Are we paranoid or this is the real conspiracy at work?

Are we really paranoid or are there something much more sinister behind the 9/11? See it for yourself.



Again, I've to admit it's purely the conspiracy theorists at work. They relentlessly gather the evidences. Assemble and present them in the best possible manner to befit their ultimate goals. Some of them even have to alter the truth to scam the curious onlookers. They've also exaggerated on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, with movies such as JFK and numerous other books.

Seriously, there's really not much we can do whether the government conspires or not. We can only speculate and continue to be the puppet under government's control. As long as we behave, glue to our daily routines and don't make a fuss about it nobody, at least not the close member of our relatives, will get hurt. As long as we volunteerily shroud ourselves under the constant watchful eyes and shadows of the government and deny any of its wrongdoings, our stocks, mutual funds and savings would go up, our pensions would skyrocket and we would live a happier life. But, is this what we really want? Is this the kind of denial, guilt and conscience we want our children to live under? Would we really want to fuel our economy this way, through the lucrative drug and oil economy? I bet you not.

So, let's wake up, spread the words, inform others and stop ourselves from being the government's puppet. These are hard steps, but if we do them right and in a timely manner we would save ourselves the future grieves, efforts, and hussles that would otherwise arise if we were to stay dormant and under the watchful eyes of the government.

The pretense of human rights in China

For those of you interested in the current issues of human rights in China, this article from the Christian Science Monitor is highly recommended.

It mentions the Communist Party of China might take a lighter stance and alleviate human suppression as Beijing embraces the 2008 Olympic. Somehow I doubt this would happen because if they make exception then people could see this as a chance to soften up the regime and an excuse for future fights to topple corruption, suppression and even the regime in China.

Here, it talks about the role the high-tech company plays in the imprisonment of dissidents:

The role of overseas Internet companies in complying with Chinese police seized the moral imagination of the US Congress in hearings last week. The most serious cases relate to Yahoo's help in helping identify and convict journalist Shi Tao to 10 years in jail. Two weeks ago, a new case appeared to put Yahoo in cahoots with state security forces regarding Li Zhi, who got eight years in jail for trying to query and join a democracy group from his home in Sichuan.

And even the journalists reporting on corruption have had their jobs stripped away:

Since December, the editor of a relatively feisty new tabloid, Beijing News, was fired after stories on why it took 11 days for Chinese officials to acknowledge a major benzene spill in a river flowing through northeast China to Russia. The firing hit the staff hard, bringing one of the first collective protests in memory at a state-run media outlet.

Last week, Chen Jieren, editor of the small Public Interest Times, was sacked. he went public this week in a 10,000-word essay after his employer said he was fired for poor management skills. Chen said he was ousted over stories investigating corruption, among others. The journal aimed to "report the truth with a conscience," he wrote.

These examples further demonstrate the suppression of ideologies, freedom of press and rights under the communist regime.

So, will we see an alleviation of human suppression and corruption in China as Beijing 2008 approaches? Maybe, but it will only be a show to ease the criticism from western media and politicians. I bet you that the suppression would resume right after 2008 Olympic ends.

Not only are the people suffering, animals also take a beating. Here's my previous post on that issue.

The true cost of capitalism

We live in a liberal and capitalistic society where the two ideologies coexist for the betterment of the population. The goal of liberalism is to advocate and secure the freedom of expression in any way or form for an individual, a group or an entity, except in the case where it violates the feelings or believes. In that case, a sound judgement must be made to balance the right or wrong and sometimes could inadvertently compromise either sides. Capitalism, on the other hand, targets for the financial gain and well being of a particular individual, group or entity. The sole purpose of capitalism is to increase the monetary assets and substances by any means irrespective of the would-be consequences or outcomes. Capitalism rarely compromises its goal and, if needs to be, it'll always find an excuse, a detour or a strategy to reach the ultimate gain.

Sometimes the two ideologies sail smoothly, but there's always an instance when the two collide. Currently, the best example is how many high-tech companies, sadly including Blog*spot owner Google, are willing to sacrifice the individual rights and civil liberty for a share of the Internet market in China. With the annual significant growth of Internet users, it means a guaranteed boost of bottom line performance regardless of how big a share the company owns. With many rural provinces undeveloped there's always rooms for improvements, potential clients and lucrative deals. To the investors and high-tech firms, China is like an enigmatic chest that awaits exploration. There're surprises and turns but if one is persistent and willingly enough to endure a meager hardship, the rewards are endless.

