Plenty of water if we are smart about it

Saw this headline in the ST today. Roughly I guess it is about the use of water or getting more water for the needs of the people. Actually, there is no rocket science about plenty of water if we are smart about it. I did not go through the article but just want to borrow the headline for a simple discussion here. Stretch this statement a bit further, there is plenty of food, energy, land and resources if we are smart about it, even in this little rock. The silly thing that human beans are doing is over consumption, Greed. We just want to consume and consume and consume, all for one silly formula called growth. We need to be growing, keep growing. Without economic growth everything will fall apart. And if our consumption is not enough, import more people to help to consume, to increase demand for land, energy, goods and services, and demand and more demand. Fucking silly thing to do I think. So we keep chasing after more water, more land, more energy, and more people to use them. And we will never have enough of water, never have enough of land, never have enough of energy, and never have enough of people. Are we really that smart or simply daft? If every country is doing what we are doing in the pursuit of growth, mother Gaia will die in double quick time. The Americans are irresponsible consumers of the earth's resources to conduct wars. Are we that different? We are also over consuming and wasting precious resouces in our build and rebuild programmes.

Is there a witch hunt going on?

Witches used to be burnt at the stake by honourable men in the medieval age. Today, with Harry Potter and his school of witchcraft gaining acceptance, the last thing we want to hear is the burning of witches. Witchcraft is a special craft practiced by a select group of very talented individuals called witches and wizards. Their skills are in great demand if they are good, like mediums and bomohs. The distinction is how good are they. A really good witch or wizard can command any price as they are able to bring someone back from death. They have life and death skills and with the riches willing to pay to save their lives, the witches and wizards can literally write their own pay checks. This is nothing new. In every profession, the so called very good ones are writing their own pay checks everyday. It is a free economy, laissez faire. What is wrong with writing your own paycheck on a willing buyer willing seller basis? It is pure business and contractual. If the buyer does not want the price go somewhere else. If a witch is that good, just name the price and tell the customer to take it or leave it. There are no rules or regulations or norms to say a witch cannot charge a million or 4 million bucks. Is there? Did someone say cannot? 1 million or 4 million is too high a price to pay? If I were a very good old wizard, I will simply say this is how good I am, and this is my price. No further explanation needed, and neither do I need to give any excuses. As a good wizard, I can even charge 1m for a visit, no matter whether I dispense any medicine, advice or witchcraft. That is how good I am and I know that those who need my service will come to me. Can or not?

Balinese Dancer

A Balinese dancer doing the final touches to her make up before her performance. More pics at www.artofrar.blogspot.com.

A small flood!

A small flood in Orchard Road and Singaporeans kpkb non stop. What kind of attitude is that? Can't Singaporeans take a small unusual occurrence and live with it, and move on? A small flood is actually good as it shows the fragility of the system. It also wakes people up to scurry for better solutions. Things will improve after the flood. How about a little flood in Parliament? I mean figuratively of course. The small flood can come in the form of a few more opposition candidates getting elected into Parliament. Now would Singaporeans start to kpkb? Or would there by hysteria?

Do not gloat about generosities

The tsunami and earthquake in Japan have in a way mend some ties between the two countries. China has sent a search and rescue team and offered $5.8 million of aids for reconstruction and relief for the victims of the disaster. There are some views that the Chinese should not gloat over this little assistance given to the Japanese. In terms of aids, the Japanese have given China much much more, hundreds or thousands of millions over the years to help reconstruct the modern China today. Say thank you, China. This is the view of shallow minded individuals who have forgotten all about the history between the two countries. And probably they are expecting China to say a big thank you to Japan for the millions given to China which made the $5.8 m insignificant to mention. Should China say thank you to Japan? I think most Chinese well versed in the history of the two countries will still give a two ups to the Japanese despite the aids. The disaster in Fukushima may look big and dreadful today. But it is an act of God, no ill intent by anyone. Compare to the disaster and death toll inflicted on China by the Japanese Invasion in the 1930s and the Rape of Nankin, the death toll in Fukushima is nothing. The tragedy in Nankin could literally make one go mad trying to relive those dark days. Several hundred thousands of human lives were killed and maimed, not by an act of God, but inflicted on by another( in)human specie. It was brutal murder and atrocities to young and old, woman, babies etc etc. How about throwing babies into the air for bayonet practice? And the Americans prevented the Chinese from asking for war reparations after the end of WW2, and also no war crimes against the Japanese. What the Japanese had given to China was a kind of war reparation but without the negative incrimination of their heinous acts. Should China say thank you to Japan for those aids? No amount of money can compensate for the rape of a country, bombardment and destruction of properties and lives, and unremorseful killings of people. Another count is the huge war reparation that the Japanese extorted from the Chinese during the earlier Sino Japanese War. Of course the war was started by the Japanese, who had superior war machines. And the dying and near bankrupt China had to empty everything that was left in its treasuries to the Japanese. Compare this to the aids Japan gave to China which were excesses that Japan could afford in an era of affluence and high economic growth. Compare to the war reparations that the Japanese demanded from China which was outright cash with no strings attached and the Japanese aid to China with strings attached? The generosity of the Chinese people to come to the aid of the Japanese, though not amounting to very much, is a good gesture of human kindness, to give help in times of adversity unlike invading a country in times of adversity. The Chinese may not have forgotten the barbaric acts of the Japanese when China was weak, but are willing to keep those records in history, never to be forgotten. The Japanese on the other hand have forgotten everything and will even deny that they happened. Who should be thankful to who?