If that is true, and turn into reality, that will be nice...
But I am worry, my careless wife may break all the glasswares,
Then, I need to pay for more replacement than enjoy life with glass...
May be a class to conduct how to handle glassware at the Idiots level to people who cannot work with glass...
Glass instead of Apple, anyone?....
Showing posts with label Others. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Others. Show all posts
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Microwave radiation dangers in your home
Reading about the radiaiton risk of Japan each day; and a reader from Perth, Australia sent me this from youtube. Just like smoking, believe or not, it is your decision....
Magda Havas demonstrates how WiFi connects your laptop, iPhone and iPad to the internet via microwave radiation. You will also learn how WiFi base stations, portable phones and baby monitors constantly radiate microwave radiation. The Swiss Government feels that all of these devices have the potential to do great harm if used incorrectly and warn their citizens.
This is a link to the web page that has additional information.
http://www.magdahavas.com/2010/10/20/free-internet-access-in-swiss-schools-no...
Download the patents and related studies in PDF that are mentioned in this video -
http://www.magdahavas.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/WiFi_Supportin...
While the rest of the world rushes onwards with the wireless revolution, Switzerland -- the country that invented the World Wide Web -- and the largest telecoms provider -- SWISSCOM which is owned (52%) by the Swiss government - have decided to light up the public school's wired networks using fiber optics FOR FREE!
But there is one catch -- the schools must use LAN -- local area networks. Specifically, the Swisscom application documentation states that the schools pay for the internal wiring and connect their devices (PC, printer) via an Ethernet LAN/10BaseT/RJ45 and then connect it to a Swisscom AG's CISCO router on site. Swisscom then brings the fiber optic connection to the school.
Most schools in North America are opting for a WiFI wireless local area network (WLAN) that allows computers and laptops to be connected to each other without wires. But the Swiss government prefers -- LAN -- wired networks that do not emit microwave radiation. For example, on their public health website, they specifically warn about the dangers of WiFi:
"Only switch your WLAN (WiFi) on when you need it. With laptops, in particular, it is a good idea to switch the WLAN (WiFi) off as otherwise the device will repeatedly try to connect to a network, leading to unnecessary radiation...and caution should be exercised primarily when using devices held close to the body, such as laptops, PDAs and Internet telephones".
(source: youtube)
QUOTE:
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to
what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Magda Havas demonstrates how WiFi connects your laptop, iPhone and iPad to the internet via microwave radiation. You will also learn how WiFi base stations, portable phones and baby monitors constantly radiate microwave radiation. The Swiss Government feels that all of these devices have the potential to do great harm if used incorrectly and warn their citizens.
This is a link to the web page that has additional information.
http://www.magdahavas.com/2010/10/20/free-internet-access-in-swiss-schools-no...
Download the patents and related studies in PDF that are mentioned in this video -
http://www.magdahavas.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/WiFi_Supportin...
While the rest of the world rushes onwards with the wireless revolution, Switzerland -- the country that invented the World Wide Web -- and the largest telecoms provider -- SWISSCOM which is owned (52%) by the Swiss government - have decided to light up the public school's wired networks using fiber optics FOR FREE!
But there is one catch -- the schools must use LAN -- local area networks. Specifically, the Swisscom application documentation states that the schools pay for the internal wiring and connect their devices (PC, printer) via an Ethernet LAN/10BaseT/RJ45 and then connect it to a Swisscom AG's CISCO router on site. Swisscom then brings the fiber optic connection to the school.
Most schools in North America are opting for a WiFI wireless local area network (WLAN) that allows computers and laptops to be connected to each other without wires. But the Swiss government prefers -- LAN -- wired networks that do not emit microwave radiation. For example, on their public health website, they specifically warn about the dangers of WiFi:
"Only switch your WLAN (WiFi) on when you need it. With laptops, in particular, it is a good idea to switch the WLAN (WiFi) off as otherwise the device will repeatedly try to connect to a network, leading to unnecessary radiation...and caution should be exercised primarily when using devices held close to the body, such as laptops, PDAs and Internet telephones".
(source: youtube)
QUOTE:
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to
what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Who is behind you?...
Footage of two New Zealand women using a hidden camera to catch men(and woman too) leering at their behinds has gone viral on the Internet, attracting more than a million hits in three days. As on today it had been viewed 3,780,195 times...
New Zealanders Jessie Gurunathan and Reanin Johannink rigged up a camera to covertly record men's reactions as they walked the streets of Los Angeles, posting the resulting footage on video-sharing site YouTube.
"If you've ever wondered what goes on behind your back, we've figured out a way to bust people, so checkout ass-cam,"
(source: yahoo, http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/afp/20110218/tts-nzealand-us-internet-offbeat-972e412.html)
This is what Jessie & Reanin posted:
We are Jessie & Reanin. Our hidden camera will show you fellas and ladies how sly you aren't.
Find us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/reanintigerlily
http://twitter.com/JessGurunathan
FAQ:
Is this for real? Yes.
Can I have your number? No.
What's that song? Something Bigger, Something Better by Amanda Blank
Will you be do another video in my town? Maybe. Hit us up on twitter.
What kind of accent is that? We are Kiwis (New Zealanders), sexy right?
Are you single? For you? no.
One of the comment said "Maybe all the people are looking because there is a freaking cam sticking out of her ass.....".
It may be unthinkable to some people, especially the Generation x(1960 and 1979), their parent's generation; or the Baby boomers(1946 and 1959), their grandparent's generation. To the Silent generation(1925–1945), it is unheard of, the generation of their grand-grand parents.
It is popular culture or pop culture, that is how the way they are...you become popular instantly and famous by using internet technology....they become popular like American Idol...
The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq0JcQ1dOwU.
It is funny and "fanny" isn't it?, a facebook can start or fan a revolution in our modern world recently; and an ass cam can fan the popularity of a person in the world, thanks to youtube. The products of IT technology and popular culture(or pop culture)....of Generation y.
What's the world.....
New Zealanders Jessie Gurunathan and Reanin Johannink rigged up a camera to covertly record men's reactions as they walked the streets of Los Angeles, posting the resulting footage on video-sharing site YouTube.
"If you've ever wondered what goes on behind your back, we've figured out a way to bust people, so checkout ass-cam,"
(source: yahoo, http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/afp/20110218/tts-nzealand-us-internet-offbeat-972e412.html)
This is what Jessie & Reanin posted:
We are Jessie & Reanin. Our hidden camera will show you fellas and ladies how sly you aren't.
Find us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/reanintigerlily
http://twitter.com/JessGurunathan
FAQ:
Is this for real? Yes.
Can I have your number? No.
What's that song? Something Bigger, Something Better by Amanda Blank
Will you be do another video in my town? Maybe. Hit us up on twitter.
What kind of accent is that? We are Kiwis (New Zealanders), sexy right?
Are you single? For you? no.
One of the comment said "Maybe all the people are looking because there is a freaking cam sticking out of her ass.....".
It may be unthinkable to some people, especially the Generation x(1960 and 1979), their parent's generation; or the Baby boomers(1946 and 1959), their grandparent's generation. To the Silent generation(1925–1945), it is unheard of, the generation of their grand-grand parents.
It is popular culture or pop culture, that is how the way they are...you become popular instantly and famous by using internet technology....they become popular like American Idol...
The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq0JcQ1dOwU.
It is funny and "fanny" isn't it?, a facebook can start or fan a revolution in our modern world recently; and an ass cam can fan the popularity of a person in the world, thanks to youtube. The products of IT technology and popular culture(or pop culture)....of Generation y.
What's the world.....
Monday, October 11, 2010
Connect to disconnect
Some said hand phone is a necessity in the modern world
Some said hand phone is an evil tools from Satan....
Some said hand phone is the modern technology that connect the world...
and the Telco said, hand phones are easy money to become richest in the world, the income come with time, just a finger away....every second the money transfer from the user's pocket to Telco's pockets...
Hand phone is a nightmare for sociologists; and a boon for psychologists...
Said no to hand phone; said no to technology that connected?....
Connected with wire, but disconnect with interpersonal relationship....
More communication with wire, more communication gaps with people....
Lucky, I choose no hand phone.....
Some said hand phone is an evil tools from Satan....
Some said hand phone is the modern technology that connect the world...
and the Telco said, hand phones are easy money to become richest in the world, the income come with time, just a finger away....every second the money transfer from the user's pocket to Telco's pockets...
Hand phone is a nightmare for sociologists; and a boon for psychologists...
Said no to hand phone; said no to technology that connected?....
Connected with wire, but disconnect with interpersonal relationship....
More communication with wire, more communication gaps with people....
Lucky, I choose no hand phone.....
The Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize 2010 was awarded to Liu Xiaobo "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China".
What is Nobel Prize?
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of the cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895. The prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace were first awarded in 1901. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was instituted by Sveriges Riksbank in 1968 and was first awarded in 1969. Although technically not a Nobel Prize, its announcements and presentations are made along with the other prizes, with the exception of the Peace Prize which is awarded in Oslo, Norway. Each Nobel Prize is regarded as the most prestigious award in its field.
Who is Alfred Nobel?
Alfred Nobel was born on 21 October 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden, into a family of engineers. He was a chemist, engineer, and inventor. In 1895 Nobel purchased the Bofors iron and steel mill, which he converted into a major armaments manufacturer. Nobel also invented ballistite, the immediate precurser to many smokeless military explosives. Nobel amassed a fortune during his lifetime, most of it from his 355 inventions, of which dynamite is the most famous. In 1888, Alfred had the unpleasant surprise of reading his own obituary, titled ‘The merchant of death is dead’, in a French newspaper. As it was Alfred's brother Ludvig who had died, the obituary was eight years premature. Alfred was disappointed with what he read and concerned with how he would be remembered. This inspired him to change his will. On 10 December 1896 Alfred Nobel died in his villa in San Remo, Italy, at the age of 63 from a cerebral hemorrhage.
To the surprise of many, Nobel's last will requested that his fortune be used to create a series of prizes for those who confer the "greatest benefit on mankind" in physics, chemistry, peace, physiology or medicine, and literature. Nobel wrote several wills during his lifetime. The last was written over a year before he died, signed at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris on 27 November 1895. Nobel bequeathed 94% of his total assets, 31 million SEK (c. US$186 million in 2008), to establish the five Nobel Prizes. Because of the level of scepticism surrounding the will, it was not until 26 April 1897 that it was approved by the Storting in Norway. The executors of his will were Ragnar Sohlman and Rudolf Lilljequist, who formed the Nobel Foundation to take care of Nobel's fortune and organise the prizes.
Nobel's instructions named a Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the Peace Prize, the members of whom were appointed shortly after the will was approved in April 1897. Soon thereafter, the other prize-awarding organisations were established: the Karolinska Institutet on 7 June, the Swedish Academy on 9 June, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on 11 June. The Nobel Foundation reached an agreement on guidelines for how the prizes should be awarded, and in 1900, the Nobel Foundation's newly-created statutes were promulgated by King Oscar II. In 1905, the Union between Sweden and Norway was dissolved. Thereafter Norway's Nobel Committee remained responsible for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize and the Swedish institutions retained responsibility for the other prizes.
