Corruption in Malaysia, it is what it is.!

Ultimately, the question is- which party did you vote for and why?- If your answer is the opposition because the current regime is corrupt, then get ready for a rude awakening. 

  Voters who voted opposition back in 2008 did not do so primarily because the current regime was corrupted. If that was the main reason, how on earth could former PM Mahathir rule this land for a whopping 22 years, despite the fact that his regime opened the floodgates of corruption and racism? In actual fact, Malaysian Chinese and Malays love corruption, without them realizing it.

Like it or not, corruption has been part and parcel of Malaysian culture, thanks to Father of Corruption – Mahathir Mohamad. That was why a study done some moons ago found that graduates actually thought corruption was not such a big deal after all. Corruption has been ingrained into the mindset of Malaysian citizens so much so that it’s almost legal and inseparable entity from daily lifes. Corruption was like lion-dance during Chinese New Year and “meriam-buloh” during Hari Raya festivals. While Malaysian Chinese consider corruption as a main ingredient to get business going, Malaysian Malays consider corruption as “rezeki”. That’s why the opposition can only go so far by drumming government massive corruptions as the reason why they should be booted from Putrajaya.

Do you really think corruption will disappear into thin air if the  opposition wins the  general election and form the federal government? Why do you think everybody rush to lick Lim Guan Eng and Anwar Ibrahim boots to be fielded as candidates? And do you really think Sabah’s King of Frogs Jeffrey Kitingan, Wilfred Bumburing and Yong Teck Lee really want to take care of the Sabahan? Pleeeeze!!! With the exception of probably Lim Kit Siang and Nik Aziz, you can’t really trust the rest of the opposition politicians. If they have no intention of enriching themselves, then President Obama is still a virgin. Ever wonder why Mahathir confidently declared he will not leave the country before the next election results are announced? That’s because he was dead sure the current corrupt regime will still form the next federal government.

If the recent AES implementation criticisms by the public was any indicator, it shows that the public can’t live without corruption, well, at least majority of them. Malaysian drivers like to speed and drive as if they’re Formula-1 drivers and they have no plan of changing their lifestyle (or rather drive-style). And AES was a classic example of how zero corruption will affect their lifes. While they accept the reality that they would be caught breaking the laws, they want the flexibility to negotiate their way out through bribes. And you can’t “kautim” (settle) by giving money to the AES camera on the spot, can you? These people would rather pay RM50 as “coffee-money” for each of 10 traffic offences than to pay full RM300 for 2 offence tickets, literally speaking.

From sales executives to company directors, 90% of their business deals involve “under-table” money, one way or another. If the only thing that opposition can promise is eliminate corruption, then a sizeable Chinese and Malays would rather vote for the corrupt regime, if that was how they secured their current businesses or “rezeki” in the first place. So, does that mean the current corrupt regime should be returned to power? Well, perhaps the answer can be found by the recent advise from Mahathir himself - choose between the lesser of two evils. Of course when Mahathir blogged his advise, he was referring to the possibility of violent demonstration should the opposition lose in the coming election, although I can’t figure out till today how can one lose something that it does not possess in the first place (*grin*).

Since the opposition has never won the federal government since independence, there’s no benchmark of how corrupted they would become. Thus, the perception of the general public – the BN regime is tremendously corrupt while the PR regime may be mildly corrupt, if the latter choose to corrupt after all. The choice is pretty obvious based on Mahathir’s “choice  between the lesser of two evils” theory. The good news for the opposition fans – the corrupt Chinese businessmen are flexible to switch sides and butter the opposition’s bread should there be a change in government. The bad news – the corrupt Chinese businessmen are  worried that a  perceived lesser corrupt government may mean  lesser business deals for them.

Now, has anyone wondered what  was the cause of the  disappearance of PM Najib during 1st-Jan-2013, when he should be doing the New Year countdown instead of his deputy?
Underground naughty rumours has it that when the PM should be shouting “Happy New Year”, he had instead flew into a resort in Hong Kong. The interesting part was where all the local tycoons were summoned to a private meeting with the prime minister. But that is another story to be told.. As of now, the opposition needs to behave - lock in existing supporters while competing for fence-sitters. But going by the rate on how PAS and DAP childishly playing the religion cards the same way BN used to play, no wonder Mahathir is grining from ear to ear. Worst still, some opposition figures are already counting their chicks before they’re hatched, when they should instead presenting their arsenal of propositions for the betterment of the people.

Above is Condensed from http://www.financetwitter.com/2013/02/malaysian-loves-corruption-cant-live-without-it.html


Most are familiar with the RM300 million stadium named after the Trengganu Sultan – Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, which collapsed just a year after it opened? Point your gun at my head but I’m still betting my last dollar that corruption was involved. But in Malaysia corruption is OK as long as the project does not “collapse” but unfortunately the stadium did collapse one year after it was officially opened by the King himself, and that’s embarrassing enough. At least during Mahathir’s era the Penang bridge (built by Korean construction company), PLUS highway, Putrajaya and Petronas Twin Towers (Japanese and Korean contractor) have not collapse. This leave the preliminary question if the politicians should start pointing the finger at the Korean contractor the moment the stadium collapsed, unless of course this Korean contractor did not even qualified for such project in the first place.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that corruption in Malaysia is so serious that there were abundant jokes about the situation. A bunch of Malaysians paid a visit to their Korean friend’s house hoping to taste homemade “kim-chi”.

