[People of Singapore]
(31 Dec) The Red Cross Society had received total donations of $4 million in cash and cheques.
The Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF), which successfully raised $2.2 million through its "Affairs of the Heart" charity show on Dec 26, now aims to raise more money for the tsunami victims with a repeat telecast of the show on Jan 1.
[Akira]
(31 Dec) Electronics and home appliance company, Akira, is donating about $300,000 worth of items, including 1,000 portable generators and 5,000 emergency lamps, to help rescue efforts in Sri Lanka.
[Eu Yan Sang]
(31 Dec) Chinese medicine company, Eu Yan Sang, is donating 24,000 large bottles of drinking water and 1,500 boxes of chicken essence to aid victims and rescuers through Mercy Relief
[StarHub]
(31 Dec) StarHub is donating $200,000 to help buy water purification tablets, surgical and sanitation supplies. Half of the money will be used to help Indonesian tsunami victims.
[Telcom United]
(31 Dec) Local telecommunications company Telcom United is providing $50,000 worth of IDD talk time for foreign workers to call home to Aceh, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
[ComfortDelgro]
(31 Dec) Besides raising $50,000, taxi drivers and staff at ComfortDelGro Group yesterday helped deliver more than 300 boxes of food, clothing and medical supplies to various collection centres.
[US Government]
(31 Dec) US$35 million after UN officer Jan Egeland criticized western countries for being 'stingy'. The US quickly took that to mean them & promptly went into offensive by adding $20 mil to their original miserly US$15 million.
(1 Jan) When it was known that small Netherland (with 5% of US population) contributed $34 mil, the US increased theirs to $350 mil to avoid further embarassment. The Dutch was probably careful not to 'out-do' the US by crossing the $35 mil mark.
Contributions from round the world (as of 31 Dec):
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/124964/1/.html
Death toll (as of 31 Dec) :
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/124988/1/.html
Lie detector results:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tsunami/story/0,15671,1382457,00.html
(one of the reasons why you have to be careful with what governments say)
Friday, December 31, 2004
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Help For Tsunami Victims
Hi all,
Here are the various pleas & efforts various people had forwarded to me the last hour. If you wish to help in collection or need us to collect from your place kindly include your contact details as comments to this blog, or contact me at 65-9731-6795.
1. Morgan FC member Stanley said:
Kavin & I will provide logistics to pick up as much as we can in our cars, you're invited to join us and help collect from those near your location, if you're free tonight.
2. E-mail from my ex-NUS mate Chi Keung:
Hi,
If you feel that you can do something to help the Tsunami victims, read on. If you are donating items required, I can help to transport the items to the collection point. I heard that Ananda Travel is one of the collection point, but I can't find any info on that.
Donations in Kind
They need:
1. Tents
2. Food (Pre-cooked or ready-to-eat meal packs)
3. Water Purification Tablets
4. Wheat Flour, rice, other staples
5. Drugs: Paracetamol, anti-biotics, wound dressing, suture material,disposable syringes, vitamins, and vaccinations for diarrhea, cholera andmalaria.
6. Intravenous infusions (saline and dextrose)
7. Portable generators
8. Clothes and blankets (sort into boxes or piles within box according toadult male, female, and children, infant). Please only include appropriateclothing. Nothing sleeveless, no impractical cast-offs as well (e.g.evening gowns, fur-lined jackets are not appropriate!)
What to do:
1. Pack the items into boxes clearly labeled FOOD, CLOTHES, BLANKETS,MEDICAL supplies etc.
2. Tell your friends to send items to COLLECTION POINTS (CP) listed below.
Sri Lanka High Commission
13th Floor Goldhill Plaza
Phone: 62544595 (Mr Ranjit)
***The items to be sent during 8.30am-7pm. They will open for at least ONEMONTH.
Sri Lanka Air
133 Cecil Street #13-02
Phone: 62236026 (Shyla from Sales Dept)
*** They are stopping collection by Thursday, and now only want FOOD &Medicine now.
Tisarana Buddhist Association
(has Welfare Service in Sri Lanka providingfree ambulance among other things, and a vocational center)
[Prefer clothes,blankets, tent, medicinal supplies].
90 Duku Road
Phone: 63456741 (Temple), 97884486 (Christopher Lim)
*** The items to be sent during 9.30am-6pm. Please send down within ONEWEEK, for they are sending out a container as soon as it fills.
Ananda Travel Agencies
Many locations, so more convenient. Also, since this is going to more than one country, may be better.
***Please do so by THIS SUNDAY.
Important! Pls CALL before going down to make sure they are open.
NTUC Fairprice
Supermarket retailer NTUC FairPrice invites all shoppers to chip in by buying S$10 food relief packagesto help tsunami victims in the region. These packages will be air flown by partner airline Cathay Pacific to Colombo later in the week. As of January 1, shoppers can also purchase food relief packages that will be sent to Aceh. Shoppers can also donate cash in donation tins placed at all NTUC outlets .
Donations in Cash
1. Customers of DBS Singapore can make their contribution via Internet Banking or DBS/POSB ATM
2. You can also write a cheque to Singapore Red Cross Society, 15 PenangLane, Singapore 2384863.
Please indicate 'Tidal Waves Asia' behind the cheque and include yourname, address and telephone number. The Singapore Red Cross Society will send you a receipt.
4. Donors can also go to the Singapore Red Cross Society to make adonation personally at the above address (from 9.30am to 5.45 pm onweekdays and 9.30 am to noon on Saturday)
More on http://www.channelnewsasia.com/killerwaves/donations.htm#sg
Pass the Message The POINT is to do something. Every little effort counts towards something. Start a positive chain of events, in addition to what the big govt organizations & NGOs are doing. The world is weeping, and we have the responsibility to lessen that suffering.
Here are the various pleas & efforts various people had forwarded to me the last hour. If you wish to help in collection or need us to collect from your place kindly include your contact details as comments to this blog, or contact me at 65-9731-6795.
1. Morgan FC member Stanley said:
Kavin & I will provide logistics to pick up as much as we can in our cars, you're invited to join us and help collect from those near your location, if you're free tonight.
2. E-mail from my ex-NUS mate Chi Keung:
Hi,
If you feel that you can do something to help the Tsunami victims, read on. If you are donating items required, I can help to transport the items to the collection point. I heard that Ananda Travel is one of the collection point, but I can't find any info on that.
Donations in Kind
They need:
1. Tents
2. Food (Pre-cooked or ready-to-eat meal packs)
3. Water Purification Tablets
4. Wheat Flour, rice, other staples
5. Drugs: Paracetamol, anti-biotics, wound dressing, suture material,disposable syringes, vitamins, and vaccinations for diarrhea, cholera andmalaria.
6. Intravenous infusions (saline and dextrose)
7. Portable generators
8. Clothes and blankets (sort into boxes or piles within box according toadult male, female, and children, infant). Please only include appropriateclothing. Nothing sleeveless, no impractical cast-offs as well (e.g.evening gowns, fur-lined jackets are not appropriate!)
What to do:
1. Pack the items into boxes clearly labeled FOOD, CLOTHES, BLANKETS,MEDICAL supplies etc.
2. Tell your friends to send items to COLLECTION POINTS (CP) listed below.
Sri Lanka High Commission
13th Floor Goldhill Plaza
Phone: 62544595 (Mr Ranjit)
***The items to be sent during 8.30am-7pm. They will open for at least ONEMONTH.
Sri Lanka Air
133 Cecil Street #13-02
Phone: 62236026 (Shyla from Sales Dept)
*** They are stopping collection by Thursday, and now only want FOOD &Medicine now.
Tisarana Buddhist Association
(has Welfare Service in Sri Lanka providingfree ambulance among other things, and a vocational center)
[Prefer clothes,blankets, tent, medicinal supplies].
90 Duku Road
Phone: 63456741 (Temple), 97884486 (Christopher Lim)
*** The items to be sent during 9.30am-6pm. Please send down within ONEWEEK, for they are sending out a container as soon as it fills.
Ananda Travel Agencies
Many locations, so more convenient. Also, since this is going to more than one country, may be better.
***Please do so by THIS SUNDAY.
Important! Pls CALL before going down to make sure they are open.
NTUC Fairprice
Supermarket retailer NTUC FairPrice invites all shoppers to chip in by buying S$10 food relief packagesto help tsunami victims in the region. These packages will be air flown by partner airline Cathay Pacific to Colombo later in the week. As of January 1, shoppers can also purchase food relief packages that will be sent to Aceh. Shoppers can also donate cash in donation tins placed at all NTUC outlets .
Donations in Cash
1. Customers of DBS Singapore can make their contribution via Internet Banking or DBS/POSB ATM
2. You can also write a cheque to Singapore Red Cross Society, 15 PenangLane, Singapore 2384863.
Please indicate 'Tidal Waves Asia' behind the cheque and include yourname, address and telephone number. The Singapore Red Cross Society will send you a receipt.
4. Donors can also go to the Singapore Red Cross Society to make adonation personally at the above address (from 9.30am to 5.45 pm onweekdays and 9.30 am to noon on Saturday)
More on http://www.channelnewsasia.com/killerwaves/donations.htm#sg
Pass the Message The POINT is to do something. Every little effort counts towards something. Start a positive chain of events, in addition to what the big govt organizations & NGOs are doing. The world is weeping, and we have the responsibility to lessen that suffering.
How I got Enblogged
This blog was created at the behest of my friend Christopher Lim without whose instigation I would not have bothered.
All postings before this are post-dated items from my writings before the start of this blog.
xxx
Chris said:
CCK, you can reach a wider audience by starting your own BLOG.
