The next big bet

The National Council of Problem Gambling ad that went like this, ‘I hope Germany will win. My Dad bet all my savings on them’, is the best ad so far in terms of getting notice. It is value for money for an ad to be getting so much positive attention. It has also propelled NCPG into the top forecaster of all bets. It has beaten the octopus, the parakeet, the turtle and the fish for picking the winners of soccer bets.

The next big bet will be the General Election. It could go like this, ‘I hope Hsien Loong will win. My Dad bet all my savings on him’. This could be the next big thing in the next GE for the bookies and also the citizens, gamblers or non gamblers. And NCPG would be the toast of PAP if it lives up to its reputation as the top oracle, and if it is cheeky enough to put up such a bet.

Someone may be motivated enough to place a shrine outside NCPG’s office for people to pray for 4D/Toto numbers. Didn’t Germany won the game against Brazil? Didn’t dad make a killing and the boy had his savings returned safely to him plus bonuses as well?

Anyone wanna bet who would win in the tussle between the pro LGBT group and the conservatives in the NLB book burning case?

Kopi Level - Yellow

The changing geopolitical game

The American Empire rules the world after its victory over Germany and Japan in WW2. It then went on to dictate the terms and rules of engagement in international affairs with the Americans as the judge, jury and executioner. It was field days for the Americans to do as they pleased and how they liked. Branding nations as rogue nations, imposing sanctions, supporting anti govt forces, inciting and arming of resistance forces to overthrow govts, sending American advisors to work with anti govt forces in civil wars, invasion and regime change, were all part and parcel of the American game plan. Countries not on the American side would either end up in perpetual warfare, divided or constantly under harassment of sanctions and threats of war.

Up until Iraq, all systems go. There was no resistance to the military might of the Empire. Then came Libya and a slap on the face of the Russians. It forced the Russians to stand up and said this is one step too far and if not stopped, the Russians would be booted out of the Middle East.

The Americans tried the same game plan again in Syria. Incite a small resistance movement to go against President Assad. This was followed up by military aids and sending in of military advisors to overthrow Assad’s govt.  This time the Russians were prepared for it and Putin said no. The Russians went in to support Assad with military aid, advisors and a political will to keep the Americans out of Syria. Obama was surprised by the strong stand of Putin and got to think very hard to risk a war with the Russians. Any American move to support the resistance would only escalate the civil war. The Americans turned chicken and an uneasy civil war failed to break out. Assad is safe and the resistance movement would have to remain a resistance movement with limited American support.

Syria is a stalemate. The turning point came in Ukraine. Now the whole American game plan is turned against the Americans. The Russians incite and support a resistance movement against the Ukraine govt. The Russians sent in their military advisors and aid to boost up the strength of the resistance. 

This is American military intervention instruction 101. The Americans and their European allies could only scream and shout and threaten retaliation but all sounds and fury, like the Russians used to do. The Russians have taken the initiative and the offensive. The American Empire has never found itself in such a situation and could only hold their breath and watch the developments in Ukraine with no answers.

Under the dominance of the American Empire, Germany and Korea were divided. China and Taiwan was also divided. Now it is the turn of Ukraine, but the call is by the Russians. The Russians are throwing the book back at the Americans, following every word and page of the American book of war.

Ukraine is the beginning of the changing fortune of the American Empire. Ukraine is the beginning when the table is turned against the Americans. The fall of the American Empire is getting real.

What the Israelis are doing these few days would make the Americans more evil in the eyes of the Islamic world and the Arabs. The Americans are just folding their arms to let the Israelis blast the Palestinians out of their homes. They act daft, can’t do anything. But if it is against the Israelis or American allies, they will sail in their naval fleet and threaten to bomb whoever to Stone Age. The anger of the Arabs and Muslims would grow not so much against the Israelis but the Americans, the evil Empire behind the carnage. Israel could be so brazen and trigger happy because the Americans allowed them to do so.

The evil Empire is the source of all conflicts around the world.