• Malaysians: Whoa!!! Your house is like a palace … Is that the latest Benz model? Just how on earth could you afford this? No wonder you won’t go back to Korea *laugh*
• Korean: Come here and I’ll show you my little secret … Can you see that Penang bridge?
• Malaysians: Yes? *scratching their head” …
• Korean: Well, it was supposed to be two Penang bridges because our study showed a single bridge will be insufficient to cater for the traffic …
• Malaysians: So? *getting more confuse*
• Korean: So? So there you have it – a single bridge built with the cost of two …
• Malaysians: *it took them several minutes to digest what the Korean told them* … then burst into laughter as if they’ve found the holy grail …

Some years later, this Korean decided to pay a visit to one of his old Malaysian friends.

• Korean: Whoa! Your house is triple the size of my palace … Is that the latest Lambo model? Simply Amazing! How did you do it?
• Malaysian: Come here my friend and I’ll show you my little secret …
• Korean: OK, OK, I’m coming … *was about to orgasm*
• Malaysian: Can you see that bridge over there?
• Korean: *staring for a couple of minutes* … but I don’t see any bridge …
• Malaysian: *burst into laughter* … precisely …

Now, do you understand why Malaysian politicians are so eager to start mega-projects almost on daily basis? It doesn’t matter if the bridge is “crook” or to be built halfway to nowhere but most importantly the project has to be awarded (you know to whom). In Malaysia you’re untouchable even if the writing is on the wall that you blatantly squandered millions or even billions of taxpayer money but you’re asking for trouble if you wear black or yellow, mentioned the word Altantuya , "toppling the ?? errr... block" or even protest about escalating cost of living or police brutality. Malaysia is indeed a paradise of scandals – from Sex to Stadium.

Extracted and condensed from http://www.financetwitter.com/2009/06/malaysia-paradise-of-scandals-from-sex.html

BN 's self destruction,

Found this interesting read..

http://www.financetwitter.com/2013/05/pr-have-to-do-nothing-because-bn-is-self-destructing.html

PR Have To Do Nothing Because BN Is Self-Destructing

One of the main reasons BN regime (Barisan Nasional or National Front), led by PM Najib Razak, fails to perform better in the May 5th 2013 general election was because it lost in the cyber psychological warfare. Actually opposition PR (Pakatan Rakyat or People’s Alliance) didn’t do anything extraordinary to win the heart of the young urban voters. Instead, it was BN that screwed up by scoring its own goal, and in the process gave away additional 7 parliamentary and a whopping 32 state seats to the opposition. Basically, what BN did over the past 5 years since the 2008′s 12th general election was to scream and broadcast 1Malaysia propaganda almost 24 hours a day.

Back in 2007, Khairy Jamaluddin, then PM Abdullah Badawi’s son-in-law, insulted netizens as “monkeys” and called for tougher punishments against bloggers. If that was not bad enough, Information Minister Zainuddin, a cabinet member who had difficulties differentiating between “election” and “erection”, called bloggers as nothing less than “Goblok” (Indonesian slang for “stupid”). And who can forget Nazri, the controversial minister who threaten bloggers with ISA and had fun in Parliament shouting “You have no brains – Stupid, Stupid, Stupid …” at DAP MP Lim Kit Siang, insulting wheelchair-bound DAP MP Karpal Singh because he couldn’t stand, yelling “racist … bloody racist” at DAP MP Kulasegaran 41 times and whatnot prior.

2007 was also the year where tens of thousands took to the street under Bersih Rally. The rally was an instant success, with subsequent version 2 and 3, primarily due to publicity generated through online blogs. Like it or not, netizens were being forced to embrace the alternative online media simply because the BN regime uses their controlled mainstream media for self-praise while attacking opposition. Najib administration could have win over huge urbanites support should his propaganda print and electronic media gave a more balance coverage. Urbanites flock to the internet for alternative (read: opposition) updates simply because BN’s self-praise effort was excessive thus overkill, so much so that it was so fake and insincere.

After 2008′s 12th general election, BN recognizes the influence of online media. Millions of dollars were spent in recruiting cyber troopers to fight the cyber war dominated by the opposition. Unfortunately, besides spamming hates, sex and racist comments in every blog, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and whatnot’s corner, these UMNO mercenaries could hardly deliver any intelligent substance to help counter corrupt and mismanagement allegations. It was a losing cyber war that UMNO fails (or rather refuse) to understand. It was like deploying former Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin to argue a court case against the “Lion of Jelutong” Karpal Singh.

Post 2013′s 13th general election, it seems Najib administration still does not understand the cyber psychological warfare which they lost dearly. BN’s stone-age mentality will not help them much in the next 14th general election. Their dominance in the traditional mainstream media alone will not help them to capture Selangor or Penang. It was UMNO’s own suppression and oppression which make Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang and Nik Aziz relevant. UMNO’s suppression and oppression were like fuels that Anwar needs badly to keep his machines moving. That was why Anwar’s first priority after failing to march to Putrajaya was to organize nationwide rallies.