Go to this site to start your blog: http://www.blogger.com/start
Some examples of Malaysian blog can be found here:http://www.mycen.com.my/search/blog.html
All postings before this are post-dated items from my writings before the start of this blog.
xxx
Chris said:
CCK, you can reach a wider audience by starting your own BLOG.
Go to this site to start your blog: http://www.blogger.com/start
Some examples of Malaysian blog can be found here:http://www.mycen.com.my/search/blog.html
Reflections of Disaster
The happenings of the last few days are worth us spending some time to ponder and try to put things in perspective. If not anything else, some of us see them as lessons for and on humanity. A bit more comparison between the 2 phenomena in my previous mail below would hopefully be enlightening especially for those who a few years back thought that people warning them of the pending American, British and Australian designs to rob Iraq/Afghanistan were mere conspiracy theorists.
http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2004/12/mobile-disaster-in-perspective.html
Like the African story on the ‘Hour of the Idiots’, it always come a time when idiots, no matter how much they try to avoid it, will have to face the truth. We should and must do that for we owe it not only to those before us who had helped build a better place for us but to those after us who can justifiably expect us to leave it no less than we found it. The 2 things we all should strive to leave behind in a state no worse off than we have are the environment and human ignorance. The latter is included only because of human’s capacity for supreme greed, arrogance and destruction that only awareness (the ‘other side’ of ignorance) can ameliorate. So here’s for the fools in us to think about.
Shock & Awe – Embedded Differently
When one event happened, early TV pictures showed the massive power of tidal waves sweeping everything aside or flinging people and things against anything firm enough to stand its ground. We watched in shock but strangely we felt no anger but renewed respect for the great powers of Nature. Later pictures of people crying and dead bodies strewn all over tugged on the sinews of our hearts and only the most insensitive ones can hold back those tears and shared sense of grieve for our fellow humans. In this event, there was nothing to hide, nothing can or need be hidden. As Nature made clear who is boss few dared to question.
When the other event happened, we were fed pictures provided by so-called embedded reporters who showed us awesome American & British firepower in what they arrogantly named Operation Shock & Awe, but none of the actual destruction to properties and lives they can only be intended for. They made not attempt to hide the fact that non-embedded reporters like those from Al Jazeera are taken care of surgically. Thus many of the less foolish among us had to rely on our powers of imagination to visualise the destruction and sufferings surrounding the deaths of the hundred of thousands of Iraqis. But instead of the shock & awe those Bush-like idiots intended, we had only anger and disgust for these people. Now we are told that those that dare to stand their ground against these idiots are mere terrorists.
Intelligence of Men of Science versus Men of War/Deceit
When one event happened, programs were shown explaining the workings of Nature, the tectonic plates behind the quakes & waves, and how only in June 2004, seismologists were warning governments in the region of the impending calamities that only the last few hundred years or so of modern science and our recognition of the powers of the logical and rational mind could have produced. Despite the lack of action by the governments involved to the warnings from the scientists, we felt enlightened and grateful for the work and intelligence of such men, and saw a chance that humanity can perhaps better survive such future disasters through the help of technology.
In the other event, despite years of ‘preparing world opinion’ the reasons for war were so lame that the whole non-Anglo-Saxon and non-Christian world, and America’s own weapons inspectors went against them. But they went ahead anyway, and pictures of great fireworks and demonstration of American/British technology were explained with much fanfare (as if it was some game show) by men in fatigue whose profession revolved around the art of war. Many governments went along with it. Some did it so quietly it was like walking around with their own face covered in self-conscious shame. Others supported loudly and with enthusiasm - like the Australians, a living proof of the theories of genetic inheritance (from the loud mouth hooligans that their criminal forefathers were). Despite that, millions of informed people around the globe went up ‘in arms’ in our little way and through the Internet and other un-embeddable media made sure that these liars do not get off scot-free. When the force of scrutiny and the world’s conscience were brought to bear on the Bush-like idiots, the excuse to kill & rob so many fellow humans was embedded lamely on faulty intelligence of men whose profession is the art of deception and deceit.
Mother of It All
One event created tidal waves of such magnitude that people had never seen anything like it before. An Indian man quoted by Los Angeles Times described what he heard and saw before his eyes as ‘they came like possessed beasts’.
The other event had the Americans proudly deploying a new bomb they created for Afghanistan & called ‘the mother of all bombs’ and promptly showed us the beast that possessed them.
Taunts & Contributions All Round
For one event, no government in the world had qualms extending their aid & help to the affected countries. But we do not see at its forefront the ‘greatest’ nation in the world. Without prodding, people from all walks of life instinctively came together to contribute in whatever way they could thus making the work of local governments and people from aid organizations like the Red Cross/Crescent just a little bit easier. Enemies left their animosities aside to help those in need as did Pakistan and India, and the Indonesian military and Aceh rebels. Few men will walk out of this event as lesser beings.
In the other event, the Bush-like idiots proudly pronounced that the world needed leadership against global terror that only it can provide but had to cajole, bribe and threaten others into joining them. They even used taunts like ‘you are either with us or you are against us’ and ‘those not in belong to the old world’. To rally their fellow idiots they even revived the millennia old idea of a crusade so entrancing to such idiots. If they had the gall to ask common folks on the ground in many parts of the world for contributions, they will likely get an earful. Many walked into this event as men and will walk out unable to exorcise the devil that will forever haunt them.
http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2004/12/mobile-disaster-in-perspective.html
Like the African story on the ‘Hour of the Idiots’, it always come a time when idiots, no matter how much they try to avoid it, will have to face the truth. We should and must do that for we owe it not only to those before us who had helped build a better place for us but to those after us who can justifiably expect us to leave it no less than we found it. The 2 things we all should strive to leave behind in a state no worse off than we have are the environment and human ignorance. The latter is included only because of human’s capacity for supreme greed, arrogance and destruction that only awareness (the ‘other side’ of ignorance) can ameliorate. So here’s for the fools in us to think about.
Shock & Awe – Embedded Differently
When one event happened, early TV pictures showed the massive power of tidal waves sweeping everything aside or flinging people and things against anything firm enough to stand its ground. We watched in shock but strangely we felt no anger but renewed respect for the great powers of Nature. Later pictures of people crying and dead bodies strewn all over tugged on the sinews of our hearts and only the most insensitive ones can hold back those tears and shared sense of grieve for our fellow humans. In this event, there was nothing to hide, nothing can or need be hidden. As Nature made clear who is boss few dared to question.
When the other event happened, we were fed pictures provided by so-called embedded reporters who showed us awesome American & British firepower in what they arrogantly named Operation Shock & Awe, but none of the actual destruction to properties and lives they can only be intended for. They made not attempt to hide the fact that non-embedded reporters like those from Al Jazeera are taken care of surgically. Thus many of the less foolish among us had to rely on our powers of imagination to visualise the destruction and sufferings surrounding the deaths of the hundred of thousands of Iraqis. But instead of the shock & awe those Bush-like idiots intended, we had only anger and disgust for these people. Now we are told that those that dare to stand their ground against these idiots are mere terrorists.
Intelligence of Men of Science versus Men of War/Deceit
When one event happened, programs were shown explaining the workings of Nature, the tectonic plates behind the quakes & waves, and how only in June 2004, seismologists were warning governments in the region of the impending calamities that only the last few hundred years or so of modern science and our recognition of the powers of the logical and rational mind could have produced. Despite the lack of action by the governments involved to the warnings from the scientists, we felt enlightened and grateful for the work and intelligence of such men, and saw a chance that humanity can perhaps better survive such future disasters through the help of technology.
In the other event, despite years of ‘preparing world opinion’ the reasons for war were so lame that the whole non-Anglo-Saxon and non-Christian world, and America’s own weapons inspectors went against them. But they went ahead anyway, and pictures of great fireworks and demonstration of American/British technology were explained with much fanfare (as if it was some game show) by men in fatigue whose profession revolved around the art of war. Many governments went along with it. Some did it so quietly it was like walking around with their own face covered in self-conscious shame. Others supported loudly and with enthusiasm - like the Australians, a living proof of the theories of genetic inheritance (from the loud mouth hooligans that their criminal forefathers were). Despite that, millions of informed people around the globe went up ‘in arms’ in our little way and through the Internet and other un-embeddable media made sure that these liars do not get off scot-free. When the force of scrutiny and the world’s conscience were brought to bear on the Bush-like idiots, the excuse to kill & rob so many fellow humans was embedded lamely on faulty intelligence of men whose profession is the art of deception and deceit.
Mother of It All
One event created tidal waves of such magnitude that people had never seen anything like it before. An Indian man quoted by Los Angeles Times described what he heard and saw before his eyes as ‘they came like possessed beasts’.
The other event had the Americans proudly deploying a new bomb they created for Afghanistan & called ‘the mother of all bombs’ and promptly showed us the beast that possessed them.
Taunts & Contributions All Round
For one event, no government in the world had qualms extending their aid & help to the affected countries. But we do not see at its forefront the ‘greatest’ nation in the world. Without prodding, people from all walks of life instinctively came together to contribute in whatever way they could thus making the work of local governments and people from aid organizations like the Red Cross/Crescent just a little bit easier. Enemies left their animosities aside to help those in need as did Pakistan and India, and the Indonesian military and Aceh rebels. Few men will walk out of this event as lesser beings.
