Agreeing with William Pesek

This western journalist has an article deemed worthy to be published in the Today paper yesterday, titled ‘Why outrage over islands full of goats is crazy’. He is of course referring to the tension between China and Japan. It is a little piece of wasteland, why quarrel over it and threatening to go to war? Simply foolish. At least the British were smarter to fight over the Falklands, somewhere in the Antartic, thousands of miles away from civilization. But Falkland is a bit bigger, with human beans instead of goats.

And he could envision a few Japanese being dragged into the streets in Shanghai, beaten and killed. The bigger picture could be lynching by mobs in white robes and silly conical hats, or simply gunned down like the Wild Wild West in the streets.

China and Japan should end this silly row now, he added. I fully agree with his perception of the pettiness in this quarrel. The British had long stopped quarrelling with the Americans over the North American continent. That is a very meaty piece of pie. And so have the Red Indians. They too have given up for good reasons, even for a piece of land the size of a continent. The aborigines in Australia too have given up fighting for their continent. And the Maoris too have given up fighting for New Zealand and happily sharing the islands with the Europeans. No need to fight over goat land right.

China must think big like the Europeans. If they want to fight a war, look for something big, like the Americas, or at least the Middle eastern countries, or north Africa where there are plenty of oil. That’s what the Europeans and the Americans are doing. And what is happening to Japan, trying to fight with China over a piece of rock when they were coveting for the whole of Asia at one time?

And Willaim Pesek suggested that the two countries should bring their dispute to the USA and let Obama be the broker, to divide it between them. By the way, who was the asshole who took the Chinese islands and handed it to the Japanese? And why is this asshole not coming out to explain why they did it in the first place? Remember, they wanted to return the islands to Chiang Kai Shek but that man had his hands full fighting China and told the Americans to hold it in trust till a later date.

Did the Americans, while fighting Communism, had anything to do with the handing over of the islands to Japan with the agreement that the US be allowed to build a military base on the islands? Would the Americans explain the legality of such an act, handling over another country’s territory that America was not the legal owner, to another country was not the legal owner?

And would Pesek be living happily with his neighbor for cutting away a corner of his garden for keeps sake?

Mother Nature the Painter神画(22 Oct -21 Dec 2012)

A unique exhibition of paintings by Mother Nature, the Painter, is available for viewing for the first time. 40 pieces of work in pigment colours on archival paper will be on show at the NUSS Guild House at 9 Kent Ridge Drive, University of Singapore.  The work, a collaboration between the Painter, Mother Nature, that conceived and created every painting, and the Photopainter, Chua Chin Leng, is brought to life using a photography technique called The Art of Reflection and Refraction(RAR).

The work of Mother Nature is never found on canvas or on a medium convenient and recognizable by the mortals. In this exhibition, the artistry of Mother Nature as a painter is finally on display in a form never seen before.

The public may need to be accompanied by a member of the NUSS Graduate’s Club, or can contact me, email redbeansg@yahoo.com, for a convenient time to view the paintings.

Chua Chin Leng

A preview of some of the paintings in digital image can be seen at my Art of RAR Gallery. The link is on the right. Click on the purplish abstract painting.

The title of this piece of rar art is called The Inner Consciousness or The Third Eye. It is a face within a face. The original face opens up, right in middle from forehead to the upper lips, to reveal another face or the inner consciousness. This inner face has two eyes, one open, one close. The closed eye is the normal vision that would retire when the third eye is opened and seeing at a different dimension or plane of existence.

This piece is totally conceived and created naturally, by Mother Nature. This piece will be at the exhibition.

I support ISA, I don’t support ISA…

This new controversy now has four members in the ring, Function 8, Maruah, the Catholic Church and the MHA. Apparently the Archbishop had sent two letters to Function 8 and Maruah in support of abolishing ISA sometime in June this year before the small rally in Hong Lim. Now the Archbishop’s letters, content not disclosed yet, is mentioned in the open by Alex Au after the former retracted his letter, and presumably the support for the cause. One side is saying that the Archbishop was pressured by MHA to withdraw. The Archbishop is saying that he feared his letters could be misused for the wrong reasons or causes.

Now we have a new dispute on top of abolishing the ISA. What is happening behind closed door that is leading to this controversy? I believe the truth would slowly creep out and there will be more red faces.

The main issue is the ISA. Is there a need for the ISA? I think so then and now. There are elements that can wreck havoc and threaten securities and safety of people and country. The question is how to deal with them and play by their rules instead of being constrained by the slow pace of the legal and policing systems? I think the ISA per se is not an issue. Abolishing it will see a new transformation, a new tool be invented to take its place and the problem will just recycle itself.

The main problem of the ISA is the fear and the perception of it being misused and abused for the wrong reasons, for the wrong purpose. The ISA is seen as a draconian and outdated tool of oppression by some quarters. Why does it acquire such a bad reputation? Why should it not be seen as a necessary and respectable tool for the govt to use for country and people?

The ISA is not the only govt instrument that can acquire such an infamous reputation. The other apparachiks of the govt like the CPIB, the IRA or even the Law Society, if not carefully managed, can also acquire equally offensive and evil reputation. So, is the abolishing of the ISA a solution? I don’t think so. It is how the tool is being applied, being misused that matters. And this boils down to the operators, the intent and the authority. If the authority is seen to be applying all the instruments of power fairly, justly, for the good of country and nation, if the operators act professionally, all the govt instruments will be highly respected and regarded.

It is not the ISA alone, look at the HDB, the MOE, MOM, all can be viewed with mistrust and disgust too. Should they all be abolished? This will bring things back to square one. Why is an organization seen as a bad organization and some people wanting it to be abolished and some people seeing it as an instrument of fear or of ill repute?