Rally is Anwar’s only option to keep his supporters alive, without which PR is as good as dead come next general election. Of course PR knew they have lost the 13th general election due to gerrymandering and “first past the post” voting system. They smartly use 51% popular votes which they won as the silver bullet to convince their supporters that they’ve actually win the election. What else do you think they can use to justify their rallies? But people will get bored and tired of excessive rallies. They can’t possibly attend rally every month, can they? That was why Anwar and his team didn’t hold back in urging (or rather provoking) people to get ready for street demonstrations.

Sadly, UMNO walks into the trap set by Anwar. UMNO with its new sheriff in town, Home Minister Zahid Hamidi, is actually doing more harm than good by showing his newly found muscle in cracking down opposition leaders. It seems PM Najib has appointed a worse person to replace his cousin Hishammuddin Hussein for the job. By telling people who does not like the present (unfair) electoral system to migrate elsewhere shows Zahid Hamidi’s arrogance and “goblokness”. Now, by arresting and re-arresting opposition leaders, Zahid Hamidi is giving new life and justification for opposition to call more people to take to the street. What was illegitimate has now become legitimate, literally speaking. The crackdowns anger the average Joes and Janes.

Many PR supporters who initially despise street demonstration may now see it as a responsibility to do so because of such brutal crackdown. No wonder Mahathir’s worst enemy is none other than his former protégé Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar is a master in toying with peoples’ sentiment. If a clever person like Mahathir couldn’t even contain Anwar, did goblok Zahid Hamidi think he can checkmate opposition Anwar Ibrahim by using similar expired intimidation tactic? Perhaps Zahid thought he could show off his intelligence by arresting all 89 opposition MPs and throw them into jail thus forcing by-elections in all the 89 parliamentary seats (*grin*).

An “Operasi Lalang 2013″ will not work the same way “Operasi Lalang 1987″ did, if that was what Najib administration plans to do next. Unlike 1987 where mobile phone was like a sci-fi Star Trek toy, 2013 is the smartphone era where your photo would be uploaded and shared by millions worldwide instantly if you’re caught bonking David Beckham’s wife. The best thing to do is to lay low, just like what deputy PM Muhyiddin is doing now. Ever wonder why Muhyiddin refrains himself from cursing the Chinese for BN’s less than spectacular win? That’s because Muhyiddin knows he needs the Chinese votebank in case the Malay swing the other way in the future.

Now that PM Najib and de-facto PM Mahathir have burnt the bridge on the Chinese voters, they can only rely on rural Malay votes, and that’s a foolish strategy. For Mahathir to spew anti-Chinese venom is understandable but for PM Najib to parrot the former is absolutely flabbergasted. What if global recession or depression happens in another five years and the palm oil prices tumble? Will PM Najib pacify the rural Felda strong supporters to the tune of millions or billions in taxpayers money due to income losses, without which this ethnic-Malay voters would throw their support behind the opposition? That’s the price you’ve to pay by playing racial cards.

On the other hand, opposition can expect the urban votebank, especially the Chinese, to remain loyal with it. With the estimated 80% – 90% Chinese votes in its pocket, PR can now pull all its resources concentrating in the rural areas. It’s safe to speculate at this junction that the Chinese will not go anywhere but the opposition. If BN’s free flow of money, food, beers, entertainments, lucky draws and whatnot cannot change the Chinese hearts, nothing will. But the same cannot be said about BN – it has to not only defend it’s rural votebank but to pray there’s no internal nor external factors that could potentially swing its only rural supporters.

In short, opposition PR has a better chance of swinging the rural Malay voters than BN in changing the urban multi-racial voters’ perception. Najib administration has to understand that unlike 1987 where the memory about the political crackdown would disappear over time, a repeat of similar brutality in 2013 will be remembered for a very long time, thanks to online media. While the opposition is growing its cake, Najib administration is shrinking its cake. That’s not a very clever thing to do and clamping down on opposition just after the election is helping Anwar’s justification in questioning Najib administration’s legitimacy.

Home Minister Zahid Hamidi is equivalent to Perkasa Ibrahim Ali and Nazri Aziz combined – arrogant with stupidity blended. If 12th and 13th general elections were the Indian and Chinese tsunamis respectively, will 14th general election be the Malay tsunami? Looking at Najib’s newly formed cabinet members, it seems Anwar would have relatively easy meat come next general election. Anwar’s next plan should go all the way into the rural villages and start his provocation strategy, with some fine tuning and bells and whistles thrown i

jokes

Lion and the hanging man.

 A man hung upside down from a tree , rope tied round his legs and slung around a branch and tied off at the bottom  but a candle flame slowly burning the rope on the ground, eventually it will burn through the rope and the man will fall to the ground.

 A hungry lion is at the bottom  of the tree, the hanging man high enough to be just out of reach but as soon as the rope breaks from the candle flame burning then he will fall to the ground into the jaws of the waiting hungry lion.