The Nobel Foundation
The Nobel Foundation was founded as a private organisation on 29 June 1900, to manage the finances and administration of the Nobel Prizes. In accordance with Nobel's will, the primary task of the Foundation is to manage the fortune Nobel left. Another important task of the Nobel Foundation is to market the prizes internationally and to oversee informal administration related to the prizes. The Foundation is not involved in the process of selecting the Nobel laureates. In many ways the Nobel Foundation is similar to an investment company, in that it invests Nobel's money to create a solid funding base for the prizes and the administrative activities. The Nobel Foundation is exempt from all taxes in Sweden (since 1946) and from investment taxes in the United States (since 1953).
Nobel Peace Prize
The highest honor awarded to peace maker is the Nobel Prize in Peace, awarded since 1901 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is awarded annually to notable peacemakers and visionaries who have overcome violence, conflict or oppression through their moral leadership, those who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations". This means that these are the people who risk their lives in order to save people from evils that the world has brought upon us, or do anything else in order to make the world a better place for any living being that is living in it.
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize should be awarded to the person who
“ ...shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”
Some of the past Nobel laureates included the following reputable and worthy peace makers, a full list however can obtained from the Nobel Foundation website.
1964
Martin Luther King Jr.
1979
Mother Teresa
1983
Lech Walesa
1991
Aung San Suu Kyi
1990
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev
1993
Nelson Mandela, Frederik Willem de Klerk
What is peace?
The word "peace" comes from the Greek word eirene, the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word shalom, which expresses the idea of wholeness, completeness, or tranquility in the soul that is unaffected by the outward circumstances or pressures. The word eirene strongly suggests the rule of order in place of chaos. When a person is dominated by peace, he has a calm, inner stability that results in the ability to conduct himself peacefully, even in the midst of circumstances that would normally be very nerve-wracking, traumatic, or upsetting...Rather than allowing the difficulties and pressures of life to break him, a person who is possessed by peace is whole, complete, orderly, stable, and poised for blessing. (Sparkling Gems from the Greek, Rick Renner)
"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict." -Anonymous
Chinese word for peace is "和平"(hépíng), "和"or He which means harmony,calm. "平" or Ping which means balance, equality. The Han character of "和",is the combination of 禾 & 口. "口"is a mouth, "禾" which means rice plant. The meaning of peace(和平) to Chinese is simple, harmony and fairness, which is derived from a mouthful of rice for each citizen. The national agenda of the Chinese government from ancient time to modern time is always the same, to feed the large population with the same mouthful of rice equally; which comprising the political wisdom of equality and self sufficiency. When there is no hungry people, there will be peace, and no war. The priority of China is food sufficiency(和), stability, harmony(和), fairness & Equality(平), that may not mean political liberty to a communist country ...... So to Chinese, their philosophy of peace is stability, harmony, fairness, and food sufficiency.
The critic of Nobel Peace Prize
Among other criticisms, the Nobel Committees have been accused of having a political agenda, and of omitting more deserving candidates. They have also been accused of Eurocentrism. This is especially true for the Literature Prize. But Nobel Peace Prize is more controversial than Nobel Literature Prize.
A major criticism of the peace-prize is the regular failure to award individuals with widely recognized contributions to peace. In 2009 Foreign Policy magazine listed Mohandas Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Václav Havel, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Sari Nusseibeh, Corazon Aquino and Liu Xiaobo as people who "never won the prize, but should have". Liu Xiaobo has since been awarded the award in 2010. Other notable omissions that have drawn criticism include Pope John Paul II and Dorothy Day. It was widely reported that Irena Sendler had been nominated for the 2007 prize, which was jointly won by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Al Gore.
The omission of Mahatma Gandhi has been particularly widely discussed, including in public statements by various members of the Nobel Committee. The Committee has confirmed that Gandhi was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and, finally, a few days before his death in January 1948. The omission has been publicly regretted by later members of the Nobel Committee. In 1948, the year of Gandhi's death, the Nobel Committee declined to award a prize on the ground that "there was no suitable living candidate" that year. Later, when the Dalai Lama was awarded the Peace Prize in 1989, the chairman of the committee said that this was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi". Is Dalai Lama the same status as Mahatma Gandhi?, awarded Nobel peace Prize to Dalai Lama as a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi was an insult to him. Dalai Lama with his historical past in feudal Tibet, is incomparable to Mahatma Gandhi, who is the symbol and Guru of Peace for the world citizen. Dalai Lama is merely a religion leader and political leader with a questionable past.
Other high profile individuals with widely recognized contributions to peace have been missed out. As well as Gandhi, Foreign Policy lists Eleanor Roosevelt, Václav Havel, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Sari Nusseibeh and Corazon Aquino as people who "never won the prize, but should have."
One of the controversial Peace Prizes was the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama. Nominations had closed only eleven days after Obama took office as President, but the actual evaluation occurred over the next eight months. Obama himself stated that he did not feel he deserved the award, and that he did not feel worthy of the company the award would place him in. Past winners of the Peace Prize were divided, some saying that Obama deserved the award, and others saying he had not yet earned it. Obama's award, along with the previous Peace Prizes for Jimmy Carter and Al Gore, prompted accusations of a left-wing bias. This was the Nobel Peace Prize for global joke, with clear political agenda.
Among the most criticised Nobel Peace Prizes was the one awarded to Henry Kissinger and Lê Ðức Thọ, who later declined the prize. This led to two Norwegian Nobel Committee members resigning. Kissinger and Thọ were awarded the prize for negotiating a ceasefire between North Vietnam and the United States in January 1973. However, when the award was announced hostilities still occurred from both sides. Many critics were of the opinion that Kissinger was not a peace-maker but the opposite; responsible for widening the war.
Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin received the Peace Prize in 1994 for their efforts in making peace between Israel and Palestine. According to journalist Caroline Frost many issues, such as the plight of Palestinian refugees, had not been addressed and no lasting peace was established between Israel and Palestine. Immediately after the award was announced one of the five Norwegian Nobel Committee members denounced Arafat as a terrorist and resigned. Additional misgivings about Arafat were widely expressed in various newspapers. The prize did not bring peace to Palestine, the conflict still continue until today, where is peace?....
(source: mainly extract from wikipedia)
Nobel Peace Prize remain the most controversial, the reputation as the highest award for peace has faded and less regard by the global citizen. Many times the committee may not understand the meaning of peace, which must be neutral without any political, religion and racial bias. It was accused of Eurocentrism. Can it be the global award? Or merely European award?
Many time it was tinted with political intention. Nobel Peace Prize bring more controversial, not qualified as peace award. This award was only given by Norway and Swedish ideal of peace, or the western ideal for peace…. Not the global peace award…..Is it time the Nobel Foundation going global and with membership consist of global citizen?...... Did the nominee committee understand the intention of Nobel, who was armaments manufacturer, a dynamite inventor. His purpose of the Nobel Peace Prize was to award the prize to a worthy person who promote peace, especially global peace(the best work for fraternity between nations), abolition and reduction of standing armies, promotion for peace congresses….This was the most value prize that Nobel cherish, as it related to his personal background of armaments manufacturing, a peace that he so desperately looking for….
If it is given for political reason; it is not Nobel Peace Prize, but Nobel Politic Prize. Nobel Peace Prize is also not Nobel Human Right Prize; nor Nobel Opposition Prize, not Nobel Democracy Prize, it is not Nobel Dissident Prize. Nobel will never want to involve in political ideology which normally create conflicts and wars. He will never want to discredit a nation by using Nobel Peace Prize as a tool.
What is the purpose of Nobel Peace Prize? is it for the peace of the world? or for the political development of the world, following the definition of peace by the selection committee?......The political system of the country is for the people of the said country to decide, not other people, not even the foreign institutions or leaders...any intentional involvement of the external parties,into the affairs of the country, without the consent of the people of the said country, is the source of conflict and war, not peace. Only the people of the country can decide their future, their political system, they have the right to say "No" to the external influence; that is the meaning of liberty, the ability to say "No" under undue pressure. The ability to scarify little personal freedom to achieve peace for the country and other people. that is the effort of peace....
As it is Nobel Peace Prize; Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Corazon Aquino, Aung San Suu Kyi, these are the right person to award the prize, who are accepted by people of the world….. a peace maker…..the person who practice peace and use it as a way to bring peace to people.
If there is no worthy recipient, please do not award to anyone … a respect to Nobel’s last wish.
“ ...shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”
The reminder to Nobel Peace Prize Nomination Committee, "Peace describes a society or a relationship that is operating harmoniously and without violent conflict. Peace is commonly understood as the absence of hostility, or the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, safety in matters of social or economic welfare, the acknowledgment of equality and fairness in political relationships".
In international relations, peacetime is the absence of any war or conflict. The study of peace also involves the causes for its absence or loss. These potential causes include: insecurity, social injustice, economic inequality, political and religious radicalism, and acute racism and nationalism.
Another issue is will democracy ensure peace?; will liberty ensure peace? .....some of today's most violent country are from democratic country; are liberal country with freedom, where even guns can be easily obtained, did the country produce peace?. Some religion country promote war. Democracy, demon go crazy when there is no peace, which provide room for more military dictators. Singapore has less liberty according to some critic, but under a responsible government, it is better than many liberal countries. It is peaceful and developed. How did the Nobel Prize Selection Committee define peace?
Will Liu Xiaobo has peace to come personally to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? Will China has the confident to allow the dissident Nobel Awardee to travel to Oslo? Will the award bring peace or rather democracy, human right, liberty to China in future? or will it bring political chaos or more control in China?.......(Note: the blogger is neutral on 2010 award). Will Nobel Peace Prize bring real peace to China? or turning China into westernized country according to Western ideal?.....or will it bring improvement to human right, and better treatment for all political prisoners in China?...we may ask China to free political prisoners, but is there any political prisoner in the west? we must differentiate political prisoners and criminal prisoners, however some political prisoner may become criminal terrorist....will the Nobel peace prize lead to release of peaceful political prisoners?....we hope for the positive in China. The change from communism to democracy is for Chinese citizen to decide, not outsiders, not Nobel Peace Prize......Chinese people have enjoy much freedom, have enjoy better standard of living than many democratic countries; it is only they are having different political system, different tolerance level to dissidents and opposition views....
May be it is the Chinese people, the ordinary citizen who deserve the Nobel Peace Price; their spirit to excel and improve the economy, and to maintain stability of the country, where every people have a bowl of rice to eat in China. The heavy task on them to be self sufficiency, and improve their standard of life......despite some limitation of political freedom... but they are able to maintain peace....rather than political chaos....
Best wishes to China.....
Congratulation , Liu Xiaobo.....