Furthermore, the willingness of submission to Chinese rules also fuels China's rentless effort to acquire sensitive technologies, and causes a direct detrimental impact on the economy of many nations. The impacts include:

1. Erosion of jobs and jobless recovery
   
2. Poor enforcement of intellectual property rights
3. Exclusion of foreign products in China
4. Unfair treatments of foreign companies in China

And the hidden technological and militaristic gains, such as:

1. Suppression on freedom of speech, expression and religion
2. Brutal extermination of uprisings

And many more unthinkables. For more on the true cost of capitalism visit here.

This same capitalistic idea also applies to many giant retailer chains, such as Wal Mart, and the facts behind their below the cost pricing strategy, such as export of jobs and the excess imports of finished goods.

But when is enough, enough? Where do we draw the line between principles of free speech and profit? The investors and high-tech firms are so entwined and bedazzled by their profit making machines that it'll take them eons to wake up. It'll be too late if we wait for them. Therefore, we, as the conscience human being, must take actions into our own hands. We must ensure the steps and decisions we make are ethically sound. Yes, this is always easier say than done, but what is there to lose? We could start by limiting the use of the many attractive services and applications the company offers. We could start by informing other users the hidden costs and perils of the technology we use. We could start by forming or joining a human rights watchdog group and dedicate invaluable time and resource to combat this issue. Worst comes to worst, we could isolate ourselves from the companies altogether. Or, if that's too much, incrementally withdraw the reliance on these technologies. And, as time goes on, the incremental efforts would be fruitful. Sometimes these are radical steps, but if nobody is willing to take them, we'll just be yelling without our voice.

Just imagine how much of an outcry there would be if the high-tech firms, such as Google, developed technologies which support inhuman torture, unlawful imprisonment and the suppression of human rights. Well, you think the innocent search engine is harmless and do not pose a threat on human rights? You're dead wrong! Not only do the engine track your search behaviour and records, it could also link directly to your personal information. The more you indulge in their products the greater the chance your real name, email addresses, street address, phone numbers, financial and banking informations, and even social security number could be exposed. Surprise, surprise, this is exactly how Yahoo was alleged to have helped the Chinese regime jailing a dissent. If we do not ease the reliance on these technological wonders, we are no better than those people who invented lethal weapons, guns and bombs.

Ask yourself, what do human rights and freedom of speech mean? What is there to lose for a multi-billion dollar company to back away from the Chinese market? What is a few millions worth for an already multi-billion dollar company? Does it include stripping away and trampling ones freedom and rights? The desecration of freedom and civil liberty is equivalent to the desecration of the state, church and religion!

So, wake up bloggers! Today we may have the joy and freedom to exercise our rights, but they may be soon taken away because the concession for one would eventually be the concession and an excuse for other governments and policy makers!

Disclaimer: Yes, I know how ironic to even say anything about conscience and human rights on Blog*spot while using Microsoft Windows XP with a Yahoo email address. But, what needs to be done must be done! The words must be spread by any mean or form, regardless of any irony or sarcasm!

Downfall of the Canadian Olympic hockey team

Yes, you know who I'm talking about. I'm talking about the Men's Ice Hockey Team of Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympic in Turin, Italy. The omnipotent Canadian hocky team with star-studded lineups has finally succumbed to pressure and scandal by losing two games straight.

This is a devastating setback for a Gold defending team like Canada. With a short Olympic time-span of two weeks, there's no room for mistakes and any wrong maneuver could result in the loss a medal standing.

Will Team Canada be able to pull off this stunt? Only time will tell.

The next game is Tuesday against the Czech Republic (CBC, 10:30 a.m. EST). This is THE deciding game and if Team Canada can't hold off the wraith of its opponent and rescue itself, it will only fuel the truth behind the ugly denial of the alleged NHL hockey gambling ring.

Maybe this is exactly the publicity that we need to spread the Canadian sport down south. Because, seriously, the majority of Americans neither give a damn nor care about how great hockey (fight) is. Whether Mr. Gretzky is involved or not, this will for sure be a boost for hockey.

Nature's cry for help

The recent trend of abnormal weather patterns and the spread of pandemic-in-waiting avian influenza are just the stark reminders of Nature's cry for help. These are the grave consequences of Global Warming, and, with the ever rising of industrialization worldwide, they will only become more frequent and severe. We're witnessing the dramatic shift and diminishment of the entire ecosystem and we can neither escape nor deny its existence. We can't escape because we're living under its cover and every change to it will inherently affect our lives, such as the weather, and weather-induced disasters and health related problems. We can't deny it because it happens to our neighbors, be it a deadly landslide, or an extreme cold snap on another continent, or the asthma attack on Johnny, the kid next door.