 WHat does he do? To save himself ? how will he prevent the rope from breaking? 

      Answer: Just sing happy birthday song to the lion.

Four applicants to a job , ask each one in and ask them only one question. Their answer would determine which of them would get the job.

The day came and as the four sat around the conference room table the interviewer asked, "What is the fastest thing you know?"

Dave, the American, replied, "A THOUGHT. It just pops into your head. There's no warning that it's on the way; it's just there. A thought is the fastest thing I know of."

"That's very good!" replied the interviewer.

"And now you sir?" he asked Vladimir, the Russian.

"Hmm... let me see. A blink! It comes and goes and you don't know that it ever happened. A BLINK is the fastest thing I know."

"Excellent!" said the interviewer. "The blink of an eye, that's a very popular cliché for speed."

He then turned to George, the Australian who was contemplating his reply.

"Well, out at my dad's ranch, you step out of the house and on the wall there's a light switch. When you flip that switch, way out across the pasture the light in the barn comes on Yep, Turning on a LIGHT is the fastest thing I can think of."

The interviewer was very impressed with the third answer and thought he had found his man. "It's hard to beat the speed of light" he said.

Turning to Patel, the Guy from India, the fourth and final man, the interviewer posed the same question. Patel replied, (in his Gujju accent!) "Apter herring da 3 prebius ansers sir, et's obius to me dat the fastest thing is DIARRHEA."

"WHAT!?" said the interviewer, stunned by the response. The others were already giggling in their seats...

"Oh, I can expleyn sir," said Patel.

"You see, sir, da ader day my tummy was pheeling bad and so I run so fast to the baatrum,, but before I could THINK, BLINK, or TURN ON THE LIGHT, I alredi done it !"

Just mulling!. How BN may win back hearts and minds!

BN, how you ought to win back hearts and minds of the people.

Fools can never pretend to be smart but the smart can easily pretend to be fools, and feign ignorance.
It is easier to fool people  than to convince people they have been fooled!

 And try as they might, I doubt that the BN Government folks are really as dumb as they seem. Despite all the foolish antics and regurgitated statements puked out in different putrid colors and smells.

BN/ UMNO ,  It is about time you set in motion reforms for the sake of the well being of the nation and future generation, and not be overly preoccupied on how to retain power forever. The people have matured beyond the childlike formative years of growing up. Time to recognise and acknowledge that fact.

Time and place determines effectiveness of Governing methods based on respective interpretation or twisted abuse of democratic laws.  Heavy handed intimidation and coercion with despotic punitive imprisonment, as measures of deterrence, may be or viciously perceived to be necessary, decades ago, but is totally irreconcilable to the psyche and awareness level of the Malaysian people in the IT age of the 21^st century. .

 
 Malaysians in general have matured so much in sensibilities, thought and attitude from over half a century of gradual evolvement.  From ignorance and full or semi-illiteracy to a very high level of awareness and comprehension on the state of affairs affecting our nation. That is how far we have progressed.  A marjority proportion of Malaysian mind sets are not easily manipulated any longer.

This Malaysian consciousness is actually a highly positive national achievement that ought to be acknowledged, applauded and to be extremely proud of.  The proverbial frog under the coconut shell is rendered inapplicable as these enlightened Malaysians discard the shell and replace it with the armour of knowledge, intelligence and good sense. Perfectly capable to give a good run for anyone’s money in the domestic or international arena of competitiveness.

 
There exist a very urgent need to strive to raise many fellow Malaysians to an equivalent level of intelligent mind -sets that is more than capable to decipher between the nonsensical and the serious. Be aware of issues that impacts them. Benefits, advantages or attempts of deception to keep them in the dark.

The government of long ruling BN.  It is not like the rakyat do not appreciate entirely -although begrudgingly-all the 50+ years of “fostering and nurturing “ under very strict disciplinary steps to ensure that  Malaysian society  progresses ,  mature and  responsible,  with strong values and moral grounding. The people have a sort of love –HATE relationship with the BN coalition Government.  But the marjority of the Rakyat has always despised the manner of conduct, and arbitrary interpretation of our constitutional laws, imposed forcibly to discipline the people.

 
And BN, don’t you see, we the people feel we have grown up and matured as a society and nation under one roof. Past decades of the despotic system of Governance, the stern no-nonsense, overbearing punitive ways to get people in line, may have worked for a society still in its formative years of developing. But we really feel we have grown up and matured and more than capable to plot our own destiny. It is now time for a reversal of roles. It is no longer Government knows best, People must listen.  It is time that the People tell the Government what are their needs and concerns, and the Government listens.

 BN, it is time to remove the collar and the reins and not choke your children any longer.

Post merdeka, Malaysians were taking baby steps as a nation seeking an identity, we had been given a name, but merely a name is meaningless without a face. Thereby , the people  still needed fostering and nurturing  to  guide them  into forging  a singular national identity , seeking a common sense of belonging and pride , to help shape our personalities and individualities, so as  to grow up and mature into a collective national identity  with a uniquely Malaysian flavor and soul..