In the other event, the Bush-like idiots proudly pronounced that the world needed leadership against global terror that only it can provide but had to cajole, bribe and threaten others into joining them. They even used taunts like ‘you are either with us or you are against us’ and ‘those not in belong to the old world’. To rally their fellow idiots they even revived the millennia old idea of a crusade so entrancing to such idiots. If they had the gall to ask common folks on the ground in many parts of the world for contributions, they will likely get an earful. Many walked into this event as men and will walk out unable to exorcise the devil that will forever haunt them.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Mobile Disaster in Perspective
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4126971.stm
25 December was supposedly the 'day of birth' of the Indo-Persian Sun-God Mithra (at least as celebrated in that area) for more than 1,000 years before it was ‘co-opted’ less than 2,000 years ago as Christmas day by the then 'new' Roman Church for their ‘new’ idol. Of course their current ‘fans’ are usually unaware of that and call Mithra’s worshippers derogatorily as ‘pagans’. In historic term, it was just a ‘new dog old trick’ thing.
This year, a few hours after that day, a massive quake the size of 9 on the Richter scale caused massive destruction & death around the Bay of Bengal.
US President George W Bush (my favorite 21st century idiot) offered aid to affected nations and expressed sorrow for the "terrible loss of life and suffering". To see if he is really sincere, I’ll like to see if Haliburton rushes to help ‘re-construct’ the affected places. If 10,000 dead is a ‘terrible loss of life & suffering’ to even a Bush-like idiot, we can imagine what they think of themselves once we make the following comparison:
Death toll from the biggest quake in the last 40 years: upwards of 10,000
Death toll in Iraq involving the most 'powerful' nation in the last 40 years: upwards of 200,000 (from the last 2 ‘outings’).
Any difficulty seeing why those Bush-like idiots are so arrogant? They think they can out-whack Nature and thus deserve a place almost on par with the Gods. Perhaps they accept to be a tad lower only because they compare their actions to that in the story of 'Nolah'.
http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_cckplanetblog_archive.html
To me they are all disasters of Nature except that some of them walk on legs and are mobile disaster generating machines. What great 'creations' those Bush-like idiots!
25 December was supposedly the 'day of birth' of the Indo-Persian Sun-God Mithra (at least as celebrated in that area) for more than 1,000 years before it was ‘co-opted’ less than 2,000 years ago as Christmas day by the then 'new' Roman Church for their ‘new’ idol. Of course their current ‘fans’ are usually unaware of that and call Mithra’s worshippers derogatorily as ‘pagans’. In historic term, it was just a ‘new dog old trick’ thing.
This year, a few hours after that day, a massive quake the size of 9 on the Richter scale caused massive destruction & death around the Bay of Bengal.
US President George W Bush (my favorite 21st century idiot) offered aid to affected nations and expressed sorrow for the "terrible loss of life and suffering". To see if he is really sincere, I’ll like to see if Haliburton rushes to help ‘re-construct’ the affected places. If 10,000 dead is a ‘terrible loss of life & suffering’ to even a Bush-like idiot, we can imagine what they think of themselves once we make the following comparison:
Death toll from the biggest quake in the last 40 years: upwards of 10,000
Death toll in Iraq involving the most 'powerful' nation in the last 40 years: upwards of 200,000 (from the last 2 ‘outings’).
Any difficulty seeing why those Bush-like idiots are so arrogant? They think they can out-whack Nature and thus deserve a place almost on par with the Gods. Perhaps they accept to be a tad lower only because they compare their actions to that in the story of 'Nolah'.
http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_cckplanetblog_archive.html
To me they are all disasters of Nature except that some of them walk on legs and are mobile disaster generating machines. What great 'creations' those Bush-like idiots!
Monday, December 27, 2004
Jingle Bells
I received a mail from a site asking people to 'turn on their creative juices' and create/submit their own Christmas jingles. I did not submit the below to the site as it required another round of registration.
This is in Hanyu Pin Yin & to be sung to the tune of ‘Jingle Bells'.
Note: in Mandarin Christmas is known as 'Sheng Dan' which also sounds like 'laying eggs'.
(chorus)
Wo sheng dan, ni sheng dan
Wo men lai sheng dan
Ni yi li, wo yi li, da jia sheng ji li
Ren ni bu yao sheng, fan er yao sheng dan
Ni shuo hao xiao bu hao xiao?
Tong, tong yao sheng dan…
Hey! (chorus again)
This is in Hanyu Pin Yin & to be sung to the tune of ‘Jingle Bells'.
Note: in Mandarin Christmas is known as 'Sheng Dan' which also sounds like 'laying eggs'.
(chorus)
Wo sheng dan, ni sheng dan
Wo men lai sheng dan
Ni yi li, wo yi li, da jia sheng ji li
Ren ni bu yao sheng, fan er yao sheng dan
Ni shuo hao xiao bu hao xiao?
Tong, tong yao sheng dan…
Hey! (chorus again)
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Amazing!
Hi,
(The mail below is) Amazing! Before anyone thinks there's anything special with number 6, try the same with numbers 3, 8, or 9, or if with your left hand/leg. The morale of this is.... may be the below may help.
Happy Dong Zhi, Happy Diwali, Happy Saturnalia, Happy Novo Hel, Happy Yule, Happy Christmas. They all sound so different but you know what's common among them and which event is merely a 'hitch hiker'?
While you ponder, I will be short & simple: happy winter solstice to all.
As if it matters to people like me who stays near the Equator. But what the heck…
This is a series of quiz questions I gave my young nieces a week ago:
1. Why is polar bear white? I got the answer straight away.
2. Why is arctic fox white? Another fast reply
3. Why is Santa white? They kept quiet.
That’s the logical mind at work. Of course, that’s until some adult fools start mucking around with them in the name of ‘teachings’.
Rgds
CCK
xxx
Dear Friends
Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Seasons and Blessed Chistmas.
Right Brain vs. Left Brain
While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction and there's nothing you can do about it. This WILL drive you crazy. Enjoy!
Warmest regards,
Christopher Leong
(The mail below is) Amazing! Before anyone thinks there's anything special with number 6, try the same with numbers 3, 8, or 9, or if with your left hand/leg. The morale of this is.... may be the below may help.
Happy Dong Zhi, Happy Diwali, Happy Saturnalia, Happy Novo Hel, Happy Yule, Happy Christmas. They all sound so different but you know what's common among them and which event is merely a 'hitch hiker'?
While you ponder, I will be short & simple: happy winter solstice to all.
As if it matters to people like me who stays near the Equator. But what the heck…
This is a series of quiz questions I gave my young nieces a week ago:
1. Why is polar bear white? I got the answer straight away.
2. Why is arctic fox white? Another fast reply
3. Why is Santa white? They kept quiet.
That’s the logical mind at work. Of course, that’s until some adult fools start mucking around with them in the name of ‘teachings’.
Rgds
CCK
xxx
Dear Friends
Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Seasons and Blessed Chistmas.
Right Brain vs. Left Brain
While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction and there's nothing you can do about it. This WILL drive you crazy. Enjoy!
Warmest regards,
Christopher Leong
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Where Heroes Cometh...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4051755.stm
Forgotten hero of Bhopal's tragedy
By Faisal Mohammad Ali
BBC Hindi service, in Bhopal
Twenty years after the toxic gas leak at Bhopal in central India, BBC News reports on how casualties could have been much worse.
The daily express had been seen off from Bhopal and deputy station superintendent Ghulam Dastagir took charge of the night shift.
----
This 'forgotten hero' was created by the greed of an American company called Union Carbide. Of course, it was people and not a company that was involved but no one knows who/where the people that profited from the 'low cost' operation or caused the event are. That's the beauty of capitalism and the free market.
Heroes often rise out of great natural disasters or actions of supreme idiots (at the expense of many/other's innocent lives). And it seems a lot 'nicer' to talk about them than those sacrificed. Perhaps it is better to numb the fools among us than to enlighten them.
The same goes with the American 'heroes' fighting for Iraqi freedom you read about in some papers nowaday...
Forgotten hero of Bhopal's tragedy
By Faisal Mohammad Ali
BBC Hindi service, in Bhopal
Twenty years after the toxic gas leak at Bhopal in central India, BBC News reports on how casualties could have been much worse.
The daily express had been seen off from Bhopal and deputy station superintendent Ghulam Dastagir took charge of the night shift.
----
This 'forgotten hero' was created by the greed of an American company called Union Carbide. Of course, it was people and not a company that was involved but no one knows who/where the people that profited from the 'low cost' operation or caused the event are. That's the beauty of capitalism and the free market.
Heroes often rise out of great natural disasters or actions of supreme idiots (at the expense of many/other's innocent lives). And it seems a lot 'nicer' to talk about them than those sacrificed. Perhaps it is better to numb the fools among us than to enlighten them.
The same goes with the American 'heroes' fighting for Iraqi freedom you read about in some papers nowaday...
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
King Leopold's Soliloquoy
120 years ago, the Belgian King Leopold II wanted a share of the colonial feast happening across Africa.
At the Berlin Conference (colonial time’s equivalent of the G7 conference) where the Powers conducted ‘orderly’ distribution of rights to the various lands, the British (the superpower of that time) and Americans, against Germany’s protest, ‘gave’ Leopold the right to a piece of land 4 times the size of Germany around the Congo Basin.
The Germans and other European powers were obviously unhappy that their small time neighbour got more than them, to say the least. Leopold being a nephew of Victoria was an obvious consideration.
The British got around the German’s protest on the basis that the area previously occupied mainly by British colonists and under the dominion of an ‘association’ led by Leopold was a ‘de facto state under international law at that time’. Its formation therefore did not need recognition from other states.
The legal argument was for convenience of course. The others did not give in to that but Britain’s sheer power. Sounds like Iraq in the 21st century?
And to keep the French quiet, Leopold signed a treaty to give France ‘first right of preference’ to that property in event the ‘association alienated the natives’.
