Nixon in Obama?

There was a saying that Richard Nixon was the greatest salesman ever lived, who managed to swindle millions of Americans to cast him a vote when he promised to get America out from Vietnam. However, he sent in more troops to Vietnam when he became the president. Oddly, i find this happening today. Obama promised the world that wars in middle east will end which is one of the reason why he had won the presidency against republican, McCain. Further to this, Obama even clinched a Nobel Peace Prize. However, at the very same period, he sent in more troops to Afghanistan and defended that war can be necessary at times. Pardon me, but I really can’t picture peace and war together. A war president getting a nobel peace prize? It’s just like a kid got caught stealing sweets from the shop and the shopkeeper offered him the sweets without any payment. The kid accepted the offer, yet still continue the habit of stealing. Sounds like Obama to me; he’s in the war and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, yet still continue the war or worse, intensify it! I hope Americans will not look back in twenty years’ times, and wonder why they were swindled again. But this time, an even more influential salesman. Hopefully, this salesman would use the right techniques and not disappoint his millions of customers, which the predecessor salesman did.

 

Ubuntu, only if we understand this before innocence were killed

I learn something new everyday. What i’m sharing here is news to me and maybe you, but not to those who already had their lives sacrificed. There still can be discussion around, but the fact that they are dead, whats the point? Yes, learn from it, but just exactly how much do we learn? Since world war II, just exactly how many conflicts have the world been through? Many. The most shameful thing is that one of the longest war since then is still taking place currently.

Apartheid, was a racial separation system implemented between 1948 till 1994 in South Africa which had cost many innocence lives due to intense pressures between minority whites and majority blacks. Mainly, the blacks were the victims being tortured and murdered, being suspects of terrorist against the ruling whites. After it was abolished, Truth and Reconciliation Commission was setup to allow the victims and families to share their experiences. Hence, knowing that hands were chopped, women raped, manhood destroyed, electrification, burnt to death were really common. However, amnesty can be granted to those who committed the abuse by the commission. Surprisingly, some victims families were really forgiving. To them, its Ubuntu; humans are all related, what he do affects both you, me and the world. Hence, its like a ‘lets stop seeking revenge or harming one another, because it would spread the harm to more people’. If only everybody understand this concept, and stop thinking of each individual, race, religion or country, I believe less lives would have been lost.

However, even after this south africa eposide, humans still continue their selfish thinking in protecting themselves. Protecting may be a natural human instinct, but the way we are doing is causing more problems. Is going into war the best way to protect ourselves? Surely, we can do better. Furthermore, some soldiers who were deployed changed, exactly because its call a WAR and so they became hostile. Mahmudiyah killings took place in 2006; it involved the killings of a innocent family and gang-rape of a 14 years old girl who was then burnt. Me, being hundred of thousands miles away from this girl, feel terribly pain knowing this; just imagine how would this girl’s neighbour and friends would have felt. Hence, this war is not going anywhere, it just involves more lives being taken away and greater hatred developed. It would be never-ending because of Ubuntu. Sometimes, government are the most stupid thing that can ever exist; they were so focused in reaching the top of the mountain and would take whichever shortest route possible, yet forgotten that they have intruded to someone elses territory without their permission.

i copy this picture from the movie, Redacted. It took me much courage because I am 110% disgusted and feel really nauseous by this picture. The identity of this picture is ambagious, but surely it cant be anywhere better as well. Whats your thought of the war now? or even our government support in this war? Remember, Ubuntu, we are all inter-connected.

Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage

I watched this German film last week, the final days of a german heroin, Sophie Scholl, during Nazis occupation. The plot is really predictable, but somehow the movie still managed engaged me closely throughout (most probably the sound effect). Sophie and his brother, Hans were caught distributing anti-Third Reich notes in their university campus and subsequently executed. The highlight of the movie is definitely the trail they have in the courts, the obvious bias and propaganda from the judge, the submissive and obedient members and the fearless resistance from Sophie and Hans. Here are some quotes I really love:

Sophie  – ‘Trucks came to pick up the children at the mental hospital. The other children asked where they were going. “They’re going to heaven,” said the nurses. So the children got on the truck singing. You think I wasn’t raised right, because I felt pity for them?’

Sophie – [to the court] ‘You will soon be standing where we stand now.’

Hans – [to the court] ‘If you and Hitler weren’t afraid of our opinion, we wouldn’t be here.’

Hans – [to the court] ‘You may hang us today, but you’ll be hanged tomorrow.’