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)"
Gandhi Peace Prize
There is another peace award, Gandhi Peace Prize, named after a peace maker worthy of Nobel Peace Prize but was never awarded, despite numerous nomination. The Peace Prize from Asia.
The International Gandhi Peace Prize, named after Mahatma Gandhi, is awarded annually by the Government of India. It is launched as a tribute to the ideals espoused by Gandhi in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of his birth. This is an annual award given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. The award carries Rs. 10 million in cash, convertible in any currency in the world, a plaque and a citation. It is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, creed or sex.
Will it become an alternative to Nobel Peace Prize, and suppressed them for a more meaningful peace prize, without political biased?. But sad to say the last award was in 2005. May be since 2005, there is no one worthy of the award?....
They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
(Isaiah 2:4)
Related articles/websites
1. The Nobel Peace Prize 2010, http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2010/
2. Nobel Prize, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize
3. Nobel Peace Prize, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize
4. Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo weeps at prize honoring Tiananmen dead, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/nobel-laureate-liu-xiaobo-weeps-at-prize-honouring-tiananmen-dead/story-e6frg6so-1225937033382
5. The Gandhi Peace Award; http://supportcom.com/PEP/www.pepeace.org/tmpl/gandhi.html
What is Nobel Prize?
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of the cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895. The prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace were first awarded in 1901. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was instituted by Sveriges Riksbank in 1968 and was first awarded in 1969. Although technically not a Nobel Prize, its announcements and presentations are made along with the other prizes, with the exception of the Peace Prize which is awarded in Oslo, Norway. Each Nobel Prize is regarded as the most prestigious award in its field.
Who is Alfred Nobel?
Alfred Nobel was born on 21 October 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden, into a family of engineers. He was a chemist, engineer, and inventor. In 1895 Nobel purchased the Bofors iron and steel mill, which he converted into a major armaments manufacturer. Nobel also invented ballistite, the immediate precurser to many smokeless military explosives. Nobel amassed a fortune during his lifetime, most of it from his 355 inventions, of which dynamite is the most famous. In 1888, Alfred had the unpleasant surprise of reading his own obituary, titled ‘The merchant of death is dead’, in a French newspaper. As it was Alfred's brother Ludvig who had died, the obituary was eight years premature. Alfred was disappointed with what he read and concerned with how he would be remembered. This inspired him to change his will. On 10 December 1896 Alfred Nobel died in his villa in San Remo, Italy, at the age of 63 from a cerebral hemorrhage.
To the surprise of many, Nobel's last will requested that his fortune be used to create a series of prizes for those who confer the "greatest benefit on mankind" in physics, chemistry, peace, physiology or medicine, and literature. Nobel wrote several wills during his lifetime. The last was written over a year before he died, signed at the Swedish-Norwegian Club in Paris on 27 November 1895. Nobel bequeathed 94% of his total assets, 31 million SEK (c. US$186 million in 2008), to establish the five Nobel Prizes. Because of the level of scepticism surrounding the will, it was not until 26 April 1897 that it was approved by the Storting in Norway. The executors of his will were Ragnar Sohlman and Rudolf Lilljequist, who formed the Nobel Foundation to take care of Nobel's fortune and organise the prizes.
Nobel's instructions named a Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the Peace Prize, the members of whom were appointed shortly after the will was approved in April 1897. Soon thereafter, the other prize-awarding organisations were established: the Karolinska Institutet on 7 June, the Swedish Academy on 9 June, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on 11 June. The Nobel Foundation reached an agreement on guidelines for how the prizes should be awarded, and in 1900, the Nobel Foundation's newly-created statutes were promulgated by King Oscar II. In 1905, the Union between Sweden and Norway was dissolved. Thereafter Norway's Nobel Committee remained responsible for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize and the Swedish institutions retained responsibility for the other prizes.
The Nobel Foundation
The Nobel Foundation was founded as a private organisation on 29 June 1900, to manage the finances and administration of the Nobel Prizes. In accordance with Nobel's will, the primary task of the Foundation is to manage the fortune Nobel left. Another important task of the Nobel Foundation is to market the prizes internationally and to oversee informal administration related to the prizes. The Foundation is not involved in the process of selecting the Nobel laureates. In many ways the Nobel Foundation is similar to an investment company, in that it invests Nobel's money to create a solid funding base for the prizes and the administrative activities. The Nobel Foundation is exempt from all taxes in Sweden (since 1946) and from investment taxes in the United States (since 1953).
Nobel Peace Prize
The highest honor awarded to peace maker is the Nobel Prize in Peace, awarded since 1901 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is awarded annually to notable peacemakers and visionaries who have overcome violence, conflict or oppression through their moral leadership, those who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations". This means that these are the people who risk their lives in order to save people from evils that the world has brought upon us, or do anything else in order to make the world a better place for any living being that is living in it.
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize should be awarded to the person who
“ ...shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”
Some of the past Nobel laureates included the following reputable and worthy peace makers, a full list however can obtained from the Nobel Foundation website.
1964
Martin Luther King Jr.
1979
Mother Teresa
1983
Lech Walesa
1991
Aung San Suu Kyi
1990
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev
1993
Nelson Mandela, Frederik Willem de Klerk
What is peace?
The word "peace" comes from the Greek word eirene, the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word shalom, which expresses the idea of wholeness, completeness, or tranquility in the soul that is unaffected by the outward circumstances or pressures. The word eirene strongly suggests the rule of order in place of chaos. When a person is dominated by peace, he has a calm, inner stability that results in the ability to conduct himself peacefully, even in the midst of circumstances that would normally be very nerve-wracking, traumatic, or upsetting...Rather than allowing the difficulties and pressures of life to break him, a person who is possessed by peace is whole, complete, orderly, stable, and poised for blessing. (Sparkling Gems from the Greek, Rick Renner)
"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict." -Anonymous
Chinese word for peace is "和平"(hépíng), "和"or He which means harmony,calm. "平" or Ping which means balance, equality. The Han character of "和",is the combination of 禾 & 口. "口"is a mouth, "禾" which means rice plant. The meaning of peace(和平) to Chinese is simple, harmony and fairness, which is derived from a mouthful of rice for each citizen. The national agenda of the Chinese government from ancient time to modern time is always the same, to feed the large population with the same mouthful of rice equally; which comprising the political wisdom of equality and self sufficiency. When there is no hungry people, there will be peace, and no war. The priority of China is food sufficiency(和), stability, harmony(和), fairness & Equality(平), that may not mean political liberty to a communist country ...... So to Chinese, their philosophy of peace is stability, harmony, fairness, and food sufficiency.
The critic of Nobel Peace Prize
Among other criticisms, the Nobel Committees have been accused of having a political agenda, and of omitting more deserving candidates. They have also been accused of Eurocentrism. This is especially true for the Literature Prize. But Nobel Peace Prize is more controversial than Nobel Literature Prize.
A major criticism of the peace-prize is the regular failure to award individuals with widely recognized contributions to peace. In 2009 Foreign Policy magazine listed Mohandas Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Václav Havel, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Sari Nusseibeh, Corazon Aquino and Liu Xiaobo as people who "never won the prize, but should have". Liu Xiaobo has since been awarded the award in 2010. Other notable omissions that have drawn criticism include Pope John Paul II and Dorothy Day. It was widely reported that Irena Sendler had been nominated for the 2007 prize, which was jointly won by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Al Gore.
The omission of Mahatma Gandhi has been particularly widely discussed, including in public statements by various members of the Nobel Committee. The Committee has confirmed that Gandhi was nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and, finally, a few days before his death in January 1948. The omission has been publicly regretted by later members of the Nobel Committee. In 1948, the year of Gandhi's death, the Nobel Committee declined to award a prize on the ground that "there was no suitable living candidate" that year. Later, when the Dalai Lama was awarded the Peace Prize in 1989, the chairman of the committee said that this was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi". Is Dalai Lama the same status as Mahatma Gandhi?, awarded Nobel peace Prize to Dalai Lama as a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi was an insult to him. Dalai Lama with his historical past in feudal Tibet, is incomparable to Mahatma Gandhi, who is the symbol and Guru of Peace for the world citizen. Dalai Lama is merely a religion leader and political leader with a questionable past.
Other high profile individuals with widely recognized contributions to peace have been missed out. As well as Gandhi, Foreign Policy lists Eleanor Roosevelt, Václav Havel, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Sari Nusseibeh and Corazon Aquino as people who "never won the prize, but should have."
One of the controversial Peace Prizes was the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama. Nominations had closed only eleven days after Obama took office as President, but the actual evaluation occurred over the next eight months. Obama himself stated that he did not feel he deserved the award, and that he did not feel worthy of the company the award would place him in. Past winners of the Peace Prize were divided, some saying that Obama deserved the award, and others saying he had not yet earned it. Obama's award, along with the previous Peace Prizes for Jimmy Carter and Al Gore, prompted accusations of a left-wing bias. This was the Nobel Peace Prize for global joke, with clear political agenda.
Among the most criticised Nobel Peace Prizes was the one awarded to Henry Kissinger and Lê Ðức Thọ, who later declined the prize. This led to two Norwegian Nobel Committee members resigning. Kissinger and Thọ were awarded the prize for negotiating a ceasefire between North Vietnam and the United States in January 1973. However, when the award was announced hostilities still occurred from both sides. Many critics were of the opinion that Kissinger was not a peace-maker but the opposite; responsible for widening the war.
Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin received the Peace Prize in 1994 for their efforts in making peace between Israel and Palestine. According to journalist Caroline Frost many issues, such as the plight of Palestinian refugees, had not been addressed and no lasting peace was established between Israel and Palestine. Immediately after the award was announced one of the five Norwegian Nobel Committee members denounced Arafat as a terrorist and resigned. Additional misgivings about Arafat were widely expressed in various newspapers. The prize did not bring peace to Palestine, the conflict still continue until today, where is peace?....
(source: mainly extract from wikipedia)
Nobel Peace Prize remain the most controversial, the reputation as the highest award for peace has faded and less regard by the global citizen. Many times the committee may not understand the meaning of peace, which must be neutral without any political, religion and racial bias. It was accused of Eurocentrism. Can it be the global award? Or merely European award?
Many time it was tinted with political intention. Nobel Peace Prize bring more controversial, not qualified as peace award. This award was only given by Norway and Swedish ideal of peace, or the western ideal for peace…. Not the global peace award…..Is it time the Nobel Foundation going global and with membership consist of global citizen?...... Did the nominee committee understand the intention of Nobel, who was armaments manufacturer, a dynamite inventor. His purpose of the Nobel Peace Prize was to award the prize to a worthy person who promote peace, especially global peace(the best work for fraternity between nations), abolition and reduction of standing armies, promotion for peace congresses….This was the most value prize that Nobel cherish, as it related to his personal background of armaments manufacturing, a peace that he so desperately looking for….
