Justifying the Big Tent

The Big Tent of Hate - Part 1

    I have noted that insurance companies, like the moneychangers of Biblical Times, and the banks involved in the Wall Street bailout, make their money by it being rich already.  By itself, this might not be enough to cause much excitement.  Certainly, the the Wall Street firms with their cozy relationship to the government have gotten away with quite a bit.  It isn't just the lasting effects of the bailout, rather the government is playing softball with these firms when they are investigated for wrongdoing, even ignoring money laundering for Mexican cartels.

Throwing out the moneychangers

    So why then should we get up in arms about SelectQuote?  This scandal is the Wall Street fiasco in microcosm.  It gives us one more chance to try and bring a fat cat to justice.  In their hubris, SelectQuote may have stuck their neck further out than their brethren at AIG or the banks did.
    There is reason to suspect SelectQuote was involved with an obviously false allegation which resulted in my daughter being placed in foster care.  This occurred shortly after I overheard threats regarding my daughter at SelectQuote.  In that incident evidence was fabricated - police stated that my daughter, who could not speak in complete sentences yet, stated that I hurt her arm.  City lawyers asked that the case be dismissed in favor of my wife and myself, and the allegation was never aired in court, but a little girl was still wrongfully taken from her home for a time.

Big Tent of Hate

Justifying the Big Tent - Part 2
    Few things that bring people together like a shared animosity.  A common enemy minimizes differences and creates a shared cause.  Churchill, FDR, and Stalin had little in common besides a shared hatred of Hitler.
    While this kind of alliance may not make lifelong friends, it is important to prioritize.  It is not possible to take on every evil in the world by oneself.  In fact, if you're trying to, that's a good sign that you are the problem.
    So, come on into my big tent of animosity.  I have a little something for everyone here.  The threats towards my little girl at SelectQuote, the subsequent cover-up, and the possible tie in to a San Francisco police scandal can be looked at in a few different ways.
    First is the import of degenerate Red Chinese values into America.  And don't worry if you're a Chinese American.  There's plenty of room for you in this big tent.  You probably have more reason than anyone to dislike filth from the People's Republic of China taking root here.

Tom Dunham, Reviewed

    I am aggregating my performance reviews from SelectQuote in this post for a couple of reasons.  These performance reviews are on the web in pdf format, but I'm curious to see how the search engines will use the same data when it is properly marked up and easy for them to parse.  Their rich snippet testing tools tend to lag behind how they are actually using microdata.
    It is also useful to bring these reviews it up again in the context of my current struggle against SelectQuote.  Through these reviews I can show that I was on top of my game when a dirty scheme at SelectQuote led to my termination, that SelectQuote has tried to change facts after my termination, and there is evidence that my termination was planned in advance.
   Here is a summary of my performance reviews, the scorer comes from the overall field in the reviews, where I have done the math already to convert to a 1 to 5 point scale.  This better matches what has emerged as standard on Google.

Tom Dunham
4.69 out of 5 with 4 reviews (offical performance reviews while at SelectQuote Insurance)
Currently a Senior Engineer at Framehawk.  Resides in San Francisco, CA
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Children's Day 2013

    Once again Abby performed at Children's Day - Kodomo no Hi, in Japantown.  As usual, Kaori Sensi did a good job with the Kira Kira Boshi choir.  In last year's coverage of Children's Day, I gave some background on this Japanese holiday.
    In addition to singing, Abby did a lot of drawing this year with the court from the Cherry Blossom Festival.  Here Princess Michiko Marie Maggi and Abby show off their work.
    We ran into some friends, and the weather was great once again.  Also, Kristi Yamaguchi was on hand with her new children's book.  Overall, a good family outing in the city.