Kopi Level - Green

When no meeting of the minds is intentional

There have been a lot of kpkb by the more vocal citizens about bad policies or policies they do not want to go along. The 6.9m PWP, the complaints about the influx of ‘foreign talents’ to displace local PMETs, the demand to return the people’s CPF savings at 55, the high property prices, the anger about throwing public money at foreign students, offering them scholarships and precious spaces in the local universities, etc etc. How did the govt respond to these challenges?

One simple straight forward tactic is not to talk about it, just remain silence and pretend there is no problem or they did not hear anything. Is any of these topics discussed in the Natcon? Other than the unavoidable issue of CPF linked to Medishield Life and the Hong Lim Protest, is any of the issues raised in Parliament? Let the anger and energy dissipated with time and soon the people would be too tired or even forgot about the problems. People have short memories and are not persistent enough to fight for what they think is right or to stop what is detrimental to their good and did not want to continue. As unorganized groups, they soon lost themselves, the issue lost steam, and gave up on their cause.

Another way to handle public anger or disapproval is to side track the issue or pretends to be working on it but on a different issue. The people are angry when good jobs are given to foreigners in the name of foreign talents. Does anyone notice that the govt is not saying anything about the continued influx of foreign talents but focused on reducing the intake of foreign workers instead? There seems to be no meeting of minds, the people talking about FTs and the govt talking about FWs.  Is this an intentional diversion from the main issue, ie foreign talents, pretending or ignoring them but working on reducing the FW intakes that the people knew are jobs that the locals did not want to take up? They did not understand what the people are kpkb about, the FTs and not the FWs?

Maybe it is about good communications or selective communications, talk only on topics that they chose to talk about and keep quiet on issues that they did not want to talk about. And there is no need to bother about a meeting of the minds. The meeting of the minds, if there is any, will be in the Natcon on select topics with the converts talking to the converts of the same religion.

Kopi Level - Yellow

Respecting Parliament and the trust of the people

The embarrassing revelation of Parliament having not enough MPs present to make a quorum for the passing of bills is not funny. It is not a small matter.
 
Our MPs maybe part time, some full time, but they are paid extremely well for being part timers. The people can understand that they are busy people with many hats to wear, many directorships and meetings to attend. But to skip Parliament is unacceptable.
 
The Parliament is the highest office of the land. It is not only an honour to be sitting in Parliament, it carries a lot of responsibility and prestige as law makers. It carries the hope and aspirations of the people. MPs are elected by the people to represent their interests in Parliament. And Parliament does not sit everyday.
 
When Parliament is in session, it must be the top priority of MPs to be in attendance. Any MP that thinks being present in Parliament is secondary to his other money making activities should not offer himself as a representative of the people. They are not only disregarding the interest of the people but showing disrespect to the highest institution of the land.
 
The Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament must impress upon the MPs that this is the highest duty, to be representatives of the people in Parliament. The MPs and MPs to be must commit to serve the people and be present in every Parliamentary sitting except for extenuating circumstances that they could not be present. How can anything be more important than a Parliament in session? How can MPs feel so comfortable and convenient to be absent from Parliament?
 
Maybe I am wrong. Parliament is not important. Being present in Parliament is a waste of time. Law making is not important, voting and passing of bills in Parliament are not important. If that is the case, by all means, no need to attend Parliament, or no need to have Parliamentary sessions to discuss national issues and make laws. What is the status of Parliament? A rubber stamping institution, be present or absent is not material?
How can there be less than 25% of MPs present in a Parliament session and how long have these been going on? $16,000 a month is a lot of money, teeny weeny peanuts to some, to at least make a show of face or sleep in Parliament. Anyone who thinks that $16,000 a month is not big enough and not justifiable to make a presence in all Parliamentary sittings must not stand for election as an MP. It is an insult to the Office of Parliament. It is not doing justice to the people that elected them to be in Parliament.
 
What do you think?