Leopold gave his ‘fiefdom’ a nice sounding name of Congo Free State, and publicly declared his mission was to free its people from slavery and promote free trade.
The reality as history recorded was of course somewhat different. There were riches to be extracted from Congo the same way it was from the other colonies, and the colonists were never accepted by the natives (otherwise known as insurgents and terrorists in the 21st century).
To ‘run’ the new state Leopold reportedly made use of British and African mercenaries (21st century Bushite term is 'security contractors') the most famous of which included one called Stanley (where Stanley Falls got its name) and another called Rhodes (where old Rhodesia, present day Zimbabwe, got its).
In the 25 years that ‘Congo Free State’ existed, 5 to 15 million out of the 11 to 30 million of the natives were killed – I guess the natives are not quite important enough for them to bother to account accurately (the population of present Belgium is 10 million).
Apparently (only if you believe this), this was not public knowledge for that long (by the way to present day fools, that period is 120 years) because the atrocities were not reported in the press because King Leopold reportedly ‘bought’ them off (i.e. paid them to keep quiet).
As the story went, the world only knew about Leopold’s big lie when a clerk working for a trading firm named Morel noticed that ship manifests from the ‘free state’ had goods going only one way i.e. goods like rubber, ivory and precious materials were shipped in large quantities to Europe but nothing flowed back (so much about free trade).
Some reports had it that Morel was backed by certain Liverpool traders that were left out of the lucrative trades and therefore wanted to spoil it. Hah, greed can save the world...
In his fight to gather public support for his mission to ‘expose’ Leopold’s lie, Morel asked Mark Twain for support resulting in the work known as King Leopold’s Soliloquy. Mark Twain was then already a renowned anti-imperialist fighting among others the US colonization of Philippines (only the first US colonial occupation outside the Americas).
For some reason, this work was refused publication by his publisher (you can try guessing why).
The beginning of Mark Twain’s work had Leopold holding to his Bible pronouncing his great holy endeavor of ‘saving’ the Congolese.
The inspiration for that was probably drawn from Leopold’s speech at the Berlin Conference where he said that the setup of the new state was “for the propagation of civilisation among the peoples of the Congo region by means of scientific exploration, legal trade and war against the 'Arabic' slave traders…To open to civilisation the only part of our globe which it has not yet penetrated, to pierce the darkness which hangs over entire peoples, is, I dare say, a crusade worthy of this century of progress."
So it seems that every century or so a new set of Leopold-like idiots would think they are the chosen ones out on a crusade. My 21st century name for them is Bush-like idiots - different name, same regenerate idiots.
Now, if we change a few names, actors and terms/notions here and there, the above story will be not unlike what is happening in places like Iraq today.
The powerful will occupy someone else’s land using notions like freedom, free trade and democracy, but in reality does it with the intent to extract its riches. Any opposition to that are labeled anything pest-like from insurgents to terrorists, and brushed aside by sheer force applied with the help of both mercenaries and colluding locals.
At the same time the seemingly noble notions that are their fronts are hyped up by so-called free press and publishers in the hope that they can convince enough foolhardy ones amongst and beyond them of the greatness of their endeavors for them to get away with it as long as they can.
In this way, an entire people or group of people and nations (like the present day Allies in Iraq) end up sharing the stolen riches brought home to a 'thieves paradise' they sometimes like to think is the result of the greatness of either their intellect, or system of government or belief.
The result of such a way of living is at best the hanging out of a few scapegoats as self-repentance once internal or external revulsion from the truth and sheer atrocity of their acts become all too obvious to hide. Llike poor Leopold who was blamed for the whole Congo Free State thing when in fact many like the British, French and of course Belgians were also key beneficiaries.
At worst, it results in disastrous wars with those powerful enough to fight them face to face for a share of the same riches as in the great wars of the last century – for many present day fools Germany not getting their ‘fair’ share in places like Congo is not a reason for those wars, it was merely evil Hitler-likes.
But, as always, it is the small guys that suffer most like the proverbial ants among fighting elephants.
It is they whose livelihood will be taken away and who will have to fight with whatever means at their disposal. To the ‘Powers’ they are like ants to the elephants – mere pests whose various other similar pest-like names (terrorists, insurgents etc.) are but convenient labels for the excuse to terminate them large scale without qualms, and whose deaths in the millions can be conveniently consigned to some corners of history where the fools of the world don’t venture.
At the Berlin Conference (colonial time’s equivalent of the G7 conference) where the Powers conducted ‘orderly’ distribution of rights to the various lands, the British (the superpower of that time) and Americans, against Germany’s protest, ‘gave’ Leopold the right to a piece of land 4 times the size of Germany around the Congo Basin.
The Germans and other European powers were obviously unhappy that their small time neighbour got more than them, to say the least. Leopold being a nephew of Victoria was an obvious consideration.
The British got around the German’s protest on the basis that the area previously occupied mainly by British colonists and under the dominion of an ‘association’ led by Leopold was a ‘de facto state under international law at that time’. Its formation therefore did not need recognition from other states.
The legal argument was for convenience of course. The others did not give in to that but Britain’s sheer power. Sounds like Iraq in the 21st century?
And to keep the French quiet, Leopold signed a treaty to give France ‘first right of preference’ to that property in event the ‘association alienated the natives’.
Leopold gave his ‘fiefdom’ a nice sounding name of Congo Free State, and publicly declared his mission was to free its people from slavery and promote free trade.
The reality as history recorded was of course somewhat different. There were riches to be extracted from Congo the same way it was from the other colonies, and the colonists were never accepted by the natives (otherwise known as insurgents and terrorists in the 21st century).
To ‘run’ the new state Leopold reportedly made use of British and African mercenaries (21st century Bushite term is 'security contractors') the most famous of which included one called Stanley (where Stanley Falls got its name) and another called Rhodes (where old Rhodesia, present day Zimbabwe, got its).
In the 25 years that ‘Congo Free State’ existed, 5 to 15 million out of the 11 to 30 million of the natives were killed – I guess the natives are not quite important enough for them to bother to account accurately (the population of present Belgium is 10 million).
Apparently (only if you believe this), this was not public knowledge for that long (by the way to present day fools, that period is 120 years) because the atrocities were not reported in the press because King Leopold reportedly ‘bought’ them off (i.e. paid them to keep quiet).
As the story went, the world only knew about Leopold’s big lie when a clerk working for a trading firm named Morel noticed that ship manifests from the ‘free state’ had goods going only one way i.e. goods like rubber, ivory and precious materials were shipped in large quantities to Europe but nothing flowed back (so much about free trade).
Some reports had it that Morel was backed by certain Liverpool traders that were left out of the lucrative trades and therefore wanted to spoil it. Hah, greed can save the world...
In his fight to gather public support for his mission to ‘expose’ Leopold’s lie, Morel asked Mark Twain for support resulting in the work known as King Leopold’s Soliloquy. Mark Twain was then already a renowned anti-imperialist fighting among others the US colonization of Philippines (only the first US colonial occupation outside the Americas).
For some reason, this work was refused publication by his publisher (you can try guessing why).
The beginning of Mark Twain’s work had Leopold holding to his Bible pronouncing his great holy endeavor of ‘saving’ the Congolese.
The inspiration for that was probably drawn from Leopold’s speech at the Berlin Conference where he said that the setup of the new state was “for the propagation of civilisation among the peoples of the Congo region by means of scientific exploration, legal trade and war against the 'Arabic' slave traders…To open to civilisation the only part of our globe which it has not yet penetrated, to pierce the darkness which hangs over entire peoples, is, I dare say, a crusade worthy of this century of progress."
So it seems that every century or so a new set of Leopold-like idiots would think they are the chosen ones out on a crusade. My 21st century name for them is Bush-like idiots - different name, same regenerate idiots.
Now, if we change a few names, actors and terms/notions here and there, the above story will be not unlike what is happening in places like Iraq today.
The powerful will occupy someone else’s land using notions like freedom, free trade and democracy, but in reality does it with the intent to extract its riches. Any opposition to that are labeled anything pest-like from insurgents to terrorists, and brushed aside by sheer force applied with the help of both mercenaries and colluding locals.
At the same time the seemingly noble notions that are their fronts are hyped up by so-called free press and publishers in the hope that they can convince enough foolhardy ones amongst and beyond them of the greatness of their endeavors for them to get away with it as long as they can.
In this way, an entire people or group of people and nations (like the present day Allies in Iraq) end up sharing the stolen riches brought home to a 'thieves paradise' they sometimes like to think is the result of the greatness of either their intellect, or system of government or belief.
The result of such a way of living is at best the hanging out of a few scapegoats as self-repentance once internal or external revulsion from the truth and sheer atrocity of their acts become all too obvious to hide. Llike poor Leopold who was blamed for the whole Congo Free State thing when in fact many like the British, French and of course Belgians were also key beneficiaries.
At worst, it results in disastrous wars with those powerful enough to fight them face to face for a share of the same riches as in the great wars of the last century – for many present day fools Germany not getting their ‘fair’ share in places like Congo is not a reason for those wars, it was merely evil Hitler-likes.
But, as always, it is the small guys that suffer most like the proverbial ants among fighting elephants.
It is they whose livelihood will be taken away and who will have to fight with whatever means at their disposal. To the ‘Powers’ they are like ants to the elephants – mere pests whose various other similar pest-like names (terrorists, insurgents etc.) are but convenient labels for the excuse to terminate them large scale without qualms, and whose deaths in the millions can be conveniently consigned to some corners of history where the fools of the world don’t venture.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Phantom Fury
The Americans call their latest effort at eliminating opposition in Fallujah to their occupation of Iraq operation 'Phantom Fury'. These may be reasons for that name:
1. This is another round of destruction based on the fictitious excuse of eliminating terrorists
2. the Bush-like idiots are genuinely furious at being opposed and they wanted a phantom excuse to kill some one
3. they hope that any anger they generate from this will disappear into thin air and they can get away with it another time
4. they genuinely think that the opposition is a bunch of misled idiots whose fury towards them are unjustified.
