office politic and politic

yea, you don't read it wrong. it is the office politic plus the politic. then what will you get at the end?  a corrupt organisation is the answer. I had the experience. just imagine. I work with the owner of a facility. I was involved in a plumbing work that worth a peanut. but due to the office politic and the 'outside' politic, the project was really a stupid one. it was reported some of the users staged a protest. what the hell? all of this because the person who rented one of the outlets was a political man. that's a double stupid. and I just felt to throw out just because I told you this story.

Greece and the bankrupted democracy V - unity government

Greece is facing yet another crucial moment. the politicians are debating while commoners riot. the commoners said they're no longer can stand the 'austerity' plan. seemed that again history is repeating itself. the one in power will pressure the commoner. but I believe, in this case the one in power is not the ruling people.but it is somethign else.

Syria, 'Don't Talk to Strangers' by Dio

when TV news aired the picture on Syria conflict, my kids asked why people behave as such. I believe I've told them the answer before. so this time I commented that even a leader who supposedly protect his people, hate his people. to the extent to injure (and even kill) them. so I advice my kids to take precaution on other persons.

just like what Ronnie James Dio said

Don't talk to strangers
'Cause they're only there to do you harm

- 1987

North Korea

another leader had been brought down, but now by nature's call. it must be interesting to see the consequences of such event. just like what is happening in the middle east. the world is becoming more chaotic amid the full loaded conspiracy theories.

winds of change in mediterranean

certainly there are changes in countries around Mediterranean sea. first there were what they called Arab's Spring. three of the leaders there were replaced. now the cleaning session blows to Europe. starting with Greece and then Italy. by the end of last century we've seen communist nations fell apart. then new countries created around the same basin. clean it up!

Greece and the bankrupted democracy IV - unity government

the unity government of Greece has been formed. one reader comment on BBC that the democracy is falling in Greece. he said when a government can choose whoever they like in the government, then the democracy is falling. but for me, in the case of Greece, they unity government is made up of most of parties in the parliament. they were chosen by the people. they are people's representatives.

but what if the representatives are turning their backs against the people's wish? perhaps they can resort to direct democracy such as shown by the Occupy movement. I've wrote about direct democracy before. may be I need to write more about direct democracy in the future.

Greece and the bankrupted democracy III

the discussion among political parties in Greece is still in progress. and may be the democracy is in progress!

Greece and the bankrupted democracy II

well, the government of Greece is still holding ground. and the PM had proposed a unity government in facing the situation. let's see how the people of a country which gave us democracy will do that, when even the parliament is split into two factions. let's hope that we can learn more from these people, again. let's see how the people of Greece is going to face the economic difficulties without giving off their identity and dignity. watch and learn...

Greece and the bankrupted democracy

Greece is one of the earliest great civilisation. they teach us several things such as democracy. I wonder, if democracy could be used to destroy the very core of the system, the people. let say, the austerity plan put forward by the government is genuinely for the country's good. let say, the people of Greece reject the plan. as the result, the country goes 'bankrupt'. I don't know what happened next. but if eventually the people suffer, then the democracy, from my opinion, should failed. we have seen the failure of communism, the breakdown in the financial system and several other incidents. now is democracy failing?

from the rich Empire and pioneer of democracy, could Greece goes bankrupt and show us the failure of democracy? may be there is another system of government which is better. search for it. it is already here.

history and politics

it's very dangerous when history is politicized. a nation will lost its identity and even liberty if the history is manipulated for the few.

but, what the hell. if the history is only a perspective, then get your own version of history. the professor may speak his mind over the media. but you shouldn't change what ever you feel about your version of history. it's yours and nobody can change it. tell the version to your kids and friends.

... about history

History consists of a series of accumulated imaginative inventions.Voltaire


God alone knows the future, but only an historian can alter the past.
Ambrose Bierce


The historian must not try to know what is truth, if he values his honesty; for if he cares for his truths, he is certain to falsify his facts.
Henry Adams


The researches of many eminent antiquarians have already thrown much darkness on the subject; and it is possible, if they continue their labors, that we shall soon know nothing at all.
Artemus Ward


It should be known that history is a discipline that has a great number of approaches.Ibn Khalduin of Tunis


History is a myth that men agree to believe.Napoleon


History is the invention of historians.Attributed to Napoleon


History without politics descends to mere Literature.Sir John Robert Seely


He who has money, lives long: he who has authority, can do no wrong: he who has might, establishes right. Such is history! Ecce historia!
Gottfried Benn


The writing of history reflects the interests, predilections, and even prejudices of a given generation.John Hope Franklin


Not all that is presented to us as history has really happened; and what really happened did not actually happen the way it is presented to us; moreover, what really happened is only a small part of all that happened. Everything in history remains uncertain, the largest events as well as the smallest occurrence.
Goethe


There is no history, only fictions of varying degrees of plausibility.Voltaire

“History is written by the victors.”

Winston Churchill or so they have said ...

"we're not colonised", historian

today, yet another 'prominent' historian denies that this country had ever been colonised. "we were put under the 'protection' (protectorate) of the British Empire", or so he said.

history is not belong to him. it is a fact that the British controlled all aspect of life while they were here. they plundered the wealth of this land. they killed the local people who opposed them. they interfered with appointment of local rulers. they depressed the people voices. they ... what evident more this idiot professor wants to show that we're colonised. this professor was colonised down to his spine!

