香 港 社 會 政 治 經 濟 的 終 極 困 局

台 灣 前 總 統 陳 水 扁 因 挪 用 公 款 被 查 ， 泰 國 前 總 理 他 信 也 因 貪 污 倒 台 。 民 主 選 出 來 的 領 袖 ， 有 時 是 選 民 沒 有 眼 光 ， 有 時 根 本 是 沒 有 幾 件 好 貨 選 得 下 手 ， 選 出 一 個 貪 污 犯 時 有 所 聞 ， 但 民 主 的 好 處 是 台 上 的 人 貪 瀆 而 不 稱 職 ， 時 限 一 到 ， 必 須 下 台 。 而 且 如 果 司 法 相 對 獨 立 ， 任 內 的 貪 污 必 受 追 究 ， 即 使 把 國 家 資 產 轉 移 給 子 女 ， 也 確 保 其 禍 延 子 孫 ， 下 一 代 一 起 蒙 羞 。 陳 水 扁 身 敗 名 裂 ， 不 足 以 證 明 民 主 普 選 的 失 敗 ， 因 為 民 主 同 樣 也 產 生 廉 潔 不 貪 的 馬 英 九 。 陳 水 扁 的 金 權 醜 聞 揭 發 出 來 ， 公 義 伸 張 ， 民 怨 有 所 宣 洩 ， 馬 英 九 的 民 望 也 上 升 而 得 益 ， 民 主 的 意 義 不 在 於 保 證 能 選 出 好 人 ， 但 可 以 監 察 壞 人 ， 一 旦 濫 用 國 民 的 信 用 做 壞 事 ， 一 定 沒 有 好 下 場 。 香 港 特 區 政 府 遭 遇 管 治 危 機 ， 因 為 既 無 普 選 ， 民 意 的 渠 道 就 會 堵 塞 。 香 港 如 果 沒 有 民 主 ， 本 來 沒 有 問 題 ， 只 須 滿 足 兩 個 環 境 條 件 ： 第 一 是 政 府 擁 有 對 民 意 的 準 確 判 斷 ； 第 二 是 政 府 有 正 確 的 強 勢 ， 第 三 是 人 民 的 要 求 不 高 。 前 殖 民 地 時 代 ， 這 三 點 都 基 本 做 到 。 前 英 國 殖 民 地 政 府 是 一 個 外 來 政 府 ， 香 港 以 武 力 奪 來 ， 異 族 統 治 ， 在 政 治 的 道 德 上 不 合 法 。 但 殖 民 地 政 府 對 民 意 的 判 斷 很 準 確 ： 五 六 十 年 代 ， 難 民 遍 地 ， 大 陸 封 閉 ， 香 港 人 的 要 求 不 高 ， 只 要 吃 得 飽 、 有 一 片 地 方 安 身 。 殖 民 地 政 府 維 繫 正 確 的 強 勢 管 治 ， 建 立 廉 潔 的 公 務 員 團 隊 ， 鼓 勵 上 海 和 潮 州 南 來 的 實 業 家 興 辦 紡 織 、 膠 花 、 玩 具 實 業 ， 英 國 代 為 在 歐 洲 打 拼 出 口 市 場 ， 難 民 變 為 廉 價 勞 工 ， 勞 工 可 以 積 聚 資 本 當 小 老 闆 ， 小 老 闆 可 以 變 身 為 大 亨 ， 經 濟 的 脈 絡 暢 通 ， 社 會 的 氣 氛 自 由 ， 市 民 安 逸 於 溫 飽 ， 造 就 香 港 奇 。
今 日 的 香 港 特 區 ， 民 意 無 法 在 一 個 民 主 公 正 的 立 法 會 通 達 體 現 ， 又 因 地 產 壟 斷 ， 經 濟 的 脈 絡 不 暢 通 。 香 港 人 今 天 創 業 很 難 從 小 企 業 做 起 ， 因 為 昂 貴 的 租 金 扼 殺 了 任 何 萌 芽 的 企 業 生 機 。 一 波 小 業 主 捱 不 起 貴 租 倒 閉 了 ， 又 有 另 一 批 不 知 死 活 的 新 老 闆 想 做 弄 潮 兒 ， 結 果 是 地 產 的 汪 洋 把 小 業 主 一 波 接 一 浪 地 吞 噬 掉 ， 殖 民 地 時 代 社 會 向 上 爬 的 階 梯 ， 基 本 已 經 塌 毀 。 貧 富 懸 殊 甚 麼 時 候 都 有 ， 懸 殊 其 中 有 階 梯 ， 社 會 有 希 望 ； 沒 有 了 階 梯 ， 社 會 動 盪 。 