Qassem Soleimani revenge strikes at American bases - who is lying?

SINGAPORE: Iran's missile attack on military bases housing United States troops in Iraq did not intend to kill, said Middle East expert James Dorsey hours after the incident on Wednesday (Jan 8) on CNA's Asia Tonight.

Iranian forces fired missiles at military bases housing US troops in Iraq on Wednesday in retaliation of the killing of an Iranian general. US President Donald Trump had ordered the drone strike that killed General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.....

"These were precision-guided missiles. They could've hit hard. They could've caused casualties, particularly American casualties. They didn't. They were calibrated not to cause casualties because casualties would've given Trump no option," said Dr Dorsey.

Above is from CNA. Why this expert said there were no casualties? Because Trump said so, and the American media said so. But Iran claimed 80 American terrorists were killed. 15 missiles fired, no casualties? Blanks? The American terrorists used one cruise missiles and killed 9 Iranians in the attack on Soleimani.

Who is lying and who is telling the truth? It depends on who you choose to believe. The bananas would be like this expert, everything the Americans said is true.  I also agree that Trump and the Americans are saying the truth for the following reasons:

1. As the Americans claimed, the Iranians informed them of the strikes before the attacks.
2. So the Americans could evacuate first. The Iranians did not want or dare to kill Americans.
3. The Iranian weapons were unsophisticated, not good enough, unlike the good and precision American weapons.
4. The Iranians did not put any explosive material on the warhead, firing blanks, so only sound but cannot cause any damages.
5. The Iranians are so afraid of the Americans and were putting on a PR show despite the cries for revenge after the killing of their beloved general Soleimani.

Anyone that can believe in the above reasoning can also believe that there is no American casualties. And they can believe that the Americans are angels and Trump is God's messenger of peace and will make America Great again.

What do you think? Can you think? Would you think or be like the unthinking bananas?

Back to the future - PMETs to become construction workers

Singapore has come a long way from Third World to First World, from working under the hot sun in the construction and labour intensive industry, in backbreaking jobs, to white collar jobs in aircon offices. We have progressed from a Third World sweat shop to a fine First World city with our people living a better life.

The new message, many have been talking about it and dreading it, is from First World to Third World. The latest, according to Zaqy Mohammad, Minister of State for National Development and Manpower, ...'The proportion of locals taking up jobs for PMETs in the (construction)sector has fallen over the past decade' ie not good. Thenewpaper reported. 'Local white collar workers appear to be shying away from the construction sector, but new polices are in the offing to lure them back.'

Is the govt trying to sell the new magic formula that working under the hot sun as construction workers is the new good thing for Singaporean PMETs? And it is ok for the foreigners to come in and replace the PMETs in the aircon offices? Our First world PMETs, many with tertiary educations from world best universities, now being replaced by Third World funny degree graduates with funny backgrounds and many with fake and suspicious degrees from funny universities.

This is the new future awaiting our PMETs that are no longer needed in our aircon offices. Out you go, to work under the hot sun and dusty environment, back to the future, to the days when your papa and mama were construction workers. Is this really a good thing? Have our million dollar ministers lost their scripts and have no answers on how to give good jobs to our PMETs after inviting hundreds of thousands of Third World funny graduates to replace them? Have they lost the plot after being paid by the millions? Is this the best solution for our PMETs while they keep bringing in more fakes and funny Third World graduates?

Thank you very much for working so hard and coming up with such a clever solution to help our PMETs. And the ladies, please learn how to put on the red square cloth hats of our Samsui women.

This is Year 2020 and more better options will be coming for our PMETs, from First World to Third World. When would all Singaporeans be asked to vacate Raffles Place and MBFC to make way for wildlife?

My above article in a way is an answer to this comment by Rafiz Hapipi in his article posted in TRE.

'As a Singaporean, I am not simply concerned about unemployment. More importantly, has underemployment of Singaporeans increased? This is the more important question.

This is an undesirable scenario especially when a Singaporean has been trained by local institutions and is deemed qualified, and yet denied an appropriate position that exists in the employment sector in Singapore because companies prefer a PR or foreigner for whatever reasons.