Phantomise it any which way you like, but may be these idiots really think the world is as simple as their religion teaches: they are good and all that's against them or react to what they do are evil, and they can do anything they like as theirs is a forgiving God and all they have to do is ask for forgiveness. Supreme idiots of a phantom world indeed.
Oh the phantom of Osama, may thee appear again for such idiots only understand your kind....
1. This is another round of destruction based on the fictitious excuse of eliminating terrorists
2. the Bush-like idiots are genuinely furious at being opposed and they wanted a phantom excuse to kill some one
3. they hope that any anger they generate from this will disappear into thin air and they can get away with it another time
4. they genuinely think that the opposition is a bunch of misled idiots whose fury towards them are unjustified.
Phantomise it any which way you like, but may be these idiots really think the world is as simple as their religion teaches: they are good and all that's against them or react to what they do are evil, and they can do anything they like as theirs is a forgiving God and all they have to do is ask for forgiveness. Supreme idiots of a phantom world indeed.
Oh the phantom of Osama, may thee appear again for such idiots only understand your kind....
Thursday, November 04, 2004
The History & Dynamics of Oil
http://www.geology.ucdavis.edu/~cowen/~GEL115/115CH13oil.html
Very good article about oil and hints on what happened around the world the last century like
- why Russia wants control of Chechya and Central Asia
- why Iraq whacked Kuwait
- why Libya is made an 'outcast'
- why China, Vietnam etc. wants the Spratlys
- why Venezuela claims America has a hand in its political turmoil
- why Bush whacks Iraq and Afghanistan
- why he wants to whack Iran
- why Australia 'saved' Timor
- how 'shares' of profits can be re-distributed by the powerful once they install rulers of their choice
The powerful manipulates everything/anything they can to their benefit. The world is a free market only to fools who know nothing of history and how things really work.
Very good article about oil and hints on what happened around the world the last century like
- why Russia wants control of Chechya and Central Asia
- why Iraq whacked Kuwait
- why Libya is made an 'outcast'
- why China, Vietnam etc. wants the Spratlys
- why Venezuela claims America has a hand in its political turmoil
- why Bush whacks Iraq and Afghanistan
- why he wants to whack Iran
- why Australia 'saved' Timor
- how 'shares' of profits can be re-distributed by the powerful once they install rulers of their choice
The powerful manipulates everything/anything they can to their benefit. The world is a free market only to fools who know nothing of history and how things really work.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Defining Moments
American Presidential Result due Tonight...
Apparently, idiot Bush entered politics after he was ‘saved’ from all his failures by a certain evangelist who made millions giving cheap surmons on TV. Since then he reportedly believed that he was chosen by God to do great things not just for America but the world. That is nothing new as we hear of such idiots every once a while all round the world after they have read a certain chapter in a certain book about ‘chosen people’. But what is different about idiot Bush is he soon got to lay his hands on many of the huge firepower that science had created, and that is worth someone doing something about it.
One of the biggest state where large numbers of Bush-like idiots are found is Texas which was where Bush began fulfilling his ‘calling’ by winning the governorship. He then went on to ‘define’ what Michael Moore called (roughly) a fictitious time where fictitious election results elect a fictitious president who starts fictitious wars using fictitious reasons.
Of course, Michael Moore cannot be fully correct. Yes, those Bush-like idiots cheated in Florida big time. But he also won in many other states like Texas which means that significant numbers of Americans wanted him to be there along with all the ‘fictions’.
But that is not new. Ever since the ‘great wars’ of the last century where making and selling war materiel is big business, that country had been hijacked by what Eisenhower famously called the ‘military industrial complex’ to wage war around the world based on a mix of fictitious concepts ranging from ‘free market’ to ‘freedom’ to ‘yellow threat’ in China, Korea and Vietnam to ‘evil empires’ from Central America to Africa to Middle East.
In the meantime, they do not just ignore but arrogantly refuse to work with the rest of the world on real challenges like global pollution, stability of the global financial system, poverty and hunger.
On top of that, every day we hear them brag about how great the American system and dream is and why everyone around the world should follow them.
In their fictional democracy where their choice of presidents can only come from two organizations, they claim that only their system can produce what people want & deserve.
Indeed the world should take them seriously and hence must make them accountable for everything they choose including their presidents and the ‘fictions’ they use to perpetuate the very real disasters we witness.
That is why today is such a defining moment for the world. You see, great idiots hijacking great inventions of science and reason like Bush can also produce defining moments of history.
And why I have 2 very different hopes depending on the outcome of today’s election.
One is the hope that Kerry will win simply because he has yet to proof as idiotic as Bush, and reason, humility and moderation (less greed) may have a chance to prevail.
The other is a much more sinister hope that if idiot Bush wins someone somewhere in the world will not adopt the Vietnamese’s Buddhist outlook where wallops are taken quietly at home and the plight accepted as fate.
There are many things the world can do if we think about it but one is and has to be to give to them what they do unto others.
The 100,000 families in Iraq which had lost someone they love in one year (that must surely beat Saddam Hussein's records), and the countless others in Afghanistan and elsewhere do not subscribe to the 6,000,000 dead Vietnamese’s concept of fate. Their belief is equally powerful and arrogant as that of idiot Bush which explains why they had been going at each other since about 500 years after an idiot by the name of Paul hijacked the Roman empire for purposes not unlike what idiot Bush and his TV evangelist is doing to America today.
If tonight is a defining moment in history, it can be one where hope, reason and decency prevails or one where the most sinister of actions will be taken to put all of God’s idiotic creations in their rightful place.
Many of us can only hope for the less stupid outcome. But even in the fictitious stories contained in the fictitious book of the Bush-like idiots, even the Gods can be crazily vengeful. They have no qualms about wiping out their entire creation by flood just to proof a point.
See The Story of Nolah http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_cckplanetblog_archive.html
So, what is the big deal with Osama blowing away a few buildings? At least, this guy has the decency to be honest with why he did it. No high-horse cowboy bullshit about the likes of 'freeing' others by killing their loved ones.
Apparently, idiot Bush entered politics after he was ‘saved’ from all his failures by a certain evangelist who made millions giving cheap surmons on TV. Since then he reportedly believed that he was chosen by God to do great things not just for America but the world. That is nothing new as we hear of such idiots every once a while all round the world after they have read a certain chapter in a certain book about ‘chosen people’. But what is different about idiot Bush is he soon got to lay his hands on many of the huge firepower that science had created, and that is worth someone doing something about it.
One of the biggest state where large numbers of Bush-like idiots are found is Texas which was where Bush began fulfilling his ‘calling’ by winning the governorship. He then went on to ‘define’ what Michael Moore called (roughly) a fictitious time where fictitious election results elect a fictitious president who starts fictitious wars using fictitious reasons.
Of course, Michael Moore cannot be fully correct. Yes, those Bush-like idiots cheated in Florida big time. But he also won in many other states like Texas which means that significant numbers of Americans wanted him to be there along with all the ‘fictions’.
But that is not new. Ever since the ‘great wars’ of the last century where making and selling war materiel is big business, that country had been hijacked by what Eisenhower famously called the ‘military industrial complex’ to wage war around the world based on a mix of fictitious concepts ranging from ‘free market’ to ‘freedom’ to ‘yellow threat’ in China, Korea and Vietnam to ‘evil empires’ from Central America to Africa to Middle East.
In the meantime, they do not just ignore but arrogantly refuse to work with the rest of the world on real challenges like global pollution, stability of the global financial system, poverty and hunger.
On top of that, every day we hear them brag about how great the American system and dream is and why everyone around the world should follow them.
In their fictional democracy where their choice of presidents can only come from two organizations, they claim that only their system can produce what people want & deserve.
Indeed the world should take them seriously and hence must make them accountable for everything they choose including their presidents and the ‘fictions’ they use to perpetuate the very real disasters we witness.
That is why today is such a defining moment for the world. You see, great idiots hijacking great inventions of science and reason like Bush can also produce defining moments of history.
And why I have 2 very different hopes depending on the outcome of today’s election.
One is the hope that Kerry will win simply because he has yet to proof as idiotic as Bush, and reason, humility and moderation (less greed) may have a chance to prevail.
The other is a much more sinister hope that if idiot Bush wins someone somewhere in the world will not adopt the Vietnamese’s Buddhist outlook where wallops are taken quietly at home and the plight accepted as fate.
There are many things the world can do if we think about it but one is and has to be to give to them what they do unto others.
The 100,000 families in Iraq which had lost someone they love in one year (that must surely beat Saddam Hussein's records), and the countless others in Afghanistan and elsewhere do not subscribe to the 6,000,000 dead Vietnamese’s concept of fate. Their belief is equally powerful and arrogant as that of idiot Bush which explains why they had been going at each other since about 500 years after an idiot by the name of Paul hijacked the Roman empire for purposes not unlike what idiot Bush and his TV evangelist is doing to America today.
If tonight is a defining moment in history, it can be one where hope, reason and decency prevails or one where the most sinister of actions will be taken to put all of God’s idiotic creations in their rightful place.
Many of us can only hope for the less stupid outcome. But even in the fictitious stories contained in the fictitious book of the Bush-like idiots, even the Gods can be crazily vengeful. They have no qualms about wiping out their entire creation by flood just to proof a point.