香 港 十 年 以 來 ， 最 大 的 問 題 是 社 會 的 不 公 義 結 構 已 成 ： 地 產 商 堵 塞 了 經 濟 血 液 的 脈 絡 ， 普 選 要 等 到 二 ○ 一 七 年 才 「 起 步 」 ， 則 民 意 的 管 道 也 在 一 個 結 構 奇 特 的 立 法 會 中 無 從 流 通 。 政 府 如 何 維 持 正 確 的 強 勢 ？ 即 使 公 務 員 ， 一 九 九 七 年 之 前 入 職 的 享 有 長 俸 和 子 女 留 學 的 育 津 貼 ； 一 九 九 七 年 招 聘 的 ， 待 遇 低 了 一 等 ， 許 多 是 短 期 合 約 ， 沒 有 長 俸 ， 津 貼 也 少 了 許 多 。 「 梁 展 文 事 件 」 是 舊 時 代 的 公 務 員 在 新 時 代 又 享 受 了 一 切 好 處 ， 連 新 一 代 的 政 務 官 也 大 感 不 公 ， 公 務 員 士 氣 受 打 擊 ， 行 政 主 導 又 如 何 維 持 ？ 否 決 普 選 ， 中 方 眼 前 勝 了 一 仗 ， 但 麻 煩 的 後 遺 症 卻 由 香 港 特 區 政 府 長 期 承 受 。 殖 民 地 時 代 ， 香 港 的 工 商 利 益 階 層 沒 有 辦 法 向 倫 敦 唐 寧 街 告 港 督 的 狀 ， 也 無 法 在 英 國 投 資 ， 親 近 英 國 首 相 與 工 貿 部 大 臣 ， 從 而 繞 過 港 督 ， 獲 得 甚 麼 第 一 手 消 息 ， 上 議 院 沒 有 爵 位 分 給 他 們 ， 港 督 可 以 在 沒 有 民 主 的 前 提 之 下 ， 準 確 掌 辨 民 情 ， 維 持 有 公 義 的 強 勢 行 政 管 治 ， 這 些 才 是 種 種 香 港 當 日 賴 之 以 繁 榮 安 定 的 優 勢 ， 今 日 已 經 不 復 存 在 ， 因 為 香 港 已 經 接 入 儒 家 君 臣 父 子 政 治 文 化 的 傳 統 。
加 上 香 港 人 的 要 求 高 了 ： 連 中 國 奧 運 精 英 來 香 港 表 演 ， 特 區 政 府 派 贈 門 票 ， 輪 不 到 的 市 民 ， 會 大 罵 政 府 ， 而 政 府 也 把 一 萬 張 門 票 扣 起 來 ， 分 給 許 多 特 權 人 士 。 一 個 弱 勢 政 府 ， 越 受 既 得 利 益 的 各 路 勢 力 掣 肘 ， 越 無 法 實 現 「 公 義 施 政 」 ， 本 來 民 主 可 以 有 效 促 進 公 義 ， 或 至 少 阻 嚇 陳 水 扁 和 他 信 之 流 在 台 上 濫 權 的 不 公 ， 但 這 條 路 也 堵 塞 了 ， 香 港 遂 成 為 全 世 界 一 個 四 不 像 的 地 方 ： 民 主 不 民 主 ， 獨 裁 不 獨 裁 ， 行 自 由 市 場 之 政 則 助 長 地 產 的 經 濟 壟 斷 而 擴 大 貧 富 懸 殊 之 不 公 ， 行 開 倉 派 米 之 舉 又 怕 陷 入 社 會 福 利 主 義 的 死 路 。 民 意 的 訴 求 無 法 展 達 ， 只 有 在 一 個 民 選 議 席 有 限 的 議 會 塞 進 最 激 進 最 對 抗 的 草 根 人 物 ， 但 政 府 為 了 打 壓 ， 則 更 須 倚 仗 「 功 能 組 別 」 許 多 不 稱 職 或 自 動 當 選 的 貴 族 ， 另 加 保 皇 政 黨 回 頭 勒 索 、 上 下 其 手 ， 民 粹 更 向 街 頭 爆 發 。 今 日 香 港 外 逢 國 際 通 脹 的 風 雨 ， 內 有 一 個 畸 形 制 度 的 內 耗 扭 曲 ， 十 年 實 驗 ， 落 入 了 一 個 政 經 的 怪 圈 ， 無 論 誰 做 特 首 ， 香 港 都 走 不 出 這 個 怪 圈 ， 這 不 僅 是 香 港 人 和 特 區 政 府 今 後 須 面 對 無 了 期 的 陣 痛 ， 其 實 也 是 中 國 在 誤 解 和 排 斥 民 主 之 下 的 現 代 化 過 程 中 遇 到 的 終 極 困 局 。