At the end of the day, the qualified Singaporeans have to resort to taking up stop gap measure jobs or gigs then this underemployment becomes the failure of both the MOE and MOM.'

All these underemployed PMETs or replaced and jobless PMETs could become construction workers or whatever in the construction industry that they were not train for. All their valuable education and experience would be thrown into the dustbin like waste and swill, and they need to be retrained to do new jobs. How clever. This is called optimising the use of trained white collar workers to become blue collar construction workers. Only people paid in the millions can come up with such brilliant solutions to help our PMETs.

Andre Vitchek - A letter to the young people of Hong Kong

*A letter to the young people of Hong Kong*

By Andre Vltchek

Friday, January 03, 2020

给香港青年人的一封信

作者 安德烈·弗尔切克

2020年 一月三日 星期五

安德烈·弗尔切克是前苏联出生的美籍小说家、诗人、政治评论员、记者、摄影家和电影制作人。费尔切克曾是一位战地记者，足迹遍布十多个战火地区，从波斯尼亚到秘鲁到斯里兰卡，从刚果（金）到东帝汶。

Now that your city has been in flames for more than six months, your families divided, and no end to the violence is in sight, I have decided to write this short essay, in the form of an open letter, to the young people of Hong Kong.

现在你们的城市既然已经焚烧了六个多月，你们的家庭也分裂了，但暴力的终结还未在望，我决定用公开信的形式，撰写这篇短文给香港的年轻人。

First of all, I want to ask: Why?

首先，我想问：为什么？

Why all this smoke and fire, anger and violence? Were your lives, before the so-called “protests”, or “riots”, really so dismal? 

为什么有这么多烟，火，愤怒和暴力呢？在这些所谓“抗议”，或“暴动”发生之前，你们的生活真的是那么糟糕吗？

You have been living in one of the richest cities on Earth. Even according to Western evaluations, Hong Kong has one of the highest “freedom indexes”, higher than that of most of Western countries.

你们一直生活在地球上最富有的城市之一。就算用西方的尺度来衡量，香港的“自由指数”也是最高之一，比起大部分的西方国家还要高。

Water that comes from your taps is clean, the internet is extremely fast, and public transportation is cheap and one of the best in the world. You can enjoy an exciting cultural life, as well as great public spaces constructed along your impressive coasts.

从你们的水喉流出来的水是洁净的，互联网速度极高，公共交通便宜，也是世界最好之一。你们可以享受多姿多彩的文化生活，和沿着你们的令人印象深刻海岸线建设的优美公共空间。

Naturally, Hong Kong is not a perfect place, as there are no perfect places on this planet.

当然，香港不是一个完美的地方，因为这个地球上是没有完美的地方的。

Your housing is some of the most expensive in the world. Job opportunities for college graduates are not really excellent. Some cities on the Chinese mainland are now more exciting places to live, to create, and to dream than “good old” Hong Kong. But still, it is a fascinating, solid city, with its own culture, mindset and complex history. And in many ways, it is a beautiful city; beautiful and unique.

你们的房屋是世上最昂贵之一。大学生的就业机会也真的不是那么理想。现在， 在中国大陆的一些城市里生活，创作，造梦，比起在香港这个“老名牌”，更带劲。但这仍然是令人向往，有实质的城市，有自己的文化，思维，和错综复杂的历史。

So, why? What happened? Why suddenly such anger, and such frustration?

所以，为什么呢？发生了什么事？为什么突然这么愤怒，不满？

Should we talk? Please let’s.

我们应该对话吗？请吧。

When waving the UK flags, nostalgically recalling your British masters and their rule over Hong Kong, do you even think about some of the most monstrous crimes committed in the history of humankind?

在挥动着英国国旗，依依不舍地怀念你们过去的英国主子和他们管有香港的时期，你们有没有一丁点儿想过人类历史上犯下的一些滔天大罪呢？

I have worked in around 160 countries and territories, on all continents. I have written about and filmed many wars and conflicts. I have been covering revolutions and rebellions, but also terrible riots ignited by Western countries. You probably have heard about the so-called “color revolutions”, or the “Arab Spring”.

