Wishing You a Peaceful 2014

Nuclear Energy

Japan is a relatively technologically advanced society. A Tsunami could have caused their Fukushima reactors to melt illustrated the inherent instability of these reactors and the danger they pose to humanity. Here is a story from RT which focuses on the sickness suffered by the first responders.

How many countries' leaders are able to mingle with common citizens?

The Chinese President Xi Jinping was able to eat in a local restaurant without heavy security. Can USA president do that?

Early summary of the world in 2013

Voting in the USA Senate

The USA parliament looks like a diseased brain, with no neural connectivity between the two halves of the brain

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Soap Mistaken For Cocaine Lands 2 People In Prison For A Month

Two people spent a month behind bars after police pulled them over in Pennsylvania and found two plastic-wrapped packages of homemade soap in the trunk that troopers mistook for cocaine. [source]

That two months would worth a lot of money for these two people. Sue, sue sue!

USA Defence Budget

How can a democratic government have a defence department which has no oversight by the congress on its spending?

My personal experience in dealing with the USA defence's finance section is simply one word - incompetent. When we sent them an invoice with all the payment details, they transferred the money to a USA bank (which they should know we are an Australian company). When we chased them up, they agreed to resend the money - to another USA bank again! This occurred at least three times. It is frustrating to a small business but shows a larger problem on their side.

Indigenous Groups Win Right to Seize Chevron's Canadian Assets over $18 Billion in Amazon Pollution

A third country became the jurisdiction of a judgement made another change in order to seize the asset of Chevron's Canadian assets. The good news is that the indigenous groups have won.

China rejects unapproved US origin GM corn

545,000 tons of MIR162 genetically modified corn have been returned to US. The reason is that the corn does not meet Chinese quality standards. Interesting....

Back slash of NSA tapping

'NSA ruined it!' Brazil ditches Boeing jets, grants $4.5 bln contract to Saab - the title of an article in RT. [source] Is this the first when countries "punish" the USA by placing large contracts to companies other than the US?

Yemen's parliament bans US drones

"Remember that the terrorists that we are after target civilians..."

So are the drone strikes by the US government.

Syria is a humantain nightmare

The atrocities done by the rebels ...

Now, how the international community will react to this...

Syrian rebels execute civilians

Who is the bad guy?

Police brutality - in Sydney

This happened in March, 2012.

As well as shooting Curti 14 times with the stun gun, the officers used up to three cans of capsicum spray at close range and a baton, knelt on him and handcuffed him. After Curti ceased struggling the officers checked his pulse and a few minutes later he stopped breathing. Officers performed CPR until the ambulance arrived. The paramedics asked the officers to uncuff the unresponsive Curti, and attempted to resuscitate him. He was pronounced dead about 20 minutes later.[source]

On 13th December this year, NSW DPP determined that there was sufficient evidence to charge four of the officers with criminal offences. Senior Constable Eric Lim and Senior Constable Damien Ralph may be charged with common assault. Senior Constable Scott Edmondson and Constable Daniel Barling may face charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm or, alternatively, common assault.

Hockey to reveal 'savage budget cuts'

Let's the blame game begin...

Blaze burnt out 20-floor building overnight, but the tower did not collapse

Admittedly, this is a much newer building compared with the Twin Towers, but as can be seen in the footage, the flame was much stronger and lasted much longer. The inferno did not bring down the building. I am still puzzled why the Twin Towers and Building 7 all collapsed onto their respective footprint on that one day.



For comparison, here is a footage of the Twin Tower building burning just before the South Tower collapsed. A smoking flame could not be hotter than a bright orange flame.

China Has Landed Her First Moon Rover

The Soviet Union first crashed a probe onto Moon in 1959. It was also USSR which successfully returned lunar soil sample in 1970. The first human landing on the Moon was done by Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11 on 20 July 1969.

The Chinese lunar orbiter Chang'e 1 executed a controlled crash onto the surface of the Moon on 1 March 2009. Chang'e 2 was launched in early October 2010 as a long-term mission with a lunar objective without landing. Today marks the success of soft landing of Chang'e 3 and successful launch of its rover.

How to deal with corporation

As I have alluded in previous posts, granting corporation personhood is wrong. The owners of corporation should be personally responsible for the wrongs done by corporations. Fining corporations is not punishment. Only jailing the owners of corporation making them personally responsible is able to have deterrence effect. Iceland sets a world model which governments should implement.

Australia revokes gay marriage law

The High Court of Australia revokes the gay marriage law in ACT because the court thinks the Federal Parliament should set the law, not a state or a territory.