If it is given for political reason; it is not Nobel Peace Prize, but Nobel Politic Prize. Nobel Peace Prize is also not Nobel Human Right Prize; nor Nobel Opposition Prize, not Nobel Democracy Prize, it is not Nobel Dissident Prize. Nobel will never want to involve in political ideology which normally create conflicts and wars. He will never want to discredit a nation by using Nobel Peace Prize as a tool.
What is the purpose of Nobel Peace Prize? is it for the peace of the world? or for the political development of the world, following the definition of peace by the selection committee?......The political system of the country is for the people of the said country to decide, not other people, not even the foreign institutions or leaders...any intentional involvement of the external parties,into the affairs of the country, without the consent of the people of the said country, is the source of conflict and war, not peace. Only the people of the country can decide their future, their political system, they have the right to say "No" to the external influence; that is the meaning of liberty, the ability to say "No" under undue pressure. The ability to scarify little personal freedom to achieve peace for the country and other people. that is the effort of peace....
As it is Nobel Peace Prize; Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Corazon Aquino, Aung San Suu Kyi, these are the right person to award the prize, who are accepted by people of the world….. a peace maker…..the person who practice peace and use it as a way to bring peace to people.
If there is no worthy recipient, please do not award to anyone … a respect to Nobel’s last wish.
“ ...shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”
The reminder to Nobel Peace Prize Nomination Committee, "Peace describes a society or a relationship that is operating harmoniously and without violent conflict. Peace is commonly understood as the absence of hostility, or the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, safety in matters of social or economic welfare, the acknowledgment of equality and fairness in political relationships".
In international relations, peacetime is the absence of any war or conflict. The study of peace also involves the causes for its absence or loss. These potential causes include: insecurity, social injustice, economic inequality, political and religious radicalism, and acute racism and nationalism.
Another issue is will democracy ensure peace?; will liberty ensure peace? .....some of today's most violent country are from democratic country; are liberal country with freedom, where even guns can be easily obtained, did the country produce peace?. Some religion country promote war. Democracy, demon go crazy when there is no peace, which provide room for more military dictators. Singapore has less liberty according to some critic, but under a responsible government, it is better than many liberal countries. It is peaceful and developed. How did the Nobel Prize Selection Committee define peace?
Will Liu Xiaobo has peace to come personally to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? Will China has the confident to allow the dissident Nobel Awardee to travel to Oslo? Will the award bring peace or rather democracy, human right, liberty to China in future? or will it bring political chaos or more control in China?.......(Note: the blogger is neutral on 2010 award). Will Nobel Peace Prize bring real peace to China? or turning China into westernized country according to Western ideal?.....or will it bring improvement to human right, and better treatment for all political prisoners in China?...we may ask China to free political prisoners, but is there any political prisoner in the west? we must differentiate political prisoners and criminal prisoners, however some political prisoner may become criminal terrorist....will the Nobel peace prize lead to release of peaceful political prisoners?....we hope for the positive in China. The change from communism to democracy is for Chinese citizen to decide, not outsiders, not Nobel Peace Prize......Chinese people have enjoy much freedom, have enjoy better standard of living than many democratic countries; it is only they are having different political system, different tolerance level to dissidents and opposition views....
May be it is the Chinese people, the ordinary citizen who deserve the Nobel Peace Price; their spirit to excel and improve the economy, and to maintain stability of the country, where every people have a bowl of rice to eat in China. The heavy task on them to be self sufficiency, and improve their standard of life......despite some limitation of political freedom... but they are able to maintain peace....rather than political chaos....
Best wishes to China.....
Congratulation , Liu Xiaobo.....
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)"
Gandhi Peace Prize
There is another peace award, Gandhi Peace Prize, named after a peace maker worthy of Nobel Peace Prize but was never awarded, despite numerous nomination. The Peace Prize from Asia.
The International Gandhi Peace Prize, named after Mahatma Gandhi, is awarded annually by the Government of India. It is launched as a tribute to the ideals espoused by Gandhi in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of his birth. This is an annual award given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods. The award carries Rs. 10 million in cash, convertible in any currency in the world, a plaque and a citation. It is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, creed or sex.
Will it become an alternative to Nobel Peace Prize, and suppressed them for a more meaningful peace prize, without political biased?. But sad to say the last award was in 2005. May be since 2005, there is no one worthy of the award?....
They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
(Isaiah 2:4)
Related articles/websites
1. The Nobel Peace Prize 2010, http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2010/
2. Nobel Prize, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize
3. Nobel Peace Prize, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Peace_Prize
4. Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo weeps at prize honoring Tiananmen dead, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/nobel-laureate-liu-xiaobo-weeps-at-prize-honouring-tiananmen-dead/story-e6frg6so-1225937033382
5. The Gandhi Peace Award; http://supportcom.com/PEP/www.pepeace.org/tmpl/gandhi.html
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Monopoly of a word
In economics, a monopoly (from Greek monos / μονος (alone or single) + polein / πωλειν (to sell)) exists when a specific individual or an enterprise has sufficient control over a particular product or service to determine significantly the terms on which other individuals shall have access to it.
Monopoly is also a board game published by Parker Brothers, a subsidiary of Hasbro. The game is named after the economic concept of monopoly, the domination of a market by a single entity. Monopoly is the most commercially-successful board game in United States history, with 485 million players worldwide. If you win the game, you become a monopoly, you are a king that beat all others, you owned all things.......
What is a word? Wikipedia said "A word is the smallest free form (an item that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content) in a language, in contrast to a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning. A word may consist of only one morpheme (e.g. wolf), but a single morpheme may not be able to exist as a free form (e.g. the English plural morpheme -s). A word is a substantive expression of pictures in the mind. Words are carriages, representations, evidence of the search of essence and meaning. Words are vehicles, containers of thoughts, emotions, ideas and knowledge. The meaning of a word is “a speech sound or series of speech sounds that communicates a meaning, also, a graphic representation of such a sound or series of sounds.” Webster’s New Explorer Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Incorp. Springfield, Massachusetts. 1999.
Word, it is a vehicle for expression of feeling, thoughts,emotions, ideas and knowledge. It is a vehicle or a communication tool for the expression of any human being. Word is dead without the meaning of expression of a human being. Expression using word is a natural human behavior. Word is expressed by the form of language used e.g. Malay, English, Japanese, Siamese etc. Human being in democracy country have freedom of choice to choose any language for communication; they also can choose any word in the language for express their meaning in the usage of any languages. Language and word usage is a choice of the user for their personal use. Unless on official function of a nation, where a specific national language is mandatory under their national law, personally any human can use any word or languages they choose in their private life. The freedom is protected under Human Right Charter by United Nation and the constitution of the country.
In language, recently a group of people raised the issue of monopoly of specific generic word to be use only for specific function and usage, and for specific people and institution. They are also lobbying to use the word for their own social usage, and prohibit other to use the word, unless they are the members of the same institution. I do not know whether there is any name or word obtained copy right or exclusive right in any countries of a specific generic word, which are general term and commonly used in many countries. This is modern world,with the internet and borderless communication possible around the world, can monopoly of generic word from a particular language be possible..... I wonder, unless it is Microsoft Words.
Democracy is the freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of speech; as long as you do not break any criminal code and civil law of the country, and cause any bodily hurt to other people. You have liberty to exercise your vocal expression, to communicate with other human being , to communicate with God, with whatever language you use, even a language that only you know.... word is used to communicate, that means two or more parties must be involved in the communication process. It is action oriented involvement of personal choice. Can you bar or prohibit any person to use word to express his or her own feeling when in the closet, while praying , while sharing, while giving a speech within the 4 walled building. If you do not want to hear that particular word, just close your ears, in a democracy country, no one will force you to hear the word you do not want to hear....that is human right.
Privacy is the liberty to use information, data, and anything in of personal nature in secrecy. It is not to be disclose to others, unless authority is given. If I use any specific word to my self or my organization routine activities, it is my privacy; only I and people that I authorized will be using it. The group of members in the organization has common goal to use that specific word for their own routine. If you listen to my word and peep into my activities,you have infringed the privacy of mine and the organization. It is breach of Law of Privacy.
A generic word use in closet, only for the members of organization, not communicate to outside world by the users, and unless the outsiders volunteer or try to communicate and listen, there is no way the outside world can be involve in their communication process. Can it cause undesired behavior? the answer is negative, communication is two way process, there must be a receptor(a person who choose to listen). Is there chances to cause the undesired behaviors, especially when the doors are closed? the answer is again impossible. Mind your own business....when the doors are closed, unless you are a willing party to listen.
If a word can caused the commotion of inhuman activities and violence; that is perceived as not a good word. Words like foul languages, provocative words are not good words. A sensible person will stop using it. But a word is a word, it is a dead non-living symbol of expression, how a simple word can caused a destructive behavior change to a human being?. A psychologist will tell you that unless it is a negative and provocative word, or a person have negative encounter with the word in their past life, a word by itself cannot caused unnecessary or undesired response. If it did,just avoid using it, that is the solution for the simple problem. But Psychologist said a word of negative tone can caused undesired response; a word of positive, peace ,joy, hope, and word of divine nature; will reinforce a human behavior in a positive way. The psychologist said, unless there is a personal psychological problem(phobia or fear of that specific generic word); wrong perception of its actual meaning; or there is a hidden unknown problem affected the person influenced by external stimuli.
A politician can use a simple word to create consequence they desired. Politic are external influence that can cause a person to change his behavior by using a political slogan, a provocative word, even a peaceful word. It can be used for creating a mass behavior and chain effect of commotion, that rally for a hidden political cause. That is the evil of using a word for ultimate political agenda. A good and responsible politician will not play up the issue and obtain short term gain of popularity; rather he will use his position to influence for cooling down and searching for a mutual understanding and acceptable solution. Good politician will look at localized controversy, at long term and global perspective. If the word is good for people, why politicize it?. Politician is for people, for serving the country....not to provoke people for ultimate personal political motives. Ordinary citizen should take opportunity of the crisis to know the true face of some politician and throw them away in the next election.
Is there such thing as monopoly of generic word, copy right of generic word(not name),prohibition of usage of a specific generic word in the modern world?????. When the usage of word is not for economic or commercial transaction; but for betterment of mankind. If the law will create to bar or prohibit the generic word for usage by the public for a good purpose, what type of law is it? what will be the public perception? a law is for protection of citizen and the public.
If it is a borrowed word from other language, we need to look at the root of the word, the original meaning and its common usage in the home country where the language and word is used. Then we need to look at global perspective, is the word used universally for the same purpose or not. This will provide us the fact and figure(the truth) to support or lobby for the issue.