我在所有四大洲约一百六十个国家地区工作过。我曾经制作过很多关于战争和纠纷的录像和文章。我采访过革命，叛乱，但也有西方国家煽动的可怕暴动。你们可能听过所谓“颜色革命”，或那“阿拉伯之春”。

I have witnessed, first hand, the fate of countries that have been occupied and then thoroughly destroyed by the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization: Afghanistan and Syria, Iraq and Colombia, to name just a few. I have seen millions of ruined lives in nations where the West overthrew left-wing governments, and then injected fascism: places like Indonesia (1965), and Chile (1973). Now there is nothing left of Indonesia; its nature is thoroughly ruined and the great majority lives in misery. In Chile, people have stood up, and are proudly fighting and dying for socialism which was stolen from them by Western governments and corporations.

我曾亲眼见证了那些被美国，北约国家占领，随着彻底破坏的国家的命运：阿富汗和叙利亚，伊拉克和哥伦比亚，举几个例。我见过一些国家的左翼政府被西方推翻，随着注入纳粹主义后，数以百万计的人生被摧毁：像印尼(1965), 和智利 (1973)等地方。现在印尼什么也没有了；它的生态被彻底破坏，大部分人生活在困苦中。在智利，人民站起来，骄傲地，为被西方国家和集团盗去的社会主义奋斗，牺牲。

I have lived and worked all over the African continent, the most devastated part of the world, colonized and terrorized first by Europe, and later by the US, for many centuries.

我曾经在非洲多处地方生活工作过。那是世上被蹂躏得最彻底的地方：多个世纪以来最初被欧洲，后来被美国施加殖民，恐怖统治。

In Hong Kong, I see you waving flags of the US. You want that country to “save you from China” — from your own nation, in essence. I have read a translation of your school curriculum. It smears China, and it glorifies the West. Were you told, ever, that in the name of that flag, consisting of the stars and stripes, tens of millions of people, worldwide, were murdered, democracies raped, and freedom of expression horrendously oppressed? Or are you reading only what is brought to you by Reuters and other Western press agencies?

在香港，我见到你们挥动着美国国旗。你们想那国家把你们“从中国拯救出来”，即是，从你们自己的国家。我曾经读过你们学校课程的译本。它诋毁中国，歌颂西方。它从来有没有告诉过你们，以这星条旗的名义，数以千万计的人在世界各地被杀戮，民主被强奸，表达自由被无情压抑？或者你们是不是一直只是阅读路透社和其他西方报社带给你们阅读的？

When waving the UK flags, nostalgically recalling your British masters and their rule over Hong Kong, do you even think about some of the most monstrous crimes committed in the history of humankind? On all continents of the world, the British Empire murdered, humiliated, violated and plundered hundreds of millions of people. Human beings were reduced to slaves. Their lives, identities were reduced to nothing.

在挥动着英国国旗，依依不舍地怀念你们过去的英国主子和他们管有香港的时期，你们有没有一丁点儿想过人类历史上犯下的一些滔天大罪呢？在世界所有四大洲，英国帝国杀戮，羞辱，侵犯，抢掠了数以亿计的人。有尊严的人被贬为奴隶。他们的生命，身份被贬成一无所有。

Were you told this? Do you realize it? When you wave these flags, when your leaders are taking bribes from the US and the EU establishment, do you ever think what kind of money you are touching? Do you ever consider that this money is soaked in blood?

他们对你们有说过吗？你们知道吗？当你们挥动这些旗，当你们的领袖收取美国和欧盟当局的贿赂，你们有没有想过你们碰的是什么类型的钱？你们曾否考虑过这些钱是浸过在血中的呢？

I saw several of you demanding “independence from China”. I even witnessed some of you calling China a “terrorist” state.

我见到你们有几个人要求“脱离中国独立”。我甚至见证你们一些人称中国是一个“恐怖主义” 国家。

Have you ever, seriously, compared the Chinese political system to that so-called “democracy” of the West?

你们有没有认真地比较过中国的政治制度与西方的所谓“民主”呢？

Let me give you a simple quiz: In the last decades, how many countries have been attacked by China, and how many by the West? Just do a simple calculation, please. It is so simple; so clear. How many countries have been bombed to the ground, and thoroughly ruined by China, and how many by the West?