If we don't wake up in time to save the environment, we'll only further alienate and expose the next generation to an eternity of greater risks, significant nature disasters, and the decimation of the ecosystem and its inhabitants.

By standing up for the environment, we may not enjoy much in the beginning but if it means for the survival of the next generation then it is all worthwhile.

Think about it, let's stop the infighting amongst humans and the clash of religions. Instead, let's concentrate on the rescue of the next generation.

Muting of the university campuses across Canada

Some of you who's following the cartoon fiasco in Canada probably know that University of PEI's student newspaper, The Cadre, gotten nearly 2,000 of its papers pulled off by the university administrators. Now, the only newspaper agency that has the guts to reprint the caricatures and spark debates on this controversial issue is the Western Standard. But due to the incendiary nature of this issue, many magazine retail outlets, including Chapters, refused to carry the Western Standard, fearing it would ignite strong oppositions and boycotts on their products. Even Canada's newly elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper bowed to this issue.

I received this comment from Pat Srebrnik today morning and I think it's worthwhile to let everyone know. It is an open letter written to the administrative staff at UPEI regarding the publication ban on academic freedom and the debate of sensitive materials:

SOCIETY FOR ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND SCHOLARSHIP (SAFS)

OPEN LETTER

February 13, 2006
Dr. Wade MacLauchlan
President, University of Prince Edward Island
Charlottetown, PEI
C1A 4P3

Dear President MacLauchlan:

I am writing to you as president of the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship. We are a national organization of university faculty members and interested others who are dedicated to the defence of academic freedom and reasoned debate. For further information, please visit our website at www.safs.ca.

We are writing to strongly protest the actions of the UPEI administration in seizing copies of the student newspaper, The Cadre (issue dated February 8), and preventing their distribution. UPEI's public statement of February 8 that censorship of The Cadre can be justified "on grounds that publication of the caricatures represents a reckless invitation to public disorder and humiliation" is contrary to the duty of all university presidents to maintain their campuses as places where debate of controversial issues may take place. Fear of possible ‘mob action’ must not be allowed to dictate to UPEI or any other Canadian university what ideas its students and faculty may express, disseminate and debate. By censoring this debate at your campus rather than taking the necessary steps to provide appropriate security to allow debate to happen, you have encouraged the view that the threat of violence, real or imagined, is an effective way to challenge ideas with which one disagrees.

The decision as to what is to be included in a newspaper must be made by the editorial board, based on their understanding of the newsworthiness of the story. Those who disagree with the newspaper's coverage or viewpoint can register their opposition through writing letters to the editor, demonstrating, or simply by refusing to read the paper or to advertise in it. Disagreeable speech should be countered by opposing arguments. Censorship is not an acceptable response to the expression of contrary opinions, and especially not on a university campus. Sending the campus police to confiscate copies of the student newspaper is an overreaction and a victory for potential censors who seem to have intimidated the administration of UPEI.

UPEI has given the impression that vigorous debate is to be avoided whenever offence may be taken, or at the very least that such debate is to occur only on terms decided by the university administration. Surely, this is not the image of UPEI that you want to promote.

We call on you to reverse your decision and to let The Cadre do its job.

Sincerely,
Clive Seligman
President
CC: Ray Keating, Editor, The Cadre

This letter should open mine and your eyes on how Canadians, particularly the Canadian student body, value its freedom of press, expression and free speech. Like I said in many of my previous posts, including this one:

The people of Canada, are liberal, judgemental and opinionated on all fronts. We can no longer claim our innocense by being a bystander while critical events pass us by. Especially the Canadian bloggers, we should speak out and voice our concerns against any wrongdoing, at anytime!

For more of my previous posts, they can be found at:
Caricatures hit Canada
Freedom of speech doesn't mean hate speech
Freedom of speech debate
The freedom of expression and speech in turmoil

We can learn a lot from these birds

Nature is always fascinating. From the magnificent Alps and Himalayas to the deepest of all underwater abysses, the mystic, yet tantalizing forces of nature have always captivated mankind. For some, it's not just the breathtaking sceneries that are marvelous but also the inhabitants living amongst them. Be it the wild salmons swimming to spawn upstreams or the playful young brown bears imitating every moves of the mother, they have always amazed us of a world where there are no rules, no games and always the survival of the fittest.

