The race to find that plane

The Chinese govt finds itself in quicksand of its own making.  The Nationalist fervour it has been whipping up against its neighbours recently with an almost state sponsored truth that their brown neighbours are beneath contempt and their islands and seas obviously belong the great and far superior Chinese nation. Sound familiar?  Chinese people are convinced without a shred of doubt theirs is the most powerful nation on the planet, without an inkling of an understanding of economics and the fact that they also have more souls living in abject poverty than any other nation and that the wealth they have is reliant on selling their goods to those beneath them. Manila has now been bullied for a number of years for the audacity to let a group of Hong Kong citizens be the victim of a vicious crime by a madman and laying claim to islands within actual sight of their country. Earth orbits and sending a box to the moon have given its people the belief that their government is all powerful and conquering, even if was 60 years after everybody else did it.
Yet they cannot find an itty bitty aeroplane that was flying to its capital, how can that be its faithful citizens ask? We are the greatest nation on Earth, and why can't you punish those brown bastards who owned the plane?

Sounds harsh, but that is the reality of the Chinese media,  and the already government sanctioned demonstrations against the overwhelmed Malaysian govt in Beijing.
Over the next few days and weeks the Chinese government will claim victory in trying to find the stricken airliner, and even possibly twist it so that it appears that it was their efforts that ultimately led to that finding, whenever that will be.
The Chinese govt has a lot to lose, its credibility amongst its own citizens being the fiirst, you can't claim to be Superman but not be able to get a cat out of a tree.

For those gone

Impose Leveson NOW

Impose Leveson recommendations NOW!

PCC ruling.
Intrusion into grief or shock

i) In cases involving personal grief or shock, enquiries and approaches must be made with sympathy and discretion and publication handled sensitively. This should not restrict the right to report legal proceedings, such as inquests.

*ii) When reporting suicide, care should be taken to avoid excessive detail about the method used.

Daily Mail front page headline this week (I refuse to link or post photos from this rag anymore it only gives them hits and therefore revenue ) ;

' The moment Mick heard L'Wren was dead: Jagger's face is etched with grief after hearing ...'
This together with a photo of moment Mick Jagger heard.

The toothless PCC will do nothing,  the time for self regulation is over.
Implement the Royal Charter, and be damned with them. #TheDailyMail #levenson #MickJagger

The Big Bang

What a time to be alive!
The most significant scientific findings, in millenia are being discovered not only during our lifetime but in just this decade. These findings will be marked down for generations to come. It was during the first few years of the 21st Century they found out the true size of our universe( 14 billion light years, 400 billion galaxies, each with 300 billion stars), the finding of 700 earth like exoplanets and the realisation of billions more, the time when man  was truly able to comprehend the Earth's position in the stars.
 2013/4 was the year The Big Bang was finally proven incontrovertibly with the actual echo and light from that moment a trillion trillion trillionth of a second after the Big Bang taking place being discovered. This was the time the Higgs Boson was found. Of course Einstein foresaw a lot of these findings, but it has taken decades for technology to catch up.
The next frontier? Of course to find other life, but also to detect the 'Multiverse'. 
Fascinating times!

Return of The Cold War.

In the end nothing can be done against Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and its threat to annex the whole of Ukraine.  It is tragic that Europe once again finds itself in the same old position of before both World wars. This is no different from Germany marching into Poland.

Although the west may be unable to stop Russia,  appeasement and inaction are just as dangerous as they were before. When the dust settles Georgia,Poland and Russia's other western neighbours will be extremely nervous and uncomfortable,  wouldn't you be?
After a 20 year hiatus,  there will be an inevitable resumption of the cold war, which ultimately Russia can ill afford as it couldn't 20 years ago.
This seems now to have been Putin's aim, he was never happy with the loss of the Empire and longs for the return of his halycon days back in the KGB. He has always felt deep regret and shame in his belief that Russia was humilated by losing the cold war. His long term plan was to right that wrong and restore the world order.
 Nato has no option but to move East, for the US to establish major bases in Poland and reignite the long postponed missile defence shield and Reagan's 'star wars' system. Pacifists will object, nuclear proliferation will once again become a part of our life, but in the end there is no alternative.
A major European power is once again marching into sovereign territory,  today Russia is holding major military exercises in The Mediterranean,  where's next, The Channel?