让我给你们一个简单的提问：过去几十年，有多少国家给中国攻击过，多少给西方攻击过？就做一个简单的计算吧，请。就是那么简单；那么清晰。有多少国家给中国炸成平地，彻底被摧毁；多少给西方的？

And democracy? In China, the government listens to its people. In reality, democracy means nothing more than the direct translation from Greek — rule of the people. In the People’s Republic of China, the government is working to improve the lives of its citizens, while building a global infrastructure for all (the Belt and Road Initiative). Now, look at the West: Most of the citizens in North America and Europe hate their system, but cannot get rid of it. Some of you regularly travel to the West: Don’t you hear what the people are saying there?

民主吗？在中国，政府聆听人民。实际上，民主的意思就是直接从希腊文翻译过来的－人民作主的意思。在中华人民共和国，政府致力改善自己人民的生活，同时也为所有人建造一个全球性的架构(一带一路倡议)。现在看看西方。北美和欧洲的大部分人民都憎恨他们的政治制度，但不能革除它。你们当中有定期去西方的，你们没有听过那里的人说什么吗？

In the last two decades, China has lifted up hundreds of millions out of poverty. In the West, the governments have buried billions of people in misery in all their colonies. Despite of the terrible plunder of the world, tens of millions are destitute at home, in both North America and Europe.

过去二十年，中国已经把数以亿计的人从贫困中解救出来。而西方国家则把数以十亿计的人埋葬在它们的殖民地里。虽然他们可怕地掠夺了整个世界，北美和欧洲本土仍有数以千万计的贫困人口。

Despite of the not-too-high GDP per capita, China has almost no misery, while tens of millions of the US citizens are living in poverty. There are many more prisoners (per capita) in the US prisons, than in the Chinese ones. 

虽然人均国内生产总值不是很高，中国几乎没有极度贫困，但数以千万计的美国人生活贫困。以人均计算，困在美国监狱里的囚犯要比中国的多得多。

Many US prisons are now privatized: It is a big business. The more that are held behind bars, the bigger the profit!

现在很多美国监狱已经私有化：这是一门大生意。越多人收监，盈利越高。

Is this a system in which you’d want to live? Is it, really?

你们是想生活在这个制度中吗？是真的吗？

I know the West very well. And I know China. These days, in Hong Kong, some of you are waving Western flags, while insulting Beijing.

我对西方很熟悉。也认识中国。这些日子里，在香港，你们当中有些人挥动着西方旗帜，同时侮辱北京。

The West has the most powerful propaganda on Earth. It has the ability to twist everything, to call black white, and vice versa.

西方有地球上最有力的宣传工具。它有能力扭曲任何事情，指黑为白，或相反。

But frankly, it is Beijing that has the ability and desire to help solve the problems of Hong Kong.

但坦白说，有能力和有心解决香港问题的是北京。

Do you really think that Washington, London or Berlin are genuinely interested in helping your city? I am convinced that they only want to break China, and to continue ruling over the world.

你们真的以为华盛顿，伦敦，柏林有诚意帮助你们的城市吗？我深信他们只想打垮中国，继续统治世界。

To conclude this letter, let me say what has to be said. After speaking to people that are now angrily waving black banners, as well as US and UK flags, I realized that they know very little about the state of the world. And, they do not want to listen to different points of view. When confronted intellectually, they become violent.

最后，让我讲一定要讲的话。和一些愤怒地挥动黑橫額, 和美国英国国旗的人谈过后，我发觉他们对世局认识很少。还有，他们不想聆听不同的观点。面对理性质询，会变得暴力。

That is not a democratic approach; not at all.

这不是民主方式，一点也不是。

I suggest we talk. Publicly. Let us debate the very definitions of democracy. Let us discuss who has done more harm to the world: China or the West? I am ready, anytime.

我建议我们对话。公开对话。让我们辩论民主的定义。让我们讨论谁给世界造成更大伤害：中国或西方？我准备好了，随时。

If the leaders of Hong Kong riots, or “protests”, are confident that they are correct, let us face each other, in front of microphones and cameras.

如果香港的暴动，或“抗议者”的领袖有信心他们是对的，让我们在咪和相机前，面对大家。

I love your city. I love Hong Kong. I love China. And I strongly believe that China and Hong Kong are one beautiful, inseparable entity. 