See The Story of Nolah http://cckplanetblog.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_cckplanetblog_archive.html
So, what is the big deal with Osama blowing away a few buildings? At least, this guy has the decency to be honest with why he did it. No high-horse cowboy bullshit about the likes of 'freeing' others by killing their loved ones.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
The Advantage of Power
When all other countries get into financial/economic difficulties, the IMF goes in to help by telling them to 'put their own house in order'. But for the Americans it is different. When they run out of money or their currency run the risk of being overtaken by others as global base, they go whack/rob others like Iraq. If that still does not work, the IMF goes round the world to blame anyone they can for their problems. What a great country! They print money for nothing, whack others who do not want to use it to keep it artificially high, give some to some cheap Asian economist to work in the IMF, and this idiot says what their paymaster wants.
A few years ago when I told a man in a petrol kiosk that the USD will fall with the advent of the Euro, he told me not to worry as the USD will always 'retain its value' because it is backed by gold. I told him that he is more than 30 years behind time – Nixon dumped Bretton Woods in the early 70s.
I wonder how many other fools there are out there living with false notions like that....
xxx
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)
The International Monetary Fund has warned China that the cost of maintaining its fixed currency regime was mounting and argued for a widening of the trading band on the yuan by 10 percent to 15 percent to stave off pressures on its giant economy.
"I think the cost of maintaining the exchange rate regime is going to be large and will grow over time -- which is why I think there is an argument for a quick move," IMF's China division chief Eswar Prasad said.
The Chinese yuan, which is fixed to the US dollar, is currently considered grossly undervalued and the United States, Japan, and the European Union have been groaning under the weight of cheap Chinese exports. The IMF has been prodding China for sometime to swiftly adopt a flexible currency regime – like widening the band in which it allows the currency to trade against the dollar -- but Beijing says the time is not ripe yet.
Prasad, answering questions from experts at a conference in Washington on East Asian exchange rate issues, said it was more feasible for China to adopt flexibility in managing the yuan than launching a radical revaluation of the currency.
The yuan, also known as the renminbi and now pegged at 8.27 to the US dollar, is currently anchored in a narrow band to the dollar enforced by the Peoples Bank of China. This range is considered too weak by many financial observers. But Prasad indicated that China had to literally pay the price for not heeding IMF advice to it about a year and half ago to widen the band by some three to five percent. "I think under present circumstances that could be disastrous because the market might see that as clearly inappropriate and just as a first step. But I think the price of having waited this long – the initial move is going to have to be much larger," he said. Now, because of greater pressures to its economy, if China wanted to widen the band, it should do so by, say, 10 to 15 percent, he said.
US President George W. Bush has been talking up the currency issue ahead of the November 2 election, charging that the yuan rate had kept China's exports artificially cheap, undermining US exports and stealing American jobs. Bush telephoned Chinese President Hu Jintao this month to underline his concerns and Hu vowed to "move forward firmly and steadily to a market-based, flexible exchange rate," according to the White House.
China's top finance and central bank officials were invited for the first time to attend this month's meeting of finance chiefs from the Group of Seven industrial powers at the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank annual meeting in Washington. G7 members again pressed for a freer yuan regime but the Chinese officials again offered no timetable, saying they would act "when conditions permit."
A free-floating Chinese yuan, according to some analysts, could boost US exports and thereby help reduce the massive US current account deficit, which has contributed to imbalances in the global economy. Ernest Preeg of US policy research group Manufacturers Alliance said 19 bills expressing concern over "currency manipulation" by China and other East Asian economies were before Congress, warning that they could be integrated into single legislative action.
Some experts at the conference suggested that the yuan be first revalued upwards by 25 percent and then be traded on a wider band. But Prasad said it might not be appropriate. He argued that just a 10 percent to 15 percent widening of the trading band would not lead to excessive market pressure on the currency. "As far as possible, the market will think that once this amount of widening is permitted, that there really is going to be nothing more," he said. "After all, if the Chinese can hold the exchange rate where it is right now when the presumption that it is undervalued by 25 percent or 40 percent or more, they can very easily hold it at 15 percent," he said.
A few years ago when I told a man in a petrol kiosk that the USD will fall with the advent of the Euro, he told me not to worry as the USD will always 'retain its value' because it is backed by gold. I told him that he is more than 30 years behind time – Nixon dumped Bretton Woods in the early 70s.
I wonder how many other fools there are out there living with false notions like that....
xxx
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)
The International Monetary Fund has warned China that the cost of maintaining its fixed currency regime was mounting and argued for a widening of the trading band on the yuan by 10 percent to 15 percent to stave off pressures on its giant economy.
"I think the cost of maintaining the exchange rate regime is going to be large and will grow over time -- which is why I think there is an argument for a quick move," IMF's China division chief Eswar Prasad said.
The Chinese yuan, which is fixed to the US dollar, is currently considered grossly undervalued and the United States, Japan, and the European Union have been groaning under the weight of cheap Chinese exports. The IMF has been prodding China for sometime to swiftly adopt a flexible currency regime – like widening the band in which it allows the currency to trade against the dollar -- but Beijing says the time is not ripe yet.
Prasad, answering questions from experts at a conference in Washington on East Asian exchange rate issues, said it was more feasible for China to adopt flexibility in managing the yuan than launching a radical revaluation of the currency.
The yuan, also known as the renminbi and now pegged at 8.27 to the US dollar, is currently anchored in a narrow band to the dollar enforced by the Peoples Bank of China. This range is considered too weak by many financial observers. But Prasad indicated that China had to literally pay the price for not heeding IMF advice to it about a year and half ago to widen the band by some three to five percent. "I think under present circumstances that could be disastrous because the market might see that as clearly inappropriate and just as a first step. But I think the price of having waited this long – the initial move is going to have to be much larger," he said. Now, because of greater pressures to its economy, if China wanted to widen the band, it should do so by, say, 10 to 15 percent, he said.
US President George W. Bush has been talking up the currency issue ahead of the November 2 election, charging that the yuan rate had kept China's exports artificially cheap, undermining US exports and stealing American jobs. Bush telephoned Chinese President Hu Jintao this month to underline his concerns and Hu vowed to "move forward firmly and steadily to a market-based, flexible exchange rate," according to the White House.
China's top finance and central bank officials were invited for the first time to attend this month's meeting of finance chiefs from the Group of Seven industrial powers at the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank annual meeting in Washington. G7 members again pressed for a freer yuan regime but the Chinese officials again offered no timetable, saying they would act "when conditions permit."
A free-floating Chinese yuan, according to some analysts, could boost US exports and thereby help reduce the massive US current account deficit, which has contributed to imbalances in the global economy. Ernest Preeg of US policy research group Manufacturers Alliance said 19 bills expressing concern over "currency manipulation" by China and other East Asian economies were before Congress, warning that they could be integrated into single legislative action.
Some experts at the conference suggested that the yuan be first revalued upwards by 25 percent and then be traded on a wider band. But Prasad said it might not be appropriate. He argued that just a 10 percent to 15 percent widening of the trading band would not lead to excessive market pressure on the currency. "As far as possible, the market will think that once this amount of widening is permitted, that there really is going to be nothing more," he said. "After all, if the Chinese can hold the exchange rate where it is right now when the presumption that it is undervalued by 25 percent or 40 percent or more, they can very easily hold it at 15 percent," he said.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Monkey
This joke highlights the dangers when one follows what others say without thinking & verifying for oneself before believing/acting (some also call that faith for convenience).
Another example of this is a real life story. A couple of months back, I was having breakfast at a coffee shop. It consisted of a cup of tea, 2 slices of bread and 2 half boiled eggs. I got a seat opposite to an elderly Malay man who was probably close to 80. The sight of me relishing the half boiled eggs, triggered his appetite and probably some long gone memories, and he said to me "I'll go get some eggs too".
After he came back with his eggs he told me that he was afraid of taking eggs because of all the talk about high cholesterol.
To which I gave him my usual views about how many people take things out of context esp. the unthinking ones.
I told him that many foods have high cholesterol if you take them out of proportion e.g. beef that the Westerners eat by pounds per day! Their doctors' recommendation not to take more than a few eggs a day was meant for these people who are already eating too much. But which Asian that does not ape these people does eat meat by a quarter of pound per meal?
On top of that, as far as I can recall, eggs had been a traditionally recognised nutritious staple for Asians, and parents used to make sure their young ones have them daily. And what other natural food has the ability to sustain a young life all on its own? Eggs got to be rich in nutrients to be able to do that.
The old man agreed by saying "ya ah, my father used to have eggs every morning without fail and he lived to 110 years!"
I said "there, that's proof that all the fears you had are unfounded".
The 2 of us laughed as we enjoyed those eggs and wondered aloud how many of us will get to live to the ripe old age of that pak cik's father.
And I wondered how many fools there are out there who will say that they won't touch eggs but will gobble down a bottle of coke without question (like the stupid Americans who drink them by litres everyday).
And that thing does not even carry an expiry date! For such fools, that probably means it is proof of a great product!
One day I will tell you another story of a stupid American woman who sends a chain mail complaining about soya beans and her cancer....
xxx
From: Dion Wan
Re: Monkey
There was once a hat-seller who passed by a forest on his way back. The weather was very hot and he decided to take a nap under one of the trees, so he left his whole basket of hats by the side. A few hours later, he woke up by some sounds. The next thing he realized was that all his hats was gone.
Then he heard some monkeys on top of the tree and he looked up. To his surprise, the tree was full of monkeys. They have taken all his hats!
The hat-seller sits down and tries to think of how he can get the hats down. He started to think and scratched his head. The next moment, he realised that the monkeys were doing the same action. Next, he took his own hat and fan himself. The monkeys did exactly the same!
