Of civilized and uncivilized wars

The war has come to Paris. To be politically correct, this cannot be called war but terrorism. If it is to be called war, it is must be called uncivilized war. There is a civilized way to conduct wars, called civilized war. Uncivilized war is an attack against humanity. I must also condemn this war to be politically correct. How can these terrorists, not soldiers as they were probably not paid, did not wear proper uniforms and ranks on them but suicide bomb belts, attacked innocent people in a football stadium watching football, people attending a rock concert or people having a good time drinking in a bar? I will join the civilized world to condemn this uncivilized war in the streets of Paris.

But the terrorists are shouting God is great. They never think it was a bad thing. They never think that it was uncivilized. Do you want to know why they thought that way? Ok, I must say this again in case people think I am supporting them. No, I am on the side of civilized people and would only support civilized war. Where am I, oh, why did these people think they are fighting a just war in the name of their God? It is unbelievable that people can invoke the name of God to fight wars. Only imbeciles did that, going to war and praying to God and said God help me.

Did anyone want to know why were these terrorists shooting innocent people in Paris and then blew themselves out? Not important, no need to know? But let me explain a little, without supporting them of course. You see, these people lived in countries in the Middle East and Africa, maybe in Syria, Iraq, Libya or some of those countries that the civilized people are conducting civilized wars. The civilized people did not kill people in sports stadium or in concert hall. These countries are at war and there were no concerts or football matches to watch. But many of them, and their relatives, were killed staying at home, having dinners or just passing their time, not sure they got TV to watch. Hundreds of thousands of these people, not sure if they were innocent but very likely not as innocent as the 150 people killed in Paris, had been killed in the civilized wars in their countries.

Did anyone know that many hundreds of thousands of them, including women and children had been killed in civilized wars? I think no one knows as no one ever sent condolence to their leaders or condemned the civilized wars that killed them. No, they were not the deads in wars but collaterals of civilized wars.

What is a civilized war by the way? A civilized war, my guess, is a war conducted by paid soldiers carrying flags and wearing proper uniforms and with the blessing of their govts. And they not only carry automatic rifles and small bombs, they have tanks, warplanes, warships, very big guns and very big bombs to kill many, many people at one go, innocent or not innocent not so important. What is important is that the bombs are very smart and only killed the not innocent people. And the war is so civilized that they don’t used soldiers in some cases to fight the wars. They sent drones, cruise missiles with smart bombs, like playing computer games, absolutely civilized way of killing people. They don’t hear the cries of fear, of shock and pain and despair. They just pushed buttons to conduct civilized wars.

And when countries conduct civilized wars, they can kill by the thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, and it is ok. No one will condemn such killings, because the people were killed in a civilized war. And the best part, civilized wars are conducted in other people’s countries so the civilized people at home are very safe, like in Paris.

Is my explanation on civilized wars right? Or is there a different explanation, like wars conducted by the Americans and their allies are civilized wars and cannot be condemned. When the Japanese invaded Asia and South East Asia killing hundreds of millions, it must be civilized war also. Are the French also active participants in civilized wars? Who are fighting civilized wars? Only those who are fighting civilized wars have the right to condemn those who are fighting uncivilized wars because they are on high moral grounds.

I also condemn uncivilized wars like the one in Paris. I am on high moral grounds too. And the French have vowed to respond with appropriate force, and will continue their bombings in Syria and other Middle Eastern and African countries in their civilized wars, fighting on the side of the Americans and their allies.

PS. When one stirs the hornets nest and get stung by the hornets, please do not curse the hornets for being uncivilized.

Paris the new war zone

More than 140 declared dead and the number is growing. A series of terrorist attacks hit Paris, at a concert hall and a football stadium and the streets of Paris. Guns were fired, bombs exploded, people died.  The war in the Middle East has opened a new front, on the streets of Paris. The lesson, you can’t go shitting everywhere and think the shit would not come flying home.

The opening of borders all over Europe to accommodate the refugees running away from their war torn countries is a good thing on humanitarian ground. It is very heart wrenching to see grown men and women with children in tow and in desperation for a place where they can seek peace and safety, perhaps settling down to live life all over again, to get their children to school, to get a shelter over their heads and a job to feed the family.

But the problems the refugees are fleeing from would not leave them. The problems of war, ethnic strife, religious hate and what else, would find a new fertile ground in Europe to ferment and fester. The Americans and their western allies may think it is a good idea to stir enough shit and hate in the Middle East, to keep these countries in a constant state of war, to ferment animosities and to benefit from the pains and sufferings of these people, and the best part, their homes in the USA and Europe are free, peaceful and safe for themselves and their children. Such simplistic viewpoints, that wars could be isolated in this interconnected global community are simply foolish. The wars you stoked and created will come home to roost.