My own view is that why not gay marriage. My moral principle is to use the following question to check the morality of a legislation. Is there harm to *anyone* if two persons (same sex or otherwise) marry? The answer is NO. I support gay marriage.

Police Brutality in USA

Why did a "law-binding" country do this?

Drone strike kills 15 wedding-goers. Has USA declared war against Yeman?

Renewable fuel ideas

By collecting the pine needles from the forest (which is a potential fire threat) and making into a biomass briquet, the energy needs of brick firing kiln is met.


A similar project in Cambodia, this time transforming coconut shells and organic waste into charcoal and then press into briquet for home cooking use.

Manufacturing Consent

Chinese Yuan became the second most traded currency

The biggest news this week in economy is that Chinese Yuan has become the second most traded currency, rising from about 1% last year to around 9% now overtaking the Euro which drops from 8% last year to 6% now. That also means that the volume of Yuan increase was taken from the current world trading currency the US dollars.

My prediction, which is just common sense, is that the Chinese Yuan will increase its share as a trading currency in the coming years until it overtakes the US dollars by 2020 latest or many be even earlier. For those who can save money in Chinese Yuan, it is a safe bet that the Chinese Yuan will continue to increase in value at a rate better than inflation in the long run.

There are scepticism outside China about the stability of China. I don't see that a possibility as long as the Chinese government can maintain a reasonable grow. There are still a lot of people in poverty in China and these people are desperate to get a share of the economic development enjoyed by the people in the open cities. This remains one of the biggest challenge for the Chinese government, but I have confidence that they will be able to manage. My optimism is based on how the current leaders of the Chinese government have risen to power - through demonstrated ability of leadership in large corporations and/or different levels of government. Ruling 1.2 billion people is not an easy task, but they have 2000 years of history to refer to.

Should government keep topping up failed business?

Here is a dilemma any politician must contemplate. When a business becomes the major employer for a region, it is in a position to demand more and more support to remain in the region. Again, for any corporation, the sole objective is to make maximum profit for its shareholders. The moral issue of supporting the employees and the region hosting the corporation is only secondary. The issue of unviable car manufacturing in Australia is not new. Mitsubishi car manufacturing became unviable in Australia years ago. Subsidizing these car companies which have wrong products will only delay the inevitable. For low cost manufacturing, no one can compete with China where the major market is. The only right product is affordable electric models suitable for Australia and then the world. Large engine cars are models in the past.

Fracking - Hydraulic Fracturing

What is franking?

Working poor

Where to draw a line? Should investors allow their corporations to take the advantage of the poor lowering the wages of their workers to levels that the workers' basic living requirements are not reached?

Which is more important, trade or survival of its people?

India stands firm on farm subsidies, without which a large portion of its poor people will not survive.

Our world lost an inspiring leader

Nelson Mandela dies at aged 95.



Nelson Mandela Speech after election as President

BBC documentary of Mandela

History Channel - Miracle Rising South Africa

Has the world been taken by bogans?

Bogan "is Australian and New Zealand slang, usually pejorative or self-deprecating, for an individual who is recognised to be from an unsophisticated background or someone whose speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour exemplifies a lack of manners and education." [source]

In a leaked email written, Queensland MP Alex Douglas wrote, "the world had been taken over by bogans who lived empty lives on a diet of grease. It is no longer satisfactory that they will just buy (and wear) ugg boots, watch Big Brother, choke on a diet of grease, dye their bright purple (sic), tatoo (sic) and rejoice in their ignorance." [source]

While politicians may not necessarily watch Big Brothers, wear ugg boots and dye their hair purple, the lack of leadership in dealing with the greatest problem facing humanity makes me wonder if it is a case we get what we deserve?

Watch your own citizens...

Is it right to watch every citizens of your own countries and the rest of the world?

When the political leaders are as stupid as them...

I really don't know what will help the Americans.

Why do people fight for buying towels?

Not only were people buying towels at Walmart, the Wall Street Journal's Tom Gara found that customers were turning violent to buy inexpensive ones. [source]

Why people turned violent just to buy some towels?

Monsanto - the most hated company

Why do people hate this company?

Palmer

His maiden speech to the Australian Parliament.



Company Tax: He suggested paying company tax at the end of financial year. Provisional tax is calculated based on the previous year and this allows the government to have a constant stream of income instead of getting most of the government income at the end of the year. I do not support his view on this issue.

Education: Education is important. We all know that. He was not specific on how to fund the education program.

Debt Ceiling: I agree, there is not a problem in Australian Government debt ceiling. As long as the government debt is repayable in a short term future, that is not a problem in any sense of the word.

Pope urges world leaders to fight poverty

May be the Pope can start by donating the majority of the wealth of the Catholic Church to the poor.