If any country is to prohibit any word from any language. Just stop using the language, we have so many languages in the global world to choose , that can express our communication needs. All Languages are beautiful, it is a communication tools for feeling. A global citizen who have travel to places and countries, no matter what race you are, what religion you believe and where you come from; you will understand the beauty of cultural diversity, including languages. English is universal and global language, Chinese is becoming more important and have economic value; Siamese is romantic with gentle tone; Aramaic is historical and rare, no one will understand and stop you; Latin and Greek will make you vocal and look like lawyer; Ahom and Shan language will be liked by people who are environmental friendly,you are closer to the mountain and rivers. Create your own language like the scout used to communicate by flags, symbols and signs; or by speaking in a strange tongue that God only understand you....if you don't like people to understand you, and want to be yourself. That is still your choice and you have a liberty to communicate in any way you like. The language that restrict the usage will one day died of no users, like many ancient language and tribal language which have been extinct, where no one will use it any more. Basically if a language cannot serve its purpose of communicating , it will disappear in the modern world.
Finally, the innocent ordinary people must use common sense in the usage of the words, the tools for communication; the tools for saying good words; the communication for mutual understanding; the ways for peace and betterment of the mankind......there is beauty in the word, it is the universal asset of all mankind, no one has the right to take it away. Just use common sense and not fall into the traps of politician who are waiting for the right opportunity to use the sensitivity of ordinary people for their ultimate political agenda. There is no winner for simple controversy of word, the actual winner is behind the scene, hidden from the public. It is still simple basic common sense of people that prevail.
Ironically, it happens in the modern world; where there is human right; where there is democracy; when the mankind are fighting for universal problem of climate change; borderless communication; global world; speedy travel, and there are people who make a choice of living in a self, inward world of themselves; just to monopoly a word, it is pity.... that they only see some little grass and not the forest in the meaning of word........and the world.
Word without feeling is dead, and has no meaning for mankind communication. The most important factor in communication is the feeling of love; love to share the content of the said communication with the willing receiver.
Word with LOVE( additional "l") is world, world without love is merely word only. Word with love is word with hope, for you and the world. If you love the word, give the word you want to monopoly with a little touch of love; for the fellowman. A giving of love and sharing of love, with the word to the world, you will find the word more meaningful. That is the beauty of the simple word, communication of mutual understanding and love. The word with "l" or "love", reveal that we are the world(same earth), we are the children of the world(global citizen), and the word with love....is a loving world for you and me.
Peace for the word, and for the world.
Related articles:
1. TRANSLATING THE NAMES OF GOD:Recent experience from Indonesia and Malaysia(2001), by D. Soesilo,THE BIBLE TRANSLATOR Practical Papers Vol. 52, No. 4, October 2001: pp. 414-423, uploaded from http://www.krisispraxis.com/archives/2010/01/translating-the-names-of-god/
2. Ban on 'Allah' word will interfere with Sikh prayers(2010), by Harcharan Singh, President, Malaysian Gurdwaras Council, http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/121296
3. The Official Website of A Common Word, http://www.acommonword.com/(In A Common Word Between Us and You, 138 Muslim scholars, clerics and intellectuals have unanimously come together for the first time since the days of the Prophet to declare the common ground between Christianity and Islam).
4. The word Allah present in Selangor anthem, says Khalid, by WANI MUTHIAH, The Star dated January 7, 2010, http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/1/7/nation/5427607&sec=nation
5. Malaysia v. The Herald, wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_v._The_Herald
Monopoly is also a board game published by Parker Brothers, a subsidiary of Hasbro. The game is named after the economic concept of monopoly, the domination of a market by a single entity. Monopoly is the most commercially-successful board game in United States history, with 485 million players worldwide. If you win the game, you become a monopoly, you are a king that beat all others, you owned all things.......
What is a word? Wikipedia said "A word is the smallest free form (an item that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content) in a language, in contrast to a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning. A word may consist of only one morpheme (e.g. wolf), but a single morpheme may not be able to exist as a free form (e.g. the English plural morpheme -s). A word is a substantive expression of pictures in the mind. Words are carriages, representations, evidence of the search of essence and meaning. Words are vehicles, containers of thoughts, emotions, ideas and knowledge. The meaning of a word is “a speech sound or series of speech sounds that communicates a meaning, also, a graphic representation of such a sound or series of sounds.” Webster’s New Explorer Dictionary. Merriam-Webster Incorp. Springfield, Massachusetts. 1999.
Word, it is a vehicle for expression of feeling, thoughts,emotions, ideas and knowledge. It is a vehicle or a communication tool for the expression of any human being. Word is dead without the meaning of expression of a human being. Expression using word is a natural human behavior. Word is expressed by the form of language used e.g. Malay, English, Japanese, Siamese etc. Human being in democracy country have freedom of choice to choose any language for communication; they also can choose any word in the language for express their meaning in the usage of any languages. Language and word usage is a choice of the user for their personal use. Unless on official function of a nation, where a specific national language is mandatory under their national law, personally any human can use any word or languages they choose in their private life. The freedom is protected under Human Right Charter by United Nation and the constitution of the country.
In language, recently a group of people raised the issue of monopoly of specific generic word to be use only for specific function and usage, and for specific people and institution. They are also lobbying to use the word for their own social usage, and prohibit other to use the word, unless they are the members of the same institution. I do not know whether there is any name or word obtained copy right or exclusive right in any countries of a specific generic word, which are general term and commonly used in many countries. This is modern world,with the internet and borderless communication possible around the world, can monopoly of generic word from a particular language be possible..... I wonder, unless it is Microsoft Words.
Democracy is the freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of speech; as long as you do not break any criminal code and civil law of the country, and cause any bodily hurt to other people. You have liberty to exercise your vocal expression, to communicate with other human being , to communicate with God, with whatever language you use, even a language that only you know.... word is used to communicate, that means two or more parties must be involved in the communication process. It is action oriented involvement of personal choice. Can you bar or prohibit any person to use word to express his or her own feeling when in the closet, while praying , while sharing, while giving a speech within the 4 walled building. If you do not want to hear that particular word, just close your ears, in a democracy country, no one will force you to hear the word you do not want to hear....that is human right.
Privacy is the liberty to use information, data, and anything in of personal nature in secrecy. It is not to be disclose to others, unless authority is given. If I use any specific word to my self or my organization routine activities, it is my privacy; only I and people that I authorized will be using it. The group of members in the organization has common goal to use that specific word for their own routine. If you listen to my word and peep into my activities,you have infringed the privacy of mine and the organization. It is breach of Law of Privacy.
A generic word use in closet, only for the members of organization, not communicate to outside world by the users, and unless the outsiders volunteer or try to communicate and listen, there is no way the outside world can be involve in their communication process. Can it cause undesired behavior? the answer is negative, communication is two way process, there must be a receptor(a person who choose to listen). Is there chances to cause the undesired behaviors, especially when the doors are closed? the answer is again impossible. Mind your own business....when the doors are closed, unless you are a willing party to listen.
If a word can caused the commotion of inhuman activities and violence; that is perceived as not a good word. Words like foul languages, provocative words are not good words. A sensible person will stop using it. But a word is a word, it is a dead non-living symbol of expression, how a simple word can caused a destructive behavior change to a human being?. A psychologist will tell you that unless it is a negative and provocative word, or a person have negative encounter with the word in their past life, a word by itself cannot caused unnecessary or undesired response. If it did,just avoid using it, that is the solution for the simple problem. But Psychologist said a word of negative tone can caused undesired response; a word of positive, peace ,joy, hope, and word of divine nature; will reinforce a human behavior in a positive way. The psychologist said, unless there is a personal psychological problem(phobia or fear of that specific generic word); wrong perception of its actual meaning; or there is a hidden unknown problem affected the person influenced by external stimuli.
A politician can use a simple word to create consequence they desired. Politic are external influence that can cause a person to change his behavior by using a political slogan, a provocative word, even a peaceful word. It can be used for creating a mass behavior and chain effect of commotion, that rally for a hidden political cause. That is the evil of using a word for ultimate political agenda. A good and responsible politician will not play up the issue and obtain short term gain of popularity; rather he will use his position to influence for cooling down and searching for a mutual understanding and acceptable solution. Good politician will look at localized controversy, at long term and global perspective. If the word is good for people, why politicize it?. Politician is for people, for serving the country....not to provoke people for ultimate personal political motives. Ordinary citizen should take opportunity of the crisis to know the true face of some politician and throw them away in the next election.
Is there such thing as monopoly of generic word, copy right of generic word(not name),prohibition of usage of a specific generic word in the modern world?????. When the usage of word is not for economic or commercial transaction; but for betterment of mankind. If the law will create to bar or prohibit the generic word for usage by the public for a good purpose, what type of law is it? what will be the public perception? a law is for protection of citizen and the public.
If it is a borrowed word from other language, we need to look at the root of the word, the original meaning and its common usage in the home country where the language and word is used. Then we need to look at global perspective, is the word used universally for the same purpose or not. This will provide us the fact and figure(the truth) to support or lobby for the issue.
If any country is to prohibit any word from any language. Just stop using the language, we have so many languages in the global world to choose , that can express our communication needs. All Languages are beautiful, it is a communication tools for feeling. A global citizen who have travel to places and countries, no matter what race you are, what religion you believe and where you come from; you will understand the beauty of cultural diversity, including languages. English is universal and global language, Chinese is becoming more important and have economic value; Siamese is romantic with gentle tone; Aramaic is historical and rare, no one will understand and stop you; Latin and Greek will make you vocal and look like lawyer; Ahom and Shan language will be liked by people who are environmental friendly,you are closer to the mountain and rivers. Create your own language like the scout used to communicate by flags, symbols and signs; or by speaking in a strange tongue that God only understand you....if you don't like people to understand you, and want to be yourself. That is still your choice and you have a liberty to communicate in any way you like. The language that restrict the usage will one day died of no users, like many ancient language and tribal language which have been extinct, where no one will use it any more. Basically if a language cannot serve its purpose of communicating , it will disappear in the modern world.
Finally, the innocent ordinary people must use common sense in the usage of the words, the tools for communication; the tools for saying good words; the communication for mutual understanding; the ways for peace and betterment of the mankind......there is beauty in the word, it is the universal asset of all mankind, no one has the right to take it away. Just use common sense and not fall into the traps of politician who are waiting for the right opportunity to use the sensitivity of ordinary people for their ultimate political agenda. There is no winner for simple controversy of word, the actual winner is behind the scene, hidden from the public. It is still simple basic common sense of people that prevail.
Ironically, it happens in the modern world; where there is human right; where there is democracy; when the mankind are fighting for universal problem of climate change; borderless communication; global world; speedy travel, and there are people who make a choice of living in a self, inward world of themselves; just to monopoly a word, it is pity.... that they only see some little grass and not the forest in the meaning of word........and the world.
Word without feeling is dead, and has no meaning for mankind communication. The most important factor in communication is the feeling of love; love to share the content of the said communication with the willing receiver.
Word with LOVE( additional "l") is world, world without love is merely word only. Word with love is word with hope, for you and the world. If you love the word, give the word you want to monopoly with a little touch of love; for the fellowman. A giving of love and sharing of love, with the word to the world, you will find the word more meaningful. That is the beauty of the simple word, communication of mutual understanding and love. The word with "l" or "love", reveal that we are the world(same earth), we are the children of the world(global citizen), and the word with love....is a loving world for you and me.