我爱你们的城市。我爱香港。我爱中国。我还深信中国和香港是一个美丽的，不可分离的个体。

I am ready to give my best proving that point.

我已准备为证明这点，尽我的力做得最好。

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Daft Singaporeans cannot understand the theory of supply and demand

Singapore is a choice country to many wildlife, for work and for play or to escape high taxes. Singapore passport is highly in demand and highly desirable. What do these mean in terms of supply and demand? The simple principle of demand and supply is that when demand is high and supply is low, price will go up and up.

But daft Singaporeans cannot understand this. This is why there is an open leg policy, legs opened so wide for everything to come in, begging every wildlife to come in. It is so cheap and easy for wildlife to come to Singapore and paying pittance for it. Work levy and for PRs and PMETs, almost free. Then there is this silly and traitorious CECA that makes entry to Singapore a breeze and so free.

If there are so many people queuing to come into Singapore for all sorts of reasons, why is the cost of entry so low, so cheap? Why our so clever govt did not turn this into a high revenue source? Or are they satisfied just to collect worker's  and maid's levies? Should not they go higher up and collect more from the PMETs and PRs? And why give free scholarships to the tune of hundreds of millions annually when our education system is world class? Should not the demand to study here be so overwhelming and the supply limited that the fees for education here be raised higher for foreigners instead of Singaporeans?

Maybe all the so called demands to come here, all the long queues are fake news. Only the beggars, the cheats, the conmen, the wildlife are queuing, not the real McCoys. Even then there is more reasons to make it more expensive for the cheats and conmen and wildlife to come in as they are not desirables.

When things are in demand, you can charge a high price for it. And when supply is limited, you can charge even higher. But easy immigration only happens in this stupidity has no cure island. No country will make immigration as easy as this silly island. So the supply of easy immigration is also very small.

What do you think?

Iran and the Arab and Muslim world can make the Americans pee in their pants

Have the Iranians, the Arabs and Muslims, and the rest of the world had had it enough of the international terrorists, ie the Americans? Is it about time that the Arab and Muslim world get their acts together to stop the Americans from killing them at will and then threaten them that should they retaliate or think of taking revenge, they would be bombed again and again and more Arabs and Muslims would have to die and their countries destroyed?

What would happen if the Arab and Muslim world were to issue a fatwa against the Americans? No need any fierce and sophisticated bombs. No need special and high tech equipment. Imagine what the world would be like if every American could be targeted and killed on sight? This is asymetrical warfare. This is guerilla warfare on a world stage, on a world scale. If the Americans think they can kill people freely, what if other people turn around to kill Americans freely? Is it wrong for the Arabs and Muslims to kill Americans as they liked like the Americans killing them as they liked?

In this new asymetrical war against the world's Number One International Terrorists, the Americans would be like the proverbial idiot living in a glass house and throwing stones at other houses. There are Iranians, Arabs and Muslims all over the world. There are Americans all over the world, in the Arab and Muslim world and also in the American homeland. The Iranians, Arabs and Muslims are also in the American homeland. What's is wrong if the Arabs and Muslims hit back?

What would happen to the Americans inside their homeland or outside their homeland or in Arab and Muslim land when they are the immediate targets of Iranians, Arabs and Muslims? How are they going to live their lives, getting around, working, doing business or leisure when they could be killed anytime anywhere?

The Iranians and Arab and Muslim countries may not be able to match the Americans in sophisticated weapons, in weapon drones and cruise missiles, in nuclear weapons. But if every man and woman is a walking weapon, just like suicide bombers, and every American, man or woman, adult or child is a target, life will become very miserable for the Americans all over the world and also in the American homeland. Do the Americans believe that it is their God damn right to kill Arabs and Muslims and the Arabs and Muslims cannot hit back, it is wrong to hit back at the American terrorists that feel so free to kill them?

When the Arabs and Muslims decide to hit back, there will be no where to run and no where to hide for the Americans. This would teach the Americans not to go around killing anyone they disliked and labelled as enemy and then go back to have their beers and hamburgers and sneered at their victims after killing them?