I don't know what was his motive. political? money? truth? stupidity? did our independent fighters died because they were opposing themselves?

conflict

one of our media men was shot dead in Somalia few days ago. certainly, during a conflict everybody is in danger. virtually everybody. look back what had happened in Ivory Coast when one of the warlords was killed. the warlord sided the victorious president. in Libya, one of top men in opposition front line was killed. he was one of Muaamar Ghadaffi's men who defected.

there you go.

liberty

today is the celebration of our nation freedom from colonial rule. so as usual, we recite back how the previous generations fought for the independence. but some say history is written by the group in power. history can be altered! but why only learn how they fight. for me, equally important if not more important, is the fact of how the previous generations mistakenly let the colonial get into our nation. and how some of the local people scandalously worked with the colonial.

think about it.

Direct Democracy: 'The Third Wave', Alvin Toffler

fascinating! the politicians in the US could only agreed to disagree. in Egypt, street demonstration kicking again. anti-Muammar Gadaffi in Libya had one of their top leader killed. in Turkey, top brass of all three branches of army, whom they called themselves defender of the constitution, resigned en mass. in my country, we lose some of our land and waters to our neighbour. I wonder if all these have anything to do with what people really want. leaders have always say what they do is what the people want.

then I remember the term 'direct democracy' I read in 'The Third Wave'by Alvin Toffler 30 years ago. with all the social and technological advancement, can't the idea put into practice? or is it practical in the first place? remember that some of previous civilizations did some kind of the idea.

'to be or not to be'
- c 1600

Somalia

years ago my father used to show us pictures in newspaper showing hungry and abandoned children in Africa. I cannot recall whether the picture was taken in Somalia which today faced a serious humanitarian crisis - famine. and I believe most of us has seen Kevin Carter's picture of a starving toddler in Sudan. the picture won him a Pulitzer Prize. but like most of us, he finally realised that money is evil and the society is corrupted.

to see the picture, search on the net.

regards,
human

colonial

this picture was taken few weeks ago in a small local museum not far from my home. it was actually a home of a local figure head who was tried in his very own house. he was expelled from his country about two centuries ago. occasionally I bring my family here to relearn what had happened to our fathers. I teach them how not to repeat the same mistake and stupidness. the other reason is that the entry to this museum is free.

Stand and fight
Live by your heart
Always one more try
I'm not afraid to die
Stand and fight
say what you feel
Born with a heart of steel


- 1988

Japan, nuclear waste and sunflower

so they are planning to plant as much sunflower as they can. it's a symbolic, they said. after renouncing 'live by principle' axiom, I believe what we should do is more effort and thinking to minimise what ever risk we face. why symbolic? this kind of thing reminds me to my previous boss who always said he's talking in symbolic and expecting people to understand. what the meaning of that? could he just got straight to the point instead of 'symbolism' which people may not understand due to 'poor or stupid symbolism'.

living cost

there is a spat right now in my country about one particular paid-tv station which wanted to increase their monthly subscription fee. it appears to be that the government has say in the subscription cost. that's new to me. I thought the tv station as a private entity can do whatever they want.

the last time the station raised their fee was also contested by the subscribers. but the station won and people has to pay. we are too attached to the entertainment that we could no longer live without it. now few 'consumer organisations' are also making noise about the raise. "let us boycott the station", they said. huh...

I didn't subscribe the channel. for me it's sort of luxury. I remember one story about a house belongs to an old women was luckily didn't brought to earth by fire. I went to the house the next day after the incident. there were also few locals. some of them asked about the help from a government department on making good her home. her answer was stunning. she said "they came. but upon seeing the satellite dish antennae, the officer decided that the woman (and his son, who live with her at that time) is not eligible for the help. the family has paid-tv channel". it was sort of a joke but I kind of agree on the statement of the government officer!

nevertheless, let the station increase the fee. let only the people who has excessive money subscribe it. let the people with less money lose the channel so that they can sleep early and ready for work tomorrow morning. let the kids of this less fortunate family have more time to read books and interact with their parents. let us back to time when that box named tv didn't control much of our time. let it be.

let it be, by the beatles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdopMqrftXs

school, life

the picture above is the building where my dorm was more than two decades ago. it was a boarding school about 400 km from my home. I was in early teenage when I was sent there. the journey to the school was an epic one. we left home in the midnight at reached there early in the morning and didn't sleep. I was not only accompanied by my parent and siblings but also my grandparent. it was just an alien place for me: I've never been outside 200 km radius from my home.

I visited the school last two weeks with my kids. not much is changing. in fact the outside condition of the buildings were about the same when I left them: faded and not conducive. I suspect they lack of maintenance. I mean they do repaint the buildings but not as frequent. there are several new blocks but the I also noticed that the fence are very nice. I wonder why the fence, not the buildings.

I believe since it is a school, they government should make the school 'alive'. the kids who live there will spend five years living in such environment. during my last year at the school I was lucky to have a 'live' experience on what is democracy. the school was chosen as a polling station. I managed to see how people working day and night to put on their campaign banners. I also witnessed how the people taking turn to cast their vote. I slept less during the period.

so give the kids some 'life' to live in.

GREENHOUSE GAS RELEASED: 0.117 kg