 
Children need to have good grounding by instilling  good values and moral fibre to them from a very young age , a sense of what is right and wrong and decent, we needed a strong guiding presence like all toddlers need help from their 1^st baby steps onwards as they  start growing up as children do, albeit, there are  parents who subscribed to the view that, a very  stern and iron handed approach is favored to ensure that their kids  grow up according to how they were mentally  assembled and moulded into  what they want the kids to  become  .

       As a nation, the multi ethnic composition is akin to siblings in a family with squabbles and disagreements, but as brothers and sisters, the underlying sentiment of sibling love and tolerance is ever present. But when the parents or guardians insist on favoritism and imposes views of superiority vs inferiority. Entitlement vs deprivation on the impressionable innocent minds, it can damage the children, planting seeds of divisiveness that will germinate in their minds...

 
Parents wish their children stay forever innocent and protect them and  guide them in their developing years, but problem is  many parents struggle to come to terms with the fact that their charges are all grown up as mature responsible adults, and they , without realizing it ,  are actually stifling their children’s advancement with over protective measures despite the fact that the kids  are fully capable of being  independent, in thought and in responsible behaviour.

Horrible parenting and resentment

  Imagine a big extended family .  You have elders, few relatives  and Parents , with children, Natural and Adopted ,all  living under one roof. Horrifyingly, there exist the worst despicable kind of parents and guardians who are extremely greedy and selfish and practice favoritism among the siblings. Exploiting the kids for financial gain to enrich and advance their own situations but gang up and do whatever possible to ensure the younger adopted kids stay as they are, depriving them aid to assist in their advancement in life, while handing out crumbs from their coffers and demanding gratitude in return.

 And thus it is cause for resentment.  Deep rooted and ingrained into the psyche of the impressionable young minds.  Resentment is a searing emotional feeling. It  can either increase in intensity or gradually evaporate and to be replaced by feel good factors.

 
And so is the case with BN‘s or the government’s instance.   To regain trust and credibility from the public, BN must generate Perception that there is genuine sincerity, repentance and remorse with firm attempts to make up for past mistakes.  More importantly, if the public can witness that there is indeed definitive reforms backed by very solid determined actions without fear nor favor, it can augur very well with the Rakyat.  Gently and subtly, resentment dissolves and approval manifest. What we need to see to address our resentment. Is that our PM, without fearing repercussions from his own party, takes drastic action to punish those from his own stable because it is morally right and should not be defended.

 Noble ideals and perhaps even greed can be composed together, strange bedfellows ? But as long as none are victimized or made to suffer consequences from the combination, Greed is Good!   When it is not at the expense of the less priviledged but actually is the spur that can elevate their situation and enable them to ride along on the Greedy train and and feast on Greedy Gravy.

 In essence, BN. To win back favour and approval from the people, make the pursuit for a just society, that does not condone nor tolerate abuses of power and corruption at all levels of Government and take immediate action using the full brunt of the law when such abuses or the excesses are exposed. No  person in whatever powerful  position or how much  wealth they have is above the law.

The truth being, actually you need  very very fat sacrificial lambs, as it were. A necessary message of deterrence and the others will start behaving themselves and queue up politely in the straight and narrow. And it is so easy to prove complicity if the authorities wish to use that axe.Probably they already have it in possession.

 A few  serious action of tackling high profile graft credited to you and toppling a very high level guy in your party who also happens to be disliked by the rakyat for his arrogance and contempt for the law, and immediately, you will be popular again.   

  
Primary concern.

Let not the paranoia of losing power overwhelm your collective good senses  in the institution.  Don’t fret over it. Trust that things will fall neatly into place if your main aim is to rectify past iniquities. Don’t even try too hard to publicize your efforts, Just go about doing it without clamoring for fanfare and acknowledgement.

 
 Malaysians are a wise and discerning bunch now, we can easily recognise or sense a rat but also can make out the fragrance of a rose garden from a distance.  BN ,just do the Undoing for the very  namesake  and with a genuine sincere spirit. And trust us Malaysians  , We will notice! Don’t have to trumpet the efforts!   For now, that ought to be enough.

 When something is done  out of passion and dedication and sincerity or devotion to the nature of the task. Be it a career profession or love for the arts  or a recreational pursuit.  Whole-hearted devotion and single minded determination, believing passionately that, to Excel in the chosen field is the reward itself, all other secondary effects will fall into place by themselves without the least bit of effort. It is merely the simple Cause and Effect doctrine.  

Or simply ,Do IT because IT needs to be DONE!!