Although in this twenty-first century, less of such unreasonable executions are happening (or maybe intelligence nowadays have been doing and covering their jobs well), but the number of people who are willing to stand up and stage a change for the unfortunate is decreasing as well. Not that I would like to see everybody going to the street and stage a protest everyday, but surely there’s some organized method we can apply to help those entangled in this unfair system. I believe this Sophie Scholl spirit is in both you and me, it’s really a matter of initiative to make things happen. It could be a little chore for us, but a miracle to another.

The Nike story

I managed to do a commentary for youth.sg on world poverty, http://www.youth.sg/content/view/7556/59/, please have a look. However, a friend told me it looked heavily edited, yes it is. There is this lot I would like to post on my blog, because i find it simpler and easier to understand:

‘Made in China’ is a very common tag we find on our clothes, shoes or bags’ tags. I remember owning a Nike shoes that says ‘Made in Indonesia’ while some may have a ‘Made in Thailand’, ‘Made in Vietnam’, ‘Made in Pakistan’ or ‘Made in Philippines’.   It is widely known that this ‘Made in Somewhere’ tag represents where the goods were produced at. Hence, Nike, a United States product is made in so many corner of the world except for United States itself. Those production countries all share a same feature; they are termed as developing countries or ‘Third World’.  Hence, it explained why Nike would set up their factories there; so to utilise the widely available cheap labour. However, the whole process for Nike to produce sufficient products to cater to the developed countries’ population (like us) is worsening the developing countries’ population living condition. First, to produce the colourful Nike Air-Jordon Shoes, raw materials are needed and usually extracted from the same country of production. Hence, the production countries are depleting more and more of their natural resources which is both wealth and environmental asset. Second, factories processed the raw materials and produced harmful chemicals that are released into the air or river in the production countries. Hence, the population in these production countries can easily contact with diseases if they use the river water.  Finally, in economic terms, Nike would want to maximize profits and would do all means to keep production costs low. Hence, child labours are employed or maybe just violate the minimum wages level. If we zoom our lenses out to examine this process and asked ourselves ‘where do the money flow to?’, the answer is United States. Although jobs are created in the developing countries, their natural resources are extracted, polluted and their pay exploited. Hence, if we continue to satisfy our luxury wants, it create a demand and Nike would increase production or source for an upcoming ‘cheap’ country to start another production site. The poor will be left poorer.

I hope you see the whole picture now. and I need to say this again to you and myself,

this logo or that logo on your t-shirt, laptop, and so forth all share a corporate story that they didnt want you to know. Hence, its up to you and I to recognise and do something about it.

 

Matt Preston is just doing his job

Who is Matt Preston? I shall do a brief introduction here; he is one of the judges of the Australia popular TV show, Masterchef. Due to its popularity, the production team quickly came up with the second series but with slight variation, Celebrity Masterchef, screening on TV currently. Basically, he’s a food critic. However, on the last episode (watch it: http://www.masterchef.com.au/episodes.htm), a comment from him sent me into deep thoughts. On that particular episode, the contestants were sent to a fine dining restaurant to have ‘first-hand’ experience. The real customers have expectations; hence any overcooked or undercooked or not presentable food are all thrown away. At the end of the episode, Matt actually told the contestants ‘I do not care how much food were thrown away, what matters is the end product that is going to be presented to the customer’ (not direct quote). I was quite taken back at first, still couldn’t accept the fact that we the so-called developed population have achieve such high standard of living that food needs to be perfect for consumption.

I see this everyday in my restaurant I’m working at as well. Food was ugly (for example the cream doesn’t stand), Chef got unhappy, reprimanded the assistant, assistant throw the food, assistant prepare the same dish again. Even the waiters are throwing the leftovers from the customers’ plates. Just imagine if all these food can be delivered to those who need them, who will still suffer from hunger in this world? If only a boss would step forward and say ‘ok, no food is to be thrown away, keep it and I will arrange for them to reach the poor’. Our capitalist society have created millions of profit-driven corporations to meet customers’ demand. Hence, if a customer doesn’t like it, we ditch it! This capitalist world have mould us into humans who disregard other humans; we wouldn’t realize that another human needs the food, we have become too focused on the profits. This is not Matt Preston’s fault, it is the system that we living in that caused this problem.