Peace for the word, and for the world.
Related articles:
1. TRANSLATING THE NAMES OF GOD:Recent experience from Indonesia and Malaysia(2001), by D. Soesilo,THE BIBLE TRANSLATOR Practical Papers Vol. 52, No. 4, October 2001: pp. 414-423, uploaded from http://www.krisispraxis.com/archives/2010/01/translating-the-names-of-god/
2. Ban on 'Allah' word will interfere with Sikh prayers(2010), by Harcharan Singh, President, Malaysian Gurdwaras Council, http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/121296
3. The Official Website of A Common Word, http://www.acommonword.com/(In A Common Word Between Us and You, 138 Muslim scholars, clerics and intellectuals have unanimously come together for the first time since the days of the Prophet to declare the common ground between Christianity and Islam).
4. The word Allah present in Selangor anthem, says Khalid, by WANI MUTHIAH, The Star dated January 7, 2010, http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/1/7/nation/5427607&sec=nation
5. Malaysia v. The Herald, wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_v._The_Herald
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
2010 new blog
This is 2010
My old blog has no capacity for photo posting; and it is limited for good blog. Need to say goodbye for a while to my old blog. I have been blogging for nearly a year. There are sweet and sour memory. The support of followers, and doing my part to help some readers; that keep me going.....
The latest articles in my old blog were more on informative type, on happening in other countries, the people who are suffering, the human right violation, refugee ; and may be a little reporting format. As facilitator to alert the readers what is happening to the world around us, as a global citizen in borderless world; but we may missed as we are busy in our daily commitment. My main interest is still heritage in Penang. But the recent visit to Vietnam gave me some inspiration, to look out for knowledge base tour, to know the place better; their history, their buildings, their people...and may be their problems..... the main spirit behind all articles is human touch, a simple human touch. I hope you will like it.
2009, my grandma passed away, the part of my life have been lost. It is not only me, the part of the generation that had contribute much to our life, our city and our history. It was painful to say goodbye, but she lived a good life, tough but satisfying, and she gave the best in all her life. It was a worthy walk in her life of 98 years, ya, a good life.....
Another reason for blogging is to keep my brain working after retirement.
This is the continuous of my previous blog, for the year 2010. The new blog will be mainly about Penang island, Malaysia. The old blog will be on other subjects.
For those who do not know where is Penang Island, I will tell you more later in my new blog.
If you wish to know me, about my previous blog articles, please visit teochiewkia.blogsport.com, Life in Penang , is more than beautiful. My new blog is teochiewkia2010.blogsport.com.
I hope you will find it enriching.....and enjoy it.
Happy New Year
Welcome 2010....
updates:
Sorry, I still cannot post photo in my new blog.
My old blog has no capacity for photo posting; and it is limited for good blog. Need to say goodbye for a while to my old blog. I have been blogging for nearly a year. There are sweet and sour memory. The support of followers, and doing my part to help some readers; that keep me going.....
The latest articles in my old blog were more on informative type, on happening in other countries, the people who are suffering, the human right violation, refugee ; and may be a little reporting format. As facilitator to alert the readers what is happening to the world around us, as a global citizen in borderless world; but we may missed as we are busy in our daily commitment. My main interest is still heritage in Penang. But the recent visit to Vietnam gave me some inspiration, to look out for knowledge base tour, to know the place better; their history, their buildings, their people...and may be their problems..... the main spirit behind all articles is human touch, a simple human touch. I hope you will like it.
2009, my grandma passed away, the part of my life have been lost. It is not only me, the part of the generation that had contribute much to our life, our city and our history. It was painful to say goodbye, but she lived a good life, tough but satisfying, and she gave the best in all her life. It was a worthy walk in her life of 98 years, ya, a good life.....
Another reason for blogging is to keep my brain working after retirement.
This is the continuous of my previous blog, for the year 2010. The new blog will be mainly about Penang island, Malaysia. The old blog will be on other subjects.
For those who do not know where is Penang Island, I will tell you more later in my new blog.
If you wish to know me, about my previous blog articles, please visit teochiewkia.blogsport.com, Life in Penang , is more than beautiful. My new blog is teochiewkia2010.blogsport.com.
I hope you will find it enriching.....and enjoy it.
Happy New Year
Welcome 2010....
updates:
Sorry, I still cannot post photo in my new blog.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)
Since 1995, Transparency International has published an annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ordering the countries of the world according to "the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians". The organization defines corruption as "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain"
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) table shows a country's ranking and score, the number of surveys used to determine the score, and the confidence range of the scoring
• The rank shows how one country compares to others included in the index. The CPI score indicates the perceived level of public-sector corruption in a country/territory.
• The CPI is based on 13 independent surveys. However, not all surveys include all countries. The surveys used column indicates how many surveys were relied upon to determine the score for that country.
• The confidence range indicates the reliability of the CPI scores and tells us that allowing for a margin of error, we can be 90% confident that the true score for this country lies within this range.
Rank Country/Territory
1 New Zealand
2 Denmark
3 Singapore (The highest ranking Asian country)
3 Sweden
5 Switzerland
6 Finland
6 Netherlands
8 Australia
8 Canada
8 Iceland
11 Norway
12 Hong Kong (The 2nd highest ranking in Asia)
12 Luxembourg
Corruption Perceptions Index 2009
Regional Highlights: Asia-Pacific
Countries/Territories included: 32
The global financial crisis and political transformation in many Asian countries during 2008 exposed fundamental weaknesses in both the financial and political systems and demonstrated the failures in policy, regulations, oversight, and enforcement mechanisms. These two factors contribute to a decrease in the scores of 13 countries from the 32 countries/territories in the region, along with a reduction in the number of countries that scored above 5 in the 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index(CPI).
Since 2008, the Hong Kong government and the Independent Commission against Corruption have intensified efforts to fight corruption in the financial sector. New regulations were enacted and new tools developed.
In Taiwan, corruption scandals involving former President Chen Shui-pian and his family membersgripped the public and have resulted in convictions. This has not yet been reflected in its 2009 CPI score, which remained steady.
Malaysia is ranked 56, The decline in the CPI score for Malaysia (from 5.1 in 2008 to 4.5 in 2009) may be attributed to the perception that there has been little progress combating corruption and a lack of political will to implement effective anti-corruption measures. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) appears to focus on “small fish” and opposition politicians.
China has launched a sustained anti-corruption drive and intensified a crackdown on corruption in the public sector, investigating and prosecuting ministers, public officials and employees. Corrupt officials above provincial levels were disciplined and preventive measures to deal with stimulus packages to tackle the financial crisis have helped keep China’s score stable in 2009, though still low at 3.6. But it has improved from1.94 to 3.6.
(extract from Transparancy International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2009)
Singapore is reputed to be one of the few countries in the world where corruption is under control. This is due mainly to the strong political will to curb corruption, firm actions taken against the corrupt regardless of their status and background, and the general public who do not accept corruption as a way of life. CPIB(Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, 贪污调查局) was formed by the British colonial government in 1952. It is a government agency in Singapore which investigates and prosecutes corruption in the public and private sectors. Incorporated within the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Bureau is headed by a director who reports directly to the Prime Minister. CPIB is therefore independent from the Singapore Police Force and other government agencies to prevent any undue interference in its investigations. It also has the upmost right, similar to the Singapore's Internal Security Department, to detain suspects of corrupt practices without law trial. The only weakness for CPIB is that it is under PM's department, it will be seen as weak to handle political corruption, as it is still have influence by the ruling party, as the head will be appointed as PM who will be head for the civil service. Singapore is able to maintain its high ranking in CPI, as the political leaders are clean, and now anti-corruption is their national culture.
Since its inception in 1974, the Independent Commission Against Corruption(廉政公署)has embraced a three-pronged approach of law enforcement, prevention and community education to fight corruption. With the support of the Government and the community, Hong Kong has now become one of the cleanest places in the world. To know how Hong Kong achieved its ranking, visit their official website (http://www.icac.org.hk/new_icac/eng/abou/history/main_1.html) on the history of how ICAC was formed, even their name included the words "Independent Commission", that is why?. The ICAC is independent of the Hong Kong Civil Service. The Basic Law of Hong Kong stipulates that the ICAC shall function independently and be accountable to the Chief Executive. The Commissioner of ICAC is appointed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China, on the recommendations of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong.
I personally preferred Hong Kong over Singapore, as there is no opportunity for political influence by the Head of civil service, or the leader of ruling party. So their anti corruption agency has all power to investigate on political corruption including that of ruling party( equivalent to the Prime Minister) and the head of civil service, without fear. Hong Kong's organization pattern focus on independence of its anti-corruption agency, with strong statutory law back up.
The Asian countries should follow the effort of Singapore and Hong Kong , how effective statutory law and anti corruption enforcement has help to fight corruption. The point to note is that their Anti-Corruption Commission is highly independence. Except for Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan; the other countries are with low CPI score. The next highest ranking after Japan is Taiwan, with the score of only 5.6, the other Asian countries are below 5.6. The score will be lower, if corruption scandals involving former President Chen Shui-pian and his family is included for 2009. The CPI score of Asian countries is still a long way for improvement.
Corruption investigation needs the backing of strong laws and sufficient resources because it is a difficult crime to investigate , said Tony Kwok Main Wai, former deputy commisioner of the Independent Commision Against Corruption (ICAC) of Hong Kong. Tony said anti-corruption organisations should not become a secret organisation or the police and need to have a check and balance in investigative powers to prevent cases of power abuse(source: Bernama, 12-10-2009). Did Asian countries have strong legal backing for anti-corruption?
The Asian Ranking
3 Singapore 9.2 9.0 9.4 9
12 Hong Kong 8.2 7.9 8.5 8
17 Japan 7.7 7.4 8.0 8
37 Taiwan 5.6 5.4 5.9 9
39 Brunei Darussalam 5.5 4.7 6.4 4
39 South Korea 5.5 5.3 5.7 9
43 Macao 5.3 3.3 6.9 3
49 Bhutan 5.0 4.3 5.6 4
56 Malaysia 4.5 4.0 5.1 9
56 Samoa 4.5 3.3 5.3 3
79 China 3.6 3.0 4.2 9
84 India 3.4 3.2 3.6 10
84 Thailand 3.4 3.0 3.8 9
Dr. Johann Graf Lambsdorff
Dr. Johann Graf Lambsdorff, creator of the Corruption Perceptions Index, will no longer publish the landmark corruption ranking, he said in an email to the Transparency International network this week. Lambsdorff wrote: "TI-S will try to continue somehow with a substitute for the CPI. Even though most of them are rather new to the debate, they will try to make the new product look like the old one. This is time for me to let them go their way."