One of the most fascinating species of all is the macaws (also known as large parrots). The macaws are intelligent, playful and beautiful, which make them highly collectible in the international pet trade business. The vast exploitation not only happens in pet trade but also with the deforestation of the Amazonian jungle. Together they're the two main forces behind macaws' declining population.

We can learn a lot from these birds, not just their colourful feathers but also their behaviour, particularly in the strong bond between the partners. Macaws are envious to any human relationship. They are the monogamist of the animal kingdom. A pair usually live together for 50 years in which they do everything in together, including the search for food, raising of the young and defend against predators. It makes me think what the macaws have that we human don't and how could we learn from the macaws, especially in a world of ever deteriorating relationships, the growth of divorce rates and hectic homosexual behaviour. I agree that they're just animals and you can't possibly make inference from the animal to the human world. But, this is exactly what we've done over the years to study human behaviours from easily observed and carefully conducted experiments of the animals. Things like courting strategy to courtship behaviour and many more will eventually unravel the mystery of the human behaviour. However, before that is to come we must give our best effort in the protection of the environment and its inhabitants.

It's not just the macaws are on the endangered list, but also many other species. We live in an intricate web of life where each species support the other and together they build the foundation for survival. If one branch is tappered or broken off, the consequences are severe and will eventual backtrack to even threaten the superior human species. Not do the animals and plants help regulate air and water quality, and the balance of the food chain, some of them also have the potential to treat serious ailments. For example, the venom of insects, animals and plants is promising in treating cancer, diabetes, irregular heartbeats and can act as a nature anti-depression. For more, please visit Biodiversity: The sixth great wave on the six part series of BBC's Planet Under Pressure.

If it means commuting by transit, bicycle, carpool or limit ones driving habit to save endangered species from extinction and for the betterment of mankind then why not? If it means the toxin derived drugs could save lives and treat ailment then by all means. We should not be ignorant and do our parts to guarantee not only for the proliferation of the endangered species but also for the protection to provide a better place for our next generation.

Caricatures hit Canada

Canadians are now being put to test as the Muhammad cartoons surfaced for the first time today in Atlantic Canada. The student newspaper, Cadre, of University of Prince Edward Island has become the first one to publish and gotten suspended because of the cartoons. It is alleged close to 2,000 copies of the popular student newspapers was pulled out by the administrators. The editor-in-chief argued that reader has the right to see the cartoons before judging their offensiveness. Cartoons have also been printed in a Montreal's Le Devoir. For more, see this article.

No offense but I somehow agrees with his stance. I don't wholeheartedly agree with the republication but it is the right of a non-Muslim to see the cartoons and judge whether they deem appropriate. A lot of Muslim sympathisers and satire critics claim the cartoons are offensive, but some of them have never actually seen the cartoons. It's like attacking slander with slanders. We should not publish them but we should give our full effort to judge whether they're offensive or not. The word of mouth is NOT a full effort. The Internet is full of resources. There're many mean to obtaining information.

The other thing I want to comment is why can't Muhammad be drawn? Long since the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, faithful Christians have always celerbrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ through drawings and depictions. Many of them have also illustrated the lifelong journey of the Christ through drawings, manuscripts, paintings and even cartoons. Information is easier to understand than speech and writing. If one can draw and attract followers, why should the practice be banned? Through drawings and descriptions, not only can the information be passed quickly but is also helpful when one do not speak your mother tongue. If a good cartoon resulted in publicity and an increase in fellowship, by all means.

The people of Canada, are liberal, judgemental and opinionated on all fronts. We can no longer claim our innocense by being a bystander while critical events pass us by. Especially the Canadian bloggers, we should speak out and voice our concerns against any wrongdoing, at anytime!

Freedom of speech doesn't mean hate speech

What have we done to our diginity, integrity and tolerance in the past few days? The events of these few days are definitely worth discussing, but it is not an opportunity to spread hate speech. Some of the sites in blogspot are intentionally spreading hate materials to brainwash and control the innocent bystanders. Particularly worrisome are the materials on Infidel Blogger Alliance, Thomas the Wraith and many other similar sites and the comments within (WARNING: the contents of these two blogs may be offensive or extremely offensive to some).

At a first glance, I was convinced that they're writing some carefully crafted articles with the intention of not inflaming or insulting people. However, with the escalation of violence due to the Muhammad caricatures across the Middle-east, these webblogs have deliberately intensifying the assult on Islam. With false accusation and propaganda of many kinds, under many disguises.