Kopi Level - Green

Vietnam still nursing its wound from border war with China

Ha Thi Hien was 14 when the PLA launched its attacks into Vietnam following Vietnam’s invasion and occupation of Kampuchea. In a NYT report posted in the Today paper on 7 Jul, ‘Chinese artillery fire echoed across the hills around her home in northern Vietnam and hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers swarmed across the border.’ They fled their homes only to run into Chinese soldiers. The Chinese soldiers were all over Langson, all over north Vietnam.
 
Vietnam then was victorious against the mighty Americans, chased them out of Vietnam and went on to occupy Kampuchea and Laos. The speed and extent of the Vietnamese occupation of its neighbouring states brought fear to Thailand and Malaysia and as far south as Singapore. The Domino Theory was revived and was very real as no Southeast Asian country possessed the military might and experience to fight a war with Vietnam. The ease in the fall of Kampuchea and Laos was too frightening to imagine. Thailand was next.
 
The Americans were a lost cause for help, having been defeated and no longer had the appetite to engage the Vietnamese once again. Thailand sought help from neighbouring China. The Chinese responded positively as they too wanted to keep Kampuchea and Laos as independent states. China ordered the Vietnamese to pull out. The Vietnamese refused, after defeating the Americans they have no one to fear, not a relatively weak China. The Chinese gave them an ultimatum and when this was ignored, China launched a border war against the Vietnamese. It was a brutal war.
 
The Chinese went in to teach the Vietnamese a lesson and to pull out from Kampuchea and Laos. The Western media, still nursing the wounds and lost pride of the American defeat at the hands of Vietnam, were too happy to sing a different tune. Vietnam taught the Chinese a lesson. Who did the teaching and who received the lesson and learnt well not to repeat the same mistake? The Sino Vietnamese border was peaceful since then with no major incursions from the Vietnamese. They were ferocious fighters and attacked Chinese positions when told to vacate Kampuchea and Laos. They would not take such orders from China.
Not only that the Vietnamese no longer harbor the adventurism to attacking Chinese positions at the border, they left Kampuchea and Laos in peace. They withdrew. Period. Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries took a big sigh of relief that the Domino Theory would not materialize.
 
Till today, many western sources are still blowing the trumpet that China was taught a painful lesson. It was a bitter war with heavy casualties from both sides. The effective result, Vietnam left Kampuchea and Laos. If the Vietnamese had taught the Chinese a lesson, would they be so willing to give up their two prize catches in Kampuchea and Laos? Why should a victor in a war be dictated by a loser? Or it was the other way? The victor dictated the terms and the losers obliged, the loser, Vietnam, having been taught a lesson quietly withdrew from Kampuchea and Laos.
 
The Vietnamese are cocky and very aggressive in nature. They are very proud of their military triumphs against the French and the Americans. They would not give any respect to the Chinese. But their actions told the real story. They never dare to give any more trouble to China and her neighbours, Laos and now Cambodia.
 
They are starting to be itchy again, and harassing Chinese rigs in the South China Sea with tens of small fishing boats and coast guards attempting to ram the Chinese rigs. China is restraining itself from sinking them and allowing the western media a field day to denounce China as the aggressive party.
 
The recent trip by Yang Jiechi to Hanoi was not a friendly visit but to warn the Vietnamese to stop their harassment or they would be taught another lesson at sea. The Chinese have given enough face to the Vietnamese and even rope to hang themselves if they refused to stop their street punk tactics to ram the Chinese rigs. The Chinese must have told the Americans and the Asean states of what they told the Vietnamese and would take actions if the harassments continue. The Vietnamese are still as determined as ever to disrupt Chinese oil drilling processes. China has up the pressure by starting to arrest Vietnamese boats attempting to do so to mean business.
 
When would another flare up begin and when would a second lesson be taught? The first lesson seems to have lost its effect and faded in time. Are the Vietnamese seeking to be taught another lesson in how to behave as a good boy and a good neighbour?

Kopi Level - Green