Propoganda Propoganda Propoganda

Press Freedom and Glasnost are long dead, welcome to Soviet Russia.

Putin Moves Against the Press http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2014/03/vladimir-putin-press-censorship-galina-timchenko.html

Co-op Group chief executive Euan Sutherland

Disgusting!  Apparently this wanker, sorry banker demanded to be paid £3.6m or he would walk! Don't just walk you cunting excuse for a human being, run, run, run and take the rest of your twatish robbing motherfucking friends with ya! You are not wanted, you are a despised sub species, and I hope your kind are hunted down and exposed for what you are, the scum on the top of a rotting pond of deceit and nepotism who are responsible collectively for the biggest recession for a hundred years.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26525590

Nothing at all

Ukraine; Choose peace not war

Ukraine , the Crimea stand at a dangerous crossroads, what happens now will affect millions. Naked Russian aggression and provacation  is undeniable. But military action is not necessarily inevitable.
The best policy may be to ignore the Russian action, thereby protecting the Ukranians, particularly children. War would be disastrous in the extreme. 
Of course every country must have a right to defend itself, but what must be remembered is that the Crimea was Russian until the time of Krushev and that its people are 60% ethnically Russian, so they may actually want to go back to Russia, although no one has asked them. 

That is why Russia's actions are inexcusable and will almost certainly lead to the  diplomatic wilderness, this so soon after the apparent showcasing of Russia's modernisation at the Sochi olympics.
Conflict must be avoided at all costs, nobody wants to see war torn cities and yet more refugees fleeing a war they didn't choose instigated by yet another tyrant.
Let the Russians come,  but expel them using political means. Give the Crimean region a choice, to stay with Ukraine, to join Russia or independence. 
The Ukraine government also needs to reassure the Russians that they can continue to use the port of Balaclava as a Naval base, their shared Soviet history is still intertwined with the present and certain exceptions must be made.
Choose Peace!

Propaganda and revolution

A Chinese general this week stated that the deadly smog enveloping Northern China was a great defense against US missiles, today there were reports that China was going to build the biggest smog tunnel in the world to work out how to deal with the smog, both of these stories are classic examples of the state using the media to take people's mind off the actual problem, sadly the Hong Kong media are now also stupid enough to swallow it.
The same is true for the rising Nationalism in China fuelled by the media regarding a few tiny islands and events that happened 60 years ago, heinous events, but the rest of the world also suffered many heinous acts too, but we moved on, we had to.
Yet China in 2014 is still obsessed. This is the state media whipping up sentiment to detract from the real tangible problems faced by the majority of the population; poverty, inflation, corruption, human rights, freedom of speech and democracy!

This of course has also caused almost laughably the Chinese to discriminate against each other, as in the protests here in Hong Kong against Mainland tourists and the 'locust' label! Sow the seed of superiority and pay the consequences, ask the Germans and Japanese!

In the west, we look on, and tut tut. We stand on our pedestal and give our opinions and tell them they must be like us. That's bullshit!
Our system is also broken. A man starved to death in England this week. He was starved by the indifference and apathy of his nation.
The media has been instrumental there too, in making people believe their poverty comes from the foreigners in their midst, or the weakest amongst them. This policy has been hugely successful and has resulted in a constant barrage of racist headlines and a stream of stories of those stealing from the state, the reality of course being that the foreigners add to the wealth of the nation and those stealing from the state equate to the tax avoided by a major company in a single day!
 And herein lies the truth, the banks alone are the reason for the misery and the recession, the cost of bailing them out will be felt for decades, they are not sorry, they see no reason to be, they don't care. They continue to get richer and they continue to be protected. The same applies to every major corporation albeit to differing degrees.

Government exists to make the rich richer, the poor poorer and the corruption in our society is at the top, a perfect system where the majority cannot see the rot above them.
There is no difference between China and the West, and sadly both seem destined to continue on their path as, as people we seem to have forgotten how to revolt,  how to begin a revolution, as that is what is  needed. We knew how to do it 300 years ago, 70 years ago, but now what chance of a 
REVOLUTION?