- (陶傑) - appledaily.atnext.com

Kill by a tree

During lunch time today, I was talking with my colleague about the accident about a fallen tree that killed an university student recently. I said that if it happens in the U.S., the government will definitely be sued for $100MM for sure in compensation, considering the girl was young and studying in finance in a top University locally. Her prospect is unlimited. Though, this case has yet be settled, I doubt the parent will file such lawsuit here. Cos, it is just not the culture here.

Come to think of it, for someone who is DUI and kill someone on the road, the court usually only put the driver in jail for like 2 years, very rare that higher fine or jail time has been ordered. Is life that cheap?

There are many schools of thoughts that emphasize the rights of the murders and criminals. What about the victims? Just because they don't have a words in court doesn't make them agree of the sentence by default! I don't know much about law, but I think I do have certain amount of common sense. Yes, punishment can't change history, but just forbidding the crime from recurrence by the same person and using as a warrant to others should not be the only reasons for light sentence to be issued. I just think that court usually don't care enough of the rights of the victims and their families.

Go back to the accident, the government has departments to look after old trees, their checking is certainly lacking in this case and this is the direct cause of such accident. I think that the victim's family definitely deserves financial compensation and public apology from the government. In Japan, this usually means the resignation of the head of the related department with a 90 degree bow. Here? forget it! They don't feel shame of their mistakes and no one will take the blame. Is it culture? Yes. Is it a shame? You tell me!....

God blesses the victim of this accident and many others of similar accidents before and in future!

Someone wants him dead!

Bloomberg decided to update its Steve Jobs obituary ... then inadvertently published it. See above.

Hmmmm...wonder if someone has profited between publishment time and the subsequent restraction of the obituary.

If I'm Steve Jobs, when I go out to the public in September for the upcoming ipod/macbook announcement, the first words that I will say is 'I'm not dead yet".

Do Nothing!

As I grow older with my life piling up with responsibilities, sometimes I do miss the days when I don't have a lot to do. Back in those good old days, I've to find things to do. My time were not fully occupied with this and that. Yes, there are bad things about that, I did feel bored sometimes. Also, I should have spent those time to learn more things. Yea yea yea, I know all that.

However, at the current stage of my life, time just flies, day in and out with works and family. There ain't much so called 'free' time left for myself. Though, that's not exactly true, I still can squeeze 30 mins here and there to do something that I like, such as surfing the web to read some blogs, check facebook, etc. If not, I can still catch a quick 'power nap' to replenish the lack of sleep that I have every now and then. But, time just not the same!.....

Once upon a time, I can get up anytime I want, I can do whatever I want, or just DO NOTHING! Lying in bed, watching movies, listening to my CDs, reading a novel, then I just closed my eyes and sleep again. Yes, live like a junkie, but hey that's not that bad!

I don't think I won't to live like that everyday, but I can just live one day like that without any interruption, I just don't think that is gonna happen, not with a wife and a kid. Well, I 'm not complaining at all. They do give me lots of joy, but I think part of my nature is being lazy, just don't think that I can express it that way as a way of life anymore. I would say to whoever can live like that, this kind of life is not gonna last, cherish it, otherwise, you will miss it.......Chill!

iphone 3G

Over last weekend, just got an iPhone 3G through my company's special offer. Well, it is not for me, it is my gift to my wife. For what occasion? well, does it really matter? it is just a gift!

I've played it for few days while doing set up, programs download from App Store in iTune, loading music and photos, etc. It is really a fun tool to have! Nothing to really complain about, except the headphone which lacks of the best part of the old design for iPod that can tie both earplug together. Other than that, I can't complain anything. What a fabulous design! in such a tight highly integrated package. It shouldn't be called iPhone. It is actually a portable computer with a phone function. I think it is the future of all phones, I'm so glad that I bought it and thank God that Apple makes it.

