the number 1 rogue nation

what are the conditions that the world shall ascribe to the world's number 1 rogue nation? bullying small nations, readiness to use force to invade another country, amassing weapons of mass destruction, sending out their military forces to engage in wars all over the world..etc which country fits these descriptions best? iran, north korea? no, they have none of the above. only the usa fits the description like a glove. and today, the usa has declared that it will use pre emptive strike to hit any country it considers a threat. how hostile and belligerent can a country be when its policy is to strike first at its will? shall all the peace loving countries of the world also adopt such a policy? strike first if it so describes another country as a threat to them? how long can the usa fool the world by claiming itself to be the most peace loving nation? it is anything but the number 1 rogue nation of the world.

internet, levelling the field

for once, the internet has levelled the field in the generation of ideas, views and opinions.. till today, the media has been monopolising the thoughts of man.. they dictate what should be published, what should be said, who can say and when to allow it to be said. the public has virtually no say in what is to be printed in the press. whatever letters or views allowed to be printed are approved by the editors, after having been vetted and seen as acceptable to be printed.. the misconception that the press is free is best highlighted by their control and choice of the information in them. then there are the journalists, reporters, columnists, editors who run roughshod over other people using the media, knowing that others will not have access to them. they can tell anyone off knowing that there is no right of reply unless they permit it. they talk down to the masses. and they know very well that their rubbish views will be rubbished when the people is given a chance to rubbish them. maybe that is the reason why they stay clear from cyberspace.. for in cyberspace, if they dare to venture, they will be torn to pieces if they utter nonsense.. no forumer will give them a chance to have a monologue, appearing very clever and witty.. there will be instantaneous replies and corrections or rebuttals. no longer can people use the press to lambast others and get away with it thinking that others have no means to throw it back at them. the internet has to an extent level the playing field a little. the media view is still the monopoly of the media mafia who would only hide in the comfort of their turf. where are the intelligentsia of the media to be found wandering in blogosphere? where have the arrogance of righteousness and smugness gone? fear of being rebutted?

ge: round ten

the experienced and knowledgeable mp irene ng shot at sylvia lim for having no clear vision when entering the political arena.. or to be exact, her words are 'i'm not sure about her stand on issues.' she said sylvia lim's position was only to act as a check against the govt.. that did not count as a vision.. on the other hand she(irene) had a great vision.. she wanted more women to be in politics. irene lim's reply was that she stood for everything in the wp's manifesto.. maybe she should invite irene to read the wp manifesto to understand what sylvia stands for. actually i only read a few lines of the wp manifesto.. and without reading the whole manifesto, i also think sylvia lim did not have any vision.. sorry sylvia, it is my fault for not reading the wp manifesto and not knowing what you stood for.. i will make it a point to read your manifesto before saying that you have no vision.

god save the queen

some section of the population are in high spirits, all gearing up to sing 'god save the queen.' they might even raise a union jack in their compound.. is it old loyalty, nostalgia or acknowledging the good times of the colonial days? we shall welcome the majesty, the queen of england, and give her the courtesy accorded to a head of state.. it is only the correct and proper thing to do. curtsy, oh yes. the girls must cutsy even if they did not know what cutsy means.. just like kowtow did not mean anything to the europeans when they first set foot in cathay. it is a good time to revel and reminisce the yesteryears, and sing god save the queen with gusto.. the colonial mentality of asians is so cute.. i really love asians if i were an european.. they have such a great sense of humility:lol:

be rewarded for everything you do

this is actually an advert by hsbc on the front page of today paper.. what is interesting is that a big article on teachers leaving the service has this headline 'look beyond pay and career issues.' the article by victor ng beng li has an equally interesting starting paragraph..'the moe is planning to pay consultants good money to review teachers' pay and career structures...those who choose to leave or avoid the teaching profession are influenced not only by lacklustre remuneration or unpromising career prospects.' is victor suggesting that the good money should go to the teachers instead? but then again the headline said teachers should look beyond pay.. that explains it.. no need to pay teachers more.. just pay the consultants will solve the problem. unfortunately the teaching service is not noted for corruption. otherwise that would be a good reason to pay them more.. the only reason for paying them more now is to pay them enough not to leave. victor then provided 9 areas for the moe to look into.. i agree with doing away with assessments of senior teachers annually. i also agree with the quota of 5% D graders.. how could this be introduced in the first place? by having this quota, 5% of teachers, no matter how good, are already condemned before the assessment starts. but i think it is a bit exaggerated to suggest that it is too much of a chore for teachers to collect fees, forms, donation money etc.. the donation money part should be seen as an education in its own right. then the presumption that the teaching service is a demanding and stressful profession which implies that other professions are not demanding and stressful, is not really a good argument. quite a confusing article.. a simple solution to the problem, perhaps, tongue in cheek, is to create a myth that teachers too can be corrupt.. i say creating a myth, so teachers don't be angry with me.. that would provide a very good reason to jack up the salary of teachers to a level where they will beg to stay in the service. then there will be no problem of stress, unattractive career prospect, no prestige or self esteem etc.