An idea strikes him - he took his hat and threw it on the floor. And, the monkeys did the same too. Alas, he managed to get all his hats back.
Fifty years later, his grandson also became a hat-seller and had heard this monkey story from his grandfather. One day, just like his grandfather, he passed by the same forest. Feeling very hot, he took a nap under the same tree and left the hats on the floor. Again, when he woke up, he realised that all the hats were gone. He looked up and found that the monkeys had taken all his hats. Remembering what his grandfather had told him, he started scratching his head and the monkeys followed. He took down his hat and fanned himself and again the monkeys followed.
Now, very convinced of his grandfather's idea, he threw his hat on the floor ... but to his surprise, the monkeys still held on to all the hats!
Then one monkey climbed down the tree, grabbed the hat on the floor, gave him a slap and said "You think only you have grandfather meh........???!!!"
Another example of this is a real life story. A couple of months back, I was having breakfast at a coffee shop. It consisted of a cup of tea, 2 slices of bread and 2 half boiled eggs. I got a seat opposite to an elderly Malay man who was probably close to 80. The sight of me relishing the half boiled eggs, triggered his appetite and probably some long gone memories, and he said to me "I'll go get some eggs too".
After he came back with his eggs he told me that he was afraid of taking eggs because of all the talk about high cholesterol.
To which I gave him my usual views about how many people take things out of context esp. the unthinking ones.
I told him that many foods have high cholesterol if you take them out of proportion e.g. beef that the Westerners eat by pounds per day! Their doctors' recommendation not to take more than a few eggs a day was meant for these people who are already eating too much. But which Asian that does not ape these people does eat meat by a quarter of pound per meal?
On top of that, as far as I can recall, eggs had been a traditionally recognised nutritious staple for Asians, and parents used to make sure their young ones have them daily. And what other natural food has the ability to sustain a young life all on its own? Eggs got to be rich in nutrients to be able to do that.
The old man agreed by saying "ya ah, my father used to have eggs every morning without fail and he lived to 110 years!"
I said "there, that's proof that all the fears you had are unfounded".
The 2 of us laughed as we enjoyed those eggs and wondered aloud how many of us will get to live to the ripe old age of that pak cik's father.
And I wondered how many fools there are out there who will say that they won't touch eggs but will gobble down a bottle of coke without question (like the stupid Americans who drink them by litres everyday).
And that thing does not even carry an expiry date! For such fools, that probably means it is proof of a great product!
One day I will tell you another story of a stupid American woman who sends a chain mail complaining about soya beans and her cancer....
xxx
From: Dion Wan
Re: Monkey
There was once a hat-seller who passed by a forest on his way back. The weather was very hot and he decided to take a nap under one of the trees, so he left his whole basket of hats by the side. A few hours later, he woke up by some sounds. The next thing he realized was that all his hats was gone.
Then he heard some monkeys on top of the tree and he looked up. To his surprise, the tree was full of monkeys. They have taken all his hats!
The hat-seller sits down and tries to think of how he can get the hats down. He started to think and scratched his head. The next moment, he realised that the monkeys were doing the same action. Next, he took his own hat and fan himself. The monkeys did exactly the same!
An idea strikes him - he took his hat and threw it on the floor. And, the monkeys did the same too. Alas, he managed to get all his hats back.
Fifty years later, his grandson also became a hat-seller and had heard this monkey story from his grandfather. One day, just like his grandfather, he passed by the same forest. Feeling very hot, he took a nap under the same tree and left the hats on the floor. Again, when he woke up, he realised that all the hats were gone. He looked up and found that the monkeys had taken all his hats. Remembering what his grandfather had told him, he started scratching his head and the monkeys followed. He took down his hat and fanned himself and again the monkeys followed.
Now, very convinced of his grandfather's idea, he threw his hat on the floor ... but to his surprise, the monkeys still held on to all the hats!
Then one monkey climbed down the tree, grabbed the hat on the floor, gave him a slap and said "You think only you have grandfather meh........???!!!"
Friday, October 08, 2004
Another Hour of the.....
This is what happens when 1 set of idiots think that they are special children of God and has a God given right to forcibly take others' land by any means possible, meets another set of idiots that think that they are serving God's purposes regardless of the means they employ to get back at the 1st set of idiots. And nature is such that when 2 sets of idiots are involved nothing gets resolved for as long as they exist.
I was once told that the books that these idiots follow seem to have a 'good' effect on their believers. Clearly that goodness has yet to take effect despite the passage of a couple of thousand years.
I guess that's OK as a century is only a short time as far as their Gods are concerned....
xxx
TABA, Egypt (AFP)
At least 26 people were killed and scores injured when car bombs exploded at resorts packed with Israeli holidaymakers on the Red Sea coast of Egypt's Sinai desert in attacks Israel blamed on Al-Qaeda.
The most powerful of the explosions late Thursday left a trail of carnage and destruction at the 10-storey Hilton hotel in Taba, a town just across the Israeli border, that hosted Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in 2001.
"According to our first information, it appears to be an international terror attack with the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda," said Israel's deputy defence minister, Zeev Boim. The explosions occurred as Israelis were celebrating the end of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, and followed official warnings that Israelis should keep out of the Sinai because of possible attacks.
I was once told that the books that these idiots follow seem to have a 'good' effect on their believers. Clearly that goodness has yet to take effect despite the passage of a couple of thousand years.
I guess that's OK as a century is only a short time as far as their Gods are concerned....
xxx
TABA, Egypt (AFP)
At least 26 people were killed and scores injured when car bombs exploded at resorts packed with Israeli holidaymakers on the Red Sea coast of Egypt's Sinai desert in attacks Israel blamed on Al-Qaeda.
The most powerful of the explosions late Thursday left a trail of carnage and destruction at the 10-storey Hilton hotel in Taba, a town just across the Israeli border, that hosted Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in 2001.
"According to our first information, it appears to be an international terror attack with the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda," said Israel's deputy defence minister, Zeev Boim. The explosions occurred as Israelis were celebrating the end of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, and followed official warnings that Israelis should keep out of the Sinai because of possible attacks.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Immaterial
Interesting article which reminds me of one thing.
According to the writer, people's top wish just before they die always relate to topic of play or regrets of not enough of that on earth. But they did not mention/notice that people of certain religion(s) wish they could die faster (or has such regret) even though by their faiths they are quite sure they will soon be spending time with God which I suppose is a privilege.
I am talking about those whose faith gives them the gall to proclaim quite unbrazenly in obituaries that they have been 'called back to be with the Lord' when they die.
If one is so cock sure that God wants him/her to be on Him, I would think that one will be most eager to go and be with such exalted company without regrets!
After all, their relatives will be joining them there in a matter of time anyway. And like their faiths say, they shall have a great time together throughout eternity in the company of the Big Boss!
xxx
Re: Immaterial?
From: Chung Meng
When it's your time to go, what will you be taking with you ... really?
According to the writer, people's top wish just before they die always relate to topic of play or regrets of not enough of that on earth. But they did not mention/notice that people of certain religion(s) wish they could die faster (or has such regret) even though by their faiths they are quite sure they will soon be spending time with God which I suppose is a privilege.
I am talking about those whose faith gives them the gall to proclaim quite unbrazenly in obituaries that they have been 'called back to be with the Lord' when they die.
If one is so cock sure that God wants him/her to be on Him, I would think that one will be most eager to go and be with such exalted company without regrets!
After all, their relatives will be joining them there in a matter of time anyway. And like their faiths say, they shall have a great time together throughout eternity in the company of the Big Boss!
xxx
Re: Immaterial?
From: Chung Meng
When it's your time to go, what will you be taking with you ... really?
Friday, September 24, 2004
What Can You Do?
(Penned after news report & video pictures of foreign hostages being beheaded by Iraqi ‘rebels’)
Which is more sickening: To slice a head off with a knife or to blow one off with a rocket?
Does it depend on who is doing it or why they are doing it? Or perhaps the question should be who started it?
Some people's responses to mails from people like me complaining about the actions of the US and its allies around the world are the rhetorical "so what if what you say are true, what can you do about that?" "Why should we even bother about that - our lives are not affected nor involved?"
In the meantime, many lives in places where these 'bullies' play their games are directly affected and those rhetorical questions become very real ones. What are you going to do when such bullies and their associates come in to whack you when they like, take what they like, and assign themselves the top positions in the predatory pyramid of life?
Well, it depends on who you are and what you have in hand.
If you are an American idiot, you hide behind a protective tank (or stay at home) but send a missile to the other's house by pushing a button. After that put your goons on the flattened ground, send those idiots a bill, go home, and live off the new rewards like heaven. Oh, forgot to mention - you can also line the next guy up for the time when you run out on milking the last one.
If you are a Palestinian idiot, you bolt a keg of explosives to your body, go to the other's house (which was really your grandfather's), press a button and go to heaven.
If you are an Iraqi idiot, you go to the master bedroom of your house, grab its new occupant (heaven knows how that bastard got there), button him up in yellow jump suit, press the button on your videocam, slice the bastard's head off and send the clip to Al Jazeera.
If you are an Australian or British idiot, you stick an 'I am your Saviour' sticker (can take off any cheap bible) on your forehead, follow close behind the American idiot, pick up whatever crumbs that idiot leaves behind, take pot shots at others just for fun, and say, good heaven, why can't they accept that we are there to save them?
No? Things are not as stupid as that?
Which is more sickening: To slice a head off with a knife or to blow one off with a rocket?
Does it depend on who is doing it or why they are doing it? Or perhaps the question should be who started it?