The Corruption Perceptions Index was first published in 1995, and aimed to create a ranking of "the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians." The CPI, alongside the World Bank Institute's similar effort, is widely credited for forcing the issue of corruption into high level international discourse in the 1990s. It has also faced criticism aimed at its methodology and uses.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)
In 2008, the Malaysian Government and Parliament had agreed that a MACC be established in order to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of (its) anti-corruption efforts as well as to improve perception of independence and transparency of the functions of the Commission. The MACC would be simultaneously sustained by check and balance mechanism in ensuring that the Commission operates in line with national laws and the aspiration of the society.
MACC Malaysia is one of the organizations under the Prime Minister’s Department. Even though MACC Malaysia is under the Prime Minister’s Department, it is just for the reason of finance and staffing only. The everyday business of MACC Malaysia is being carried out freehandedly and autonomously by the officers under the supervision of the Chief Commissioner without interferences from any other party.
MACC Malaysia is headed by the Chief Commissioner who has been bestowed by his majesty the Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di Pertuan Agong under section 3(2) Anti-Corruption Act 1997 upon the advice of the Honorable Prime Minister of Malaysia and would be assisted by two MACC Deputy Directors General.
(extract from http://www.sprm.gov.my/)
The decline of Malaysia ranking is in view of poor perception on Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), which is attributed to the perception that the commission is not seen to be really independence. As a government agency their governing body is Government of Malaysia, which is controlled and influence by ruling political forces. MACC appear to focus only the small fishes, and petty cases of opposition parties.
Opposition MPs were concerned over the independence of the MACC since it will not have any power to prosecute. A former minister and senior UMNO leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah also hit out at the MACC for investigating minor cases while ignoring major examples of graft. The Teoh Beng Hock case has badly affected the image of MACC in the eyes of Malaysian public.
As a tax payer, we are ashamed that the ranking of CPI has fallen, and we are behind many Asian countries; Sungapore, Hong Kong,Japan, Taiwan, Brunei, South Korea, Macao, and even Bhutan. The sad thing is our CPI score is only 4.5......It was the worst ranking, in 2001 Malaysia ranked 36th with score of 5, why are we not improving.....but declined... Our tax monies are wasted and got into the pockets of corrupted people, at the time when the world is facing global financial crisis, at the time the country need badly the development fund.
This corrupted people should be seriously dealt with, may be we should followed the policy of China....the highest penalty should be death sentence for corruption or at least life imprisonment. The punishment for the corruption cases are light with no deterrent capability.
The MACC should not be a government agency, it should be an fully independent commission under the parliament or the King. The MACC should have the tooth to go after the corrupted politician of ruling parties, and high ranking government servants. MACC should then be ready for the big fish.....
Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal(where costs had dramatically risen from an estimated RM1.1bil to RM4.7bil, and may balloon further to RM12.5bil.), Lingam video clip" case(The judicial corruption), 2008 Auditor-General's Report,RM32.4 million contract for flowers and plants to decorate the City Hall's office tower, RM30 million to buy used trains, 1000 RapidKL's buses costing RM500 million had been left to rust, double-track railway project which costs RM1.43 billion higher that the worth of the original contract...... the former MB's residence.... the big fish......
The high cost building of many offices of government department and agencies(both head office and state offices), the land approval(alienation of land for development),the timber concession, the award of government contracts, the related parties transaction(Association under MB's wife, government and its staff cooperatives, ruling party's business venture, etc)...........there are many loopholes for corruption and all our tax monies are wasted .....how many more remained unknown.... the potential big fishes.......
The lack of action that has been taken despite the Auditor-General's annual report which highlighted extraordinary public fund abuses, case like PKFZ, which had been highlighted by the previous auditor general reports, yet the cost was escalated without any investigation by MACC... an example of big fish overlooked by MACC.....which the tax payers and citizen do not understand.......
Why waste our resources on small fishes when there are so many big fishes around; MACC should failed the KPIs for not capable to allocate its resources to meet its objective...
.... and we still have no resources to touch on private sector corruption; the business sector, the charitable and non-profit organization, the NGOs, religion institution......which derived their income from donation and fund. Are they accountable for the public fund abuse? Can the CEO of non-profit organization living a life like a millionaires? The public and MACC should be aware of National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal, Ven. Shi Ming Yi(释明义)& Ren Ci Hospital case in Singapore; and aware of private sector corruption before it is too late. (Note: On October 7, 2009, Ming Yi was convicted of four charges of conspiracy, misuse of funds and forgery. It was revealed in the court that Ming Yi bought luxury cars, race horses, country club membership in Perth, Western Australia and lived in lavish lifestyle, an unusual trait amongst Buddhist monks. Ming Yi is set to be sentenced on 21 November, where Ming Yi faces seven years in prison and possible removal from the Buddhist sangha. Source: wikipedia)
Furthermore, if MACC is a government agency, it is not free from the influence from the civil services, their head, the ruling parties. They will always be perceived as biased if they investigated on political corruption, especially on opposition parties.
That is the reason the citizen want an independent, strong and clean MACC.....without fear and favour....
Related articles:
1. Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, www.wikipedia.org.
2. Official website of Transparency International, http://transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2009/cpi_2009_table
3. Ku Li slams MACC, says witnesses shouldn’t end up in coffins , http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/32993-ku-li-slams-macc-says-witnesses-shouldnt-end-up-in-coffins,Malaysian Insider. 2009-02-22.
4. Corruption Perceptions Indexes, www.wikipedia.org
5. LEVELS OF CORRUPTION IN MALAYSIA : A COMMENT ON THE CASE OF BUMIPUTRA MALAYSIA FINANCE, by R.S. Milne, ASIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION. This is an interesting article on famous BMF case, if you are interested in the case.
6. Eradicating Corruption—The Singapore Experience(2000), by Mr. Muhammed Ali,Acting Assistant Director Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Singapore; Presentation Paper for The Seminar on International Experiences on Good Governance and Fighting Corruption , February 17, 2000
7.CPIB( The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau) official website: http://app.cpib.gov.sg/cpib_new/user/default.aspx?pgID=21&action=clear
8. National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal, www.wikipedia.org
9. Shi Ming Yi, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi_Ming_Yi
10. CORRUPTION PREVENTION - THE HONG KONG EXPERIENCE(2000), by Thomas Chan, Director, Corruption Prevention, Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong, http://www.unafei.or.jp/english/pdf/PDF_rms/no56/56-26.pdf.
11. The official web sites of ICAC(The Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong) , http://www.icac.org.hk/en/home/index.html
12. Independent Commission Against Corruption (Hong Kong), www.wikipedia.org
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) table shows a country's ranking and score, the number of surveys used to determine the score, and the confidence range of the scoring
• The rank shows how one country compares to others included in the index. The CPI score indicates the perceived level of public-sector corruption in a country/territory.
• The CPI is based on 13 independent surveys. However, not all surveys include all countries. The surveys used column indicates how many surveys were relied upon to determine the score for that country.
• The confidence range indicates the reliability of the CPI scores and tells us that allowing for a margin of error, we can be 90% confident that the true score for this country lies within this range.
Rank Country/Territory
1 New Zealand
2 Denmark
3 Singapore (The highest ranking Asian country)
3 Sweden
5 Switzerland
6 Finland
6 Netherlands
8 Australia
8 Canada
8 Iceland
11 Norway
12 Hong Kong (The 2nd highest ranking in Asia)
12 Luxembourg
Corruption Perceptions Index 2009
Regional Highlights: Asia-Pacific
Countries/Territories included: 32
The global financial crisis and political transformation in many Asian countries during 2008 exposed fundamental weaknesses in both the financial and political systems and demonstrated the failures in policy, regulations, oversight, and enforcement mechanisms. These two factors contribute to a decrease in the scores of 13 countries from the 32 countries/territories in the region, along with a reduction in the number of countries that scored above 5 in the 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index(CPI).
Since 2008, the Hong Kong government and the Independent Commission against Corruption have intensified efforts to fight corruption in the financial sector. New regulations were enacted and new tools developed.
In Taiwan, corruption scandals involving former President Chen Shui-pian and his family membersgripped the public and have resulted in convictions. This has not yet been reflected in its 2009 CPI score, which remained steady.
Malaysia is ranked 56, The decline in the CPI score for Malaysia (from 5.1 in 2008 to 4.5 in 2009) may be attributed to the perception that there has been little progress combating corruption and a lack of political will to implement effective anti-corruption measures. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) appears to focus on “small fish” and opposition politicians.
China has launched a sustained anti-corruption drive and intensified a crackdown on corruption in the public sector, investigating and prosecuting ministers, public officials and employees. Corrupt officials above provincial levels were disciplined and preventive measures to deal with stimulus packages to tackle the financial crisis have helped keep China’s score stable in 2009, though still low at 3.6. But it has improved from1.94 to 3.6.
(extract from Transparancy International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2009)
Singapore is reputed to be one of the few countries in the world where corruption is under control. This is due mainly to the strong political will to curb corruption, firm actions taken against the corrupt regardless of their status and background, and the general public who do not accept corruption as a way of life. CPIB(Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, 贪污调查局) was formed by the British colonial government in 1952. It is a government agency in Singapore which investigates and prosecutes corruption in the public and private sectors. Incorporated within the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Bureau is headed by a director who reports directly to the Prime Minister. CPIB is therefore independent from the Singapore Police Force and other government agencies to prevent any undue interference in its investigations. It also has the upmost right, similar to the Singapore's Internal Security Department, to detain suspects of corrupt practices without law trial. The only weakness for CPIB is that it is under PM's department, it will be seen as weak to handle political corruption, as it is still have influence by the ruling party, as the head will be appointed as PM who will be head for the civil service. Singapore is able to maintain its high ranking in CPI, as the political leaders are clean, and now anti-corruption is their national culture.
Since its inception in 1974, the Independent Commission Against Corruption(廉政公署)has embraced a three-pronged approach of law enforcement, prevention and community education to fight corruption. With the support of the Government and the community, Hong Kong has now become one of the cleanest places in the world. To know how Hong Kong achieved its ranking, visit their official website (http://www.icac.org.hk/new_icac/eng/abou/history/main_1.html) on the history of how ICAC was formed, even their name included the words "Independent Commission", that is why?. The ICAC is independent of the Hong Kong Civil Service. The Basic Law of Hong Kong stipulates that the ICAC shall function independently and be accountable to the Chief Executive. The Commissioner of ICAC is appointed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China, on the recommendations of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong.
I personally preferred Hong Kong over Singapore, as there is no opportunity for political influence by the Head of civil service, or the leader of ruling party. So their anti corruption agency has all power to investigate on political corruption including that of ruling party( equivalent to the Prime Minister) and the head of civil service, without fear. Hong Kong's organization pattern focus on independence of its anti-corruption agency, with strong statutory law back up.