Welfare for Rich Creates Trickle-Up Economy

    I have been a Libertarian for many years.  I am skeptical of government regulation of the economy, feeling that the free market can solve problems more efficiently than government regulators.  This means I am often distrustful of economic policies from the Left.  While I fully agree with the needed to help the less fortunate, I tend believe that it is misguided to use the government in this role.
    If I do not think that the government should be used to help the poor, how much worse is that when the government is used to help the ultra rich?  I am speaking of course about the government bailout of large banks and insurers.  The immediate cost of such a bailout is the creation of a moral hazard.  That is, the government encourages risky behavior, because market participants believe that the government bears the risk for their behavior.
    I did not immediately understand the full implications of such a moral hazard.  An excellent article by Matt Taibbi at Rolling Stone got me thinking about this issue again.  Matt points out that the large lenders that were bailed out now enjoy lower interest rates when they borrow.
    This is a consequence of the moral hazard presented by the bailout.  In essence, the market sees these companies as a lower credit risk due to their cozy relationship with the government.  This means the bailout was not a short term aberration, but rather a long-term distortion of the free market.

Hurting Kids Isn't Sexy

An artsier version for wider advertising

     These legs are.  Sex sells razors, beer, cars, nearly anything under the sun.  Life insurance in general is not terribly interesting, so I've decided to generate some interest through some risque advertising.  Exploit some weakness in my opposition's message.  I'm fighting against someone who stated a willingness to hurt children, I think a little skin is more than justified.
    Granted, any social media fans I get from this campaign may not be as interested in my core message.  This is OK, they serve as a sort of decoy, making it hard for SelectQuote to determine who has really been convinced.
    I don't know if SelectQuote would attempt to sway key influencers on my side, but fans or followers that don't spread my message at least make it more difficult for an outsider to determine my most valuable readers.  From the search engine point of view, these social votes count either way.  A little uncertainty for SelectQuote should help my side.  If given a stationary target, SelectQuote seems to be quite persuasive - witness the $6.8 million they've gotten from Kansas in two incentive packages.
    If you've come to see a little leg, pics are past the jump.  They are PG, but given different standards across the world and the U.S., I put them past the break.  Sorry to anyone offended, but where I'm at you can see as much on any beach.   Please stick around to read about the serious dangers to children posed by some at SelectQuote Insurance Services.

Jong Lee

Jong Lee

    It has been awhile since I've written about Jong Lee. I wouldn't want everyone to forgive about how he demonstrates motive. Along with Serguei Zakhartchenko, Kevin Lee, and the reputation management firm and/or web contractors, he has taken over my previous job responsibilities. It was his wife Michelle Tan, who made threats regarding my daughter.
    When I question Michelle about these threats, she treated as a joke, and later lied about there ever being such communication between us.  My excellent performance reviews would preclude her husband ever been hired to do my job were there not some type of setup.  Michelle  was given additional time working from home and she got her spouse a job.
    Recall also, that a man fitting Jong's description came into SelectQuote immediately prior to some dirty deeds. Was he already at this point working out a deal?  Given the number of people needed to cover my duties, clearly the motivation on SelectQuote's part was not money.  Legal fees and reputation management can't be real cheap for SelectQuote either.  A source has reported pay cuts among San Francisco support staff, not a sign that cutting me helped the company.
    I have covered some of Bob Edwards duplicity.  Maybe Bob is feeling lonely in his later years.  Given the lengths she needs to go to home to eliminate a rival, it is clear hard work and competence do not work in Michelle Tan's favor.   So, what did exactly did Jong offer Bob? We can only guess.

I didn't sell drugs to pay for the dye job

    I do not have hard evidence tying the manufacturer of false evidence against me by the San Francisco police to this couple.   However, it did happen shortly after Michelle began speaking of harming my daughter.  Certainly Jong does have the money for bribery.
    However, deception could have been the method used. Jong Lee might have just turned police informant.  Lack of a crime to inform on is not a problem if the police are willing to falsify evidence.  The SFPD unit under investigation by Federal authorities for exactly the type of misconduct that I suffered was the drug task force.   I have covered elsewhere in detail how the SFPD's reliance on paid informants could be exploited.

Cherry Blossom Festival

    This year's cherry blossom festival ended one week ago.  The cherry blossom festival, or sakura matsuri, is a celebration of springtime.  It occurs over two weekends in the spring, of course, coinciding with the flowering of cherry trees.  The Northern California celebration is the second largest one in the United States behind the national celebration in Washington, DC.