Being passion about something doesn't give us the right to spread hate speech or write or draw hateful materials. We should exercise restraint and know when or how to prohibit the spread of hate speech. If we can't even exercise freedom of speech under these conditions, we are no better than the Danish newspaper that published the cartoons or the furious Muslim demostrators that torched the embassies.

Whether you're a non-Muslim, or Muslim or whatever religions you're into, we should not spread hate speech. The inaction to stop hate will only decimate the rights and freedom to speak and express.

Mr. Jenkins in this article of Times Online put it the best:

The traditional balance between free speech and respect for the feelings of others is evidently becoming harder to sustain. The resulting turbulence can only feed the propaganda of the right to attack or expel immigrants and those of alien culture. And it can only feed the appetite of government to restrain free speech where it really matters, as in criticising itself.

The freedom of speech is in jeopardy. If we don't act now and show proper restraint we'll be muted either from government censorship or that of the enemy. Wake up bloggers!

Freedom of speech debate

The recent incident on the pictorial depiction of Muhammad has further escalated the worldwide division between Islamic fundamentalists and pro-modern, pro-freedom, Western society. Muslims protested that freedom of speech should not violate their belief and religious teaching. The western society argues it is in our interest to fight for freedom, under all cost, for the rights to choose, to speak, judge and express in a meaningful and non-violent way.

The condemnations of these cartoons has boost the existing clash between the righteous and the wrongful, with each sides accusing the opposite of the other, but only one-side is resorting to violence. The violence has now spread to the torching of Danish and Norwegian embassies in Syria on Feb. 4, to the attack of Danish embassy in Beirut today.

We should not yield because the freedom of speech and expression violates the feelings of a uncivilized society. If one is truly reasonable and has a social order, it would never resort to a violent behavior. We know that, since the beginning of time, violence has never solved any problem, it is not and will never be a civilzed manner to resolve problems. The famous saying, "it is better to fight with pen and ink, than with fists and swords", is one that Muslims should realise and respected, especially in a world we live in right now.

I highly recommend BBC's Have Your Say: Should 'anti-Islam' cartoons have been published?

The freedom of expression and speech in turmoil

There're always two sides to a story and the reader should always be critical and judge with skeptism. And only after a profound understanding of the truth behind the two sides should the reader choose or spread what he has read. However, in the world we live in, we simply don't have the time to understand both sides and the result of which always leads to confrontation. History has re-written itself so many times, from G.W. Bush going to the Iraq War to the very recent dispute over the twelve caricatures of Muhammad, published by the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten.

So what exactly is a caricature? It is a form of self expression that is usually drawn to depict the contemporary world we live in. It is the everyday editorial cartoons you would find in almost every modernized newspaper around the world. The caricatures are drawn in such a manner to promote the quick understanding of what is happening around us. Furthermore, what is depicted is usually from the author's perspective and doesn't, in any way or form, resembles the view of the general public and/or the newspaper agency. Depending on the culture and region you live in, the drawings usually range from political outcries to religious protests and human rights.

The cartoons of the Muhammad is no different. They're originally intended to depict the life and teachings of Muhammad, the prophet of islam. Some of the cartoons might be offensive, but they're just a form of everyday entertainment and should not be taken heavily. However, from a Muslim perspective, the cartoons are horrific, nasueating, simple-minded, rude and unresentful; worthy of extreme repulsion and resentment.

Immediately after the publication the league of muslim nations unaminously agreed to boycott and punishment the perpetrator behind this distastful act. Some have even gone as far as raiding the Danish embassy in Indonesia to issuing death threats to those responsible for publication (BBC's Reaction around the world to cartoon row).

For the society to improve as a whole, the people living in it must be open, judgemental, and tolerant to their surroundings. They should also strive for improvements, open for suggestions, build on the criticisms and reform for a better understanding and acceptance. To deny is the ultimate cause of the failure of a society. Denial usually leads to isolation and the segregation between cultures and eventually to the decimation and diminishment of a society. This ideology applies to everyone, everywhere and every religion.

We live in a modern world now where improvement decides the outcome. Muslims should wake up and be more tolerate to what other people do. They should not issue threats just because people are critical over their religion. Instead, they should listen to what other people has to say, respect freedom of expression and speech, build on the criticisms and strive toward a better understanding and acceptance. This way, not only will they grow, they'll also benefit from fewer criticisms as a result of integration into a larger population and the world around them.

Islam, like all other religions, should be respected, worshipped and cherished, as long as they do not issue threats and kill infidels.