The Asian countries should follow the effort of Singapore and Hong Kong , how effective statutory law and anti corruption enforcement has help to fight corruption. The point to note is that their Anti-Corruption Commission is highly independence. Except for Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan; the other countries are with low CPI score. The next highest ranking after Japan is Taiwan, with the score of only 5.6, the other Asian countries are below 5.6. The score will be lower, if corruption scandals involving former President Chen Shui-pian and his family is included for 2009. The CPI score of Asian countries is still a long way for improvement.
Corruption investigation needs the backing of strong laws and sufficient resources because it is a difficult crime to investigate , said Tony Kwok Main Wai, former deputy commisioner of the Independent Commision Against Corruption (ICAC) of Hong Kong. Tony said anti-corruption organisations should not become a secret organisation or the police and need to have a check and balance in investigative powers to prevent cases of power abuse(source: Bernama, 12-10-2009). Did Asian countries have strong legal backing for anti-corruption?
The Asian Ranking
3 Singapore 9.2 9.0 9.4 9
12 Hong Kong 8.2 7.9 8.5 8
17 Japan 7.7 7.4 8.0 8
37 Taiwan 5.6 5.4 5.9 9
39 Brunei Darussalam 5.5 4.7 6.4 4
39 South Korea 5.5 5.3 5.7 9
43 Macao 5.3 3.3 6.9 3
49 Bhutan 5.0 4.3 5.6 4
56 Malaysia 4.5 4.0 5.1 9
56 Samoa 4.5 3.3 5.3 3
79 China 3.6 3.0 4.2 9
84 India 3.4 3.2 3.6 10
84 Thailand 3.4 3.0 3.8 9
Dr. Johann Graf Lambsdorff
Dr. Johann Graf Lambsdorff, creator of the Corruption Perceptions Index, will no longer publish the landmark corruption ranking, he said in an email to the Transparency International network this week. Lambsdorff wrote: "TI-S will try to continue somehow with a substitute for the CPI. Even though most of them are rather new to the debate, they will try to make the new product look like the old one. This is time for me to let them go their way."
The Corruption Perceptions Index was first published in 1995, and aimed to create a ranking of "the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians." The CPI, alongside the World Bank Institute's similar effort, is widely credited for forcing the issue of corruption into high level international discourse in the 1990s. It has also faced criticism aimed at its methodology and uses.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)
In 2008, the Malaysian Government and Parliament had agreed that a MACC be established in order to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of (its) anti-corruption efforts as well as to improve perception of independence and transparency of the functions of the Commission. The MACC would be simultaneously sustained by check and balance mechanism in ensuring that the Commission operates in line with national laws and the aspiration of the society.
MACC Malaysia is one of the organizations under the Prime Minister’s Department. Even though MACC Malaysia is under the Prime Minister’s Department, it is just for the reason of finance and staffing only. The everyday business of MACC Malaysia is being carried out freehandedly and autonomously by the officers under the supervision of the Chief Commissioner without interferences from any other party.
MACC Malaysia is headed by the Chief Commissioner who has been bestowed by his majesty the Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di Pertuan Agong under section 3(2) Anti-Corruption Act 1997 upon the advice of the Honorable Prime Minister of Malaysia and would be assisted by two MACC Deputy Directors General.
(extract from http://www.sprm.gov.my/)
The decline of Malaysia ranking is in view of poor perception on Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), which is attributed to the perception that the commission is not seen to be really independence. As a government agency their governing body is Government of Malaysia, which is controlled and influence by ruling political forces. MACC appear to focus only the small fishes, and petty cases of opposition parties.
Opposition MPs were concerned over the independence of the MACC since it will not have any power to prosecute. A former minister and senior UMNO leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah also hit out at the MACC for investigating minor cases while ignoring major examples of graft. The Teoh Beng Hock case has badly affected the image of MACC in the eyes of Malaysian public.
As a tax payer, we are ashamed that the ranking of CPI has fallen, and we are behind many Asian countries; Sungapore, Hong Kong,Japan, Taiwan, Brunei, South Korea, Macao, and even Bhutan. The sad thing is our CPI score is only 4.5......It was the worst ranking, in 2001 Malaysia ranked 36th with score of 5, why are we not improving.....but declined... Our tax monies are wasted and got into the pockets of corrupted people, at the time when the world is facing global financial crisis, at the time the country need badly the development fund.
This corrupted people should be seriously dealt with, may be we should followed the policy of China....the highest penalty should be death sentence for corruption or at least life imprisonment. The punishment for the corruption cases are light with no deterrent capability.
The MACC should not be a government agency, it should be an fully independent commission under the parliament or the King. The MACC should have the tooth to go after the corrupted politician of ruling parties, and high ranking government servants. MACC should then be ready for the big fish.....
Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal(where costs had dramatically risen from an estimated RM1.1bil to RM4.7bil, and may balloon further to RM12.5bil.), Lingam video clip" case(The judicial corruption), 2008 Auditor-General's Report,RM32.4 million contract for flowers and plants to decorate the City Hall's office tower, RM30 million to buy used trains, 1000 RapidKL's buses costing RM500 million had been left to rust, double-track railway project which costs RM1.43 billion higher that the worth of the original contract...... the former MB's residence.... the big fish......
The high cost building of many offices of government department and agencies(both head office and state offices), the land approval(alienation of land for development),the timber concession, the award of government contracts, the related parties transaction(Association under MB's wife, government and its staff cooperatives, ruling party's business venture, etc)...........there are many loopholes for corruption and all our tax monies are wasted .....how many more remained unknown.... the potential big fishes.......
The lack of action that has been taken despite the Auditor-General's annual report which highlighted extraordinary public fund abuses, case like PKFZ, which had been highlighted by the previous auditor general reports, yet the cost was escalated without any investigation by MACC... an example of big fish overlooked by MACC.....which the tax payers and citizen do not understand.......
Why waste our resources on small fishes when there are so many big fishes around; MACC should failed the KPIs for not capable to allocate its resources to meet its objective...
.... and we still have no resources to touch on private sector corruption; the business sector, the charitable and non-profit organization, the NGOs, religion institution......which derived their income from donation and fund. Are they accountable for the public fund abuse? Can the CEO of non-profit organization living a life like a millionaires? The public and MACC should be aware of National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal, Ven. Shi Ming Yi(释明义)& Ren Ci Hospital case in Singapore; and aware of private sector corruption before it is too late. (Note: On October 7, 2009, Ming Yi was convicted of four charges of conspiracy, misuse of funds and forgery. It was revealed in the court that Ming Yi bought luxury cars, race horses, country club membership in Perth, Western Australia and lived in lavish lifestyle, an unusual trait amongst Buddhist monks. Ming Yi is set to be sentenced on 21 November, where Ming Yi faces seven years in prison and possible removal from the Buddhist sangha. Source: wikipedia)
Furthermore, if MACC is a government agency, it is not free from the influence from the civil services, their head, the ruling parties. They will always be perceived as biased if they investigated on political corruption, especially on opposition parties.
That is the reason the citizen want an independent, strong and clean MACC.....without fear and favour....
Related articles:
1. Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, www.wikipedia.org.
2. Official website of Transparency International, http://transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2009/cpi_2009_table
3. Ku Li slams MACC, says witnesses shouldn’t end up in coffins , http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/32993-ku-li-slams-macc-says-witnesses-shouldnt-end-up-in-coffins,Malaysian Insider. 2009-02-22.
4. Corruption Perceptions Indexes, www.wikipedia.org
5. LEVELS OF CORRUPTION IN MALAYSIA : A COMMENT ON THE CASE OF BUMIPUTRA MALAYSIA FINANCE, by R.S. Milne, ASIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION. This is an interesting article on famous BMF case, if you are interested in the case.
6. Eradicating Corruption—The Singapore Experience(2000), by Mr. Muhammed Ali,Acting Assistant Director Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Singapore; Presentation Paper for The Seminar on International Experiences on Good Governance and Fighting Corruption , February 17, 2000
7.CPIB( The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau) official website: http://app.cpib.gov.sg/cpib_new/user/default.aspx?pgID=21&action=clear
8. National Kidney Foundation Singapore scandal, www.wikipedia.org
9. Shi Ming Yi, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi_Ming_Yi
10. CORRUPTION PREVENTION - THE HONG KONG EXPERIENCE(2000), by Thomas Chan, Director, Corruption Prevention, Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong, http://www.unafei.or.jp/english/pdf/PDF_rms/no56/56-26.pdf.
11. The official web sites of ICAC(The Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong) , http://www.icac.org.hk/en/home/index.html
12. Independent Commission Against Corruption (Hong Kong), www.wikipedia.org
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Stop my blog due to exceeding photo upload quota
It is promoted as free blogging, but now I realized it is actually not free....
Blogger told me that I have exceeded total photo upload quota. I am only eligible for free photo storage in the 1 GB of free storage allotted to Picasa Web Albums.
Any help? any suggestion to avoid the fee paying?
or I will stop blogging.....
Blogger told me that I have exceeded total photo upload quota. I am only eligible for free photo storage in the 1 GB of free storage allotted to Picasa Web Albums.
When you run out of free storage for any product, you can purchase additional storage that is shared between products. This shared storage can be used for Picasa Web Albums uploads, Gmail messages or a mix of both - it will be used by any product that's over its free storage quota on a first-come, first-served basis. Choose from the following storage plans:
- 10GB - $20/yr
- 40GB - $75/yr
- 150GB - $250/yr
- 400GB - $500/yr
Any help? any suggestion to avoid the fee paying?
or I will stop blogging.....
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Blog name changed
I changed the title of the blog from " Life is beautiful" to " Life is more than beautiful"
As I found another blog with the same name.....
Sorry for the inconvenience caused
Thank you.
As I found another blog with the same name.....
Sorry for the inconvenience caused
Thank you.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Merdeka Day
Happy Birthday, Malaysia.
You are now 52 years
A golden age nation, should be mature and wise.....
An example for the other newer nations or 3rd world nations, in upholding of democracy, human right, legal integrity, racial relationship, religion freedom....
Malaysian boleh,
ONE Malaysia, ONE Malaysian...
Merdeka, merdeka, ....
31-8-1957.......
Happy birthday, Malaysia.
You are now 52 years
A golden age nation, should be mature and wise.....
An example for the other newer nations or 3rd world nations, in upholding of democracy, human right, legal integrity, racial relationship, religion freedom....
Malaysian boleh,
ONE Malaysia, ONE Malaysian...
Merdeka, merdeka, ....
31-8-1957.......
Happy birthday, Malaysia.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Rain or Shine
Looking out from the balcony, I see the sky has changed,
from the dull moody sky , to the bright blue sky.
I looked at the sky each day, thanking God for the day begin.
There were few days of rains before Good Friday.
The sky became dull, waiting for the rains to stop,
a long wait........
And I can see the sunshine now,
Hope that by Easter, the sunshine will still be there.
It is nice to see sunshine.
Why I prefer sunshine over rains?
Sunshine support life, rains too support life,
Should have changed my perception,
rain or shine it is still a good day.
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