APEC is asking for its doom day

APEC stated very clearly – reject all form of protectionism and embrace a very open liberal economy. Yes, back to basics, free trade and more free trade. It looks more like going back to square one instead; we are embarking our first step again to bring about another financial crisis (in the future). Have we not learn from our history lesson? Again, I believe everybody will be horrified if a government decided to wipe out the Jews race again, which I believe everybody should be just as horrified that our governments have decided to promote Adam Smith’s free market theory again. The great depression in 1929 is the failure of Adam Smith’s theory;  maybe Asians didn’t feel the impact as much back then, but now that we are striving forward in economic terms, we are in greater risk of experiencing what US and Europe had experienced in 1929. Finally, the 1970s recession brought upon by world-wide opening up their economies is another exmaple of free market weakness as well. Even the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the last global financial crisis has its roots to our free market, free trade policies.

I couldn’t emphsize more on the downsides of free trade. The governments are again going back to adopt it which is the exact root cause of poverty! Mexico President Felipe Calderon even used NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement) as an example to encourage Asia Pacific to enter free trade! However, according to some actual facts, Mexico farmers are worse off since NAFTA and terrorist group is formed on day 1 of NAFTA formation.Why would any ordinary farmer with a family to take care of resort to join a terrorist group? It is definitely because NAFTA would make him incapable to take care his family anymore. My dear Asians mates, can you see what we are getting ourselves into?

Finally, free market has this ability to increase the volumn of economy in short period of time. It means we will receive news that our GDP is rising, goodnews? NO! It would only make the income inequality gap greater. Furthermore, with globalization in place, the production rates will be increasing tremendously, pollution and more pollution. Finally, China the biggest polluters in the world has not made any committment to ease their irresponsible action. However, it is solely China’s fault? I doubt so, the international brands are setting their production there, polluting China even more! It’s a cycle, why are we gearing ourselves to another loop of it?

Saw this cartoon on the newspaper few days back:

I’m neither the one who drew that nor I’m the only one who realize the consequences of the APEC summit this year. If you have read this entry till this far, I hope you will make an effort to share the content to the next person you see today.

We are destroying our Earth

Few days back, I was watching the morning tv (either channel 7 or 9) who invited a geologist for interview on discussion on the movie 2012 – is it really fictional? The interview flow to other disaster movie like the day after tomorrow which the geologist was confident that it will not happen yet so ’lets sit back and relax’. Funny how a national tv is informing the australians to ‘relax’ when we should be worried and doing more.

Food produced today can feed twice the world population. Whats the consequences of that? Land was exhausted by farming and fish like tuna faced extinction. When the land become barren, it risked forming a desert and that explained why Sahara desert and many others are expanding. Besides the fact that human cannot utilise the land anymore, it also can increase global warming because of less vegetations. When tuna extinct, it does not mean ‘alright, just stop eating tuna, no big deal’, it has a much more serious consequence of affecting the eco-system food chain. When tuna is removed, fishes feed on tuna would have adverse effect and so on. The rate we are exhausting the natural resources to feed the world is much more faster ten years back. Worse, the food never reach the poor! Instead, the food went to the buffet counter or thrown away in restaurants or even us when we couldn’t finish the dinner or left them in the fridge to rot!

I didn’t understand how exactly we can just ‘relax’ when we should be doing more to curb the compounding speed of extracting resources from the earth. Surely, the high record of temperature in summer, brought forward snow storm in China and the worse storms experienced in England are indicators of impending doom in the future.

Fall of Berlin Wall – A Celebration?

Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989 - a year after I was born; hence I was unable to feel the joy and anticipation of both citizens of east and west germany. It had been such a emotional torture for families who were separated or the many individuals who lost their freedom under Soviet Union control;  it’s unquestionable to see the big celebration in Berlin today. Cold War which ended Soviet Union empire and bring the collapse of Berlin War does not only represent the end of communist power but also the rise of US imperalism. With the mainstream media feeding us information on how wonderful it is to see the fall of Berlin Wall, who would realize that twenty years down the road, more countries had become ’slave’ to US empire.

I’m not supporting any of these ambitious nations but I guess we need to realize this fact and stop living on the expenses of others; just because the biggest state in world created such system of capitalism does not necessary mean we need to follow. If humans need to create different sizes of clothes to fit different body shapes, what makes US think that their model of economy is able to fit every single nations or even tribes.  Tribes’ way of living is also our ancestors’ way of living. If our ancestors had managed to survive and reproduce to the next generation, it means that way of living is viable. Finally, if the current tribes (who are still surviving) in the world are contented with their way of living, what makes US think that a factory would do them good? Besides, what rights did US own to take their natural resources of the tribes for the mass production of Nike or so forth. In the paperwork, it all looks legal (or maybe even reasonable) for US to extract the natural resources from else lands that is because their government was fooled into getting loans that they are never ever able to repay and resorted in giving up their natural resources or simply they are too corrupted. If any was to think that US did not point gun right at our heads to make us to do, think again; when US is unable to get what they need ‘legally’, they go into WAR! The current unrest and poverty problems are all the products of US imperalism. I’m not making things out of nowhere, look at Ecuador, Panama, Bougainville and many many more (which I would discuss in future post after further research).