Cos, in the last few years, I felt sad to see some many phones were being churned out by Sony, Nokia, Samsung and all that every year with confusing models, overlapping functions, and all that. You can tell which is better than the next, the saddest part is that it wastes so much resources to make them. Every quarter, u got a dozen new ones. Where did the old model go? To Africa? How many could they take?

So, iPhone really settles the market, software is really the king! iTune with App Store is gonna conquer the world. We only see the beginning of it, but I can feel it and smell it, with the iPhone in my palm. I can see that it is gonna replace mobile, UMPC, digicam, PDA, even NDS and PSP in future. Maybe even our wallet and ID! Let's see if my prediction is gonna stick or not in 5 years.

Michael Phelps as Aquaman!

Since 'The Dark Knight' has broken so many boxoffice records, other comic book hero movies, such as 'Iron Man', 'Incredible Hulk', 'Hell Boy 2', 'Spiderman', 'X-Men', etc are also doing really well, I'm sure hollywood will keep making this kind of movies until they all become 'Batman and Robin' or 'Catwoman'.

As 'The Dark Knight', 'Iron Man', and 'Incredible Hulk' receiving not just great financial returns but also critical claims, one of the reasons is that they hire some real actors to lead the movies rather just some pretty boys. However, whether the movie is good or not, the CG is fantastic or not, that's up to the people behind to pull the strings. A leading man must fit the role. Michael Phelps, the new Olympic legend, has a good look and a fantastic body, he can act or not...that's not something I know, but I think he definitely fit the role of 'Aquaman'. He can swim, Man HE CAN SWIM. Well, the diving part.....CG can help....but with him leading the role, I'm sure that is a great marketing scheme. Will u go to see him as Aquaman? I will!

Olympics Medal Lists

Does anyone see something different about defaulted medal count list showed in Yahoo.com, the U.S. site versus the Yahoo sites of few other countries: Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, U.K. and Germany?

An interesting article about U.S. foreign policy

It is extracted from wwww.Counterpunch.com on 20080813-

Two Morons: Bush and Saakashvili
"President Bush, Will You Please Shut Up?"
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

The neoconned Bush Regime and the Israeli-occupied American media are heading the innocent world toward nuclear war.

Back in the Reagan years the National Endowment for Democracy was created as a cold war tool. Today the NED is a neocon-controlled agent for US world hegemony. Its main function is to pour US money and election-rigging into former constituent parts of the Soviet Union in order to ring Russia with American puppet states.

The neoconservative Bush Regime used the NED to intervene in Ukrainian and Georgian internal affairs in keeping with the neoconservative plan to establish US-friendly and Russia-hostile political regimes in these two former constituent parts of Russia and the Soviet Union.

The NED was also used to dismember the former Yugoslavia with its interventions in Slovakia, Serbia, and Montenegro.

Allen Weinstein, who helped draft the legislation establishing NED, told the Washington Post in 1991 that much of what the NED does “today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.”

The Bush Regime, having established a puppet, Mikhail Saakashvili, as president of Georgia, tried to bring Georgia into NATO.

For readers too young to know, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a military alliance between the US and Western European countries to resist any Soviet move into Western Europe [and to ensure European countries lined up behind the US, and bought its weapons systems. Editors] . There has been no reason for NATO since the Soviet Union’s internal political collapse almost two decades ago. The neocons turned NATO into another tool, like the NED, for US world hegemony. Subsequent US administrations violated the understandings that President Reagan had reached with Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, and have incorporated former parts of the Soviet empire into NATO. The neocon goal of ringing Russia with a hostile military alliance has been proclaimed many times.

Western European members of NATO balked at the admission of Georgia, as they understood it as a provocative affront to Russia, on whom Western Europe is dependent for natural gas. Western Europeans are also disturbed at the Bush Regime’s intentions to install ballistic missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic as the consequence will be Russian nuclear cruise missiles targeted on European capitals. Europeans don’t see the advantage of helping the US block Russian nuclear retaliation against the US at the expense of their own existence. Ballistic missile defenses are not useful against cruise missiles.

Every country is tired of war except for the US. War, including nuclear war, is the neoconservative strategy for world hegemony.