Shame shame shame

Remember this next time you say cut benefits or vote conservative. This kid was someone's son, he starved to death because his benefits were cut! This is the tip of the iceberg, the UK has gone back to Victorian times! What was the class struggle over the last 300  years for? Was it for the half a billion pound bonus set aside for RBS bankers, was it for the tax cuts given to the richest?
You can continue to blame the immigrants who put more into the economy than they take out or the benefit cheats who make up 0.01% of the welfare bill or you can open your fucking eyes and see what is really happening as the corporations dodge tax, the richest are given money, housing benefit is given to the royal landowners. I gave up years ago, because I see only greed and stupidity, and moved out, but this makes me ashamed of my country!

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/11043378.Man_starved_after_benefits_were_cut/

The Butterfly

“Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

― Hans Christian Andersen, 

The Butterfly

by

Hans Christian Andersen

(1861)

HERE was once a butterfly who wished for a bride, and, as may be supposed, he wanted to choose a very pretty one from among the flowers.
He glanced, with a very critical eye, at all the flower-beds, and found that the flowers were seated quietly and demurely on their stalks, just as maidens should sit before they are engaged; but there was a great number of them, and it appeared as if his search would become very wearisome. The butterfly did not like to take too much trouble, so he flew off on a visit to the daisies. The French call this flower “Marguerite,” and they say that the little daisy can prophesy. Lovers pluck off the leaves, and as they pluck each leaf, they ask a question about their lovers; thus: “Does he or she love me?—Ardently? Distractedly? Very much? A little? Not at all?” and so on. Every one speaks these words in his own language. The butterfly came also to Marguerite to inquire, but he did not pluck off her leaves; he pressed a kiss on each of them, for he thought there was always more to be done by kindness.“Darling Marguerite daisy,” he said to her, “you are the wisest woman of all the flowers. Pray tell me which of the flowers I shall choose for my wife. Which will be my bride? When I know, I will fly directly to her, and propose.”But Marguerite did not answer him; she was offended that he should call her a woman when she was only a girl; and there is a great difference. He asked her a second time, and then a third; but she remained dumb, and answered not a word. Then he would wait no longer, but flew away, to commence his wooing at once. It was in the early spring, when the crocus and the snowdrop were in full bloom.“They are very pretty,” thought the butterfly; “charming little lasses; but they are rather formal.”Then, as the young lads often do, he looked out for the elder girls. He next flew to the anemones; these were rather sour to his taste. The violet, a little too sentimental. The lime-blossoms, too small, and besides, there was such a large family of them. The apple-blossoms, though they looked like roses, bloomed to-day, but might fall off to-morrow, with the first wind that blew; and he thought that a marriage with one of them might last too short a time. The pea-blossom pleased him most of all; she was white and red, graceful and slender, and belonged to those domestic maidens who have a pretty appearance, and can yet be useful in the kitchen. He was just about to make her an offer, when, close by the maiden, he saw a pod, with a withered flower hanging at the end.“Who is that?” he asked.“That is my sister,” replied the pea-blossom.“Oh, indeed; and you will be like her some day,” said he; and he flew away directly, for he felt quite shocked.A honeysuckle hung forth from the hedge, in full bloom; but there were so many girls like her, with long faces and sallow complexions. No; he did not like her. But which one did he like?Spring went by, and summer drew towards its close; autumn came; but he had not decided. The flowers now appeared in their most gorgeous robes, but all in vain; they had not the fresh, fragrant air of youth. For the heart asks for fragrance, even when it is no longer young; and there is very little of that to be found in the dahlias or the dry chrysanthemums; therefore the butterfly turned to the mint on the ground. You know, this plant has no blossom; but it is sweetness all over,—full of fragrance from head to foot, with the scent of a flower in every leaf.“I will take her,” said the butterfly; and he made her an offer. But the mint stood silent and stiff, as she listened to him. At last she said,—“Friendship, if you please; nothing more. I am old, and you are old, but we may live for each other just the same; as to marrying—no; don’t let us appear ridiculous at our age.”And so it happened that the butterfly got no wife at all. He had been too long choosing, which is always a bad plan. And the butterfly became what is called an old bachelor.It was late in the autumn, with rainy and cloudy weather. The cold wind blew over the bowed backs of the willows, so that they creaked again. It was not the weather for flying about in summer clothes; but fortunately the butterfly was not out in it. He had got a shelter by chance. It was in a room heated by a stove, and as warm as summer. He could exist here, he said, well enough.“But it is not enough merely to exist,” said he, “I need freedom, sunshine, and a little flower for a companion.”Then he flew against the window-pane, and was seen and admired by those in the room, who caught him, and stuck him on a pin, in a box of curiosities. They could not do more for him.“Now I am perched on a stalk, like the flowers,” said the butterfly. “It is not very pleasant, certainly; I should imagine it is something like being married; for here I am stuck fast.” And with this thought he consoled himself a little.“That seems very poor consolation,” said one of the plants in the room, that grew in a pot.“Ah,” thought the butterfly, “one can’t very well trust these plants in pots; they have too much to do with mankind"