Is the fall of Berlin Wall really worth celebrating when the number of people who lost their freedom these 20 years had increased dramatically?

Maj Nidal Malik Hasan, why the killing spree?

I do not like the idea of taking innocent lives. However, in our current context, it is happening and will not end any time soon. Hence, isn’t it better investigate the root cause and motivation for such action rather to condemn these murderers? Maj Nidal Malik Hasan lost control, killed 13 of his comrades and injuring more. Obama said he didnt understand what can lead a man to do such a thing. Again, the news will focus on the victims’ families and their struggles to achieve justice for the lost sons, husband, father. Somehow, it appeared like a react of 9/11 attack which US citizens were protrayed as innocent and Muslim as ridiculous. Thats how US media works, i guess and UK stands along with them this time again.

Funny thing is Maj Nidal Malik Hasan got deployed to Iraq despite communicating to his superior that he would not like to go for a war which he do not believe in. I really wouldn’t blame him for such intention; imagine during japanese occupation in Chinese territories, there’s some cowards who became the Japanese’s spies to assist in capturing oppositions. These Japanese’s spies are our traitors! Hence, how could anybody expect Hasan to go to a war and kill his own religion followers. O well, he IS a US citizen, but so what? I grew up in Singapore and consider myself very much a Singaporean at heart, but if ever there’s a war between Malaysia and Singapore, I won’t do any harm to Malaysia in any way. Thats my roots, thats his roots! Do those capitalist guys understand? Humans are not robots, we have feelings and attachments. It is indeed very unfortunate for the victims and families, but US media (or government) should stop using them to continue advertise your (no reason) war at iraq. Obama got his nobel peace prize, but why are there still soldiers deployed almost everyday?

 

Hasan should be punished for killing; however, he could have do better to communicate his voices to the US citizens. Furthermore, he is lucky to be born in US and has the opportunity to do more than those dying from US soldiers’ bullets everyday.

The Tibet Question

I’m still trying to organize my links on the sidebar for wider information to be retrieved, but there’s really many sources that I cant remember. I guess i shall leave it as it is and update when it sparks me.

Few weeks back in tutorial, I asked my 2 China classmates whether they support their government s’ action and stand in Xinjiang and Tibet. They said yes; which I never expect so it really shocked me for that few minutes. 1 of them said ‘they deserve it’ while the other say ‘they caused too much inconvenience because government became strict in internet control so her friends were having problems in sending email’. Ok, back to the ‘they deserve it’, seriously how do they deserve it? To me, its just like saying the jews deserved to be killed by the nazis. what have the jews done to be killed, and what the tibetans done to be punished? If people can rush in and say ‘no the jews doesn’t deserve it’ so why can’t they understand that the tibetans doesn’t deserve it either! Tibet was INVADED; so if japan still control Korea and northern China, wouldn’t anybody jumped in and say’ hey japan, i think its time to return those land back’. So, is it wrong for Tibetans to say ‘Hey China, its time to return us our land and GOVERNMENT’. There has been history of invasion of Tibet from China (on and off), and the final one was when Mao took over China and immediately decided to ‘bring Tibet back to China to unite’. how nice was that?! sounds more like propaganda to me. after so many years, Tibet as no use to China, its just heaps of mountains what good use can it be? China cant be building some factories and create another Beijing there, it would be too costly. The orthodox thinking was to have Tibet as a buffer zone from India. Hence both India and China wants Tibet since a long long time ago. Now that terrotiory threat is really insignificant, shouldn’t China consider granting the Tibetans’ freedom. furthermore, they are so different in culture, language, how possible can they be a united sovereignty? to think back, i really feel like slapping the smug face that classmate have when he said ‘they deserve it’. and now to the ‘they caused inconvenient’, i’m beginning to wonder where she had gone wrong with her interpretation. ‘They’? i think it refers to the government more appopriately; do not blame on the innocent lives who wanted freedom but for your government who are still afriad of external power and pressure. this classmate, obviously from well-to-do family, born without worries only critique on problems she received from her end. whereas, tibetans like the aborginals in australia, is slowly losing their values and cultures.

This beautiful piece of land, blame it on her geographical position, caused her so much trouble over hudred of years. Even in modern period of civilised society, still unable to retrieve their lost since the unreasonable totalitarian rules.