Hybrid cars and EVs

Are hybrid cars as eco friendly as they are made out to be? Hybrids and EVs (electric vehicles) are supposedly the solution to our self made problem of greenhouse gases, global warming and high cost of fuel. They are like the halo cars for our generation. But are these vehicles really the cure to our woes and be the savior and solution to our current gas guzzling, atmosphere polluting to the point of choking our globe, generation. A recent study conducted by the Norwegian Science and Technology University has it that, the EVs and Hybrids are not as eco friendly as they seem. For instance, consider the lifecycle of an EV that contains the ingredients like nickel and copper in the toxic batteries that powers the vehicles all the way to the energy sources that supplys power to the electric grids. The study maintained that the problem is actually shifted from the vehicle manufacturers to the power companies. It is due to the simple fact that the electricity needed to power up the cars comes from lignite, coal and heavy oil combusting plants. These are all pollutants that also contribute significantly to the environmental damage. Even the supposed clean Hydro power generated from dams will involve felling of a very large tract of trees that in turn may have to relocate natives of the land or affecting the natural habitats of the animals in the region. Basically, most forms of power generation in one way or another has some affect on the environment, apart from maybe solar and wind powered energy. As for the hybrids and EVs .They have batteries that have a lifecycle and after a point will need to be disposed off. As of last year, there were more than 3 million Toyota hybrids sold and that number is actually much much higher today when taking into account the EVs and Hybrids sold by the other car makers. It is difficult to imagine the amount of pollution that will result in the disposing of the toxic batteries. On another level, the study did also allow that EVs powered by the European electricity mix does have an impact that can result in a 10% to 24% decrease in global warming potential. Although, the downside is on the building of the cars, which still has an impact on human toxicity, eco toxicity, freshwater europhication, and metal depletion. It essentially signifies that the Hybrids and the EVs are just an interim solution to a very long term problem. So is there an ideal solution to the problem? The way things are now with our current state of technology towards car making that is largely dependent on the propulsion options, it is an indication of what direction the car makers are heading in developing future vehicles and what the engines of the future will be like. For a few years, Automakers have been exploring the Hydrogen powered propulsion option that was tabled among other options. This energy source is still being debated because of the involvement of tank weight, high storage pressure and the dangers associated with storing liquid hydrogen in cars. It is unlikely that vehicle manufacturers will stray very far from the internal combustion engine at present, so the aim may be to determine an alternative combustible source of fuel that may be able to power the current generation of engines. Bio fuel has been around a few years and the car manufacturers have been dancing with this option for some time.The stuff is renewable, it doesn’t pollute and the CO2 emission is offsetted by the growing of crops and mainly it is a readily available technology. The modern diesel engines have been proven to be highly fuel economical but can also provide good power without the noisy clatter commonly associated with diesel engines. Audi proved that by winning the Le Mans in a diesel engine. Bio-diesel has all these properties but will the petroleum conglomerates tolerate the technology to be used by the masses.There are billions at stake if these technology were to be introduced that they will probably attempt to slow it down or to create obstacles to the smooth transition of the introduction of bio fuel to the world. We need a replacement for the fossil fuel that the world consumes urgently but the prospects of that happening soon is dim especially when recent discoveries of huge reservoirs were made at the North Pole.That means that petroleum is here to stay for a while longer. And as EVs and Hybrids are a brief solution to easing the environmental concerns .Bio fuels is what the world should gamble on or Hydrogen (provided that a way can be found to safely store and use it), are the obvious and accessible choices for solving the ills.

Jack Johnson..gone

This is a true blue original, Jack Johnson..loved his stuff.

eric clapton and steve winwood

Guitar maestros at their bluest best. This is how it is done!! Jamming by the all time greats.Especially old slowhand himself.

Tyranny of fate! A poem.

There are times when

                                     recklessness rule your ways

   and you  have but only lofty thoughts

                                                                 To ennoble your days

  Unable  to restrain, the blow shall fall

                                                                and you are forced to yield

    to the trampling march

                                      of unconscious power

                                                                          overwhelmed

                                   you find yourself

                                                                a slave

                                                                             of the inexorable  fate

      And as the wanton tyranny

                                                    of the empire of chance

                            rules your life

                                                       You feel meek and powerless

                            To defy

                                           as the omnipotent force rolls by

                                                                                       relentless and blind

But fate is also mere chance,subscribe to the point of view that in the end things are collection of random events some started but left to play out on its own .

Is there a god or a being above the physical realm that dictates events.Will we ever know?

Karate Kid.2010 ending. Fight scene edited out.Deemed too violent for kids.

This entire fight scene was edited out of the movie's ending , maybe deemed too violent .Too bad , the A..hole of an kung Fu instructor got what was comig to him..Audiences would have loved to have seen this as the original ending in the movie instead of the soppy corny ending!

santana and clapton

SANTANA AND CLAPTON..ROCKS JINGO

funny viagra commercial

Enchiladas, mexican food, tacos

Cheese & Bean Enchiladas

At a glance

Cuisine

Mexican

Main Ingredient

Tomato

Cheese

Vegetables

Cooking Method

Sautée

Steam

Bake

Difficulty

Easy

Moderate

Course/Dish

Hot Appetizer

Makes

4 servings

Use your beans... and your cheese. These gourmet enchiladas are packed full of flavor. And you can always add veggies, beef or any other ingredients of your choice if you're looking for a bigger enchilada bang.