The entire world, except for Americans, knows that the outbreak of armed conflict between Russian and Georgian forces in South Ossetia was entirely due to the US and its Georgia puppet, Saakashvili. Americans, alone in the world, are unaware that the hostilities were initiated by Saakashvili, because Bush, Cheney and the Israeli-occupied American media have again lied to them.

Everyone else in the world knows that the unstable and corrupt Saakashvili, who proclaims democracy and runs a police state, would not have taken on Russia by attacking South Ossetia unless given the go-ahead by Washington.

The purpose of the Georgian attack on the Russian population of South Ossetia is twofold:

To convince Europeans that their action in delaying Georgia’s NATO membership is the cause of “the Russian aggression” and that to save Georgia from conquest Georgia must be given NATO membership.

To ethnically cleanse South Ossetia of its Russian population. Two thousand Russian civilians were targeted and killed by the US-equipped and trained Georgian Army, and tens of thousands fled into Russia. Having achieved this goal, Saakashvili and his puppet-masters in Washington quickly called for a cease fire and a halt to “the Russian invasion.” The hope is that the Russian population will be afraid to return or can be prevented from returning, thus removing the secessionist threat.

No doubt the Bush Regime can con the American population, just as it did with Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, Iranian nukes, and 9/11 itself, but the rest of the world is not buying it, not even America’s bought-and-paid-for European allies.

Writing in the Asia Times, Ambassador M. K. Bhadrakumar, a former career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service, notes the disinformation that is being peddled by the Bush Regime and the US media and reports that “at the outbreak of violence, Russia had tried to have the United Nations Security Council issue a statement calling on Georgia and South Ossetia to immediately lay down weapons. However, Washington was disinterested.”

Amb. Bhadrakumar notes that the American and Georgian resort to violence and propaganda has brought an end to the Russian government’s belief that diplomacy and good will can bring about a settlement of the South Ossetia issue. If Russia wished, Russia could terminate Georgia’s existence as a separate country at will, and there is nothing the US could do about it.

It is certain that the Georgian invasion of South Ossetia was a Bush Regime orchestrated event. The American media and the neocon think tanks were ready with their propaganda blitzes. Neocons had ready a Wall Street Journal editorial page article for Saakashvili that declares “the war in Georgia is a war for the West.”

Faced with the collapse of his army when Russia sent in troops to protect South Ossetians from the Georgian troops, Saakashvili declared: “This is not about Georgia any more. It is about America, its values.”

The neocon Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., quickly called a conference hosted by warmonger Ariel Cohen, “Urgent! Event: Russian-Georgian War: A Challenge for the U.S. and the World.”

The Washington Post hosted neocon Robert Kagen’s war drums, “Putin Makes His Move.”

Only a fool like Kagen could think that if Putin intended to invade Georgia he would do so from Beijing, or that after sending the American-trained Georgian army in flight, he would not continue and conquer all of Georgia in order to put an end to American machinations on Russia’s most sensitive border, machinations that are likely to eventually end in nuclear war.

The New York Tiimes hosted Billy Kristol’s rant, “Will Russia Get Away With It?” Kristol thunders against “dictatorial and aggressive and fanatical regimes” that “seem happy to work together to weaken the influence of the United States and its democratic allies.” Kristol presents a new axis of evil--Russia, China, North Korea and Iran--and warns against “delay and irresolution” that “simply invite future threats and graver dangers.”

In other words, “attack Russia now.”

Dick Cheney, the insane American Vice President telephoned Saakashvili to express US solidarity with Georgia in the conflict with Russia and declared: “Russian aggression must not go unanswered. Only an idiot would tell Saakashvili anything other than “to cease immediately.”

What must be the effect on US Intelligence services and the US military of Cheney’s propagandistic and irresponsible statement of US support for Georgia’s war crimes? Does anyone really believe that the CIA or any US intelligence service told the vice president that Russia opened the conflict with an invasion? Russian troops arrived in South Ossetia after thousands of Ossetians had been killed by the Georgian attack and after tens of thousands of Ossetians had fled into Russia to escape the Georgian attack. According to news reports, Russian forces have captured Americans who were with the Georgian troops directing their attack on civilians.

The US military certainly has no resources for a war against Russia on top of lost wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a planned war with Iran.

With its Georgian venture, the Bush Regime is guilty of a new round of war crimes. What will be the consequence?

Many will reply that having got away with 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, and with its preparations for attacking Iran, the Bush Regime will get away with its Georgian venture as well.

Possibly, however, this time the Bush Regime has overreached.