Grilling beef for Nihonmachi Little Friends preschool

    The national celebration commemorates a gift of 3000 cherry trees by the mayor of Tokyo to the United States.  This occurred in 1912.  The Northern California celebration has a shorter history.  The first celebration in San Francisco's Japantown was held in 1967.
    The event it is great for families and showcases many aspects of Japanese and popular culture.  There is food taiko drumming, kendo (bamboo sword fighting), karate, J-Pop exhibitions, etc.  There is also live music.

A few food booths 

  Many local businesses and organizations are involved.  My daughter Abby's preschool runs a food booth during the event.  This is a major fundraiser for the school, so all of the parents participate.  This year I worked two shifts grilling beef skewers.  This is quite a hit and the school sold out both weekends.
    Actually, the Japanese Bilingual and Bicultural program at Rosa Parks elementary school also runs a booth at the festival.  This is where Abby it will be going to school next year, so I'll be attending for years to come.  Nihonmachi Little Friends, Abby's preschool, also walked in the parade this year.  I will get a video of that up at some point.  In the meantime here are a few pictures of the event.  I hope to see you next year!

SelectQuote's Kansas City Connections

    SelectQuote has been involved in a few merger and acquisition deals recently, with little fanfare.  One could be forgiven for been unable to follow at all as the companies involved are privately held, and the main San Francisco branch of SelectQuote has not been publicizing these deals.  Indeed, one wonders if the Kansas government has been fully aware of these deals, as they gave SelectQuote Senior $5 million in tax incentives just one and a half years after they gave the company employing SelectQuote Auto & Home agents $1.8 million in tax incentives.
    One factor that may have greased the skids is SelectQuote's involvement with well connected individuals in the Kansas City metropolitan area.  They have been partnering with Spring Venture Group, which bills itself as a sales and marketing organization.  Spring Venture Group was selling auto and homeowner's insurance under the SelectQuote name. 
    That company's former CEO, Tim Danker, is a cofounder of SelectQuote Auto & Home, and this year left Spring Venture Group to become the CEO of SelectQuote Auto & Home.  The first $1.8 million was given to Spring Venture Group, which noted in their press release about the incentives that many of their new employees would be employed at SelectQuote Auto & Home.     
    This doesn't appear to be the only opportunity for cross-pollination, as Spring Venture Group also sells Medicare supplement insurance and life insurance.  SelectQuote's other two divisions sell the same types of products.

The Twisted Morality of Privilege

Part 1 -  Astroturfing and the Twisted Morality of Privilege
    Life insurance is simply a bet, made by people with deep pockets, that someone will not die within a certain time.  People need it because not everyone is rich enough to self insure. It really is the same thing as if all the people whose breadwinners didn't die kicked some money down to the families whose breadwinners did die.  The insurance companies are making money purely from the fact that they already have money.  

    So again, this is not a charity, and making money this way does not make one particularly virtuous.  The financial instrument SelectQuote sells is useful.  Take pride in your work, but don't pretend it is a charity.  If you were giving it away, then we would sing your praises.  Certainly, they can't be faulted for trying to make a buck like everyone else, but we need not mistake business for philanthropy.

    SelectQuote acts put upon, as if they are the victim.  It is possible they even believe this.  Sometimes people con themselves into thinking that making money is in itself a virtue.  Charan Singh of SelectQuote might feel that he creates jobs.  True, but for every person he hires makes more money than what he pays them.  Being successful doesn't give one of free pass, or absolve you of the normal duties mankind has towards one another.

    In my own personal experience at SelectQuote, I took over a lot of work from people who left but who were not replaced.  This did not stop across the board pay cuts from touching me when things got hard.  I did not get the salary of those whose responsibilities I absorbed added to my own.