Ingredients

• 8 large corn tortillas


• 1 tsp. oil


• 1 green pepper, chopped


• 2 small onions, chopped


• 3 tbsp. chili powder


• 3/4 tsp. garlic powder


• 3/4 tsp. onion powder


• 1 2/3 cup cooked kidney beans


• 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese


• 10 3/4 oz. can tomato puree or sauce


• 2 oz. grated Monterey Jack cheese


• 
  

Methods/steps

1. If tortillas are hard to roll up; they may be softened with steam. To steam, place two to three tortillas at a time in a strainer or a piece of foil bent over a bowl like shape. Place them over, not in, boiling water. Cover and steam 2 to 3 minutes, just until softened. Cook onion and green pepper in oil until soft. Drain beans and mash. Add 2 tbsp. of the chili powder, ½ tsp. of the garlic powder, 3 tbsp. of the tomato puree or sauce, and the mashed beans and cottage cheese to the onions and green pepper. Mix well. Place 3 tbsp. of the bean and cheese mixture on each tortilla. Roll tortillas up and place in a baking dish. In a small bowl, combine remainder of tomato puree, remainder of the garlic powder, and all the onion powder. Stir well. Pour the seasoned tomato puree or sauce over the enchiladas, and top with grated cheese. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until heated through and cheese on top are melted.                     

New Twists on Taco Night

 Tacos are a staple of Mexican food. Those of us who love to eat Mexican food regularly include tacos in our weekly menus. Sometimes it is nice to keep concept and vary the theme so that every taco night isn't exactly the same. These twists on taco night will keep you and your dining companions interested and hungry for more.

Navajo Fry Bread Recipe

Tortillas aren't the only traditional "container" for tacos. Navajo fry bread is a great taco alternative to hard taco shells.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 8 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup or more of warm water
• Vegetable oil
• Additional flour

Lightly flour a cutting board or clean surface to work your dough.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Form a hole in the middle of the mixture and pour in 1 cup of water. Mix the ingredients together using a large spoon to make the dough. You may have to add more water to make the dough work. Don't use an electric mixer.

WOW..!! plane breaks off one wing and still fly to safety

a wing snaps off during flight and the pilot ... just watch!!

Didnt realise planes can even fly with one wing broken off.Talk about being cool under pressure,this pilot has my full respect.Either bring plane under control or die trying.Most would have just bailed out, Superb demonstration of flying skills,fantastic life or death situation.with a awe inspiring outcome.

Why Chinese shouldn't have Christian names?

A Chinese family of 5, name Chu- Bu - Hu - Tu and Fu decided to migrate to the US.  In order to get visas, they have to adapt their names to American Standard.  Chu becomes Chuck, Bu becomes Buck, Hu becomes Huck and Tu becomes Tuck.

Fu decided to stay back in China 

Confusing Chinese Names
Caller : Hello, can I speak to Annie Wan (anyone)?
Operator : Yes, you can speak to me.
Caller :! No, I want to speak to Annie Wan (anyone)!
Operator : You are talking to someone! Who is this?
Caller : I'm Sam Wan (Someone). And I need to talk to Annie Wan (anyone)!
It's urgent.
Operator : I know you are someone and you want to talk to anyone! But
what's this urgent matter about?
Caller : Well... just tell my sister Annie Wan (anyone) that our brother
Noel Wan (no one)has involved in an accident. Noel Wan (no one)got
injured and now Noel Wan (no one) is being sent to the hospital.
Rightnow, Avery Wan (everyone) is on his way hospital.
Operator : Look if no one was injured and no one was sent to the
hospital, then the accident isn't an urgen t matter! You may find this
hilarious but I don't have time for this!
Caller : You are so rude! Who are you?
Operator : I'm Saw Lee (Sorry). Caller : Yes! You should be sorry. Now give me your
name!!!

This is hilarious ...
Why Chinese shouldn't have Christian names:

Anne Chang => sounds like Dirty(Mandarin
Anne Chin => Keep Quiet (Mandarin)
Faye Chen => Dusty (Mandarin)
Carl! Cheng => Buttock (Hokkien)
Monica Cheng => Touching your buttocks (Hokkien)
Lucy Leow => You are dead (Hokkien)
Jane Tan => Frying eggs (Mandarin)
Suzie Leow => Lose till death (Hokkien)
Henry Mah => Hate your mum (Mandarin)
Corrine Tai => Poor fellow (Hokkien)
Paul Chan => Bankrupt (Mandarin)
Nelson Tan => Bird laying eggs (Mandarin)
Leslie Tong => Rubbish Bin (Mandarin)
Carmen Teng => Leg hair long (Hokkien)
Connie Mah => Call your mother (Cantonese)
Danny See => Squeeze you to death (Hokkien)
Rosie Teng => Screws and nails (Hokkien)
Pete Tsai => Nose droppings (Hokkien)
Macy Koh => Never die before (Cantonese)

He is YU and I am Mi ! So bleeding funny ! confusing chinese surnames!

The 'nun needs a restroom' one

A nun, badly needing to use to the restroom, walked into a local Hooters. The place was hopping with music and loud conversation and every once in a while the lights would turn off. Each time the lights went out, the place would erupt into cheers.

However, when the revellers saw the nun, the room went dead silent. She walked up to the bartender, and asked, 'May I please use the restroom?