Certainly Russia now recognizes that the US is determined to exert hegemony over Russia and is Russia’s worst enemy.

China realizes the US threat to its own energy supply and, thereby, economy.

Even America’s European allies, chafing under their role of supplying troops for America’s Empire, must now realize that being an American ally is dangerous and has no benefits. If Georgia becomes a NATO member and renews its attack on South Ossetia, it must drag Europe into a war with Russia, a main supplier of energy to Europe.

Moreover, if Russian troops are sent across European frontiers, there is nothing to stop them.

What does America offer Europe, aside from the millions of dollars it pays to buy off Europe’s political leaders to insure that they betray their own peoples? Nothing whatsoever.

The only military threat that Europe faces comes from being dragged into America’s wars for American hegemony.

The US is financially bankrupt, with budget and trade deficits that exceed the combined deficits of the rest of the world together. The dollar has wilted. The American consumer market is dying from the offshoring of American jobs and, thereby, incomes, and from the wealth effect of the real estate and derivatives collapses. The US has nothing to offer Europe. Indeed, American economic decline is killing European exports by driving up the value of the euro.

America long ago lost the moral high ground. Hypocrisy has become America’s best known hallmark. Bush, the invader of Afghanistan and Iraq on the basis of lies and deception, thunders at Russia for coming to the defense of its peacekeepers and Russian citizens in South Ossetia. Bush who ripped Kosovo out of Serbia’s heart and handed it to the Muslims, has taken an adamant stand against other separatist movements, especially the South Ossetians who wish to be part of the Russian Federation.

The neoconned Bush Regime is furious that the Russian bear was not intimidated by the US supported aggression of the American puppet state, Georgia. Instead of accepting the act of American hegemony that the neocon script called for, Russia sent the Americanized Georgian army fleeing in fear.

Having failed with weapons, the Bush Regime now unleashes the rhetoric. The White House is warning Russia that failure to acquiesce to US hegemony could have a “significant, long-term impact on relations between Washington and Moscow.”

Do the morons who comprise the Bush Regime really not understand that short of a surprise nuclear attack on Russia there is nothing whatsoever the US can do to Moscow?

The Bush Regime owns no Russian currency that it can dump. The Russians own US dollars.

The Bush Regime owns no Russian bonds that it can dump. The Russians own US bonds.

The US can cut Russia off from no energy supplies. Russia can cut America’s European allies off from energy.

President Reagan negotiated the end of the cold war with Soviet President Gorbachev.,The neoconservatives, whom Reagan fired and drove from his administration, were furious. The neocons had hoped to win the cold war, thereby establishing American hegemony.

The Republican Establishment reestablished its hegemony under Bush 1st that it had lost to Ronald Reagan. With this feat, intelligence was driven from the Republican Party.

The neocons engineered their comeback with the First Gulf War and their propaganda, pure lies, that Iraqi troops bayoneted Kuwait babies in hospitals.

The neocons made a further comeback with President Clinton, whom they convinced to bomb Serbia in order to permit separatist movements to become independent states dependent on America.

With Bush 2nd, the neocons took over. Their agenda, American world hegemony, includes Israeli hegemony in the Middle East.

So far the schemes of these ignorant and dangerous ideologues have come a cropper. Iraq, formerly in the hands of secular Sunnis who were a check on Iran, is, after the American invasion and occupation, in the hands of religious Shi’ites allied with Iran.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban are resurgent, and a large NATO/US army there is unable to control the situation.

One consequence of the neocons’ Afghan war has been the loss of power of the American puppet president of Pakistan, a Muslim country armed with nuclear weapons. The puppet president now faces impeachment, and the Pakistani military has informed the Americans to stop conducting military operations in Pakistani territory.

The American puppets in Egypt and Jordan might be next to fall.

In Iraq, the Shi’ites, having completed their ethnic cleansing of Sunnis from neighborhoods, have declared a cease fire in order to contradict the US propaganda that American withdrawal would lead to a blood bath. Negotiations on withdrawal dates are now underway between the Americans and the Iraqi government, which is no longer behaving like a puppet.

Last year Hugo Chavez ridiculed Bush before the UN. Russia’s Putin ridiculed Bush as Comrade Wolf.

On August 12, 2008, Pravda ridiculed Bush, “Bush: Why don’t you shut up.”

Americans may think they are a superpower before whose presence the world trembles. But not the Russians.