Some people's responses to mails from people like me complaining about the actions of the US and its allies around the world are the rhetorical "so what if what you say are true, what can you do about that?" "Why should we even bother about that - our lives are not affected nor involved?"
In the meantime, many lives in places where these 'bullies' play their games are directly affected and those rhetorical questions become very real ones. What are you going to do when such bullies and their associates come in to whack you when they like, take what they like, and assign themselves the top positions in the predatory pyramid of life?
Well, it depends on who you are and what you have in hand.
If you are an American idiot, you hide behind a protective tank (or stay at home) but send a missile to the other's house by pushing a button. After that put your goons on the flattened ground, send those idiots a bill, go home, and live off the new rewards like heaven. Oh, forgot to mention - you can also line the next guy up for the time when you run out on milking the last one.
If you are a Palestinian idiot, you bolt a keg of explosives to your body, go to the other's house (which was really your grandfather's), press a button and go to heaven.
If you are an Iraqi idiot, you go to the master bedroom of your house, grab its new occupant (heaven knows how that bastard got there), button him up in yellow jump suit, press the button on your videocam, slice the bastard's head off and send the clip to Al Jazeera.
If you are an Australian or British idiot, you stick an 'I am your Saviour' sticker (can take off any cheap bible) on your forehead, follow close behind the American idiot, pick up whatever crumbs that idiot leaves behind, take pot shots at others just for fun, and say, good heaven, why can't they accept that we are there to save them?
No? Things are not as stupid as that?
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Local Thief, Global Sheriff
History is full of stories of local thief-cum-bullies becoming de facto sheriffs by way of the raw force they bring to bear on others. (Those with no intent or capacity to learn from history need only to watch some John Wayne cowboy movies). This is just another one of those.
And if you wonder why many are not aware of it, it has to do with another very common trick in human history (besides personal shortcomings best left to the individuals): loud mouth bullies always harp about how nice they are while they steal.
xxx
http://www.etan.org/etan/2003appl.htm
From Noam Chomsky
December 2003
Dear Friends of East Timor,
East Timor has been independent for a little more than a year and a half. Many foreign policy experts and Washington insiders predicted that Indonesia would never let go of the former Portuguese colony. Yet the impossible happened—in no small part due to the support of people like you, working in conjunction with the East Timor Action Network (ETAN). But now ETAN is in dire financial straits.
I have been deeply involved with self-determination for East Timor since before Indonesia’s 1975 invasion, and I can attest to the tremendous – maybe even decisive – difference that ETAN’s wonderful work has made. However, ETAN’s ability to continue to work at the level needed is in serious jeopardy due to a shortage of funds. By giving generously, you can help strengthen ETAN financially for the coming year, so together we can meet the many challenges ahead.
Even with independence, the world’s newest country – and Asia’s poorest – faces daunting challenges. Its two giant neighbors, Indonesia and Australia, continue to threaten East Timor’s peace and, indeed, its full sovereignty. Anti-independence paramilitary groups across the border in Indonesian West Timor pose an increasing security threat as the United Nations prepares to end its mission next May. Meanwhile, Australia is openly stealing billions of dollars worth of East Timor’s revenue from Timor Sea oil and natural gas. Australia is flagrantly violating international law and has even withdrawn from international mechanisms to resolve the maritime boundary dispute - leaving East Timor with no legal recourse.
The global powers-that-be continue to deny East Timor justice for the myriad war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against its people from 1975 to 1999. At the same time, the Bush administration, in the name of the “war on terrorism,” is committed to full relations with Indonesia’s brutal military establishment, as the military daily terrorizes the people of Aceh, Papua and elsewhere.
And if you wonder why many are not aware of it, it has to do with another very common trick in human history (besides personal shortcomings best left to the individuals): loud mouth bullies always harp about how nice they are while they steal.
xxx
http://www.etan.org/etan/2003appl.htm
From Noam Chomsky
December 2003
Dear Friends of East Timor,
East Timor has been independent for a little more than a year and a half. Many foreign policy experts and Washington insiders predicted that Indonesia would never let go of the former Portuguese colony. Yet the impossible happened—in no small part due to the support of people like you, working in conjunction with the East Timor Action Network (ETAN). But now ETAN is in dire financial straits.
I have been deeply involved with self-determination for East Timor since before Indonesia’s 1975 invasion, and I can attest to the tremendous – maybe even decisive – difference that ETAN’s wonderful work has made. However, ETAN’s ability to continue to work at the level needed is in serious jeopardy due to a shortage of funds. By giving generously, you can help strengthen ETAN financially for the coming year, so together we can meet the many challenges ahead.
Even with independence, the world’s newest country – and Asia’s poorest – faces daunting challenges. Its two giant neighbors, Indonesia and Australia, continue to threaten East Timor’s peace and, indeed, its full sovereignty. Anti-independence paramilitary groups across the border in Indonesian West Timor pose an increasing security threat as the United Nations prepares to end its mission next May. Meanwhile, Australia is openly stealing billions of dollars worth of East Timor’s revenue from Timor Sea oil and natural gas. Australia is flagrantly violating international law and has even withdrawn from international mechanisms to resolve the maritime boundary dispute - leaving East Timor with no legal recourse.
The global powers-that-be continue to deny East Timor justice for the myriad war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against its people from 1975 to 1999. At the same time, the Bush administration, in the name of the “war on terrorism,” is committed to full relations with Indonesia’s brutal military establishment, as the military daily terrorizes the people of Aceh, Papua and elsewhere.
Sunday, September 05, 2004
Russian School Hostage Crisis
(Comments after reading report that hundreds of school children were killed in a hostage taking incident by Muslim separatists in Beslan, Russia)
Just before the end of the last century, a biologist when invited to write a contribution to a collection of views, hopes and insights for the 21st century chose to share a letter he wrote to his then 10 or so year old daughter. The gist of what he said to his daughter went somewhat like this (as best as I can remember).
He said that he decided to put his views in a letter because his daughter was too young to understand them, and he hoped that she will find them meaningful later in life.
In the letter he said that the advancement the world had seen in the 20th century and its hope in the next lie in rational thought, and not blind faith as basis for all our actions. From rational thought, we learned to understand and adapt 'better' to Nature than our forebears, and thus saw big improvements in the quality of life for a larger proportion of human beings than ever in history. We can also understand better the effect of our actions on Nature only through rational analysis.
History had proven that the way of life based on blind faith as basis for human conduct is futile and outright dangerous. Based on blind faith, an Irish Catholic is as absolutely sure that his view is right as a Muslim in Arabia and a Hindu in India with theirs. And they are totally disagreable to each other. As by blind faith such people are absolutely certain that they are right and therefore the others must be wrong, how are we going to resolve their differences? In fact throughout history these people kill each other as the only way to 'prove' that they are 'right'.
This Russian school incident is just another example of what this man was trying to say to his young daughter. Sadly, many idiots that operate the way he feared still exist in this new century.
Another man once said: War does not determine who is right, it only determines who is left".
And if you have been following the US elections, those idiots are vying to boast on who makes a better war monger. Such is the character of a country that many idiots I know think is the greatest country on earth.
Just before the end of the last century, a biologist when invited to write a contribution to a collection of views, hopes and insights for the 21st century chose to share a letter he wrote to his then 10 or so year old daughter. The gist of what he said to his daughter went somewhat like this (as best as I can remember).
He said that he decided to put his views in a letter because his daughter was too young to understand them, and he hoped that she will find them meaningful later in life.
In the letter he said that the advancement the world had seen in the 20th century and its hope in the next lie in rational thought, and not blind faith as basis for all our actions. From rational thought, we learned to understand and adapt 'better' to Nature than our forebears, and thus saw big improvements in the quality of life for a larger proportion of human beings than ever in history. We can also understand better the effect of our actions on Nature only through rational analysis.
History had proven that the way of life based on blind faith as basis for human conduct is futile and outright dangerous. Based on blind faith, an Irish Catholic is as absolutely sure that his view is right as a Muslim in Arabia and a Hindu in India with theirs. And they are totally disagreable to each other. As by blind faith such people are absolutely certain that they are right and therefore the others must be wrong, how are we going to resolve their differences? In fact throughout history these people kill each other as the only way to 'prove' that they are 'right'.
This Russian school incident is just another example of what this man was trying to say to his young daughter. Sadly, many idiots that operate the way he feared still exist in this new century.
Another man once said: War does not determine who is right, it only determines who is left".
And if you have been following the US elections, those idiots are vying to boast on who makes a better war monger. Such is the character of a country that many idiots I know think is the greatest country on earth.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Another Man the Gods Can Talk To
(report on death of Francis Crick, one of 2 scientists that discovered DNA and the double helix)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20040729/05
The life of another great mind that helped mankind understand a little bit more of Nature's laws had come to pass. While people like me may mourn their passing, the comfort we draw from this is now at least when the Gods have some time on their hands and want to share their thoughts a bit, they have at least one more soul that can at least talk some sense with Them.
Unlike the other idiots who only want to crowd around Them but can only repeat like broken records the words from the one book supposedly written by Them - which if true, They will obviously not be interested in!
Who wants some parrot to repeat the words one had written thousands of years ago, hor?
http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20040729/05
The life of another great mind that helped mankind understand a little bit more of Nature's laws had come to pass. While people like me may mourn their passing, the comfort we draw from this is now at least when the Gods have some time on their hands and want to share their thoughts a bit, they have at least one more soul that can at least talk some sense with Them.
Unlike the other idiots who only want to crowd around Them but can only repeat like broken records the words from the one book supposedly written by Them - which if true, They will obviously not be interested in!
Who wants some parrot to repeat the words one had written thousands of years ago, hor?
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