Astroturfing and the Twisted Morality of Privilege

Part 2 - The Twisted Morality of Privilege
  Astroturfing is the act of  manufacturing a fake grassroots campaign.  This may be done by marketers or political entities to give the illusion of popular support.   I took a short hiatus after beating SelectQuote in domain arbitration, and I think this was mostly a good thing.   The most detrimental side effect of this was that I may have lost a chance to further draw out a SelectQuote astroturfing campaign.
    I don't so much mean the comments on my own site, although those do appear to have been left by the same person.   Rather some of the comments on sites following the story of this domain dispute are telling.   We see JimPS3 has only four comments at thedomains.com, over only two days (starting the day he commented about my case), and two of them are regarding SelectQuote.   He seems quite worked up about this feeling that I need to be sued.
    Are there really people sitting around ready to come to the defense of the rich and powerful?  Up in arms, because a rich man might become a little less rich?  You don't hear too many tales of heroes who come to the aid of those more than able to help themselves.

Michelle Min Tan's Dishonesty

Michelle Tan

SelectQuote programmer

    Michelle Tan's reaction to a note I left her asking if she had also overheard threats regarding my daughter was quite instructive.  Michelle (Min) first did her best to provoke me by treating it like a joke.  She placed the note back on the middle of my desk, unanswered.  Then she would later tell company officials and the police that she never had any communication with me on this subject.
    Hardly the reaction of someone who is innocent.   She would've just said no, she hadn't heard (or made) any threats in that case.  She was not alone in her dishonesty, either.  Ian Kirwan and Bob Edwards each had a part to play.
    I sent Michelle an email the evening before, strenuously objecting to Michelle's threats against my daughter's life.  Then Ian begins telling me of how scared Michelle is, she had no idea what I was talking about, etc.  It was four or five hours later, when I was finally convinced that I was mistaken, that SelectQuote called the police.

Remote Influencing, Poisoned Pawns, and Bobby Fischer

Part 1: Remote Influencing, Tantra, and Chess
   For a bit lighter weekend fare I am writing another post on the subject of a remote influencing and chess.  I previously covered the Korchnoi-Karpov World Championship match in the Philippines, which featured both parapsychology and countermeasures against it. Whether or not you buy the paranormal aspects, the chess is going to be good.  I'm covering the American World Champion Robert James Fischer.
    During the Cold War professional chess was dominated by the Soviet Union and its satellites.  So, Bobby Fischer really did have the odds stacked against him.  Garry Kasparov notes this in On My Great Predecessors Volume IV.  In the 1962 World Championship candidate tournament held in Curacao five of the eight grandmasters were Soviets.
    The young Bobby Fischer did not do well in Curacao and blamed his performance on pacts between the Soviets. The top three finishers, all Soviet, were Geller, Petrosian, and Keres.  All 12 of their games against each other were draws.

Coercive Influence and SelectCult

    Jim Jones was just talking.  Skillfully applied methods of thought reform can create drastically different beliefs while group members are under the control of a cult-like organization.  One is reminded of 'white nights' at the People's Temple, which were rehearsals of the options (such as mass suicide) selected by Jim Jones to respond to a confrontation with the government.
    Let's consider the multiple targets and desired effects that can be achieved with covert delivery, just at the primary target's hearing threshold.  The cultists added the Milton Model of Neuro Linguistic Programming to the mix.  This model defines various forms of deliberate ambiguity.  NLP might be yet another sign that law enforcement has been involved, as it is often derided as pseudo-science academically, but has widespread support as it can be applied to interrogations.
    In this case we have the phrase pair "Hey Tom, I killed Abby." and "Hey Tom, I killed a beast."  The former is designed to cause hatred and fear in the target, while the latter has no emotional payload.  At first, I'm unsure if I really hear anything, the extreme nature of the main message makes belief more difficult.

SelectQuote Insurance's Victim

My daughter deserves better.

    It was not enough for programmer Michelle Tan (Min Yu Tan) at SelectQuote to have me fired to make way for consulting contracts for her spouse.  They have also been doing their best to blacklist me. We see that fake social media accounts were created in my name, to post about the problems at SelectQuote from their point of view.    Still, this was not enough. They also falsely claimed that I'm a convicted felon.  This dishonesty impacts my career after SelectQuote, which in turn affects those who depend on me.
    The fake social media accounts were changed after I complained of impersonation, but I have screenshots here.  The ones that still exist now use the same name which started to be used by the person making false accusations in forums, following my rebuttal in those forums.  We see these events are related.