adore

Valentine

End slavery in Hong Kong

Apology

So will Hong Kong chief Executive CY Leung apologise to abused maid and all Indonesian people for criminal act of one individual, which is the fault of no govt enforcement  of labour laws and police inaction, as they expect from Phillipines over hostage deaths, and continue to bully them with the threat of sanctions?

Can't see the wood for the trees

No shit Sherlock!
The answer is often the simplest one, staring you right in the face, so obvious yet the least expected.
How do Western nations, especially the UK and the US rid themselves of their crippling debt?
Austerity is right, but for who?
Herein lies the answer, why take the money from those that have the least, which by definition is doomed to failure?
Take from those with the most, with a broad synchronized swoop. At times of war, this was done, why not today? The world's richest companies and the vast majority of the earth's wealth is still in these countries. A concerted skimming off the top to repay the debt is actually the only feasible and logical answer. Shareholders would suffer, but that's life, better that than the malnutrition that stalks the low earners in our society.
Nationalisation of all utilities,communication, transportation, and other corporations deemed big and rich enough.
All those above multi-millionaire status would see taxes on their savings and assets go through the roof...how much does one person, their family and their children need in reality to ensure a 'comfortable'  future?
Restrictions would immediately kick in on immigration and residency; those that move their wealth out would no longer be able to either live or do business in that country, and punitive taxes would be made to those transferring liquid assets out of the country. 
If all the G7/20 nations agreed to these measures in tandem, then there would be nowhere for the rich to go, and nowhere for them to trade. Anywhere outside of this area would also introduce 'guest' taxes and the like.
These measures would not affect the aspiring entrepreneur,  nor affect the vast majority of the working and middle classes.
This is true austerity.
The money would then be used first to provide healthcare and housing for all, with heating costs controlled, transport run for the people, and communication seen as a human right. The national debts would dissappear, which although appearing insurmountable right now are not, look at Germany and Japan post-war.

Slavery and abuse in Hong Kong

This poor woman is someone's daughter, sister, mother! Hong Kong is incapable of protecting these women and obviously doesn't care. Nearly all domestic helpers pay exorbitant fees to agencies with the full knowledge of the Hong Kong government,  Indonesians pay up to 6 months salary and work 7 days a week for years. This is modern day slavery, Hong Kong doesn't care, The Indoesian and Phillipine people and governments should.

It's time for the Indonesian and Phillipine governments to put Hong Kong on a black list and stop sending helpers to Hong Kong. I hope this news gets massive coverage in Indonesia and their government takes a very strong stance.

Indonesian helper, 23, in critical condition after alleged beatings by Hong Kong employers