Those Americans stupid enough to think that America’s “superpower” insures its citizens from danger need to read the total contempt shown for President Bush in Pravda:

“President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? In your statement on Monday regarding the legitimate actions of the Russian Federation in Georgia, you failed to mention the war crimes perpetrated by Georgian military forces, which American advisors support, against Russian and Ossetian civilians

“President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? Your faithful ally, Mikhail Saakashvili, was announcing a ceasefire deal while his troops, with your advisors, were massing on Ossetia’s border, which they crossed under cover of night and destroyed Tskhinvali, targeting civilian structures just like your forces did in Iraq.

“President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? Your American transport aircraft gave a ride home to thousands of Georgian soldiers from Iraq directly into the combat zone.

“President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? How do you account for the fact that among the Georgian soldiers fleeing the fighting yesterday you could clearly hear officers using American English giving orders to “Get back inside” and how do you account for the fact that there are reports of American soldiers among the Georgian casualties?

“President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? Do you really think anyone gives any importance whatsoever to your words after 8 years of your criminal and murderous regime and policies? Do you really believe you have any moral ground whatsoever and do you really imagine there is a single human being anywhere on this planet who does not stick up his middle finger every time you appear on a TV screen?

Do you really believe you have the right to give any opinion or advice after Abu Ghraib? After Guantanamo? After the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens? After the torture by CIA operatives?

Do you really believe you have any right to make a statement on any point of international law after your trumped-up charges against Iraq and the subsequent criminal invasion?

“President Bush,

Why don’t you shut up? Suppose Russia for instance declares that Georgia has weapons of mass destruction? And that Russia knows where these WMD are, namely in Tblisi and Poti and north, south, east and west of there? And that it must be true because there is ‘magnificent foreign intelligenc’ such as satellite photos of milk powder factories and baby cereals producing chemical weapons and which are currently being ‘driven around the country in vehicles’? Suppose Russia declares for instance that ‘Saakashvili stiffed the world’ and it is ‘time for regime change’?

Nice and simple, isn’t it, President Bush?

“So, why don’t you shut up? Oh and by the way, send some more of your military advisors to Georgia, they are doing a sterling job. And they look all funny down the night sight, all green.”

The US is not a superpower. It is a bankrupt farce run by imbeciles who were installed by stolen elections arranged by Karl Rove and Diebold. It is a laughing stock, that ignorantly affronts and attempts to bully an enormous country equipped with tens of thousands of nuclear weapons.

Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of The Tyranny of Good Intentions.He can be reached at: PaulCraigRoberts@yahoo.com

'Knowing' vs 'Learning'

Some people say questions and answers are like locks and keys. Have one without the other is kinda useless. Certainly, answers are very valuable, cos you can always derive question from an answer. Anyway, that's not what I'm wanna talk about. I think it is a good habit to ask questions. Cos, that's the key process of learning. I think I've not ask enough questions recently.

There are many ways to learn new things. Learning is something that I enjoy very much. At this stage of life, I'm not in school, other than something that I've to learn - things at work. Other types of learning requires self-motivation and discipline. I do have to struggle to make myself really learn something. To me knowing things is also something that I enjoy very much. In this days, I can easily doing that via internet. Just go to news sites daily or read some blogs, I will learn about what's going on in the world at my finger tips. However, that kind of 'learning' is more like 'knowing', it is very superficial, just scretching the surface. I will know like Russian has military conflict with Georgian for some territorial dispute....however, do I know the historical background of it? What would be the impact to the region and to the world? etc. That's something that I can dig into if I have the motivation and time to do so. But, I'm just too greedy! Not to spend more time to dig into it, but move on to next news, and then next...just know things, but not really learn things.

I think that it is probably because I don't question myself enough. I need to drive my curiosity about things. Then I can dig deeper in things. Certainly, time is limited. I can do five easy things or do one hard things. It is my choice and no one else. That's why I saw example of people with PhD. of something who is retarded in term of something simple like boiling vegetables. There is only so much one can do.

Sometimes, I enjoy being (just thinking of myself) a person who know many things, but sometimes I do feel like I don't know enough of anything. I don't know if others have the same issue as mine. But, it sometimes bother me a bit. There are so many things that I would like to learn, but just not able to do so currently. That's a regret that I have all the time.

