso coffee on the side. Food in the SQ lounge in Changi will be much better.

Layover at Changi will be about 3 hours. Enough time to scoot over to the Terminal 1 Cold Storage and get my Dear some of the Indian chips she likes so much (forgot what they're called). Maybe get some animal pasta for the Boy and a few dates for myself as well. Medjool or Deglet Nour?