Monday, 13 January, 2014, 6:52pmNews›Hong KongDOMESTIC HELPERSJoanna ChiuHong Kong police have refused to pursue an investigation into the case of an Indonesian domestic helper who has been left in a critical condition after she was allegedly abused and beaten by her Hong Kong employers.Erwiana Sulistyaningsih is currently undergoing treatment at an Indonesian hospital after leaving Hong Kong following eight months of alleged abuse, said the Hong Kong branch of the Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers.A police spokeswoman said the case has not been turned over to an investigation officer. She said, “The helper’s employment agency made a report to police on January 12 but the agency did not provide evidence to confirm where her injuries came from. We can just hope to get more details." This has drawn shock and disappointment from the city’s lawmakers and human rights advocates.“Anytime someone is physically harmed there is no reason why police should not investigate,” lawmaker Charles Peter Mok said today.Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung, of the Labour Party, said: “If a person is killed and no one reports the murder, I wouldn’t think police would want to wait for someone to turn up to provide evidence before starting an investigation.”Sulistyaningsih had arrived in Hong Kong on May 13, 2013 to work for employers in Tseung Kwan O in the New Territories. She returned to Indonesia on the evening of January 10, requiring assistance from a friend to walk through Hong Kong airport because much of her body, including legs and feet, were covered in cuts and burns, according to Sringatin, spokeswoman for the Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers.Her employer had given her HK$100 and a t-shirt and asked her not to speak with any Indonesians before boarding the plane, said Sringatin. Sulistyaningsih had not sought help from airport customs officers, according to the Immigration Department. The 23-year-old is currently in a “critical condition” in Amal Sehat Islamic Hospital in the city of Sragen, Central Java Province of Indonesia, and it is unknown when she will be released from hospital, said Sam Aryadi, Vice Consul for Public Affairs for the Indonesian Consulate General of Hong Kong. Aryadi said the consulate is currently preparing a formal report for police.But advocates are calling on Hong Kong police to investigate the case immediately.“In such an extreme case of violent abuse, it would strike me as the police’s responsibility to investigate and gather evidence, not agencies to find evidence prior to the police making an investigation,” said Robert Godden, Asia-Pacific Campaign Coordinator at Amnesty International.Godden said there are elements in Sulistyaningsih’s case, such as the alleged HK$18,000 fees that she was required to pay to her employment agency, which should raise alarm about the possibility that her situation constituted a case of human trafficking. Human trafficking is defined by the United Nations as “use of force or other forms of coercion…for the purpose of exploitation.” Hong Kong should coordinate with Indonesian authorities to investigate more details of the case, said Godden.Sulistyaningsih’s employment agency, Chan’s Asia Recruitment Centre, which is based in Causeway Bay, did not respond to South China Morning Post’s requests for comment. Hong Kong law stipulates that agencies can charge helpers no more than HK$401, but Godden said it is common for agencies to charge as much as HK$21,000 and some would withhold helpers’ passports, employment contracts and bank cards until the debt has been repaid.Leo Tang Kin-wa, organizing secretary at the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, raised concerns that Sulistyaningsih was scared to file a report to police because of Hong Kong’s mandatory “live-in” policy for domestic helpers.“Why did this case just come to public attention after the helper returned to Indonesia? It is because Hong Kong has failed to provide a safe environment for workers. She was forced to live with her employers, and there were no public-funded crisis shelters for helpers that she could have escaped to. It is very hard for helpers in Hong Kong to seek help.”Mok said that the government should “revisit” mandatory live-in rules to assess whether abolishing the rule would reduce the occurrences of abuse cases, and Cheung said the government should also consider removing the “two-week” rule.“If helpers want to quit abusive environments they would have to press charges within two weeks and afterward cannot work and have no ways to sustain themselves in Hong Kong,” Cheung said. "Many choose to return instead to their home countries, saddled with agency fee debt." Last September, the employers of Indonesian helper Kartika Puspitasari, described by the presiding judge as “cruel” and “vicious”, were found guilty of systematic abuse over the span of two years.Topics: Domestic HelpersSource URL (retrieved on Jan 14th 2014, 9:58am):http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1404697/indonesian-helper-23-critical-condition-after-alleged-beatings-hong

Sons

I did as much as could, but now sadly my role has been taken away from me. I hope, my boys you both have the inner calm and gentleness I have given you. You both have a fire inside you, a fire to be the best, you are both the best at everything you do, academically and otherwise. You are both gentleman with a high respect for your fellow men...and importantly women. Your lives have not been easy, and will not be, but you are good, very good sons to your mother as you should be. All that meet you, love you, you are both so very special,. I expect everything from you my sons, everything. The sky is not the limit, there is no limit. Know this; Your father thinks of you, every second, every minute, every hour of every day, and my love as I have told you both so many many times goes from here to the furthest furthest stars and back again.

Reiterate

Time to say again;
"With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion I am an atheist. That is not to say that I do not believe in the existence of gods, but rather I have never found a shred of evidence to prove even the basic existence of a god. I also don't believe that time travel to the past is possible, for the same reasons. If a god exists, why hasn't it provided clear evidence of his existence? Some people will say that is what 'faith' is. Is it likely that this supreme being would feel the need to play this cruel game on his creations? Why not just instill that faith and belief into our DNA. Following that logic, this god has also implanted doubt and the intelligence to question our surroundings through science, which has made us the superior beings on this planet. So any failings in our faith and belief are actually a product of god's intention,if he exists.