Living for the moment or living for the future?

The Americans are best in living for the moment, spend now, with future earnings and be happy. Sinkies are told to save and save and save for the future. Have a lot of money in the savings and never mind if today got no food to eat, or no money to pay the medical bills. Tomorrow, the future, is more important than now, the moment.

And the govt is more or less guaranteeing that the futures of our children will be a pot of gold. Their savings will definitely be enough for retirement. I am not so confident about that even if I set aside 50% of my income, to think that the real value of money will still be there in the future and the money would not be worthless. I am no God.

But it is good advice, prudent, to keep saving for the bright future. But I rather be one that is collecting millions today and spending like a dude now and living life like in paradise. Who cares about the future when tomorrow is also not guaranteed? Who is sure that he will wake up tomorrow morning? But one thing I think I can guarantee, the price of HDB flats will continue to up and up till the lease expires.

I thought saving for the future is with spare cash available and not by forgoing one meal and to go hungry now so as to have some to live on in the future.

Abolishing this and that, ISA, PSLE, death sentence….

Are we entering a phase of history in the making when the mantra of the day is to abolish everything, or slaying everything? Maybe it is good huh, destruction is the mother of creation.

A couple of days ago there was this big news calling for abolishing the PSLE. Why don’t abolish examinations altogether. Why must there be winners that are so happy about their achievements and losers that feel so sore and painful even in sports? Give prizes to everyone and make sports a game for happiness, no winners and no losers. Give every child a degree of his choice. Won’t that be wonderful?

Today’s big hit is the withdrawal of a letter by the Archbishop Nicholas Chia of a letter to a group called Function 8. The letter was purportedly in support of the abolition of ISA. And it seemed that the Archbishop had had several visitors and invited for tea before he changed his mind and withdrew the letter.

What is really important about the ISA and the PSLE or for that matter, the death sentence? They are all instruments that are invented for some purpose, presumably good. They were useful before and could still be. Should they be abolished or replaced, and replaced by what? If they have a purpose for their existence, abolishing them would only see something else cropping up to take their place.

Actually these are neutral tools and in the hands of the good and wise, can do a lot of good and save a lot of lives. In the wrong hands, in the hands of the wicked, in the hands of people who think about their own vested interests first, these instruments, or any instrument, could be misused to do harm.

What really matters is a good heart, good intention and a little wisdom. Without them, even a simple thing like building homes for the people can become a big problem, messing people’s lives. Or an excellent savings scheme can become a pain to many, a farce to many. Without good intention, even the civil servants or the soldiers/police who are there to defend country and people could be turned against the people.

Stop beating around the bush and barking up the wrong tree. It is the people in control, applying the rules and laws that matters. Do you people believe the rules and regulations for purchasing of inventory for the civil service is so flawed? Or is it the people that are flawed?

Can a banana think?

Someone posed me this question, ‘Can a banana think?’ The answer is quite obvious. A banana does not even have a head. It does not think, nor is there a need to think. A banana does best is to act as a sponge, just absorb and reproduce, parroting. That is a very easy thing to do. And when they believe the media, especially the western media, is a source of authority on anything, especially warped political views with hidden agenda, while some do not see any need to hide their agenda, the banana just choose the convenient and easy path, just say what the media say. It is so easy, no need to think. Let others, the media or reporters, think for them.

The continuing barrage and attack against China for violation of human rights like it is in their genes never seem to slow down. And the banana is the most vocal about it, forgetting that they share the same gene with the Chinese. If anyone would to ask for proof, they would simply point to the Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square Incident. They somehow could not remember the genocide of 100 million Red Indians, millions of African slaves and the slaughtering of natives in the name of God across the world. But those were histories and even people with a normal brain would have difficulties remembering them, can’t really blame a banana can we?

But what about the slaughtering that is going on today in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and the infamous Gauntanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib? The innocent fathers and mothers, the children and babies, the oldies, and the murdering of two dictators and their families? Hey there was a big war against WMD that was proven to be false and so many died for it, and a country invaded.

The common catchphrases of the banana are, China is a human rights violator, China is a threat, to who?, North Korea is mad, abject poverty, oh recently I even read that Chinese or North Korean leaders would often seek to assert their control of the military by conducting wars against their neighbours. The Chinese leaders launched wars with India and Vietnam just to consolidate their positions in power. And Kim Jung Un is going to do so too. It was all their faults and their private agenda. There were no external provocations or threats. When the Americans and the West conduct war, it is to save mankind, for human rights.

Would any banana open their eyes to look at the human rights violation in the Middle East, the fermenting and support for dissidents to start civil wars and the countless unnecessary death of the innocents? Or would they want to know why East and Southeast Asia are facing more tensions and threats of war? Oops, I forgot again. Not only banana has no brain to talk about, they don’t have eyes to see too. But they could read whatever was printed in the western media as gospel truths and sing the same song, would be very safe and very right. The conventional western wisdom of the day can only be right. It is written in the media, the authoritative source of news and information.

Mitt Romney - The fake politician

Mitt Romney has always come across as a fake politician. The latest gaff he made revealed it all and there is no where for him to hide. He is as good as finished in the presidential race. And this is what he said in private to his close aides.

‘There are 47 percent who are with him(the President), who are dependent upon govt, who believe that they are victims, who believe the govt has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to… you name it.’

Now what did Romney meant when he said that? This is what he said of this group of people, ‘my job is not to worry about those people.’ I think this is going to be very costly for Romney. He is trying to do some damage control which is really beyond him now. No matter what he did, the votes have gone from him.

He has now confirmed that he is a political opportunist, and a politician who said one thing in public but has a very strong disgust for the voters.