India's performance in Beijing Olympic

This is just a thought that come to my mind upon reading some articles about prediction of China's performance in this Olympic. Cos, those articles say that the number of medals that China will win this time will be even more than those by the U.S. Certainly, the first reason is about home court advantage. That's something that no need to be disputed. However, other reasons have also been raised, most of them are related to population and economy. Namely, when you have large pool of population, probability wise, there should be more natural gifted athletes. Also, as China's economy is growth so fast, most resources can be inserted into sports trainings, etc. So, the performance should be inproved, and so on.

Well, I don't know if that is really true or not, we won't find out whether China will perform as good as those predictions. Even if those predictions come true, I would still very much doubt of those explanations of economy and population. Cos, as the subject suggests, then India should do pretty good as well. On the contrary, so far what we heard about Indian athletes are still about hockey, hockey and hockey. That is something make say: hmmm........!

2008 Beijing Olympics

Well, it is a spectacular opening ceremony last night in Beijing. Everything has a positive and negative sides. For Olympics, I always like to look at the former, particular the athletes who have trained all their lives to excel in their own sports and perform at the highest level in front of the world. I will put the politics, national pride, and all those things aside. Just stay focus to look at the athletes and cheer for them. I don't care who end up win the most gold medals, cos what matters are the gold medalists are working very hard to win, and those who didn't win any medals are not 'losers', cos if they are losers, then what are we?

Just hope games will be fair, and take place in peace!

Is life fair?

Well, what can I say? The newborn twins of Brangelina are more famous than many people who have made major contribution to mankind because of their famous parents. The photo portfolio of the twins with their parents and siblings worth US$14MM which was acquired by magazines. Though Brad and Angelina donate that sum to charity, still it really tells what the value of human beings are so not equal to one another.

Every coin has 2 sides, people do have their free will to choose what they want to believe. For those who believe that....

Life is not fair!

Bill Gates said that: 'Deal with it.' Or people will say 'get over it'. Cos, you can't change that. There are so many differences between two individuals from the point of view of life experience, physical appearance, family background, wealth, abilities, etc. It is very hard to find anything identical among human beings.

On the other hand, for those folks who believe that...

Life is fair!

Their explanation of differences among lifes is usually that they believe in God or Karma. Namely, they looks beyond the physical beings and materialistic things in the world, and thinking with the concept of human soul which individualistic, invisible and equal in God's eyes. Or, they think that Karma is rule to everything. So, regardless the driving force of Karma, there is an invisble and invincible force that drive everything. Because of the scientific/logic behind Karma: every cost will have its own effect and so on. i.e. 1+2=3, etc. Life is fair, when you do bad things, there will be payback. For those who can't see the payback, it is just because they didn't have the chance or intelligence to see it. But, they will come, if not in this life, maybe next, or the one after. The suffering that baby has this life, is a result of what it did in past life, or the one before, etc.

So, that's the two views of life. Which one do you pick?

The Dark Knight

I saw this movie on Saturday, yes it is kinda late the talk about this, but it is better late than never. I'm sure this movie will still be mentioned when the award time is coming. First of all, I like this movie very much. I've read many other people's comment before I went to see it. So, I do have pretty high expectation before going in to see it. Well, it didn't disappoint me or whatsoever. In fact, it just delivers. Action, story, and acting, high marks are given on all grounds. The only thing that I can pick on if I really have to is that the main actress is not pretty. But, hey, who really care? All actors in this movie are just top-notch, even for the supporting roles are strong: Michael Caines, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman,.... They all shine!....

But this movie is all about Joker! Heath Ledger is such a fine actor with his finest performance as his life exit one. Certainly, it will live on forever. His performance do remind me of Anthony Hopkin in The Silence of the Lamb. But, this one is much better, perhaps because the movie is longer, so he has more scenes, and man he stole everyone of them! Why so serious?!

The political undertone of the movie is everywhere. That gives more depth to this kind of comic book hero movies that people can normally chew on. Christopher Nolan is such a genius! I love his Momento very much, I think this one certain proven that he is no joke! I got to go back to dig out his Isonmia and Batman Begin when I have time.

I would say this movie is the best comic book hero movie ever made! Better than Spiderman and Spiderman 2, my previous favorites. Cos, it doesn't just have characters development, but it also insert a lot of thought about some larger social and moral issues successfully in the story. I hope more people will notice those aspects of the movie afterwards, rather than just simply taking the face value of it for entertainment only.

Funny Decision Diagram

Saw this diagram here: http://pmreload.blogspot.com/ on July 23. Just wanna share with readers.