What is happening in Paris is only the beginning of a long and protracted state of terrorist warfare that would spread across the rest of Europe, London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Rome, Madrid, the list can go on, will not be left alone. Starting wars and fanning hatred are easy. Stopping them and preventing them from spreading are not that easy. And Europe would not be alone, the USA and even Asia, South East Asia, the Australia will not be spared.

A state of emergency has been declared in France.

Would Singapore be so lucky?

Similarities between how Singapore deals with unemployment and how Indonesia deals with the haze problem

We have seen how the haze problem is being tackled by the Indonesians. They are making a big show of fighting the fire that set off the haze. Large resources were applied to fight fires with really little effect on the haze and to relieve the people from being affected by the haze. It is like we are doing something, a lot, to help but not really helping.

The real solution is to prevent the fire starters from lighting up. If no one is allowed to light up, there will be no fire and no haze. There will be no necessity to frantically trying to put out the fire. Tackle the source of the problem, not the symptom the problem. This is very similar to stopping people from smoking and getting cancer. If you don’t stop the sale of cigarettes, you are not solving the problem but dealing with the symptom of the problem.

How are these examples similar to how Singapore tackles the unemployment problem of Singaporean? By now you should be quite clear in the similarities. Yes, we are also tackling the symptoms but not the causes of the unemployment of Singaporeans, our own children brought up in the best education system but unemployable. And every clown is crowing about how good are the ‘talents’ from funny universities with funny education systems. And they are sending an army of recruiters to recruit these funny graduates and flagged them as ‘talents’, better than our children that not only have no skill sets but daft.

And no turkeys would dare to breathe a word to dispute this silly myth. So, with their acceptance of this myth, it means that Singaporeans are really daft and unemployable and need help. And they set up agencies frantically trying to help unemployed Singaporeans to get a job.  More skills training and skills upgrading needed, making Singaporeans not only wasting time and money for such courses but looking silly and stupid.

But funny foreigners from funny village universities got all the skill sets and no need any skill upgrading. And if Singaporeans cannot get a job here, they will help Singaporeans to work in 3^rd World countries to earn cheap currencies.  They could not see the causes of Singaporean unemployment in their home country!  They did not even know that they have been duped by 3^rd World confidence tricksters and snake oil sellers and made a fool in broad daylight, telling them Singaporeans are useless. And the useless Singaporeans built this great city for these tricksters and snake oil sellers to take over when they could not build their own.

What is the real cause of Singaporean unemployment? No, it is not the education system. If it is due to the failure of the education system, then the last few education ministers must be sacked, including everyone in MOE.

Still unclear what is the cause of Singaporean unemployment? It is treachery! It is cheating our own 

children of their jobs by allowing fake foreigners to be employed in their places.

With a stroke of the pen from MOM, we would have solved the unemployment and unemployable Singaporean problem. But no, they still want to believe the foreign snake oil sellers and cheats that Singaporeans are no good and foreigners are best. And these foreigners are still filling the local companies with more fakes and cheats.

PS. According to the Global Employability University Ranking, a joint effort by French and German organizations, NUS graduates rank 17^th among the most employable in the world! What is this? Aren’t our graduates unemployable in Singapore, lack of skills, good for part time employment or as temp staff?

My new profile in China Daily

My new profile in China Daily as a featured contributor

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/commentator.html

Money laundering the most lucrative business

The big American and European banks are making really big money in money laundering and fraudulent banking practices or selling questionable derivatives and products.  Money laundering seems to be the most profitable business for many banks. And they have been fined handsomely by the US Federal Courts to the tune of billions. The total came to US$150b by some 10 big banks, including BoA, Citi, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, BNP, Deutsche, Credit Suisse, UBS, Barclay and HSBC to name a few.

These banks are willing to pay the fines happily, for good reasons, as none of their CEOs were found guilty or made accountable for the offences. The banks continue to run as per normal, and so were the employments of the CEOs, all sitting tight and happily as if nothing had happened. With such latitude, would they be back to their monkey businesses again? There don’t seem to be any accountability or responsibility. It is business as usual and the banks are going to continue to make more monies laundering more money and selling fraudulent derivative products.

Actually the biggest winner of all the bank fraud is none other than the US Govt. They pocketed US$150 billion practically doing nothing, and doing something very legal. How many businesses can make this kind of profit with nearly zero cost? Is there a conspiracy between the Federal Court/US Govt and the big banks, with the banks allowed to do what is profitable but illegal but willing to pay the fines and the courts to enrich the US Govt’s coffer, like I scratch your back you scratch mine?

Who are the big gainers and who are the big losers in this game of money laundering? What a great game to play!