The bartender replied, 'OK, but I should warn you that there is a statue of a naked man in there wearing only a fig leaf.'

'Well, in that case, I'll just look the other way,' said the nun.

So the bartender showed the nun to the back of the restaurant.

After a few minutes, she came back out, and the whole place stopped just long enough to give the nun a loud round of applause. She went to the bartender and said, 'Sir, I don't understand. Why did they applaud for me just because I went to the restroom?'

'Well, now they know you're one of us,' said the bartender, 'Would you like a drink?'

'No thank you. But, I still don't understand,' said the puzzled nun.

'You see,' said the bartender, 'every time someone lifts the fig leaf on that statue, the lights go out. Now, how about that drink?

its super barack ,wif super ears hes Barack Obama

Time for some campaigning

The devil lost the guitar duel showdown!

Guitar battle: winner takes all. Devil against the kid.. 
Stake : the kid's SOUL!

From the 86 movie "crossroads"

Thats really Steve Vai playing the guitar....(as the devil's axeman)
Devil himself is played by the black guy with the white beard (the smug chuckling dude )

Scott Baio's guitar rift version is done by the late master Stevie Ray Vaughn. The other harmonica playing black guy with d white beard is the kids guardian angel!

Why Caesar salad is not the emperor's favourite food

The next time you have a cheese or ham sandwich , have a thought on how it came to be known by that name. Actually the term is derived from the creator of the sandwich. John Montagu (1718-1792) who was The 4^th Earl of Sandwich. The story goes to detail that he in his youth , he was one with a fiery temperament , a fire raising rebel who had a fierce inclination for gambling .A habitual hard core gambler , he very seldom wanders away from the gambling table even when for something as insignificant as eating.

  So whenever he gets hungry  he will  ask for a slice of beef between two pieces of bread for sustenance after which he will just continue his gambling.He was known to have stayed at the gambling table non stop for 24 hours,and that is how the term sandwich came to be in the year 1762.  So the Sandwich Islands in the Pacific ( which is now a part of Hawaii)  was named in his honor and not after the food! So goes the tale of  how the sandwich got its name .

 Another popular perception of common folk who knows their history will assume that a Caesar Salad was a dish of preference for the roman emperor, Julius Caesar.That is also far off the mark as impressions go. This tasty culinary masterpiece was only created almost 2,000 years after Caesar’s demise. It was in fact created by Caesar Cardini , who was running Caesar’s Place restaurant in Tijuana ,Mexico..
 On the 4^th of July 1924, it  turns out that more people had  turned  up than he had anticipated and prepared food for but like any  competent chefs, in the tradition of great kitchen creativity, Caesar  improvised a salad, making do with the ingredients he had, which included lettuce, garlic, olive oil, croutons, cheese and eggs. He added a little bit of his flair for showmanship and tossed the ingredients himself at the diners' tables. The Cardini family took the original recipe in 1948 and trademarked it, and since then have come up with more than a dozen varieties of bottled "Cardini's" salad dressing,so well loved by fans today.
Welsh Rarebit or Welsh Rabbit. A dish of melted cheese and butter mixed with seasoning and poured over buttered toast has nothing to do with rabbit.
Bombay Duck is not a duck at all but a fish. How the origin of the term "Bombay duck" came to be is uncertain. There are suggestions  that, during the days of British Raj, the fish was often transported by rail after drying.
 It was noted that the train compartments of the Bombay Dak which happened to be the name of a train, the Bombay Mail, had the smell of the fish wafting all through the deck, thereby  leading the British to refer to the peculiar smell emanating from that train compartment as the "Bombay Dak".
Another misnomer Mock turtle soup  has nothing to do with turtles at all. It refers to an English soup created in the mid-18th century as a cheaper imitation of the costly delicacy of green turtle soup. The ingredients were brains and organ meats such as calf's head, or a calf's foot that imitates closely the texture and flavor of the original's turtle meat.

Another myth worth dispelling is the derivation of "curry” It is not from the army officer, Sir George Curry (1826-1890), who developed a taste for the highly spicy stews of the Indians, and as a consequence, had to distance him from the other officers and dine by himself in the officer's mess.

Curry is actually an anglicized version of the Tamil word “kharii ” which means "gravy" or "sauce" instead of "spices".

mind blowing surfing

weird and wonderful creatures underwater!

WATCH IT AGAIN but WITHOUT THE BACKGROUND  MUSIC..!! BUT  TAKE IN  THE SOUND EFFECTS OF MOTHER NATURE'S  RAW FURY..! POWERFUL.! 
THIS IS THE ONLY FOOTAGE OF A MOMENT IN HISTORY THAT WILL NEVER BE REPEATED ! A RIGHT PLACE AT PRECISELY THE RIGHT TIME MOMENT..The KIWI dude MIKE PARSONS taking on JAWs in MAUI. From the documentary the Billabong Odysey.
Absorb in the sound of the fury of  CRASHING WAVES and the Howling WIND as you watch , Even more suspenseful 

ENJOY THE RIDE!! MIND Blowing!! TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERS !!