The Rising Tide

The Rising Tide by Jason deCires Taylor is a temporary installation situated beside Vauxhall Bridge on the beach below Albert Embankment.

Located a mile away from the House of Parliament, the four horsemen of the apocalypse is a political statement on the impact of fossil fuel and the reluctance by our leaders to tackle climate change. The sculptures, which features horses with heads modeled after oil well pumps, are only visible during low tides. Two of the riders in business suits looks away in defiance.

Monkey business

This is a monkey

Football isn't something I write about, but this isn't about football. This is more of an observation on how our media reacts to none worthy news. Recently England's football manager made a joke or rallying cry using monkeys in space (because NASA sends monkeys to space) or something. I don't know. All I know is the word monkey was used and media people are furious about this 'gaffe' which isn't really a gaffe.

Remember, these are the same media people who likes to poke fun at said manager's speech impediment. (classy)

What I am certain of however is monkey is the description of a primate who mainly lives in trees eating bananas. You know, that animal thing who looks a bit like us, only a bit more furry and has a tail. Yeah, we kinda evolved from them.

So what do you think of when someone says monkey? Well I think of a monkey, the animal. You see, I grew up in a town where monkeys would frequently raid our mango tree.

3D sucks. Also, racists!

I also think of the monkey king, Sun Wukong, a Chinese folklore god-thing who also happens to be cheeky monkey who likes to beat the crap out of anything (according to a comic I read). This monkey general also happens to be the main inspiration to Son Goku, the character from Dragon Ball who has a tail and grows into a monkey beast during full moon, also known as the greatest comic book hero of all eternity. Take that Superman.

You know what I do not associate monkeys with? Black people. So whenever I tell a story involving monkeys (which I hardly ever do), I never meant to offend people, and 99% of the time people aren't offended. Because people I know are sensible folks who would never associate monkeys with people of certain races.

But you know who associates black people with monkeys? Journalists and 'anti racism' organisations who writes about racism whenever monkeys are mentioned. Like this guy.

Syrian woman rips into McCain

This is perhaps the most powerful video I've watched in recent time. An American Syrian woman, who has a cousin who was killed by al Qaeda Syrian 'rebels', rips into Senator McCain for this support of Obama's campaign to bomb Syria back into the stone age.

Notice how McCain would roll his eyes at her, a mark of how (every) politicians truly feels about their voters. Her opinion meant nothing to a weapons dealer. If this doesn't change your mind about American politicians on both sides of the spectrum, I don't know what will.

Cambodia: Never forget

38 years ago today, Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge. What happened after was the most horrific events in modern history the media has wished we forgotten. In just four years before they were overthrown, between 2-2.5 million lives were lost as a result to Pol Pot's evil and genocidal regime. That is more than a quarter of the entire population of the country. To put that into perspective, that's double the population of modern Birmingham, UK. Dead.

When the Vietnamese liberated Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge, the governments of Thatcher and Reagan, along with China and the United Nations, supported their 'resistance', even against their population's own public opinions. These includes creating an 'exiled' government made up 'reasonable' Khmer Rouge and training the 'resistance'. The result was years of violence, with many still feeling the impact.

Today should mark as a grim reminder of a genocide that should never have been allowed to happen. Instead, the mainstream media, in collusion with the government, aims to revise history today by honouring a homophobic who supported Pol Pot, one of the most evil person to have ever lived. Not to mention Saddam Hussein, Augusto Pinochet, Suharto and Apartheid South Africa. But we will never forget.

Politics and Police do not mix

So, I've just received my polling card for the Hertfordshire Police & Crime Commissioner election. As this was the first I've heard about it, I quickly read up about this reform (after all the national media has not once made us aware that there was going to be an opportunity to elect a local police commissioner). What I found disturbed me.

Each candidate for the Hertfordshire police commissioner are affiliated to a political party. Worse still, every single candidates are seasoned armchair politicians with no actual experiences in policing! You know, the type of stuff police are supposed to do like catching robbers, investigating bankers, protecting the people, filling tedious paperwork etc.

FFS, even the rosettes are affiliated to the three main UK parties!

Policing should be impartial. The last thing we should want as a democratic country is having the police in the pockets of political party with an agenda. And because of the amount of resources needed to campaign, many independents or actual police who actually know their shit, can't even afford to stump up the deposit (which is more than the deposit required to stand for Member of Parliament!) needed to run. Of course politics and police do mix, they already do at dangerous levels. Quite why any sensible person would want policing to be more political is beyond me.

It's an invitation to an American-style political lobby system (ie. wide spread corruptions) and the only reason this reform exists is likely to create a new class of self serving politicians who will be earning £100k a year, which by the way, more than your MP earns a year.

I would hate to waste my vote and yet I do not want to vote for a police commissioner who is affiliated in any way or form with any political party. But as Hertfordshire will not have any independent candidates I will likely not vote come election day. Political parties and agendas should not influence the police organisation, and I say that as a person who is always suspicious of them, the cynic I am.

News of the World is dead

News of the World is no more. This Sunday's issue will be its last.

Rather than sacking Rebekah Wade/Brooks, News International and Rupert Murdoch has instead decided to sack thousands of staff. News of the World will morph into a Sunday version of the Sun (an equally nasty paper with equally gutter journalism integrity). This is merely a cost cutting exercise, which decision was made last week before the whole phone hacking scandal broke. A PR exercise to deflect from the phone hacking scandal and to increase Murdoch's chance of owning BSkyB? You bet it is.

In any case the battle isn't over yet. The next step will be to shut down News International, stop BSkyB takeover, get their senior staffs (Rebekah Brooks - being the editor at the time when the phone hacking occurred, James Murdoch - being her boss) prosecuted, as well as overhauling the Press Complaints Commission (who has been incompetent during the whole saga) and flush out the corrupt Metropolitan Police and politicians who has taken bribes from News International detectives, journalists and executives.

Oh and Tesco, you just fucked up big time. I will never shop at any of your stores again.

Amnesty International launces iOS app

I don't normally post press releases, but this is something I think is worth posting as it is about two things I am interested in - human rights and mobile technology. I've been testing the AiCandle application on the iPod Touch for some time now. It's basically an app that allows users to quickly access human rights news and also provide an easy way to sign e-petitions to any human rights issues by 'taking action'. If you have an iOS device, you can download the AiCandle app now from the app store.

Amnesty International launches iPhone app for human rights

Amnesty International today unveiled the latest tool to take action for human rights, the AiCandle. The iPhone application is the fastest way for people to join in campaigns to end human rights abuses.

The AiCandle enables people to access at their finger tips breaking news on human rights and to support Amnesty International’s latest campaigns– from prisoners of conscience to ending poverty.

“The AiCandle is part our suite of digital tools that empower people to take immediate action for human rights,” said Owen Pringle, Director of Digital Communications at Amnesty International.

“The solidarity of our 3 million supporters across the world continues to make a positive difference to the lives of so many individuals. The AiCandle offers another way in which people can express that solidarity.”

Supporters are able to share news and actions with others via Facebook and email through the AiCandle. The application will continue to evolve over the coming months with further multimedia elements added.

The AiCandle 2.0 is now available to download free for iPhone or iPod Touch at the iTunes App Store. The first version of AiCandle has been running as a live beta since 2010.

Unelected PM?

I swear I would kick the next 'journalist' who complains about 'unelected prime ministers'. There is no such thing. You do not vote for prime ministers, you vote for members of parliament to represent your constituency. Whether David Cameron (whose party did not win I might add), Nick Clegg or whoever runs Labour next becomes prime minister, they are still 'unelected'.

Fucking hell, you would think political editors would know such thing, but like everything else run by the mainstream (mainly Tory) media they are just ignorant dolts.

Electoral reform rally London 8 May 2010

Pictures from the pro-democracy voting and electoral reform demonstration in Trafalgar Square and Smith Square, London yesterday. If you wish to have a picture of yourself removed please message me on twitter @jonchoo

Democracy Fail

British politicians love making a huge fuss about the apparent irregularities whenever another country holds an election. Now consider the reports that are emerging from around the country that:

• Voters were being turned away from polling stations despite joining queues hours before closing time.
  
• Voters were being turned away from polling stations because they haven't had enough ballot papers.
• Voters were being turned away because the polling stations had not receive updated paperworks, despite being on the register.
• Voters were being turned away before closing time because they couldn't handle it.
• Voters being discriminated upon.
• Voters who registered for postal ballot never received their ballot papers.
  

Hmm...

UK election

Only a couple of hours left to vote, so make sure you do. I won't tell you who you should vote (make up your damn mind), but I am hoping to wake up tomorrow morning to find that we did not vote in a new Rupert Murdoch stooge government and his sock puppet as a PM.

David Cameron met a black man, wants to nuke China

At yesterday's TV election debate (which I did not watch - why should I?), David 'I've spoken with a black man' Cameron appeared to have given indication that he is willing to declare war on China and nuking them, the country with the largest army in the world, thus inviting doom on the British Isle. Good luck with that.

Vote the Tories at your own peril.

Well that settles it then...

Find out which parties' policies matches yours here.

Go red shirts

If you think British politicians are two-faced idiots, wait till you read this load of crap spouted by Thailand's prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva:

"Instead of the restoration of law and order, those who broke the law can do whatever they want. My feeling is similar to yours." (source)

Wow, just wow. Let's see. He is only the leader of the country after his allies at the military (with the backing of the royalty) staged an illegal coup to get rid of an elected and legitimate government, and then using his buddies at the courts (as well as through illegal blockades) to get rid of the subsequent elected government - effectively creating a one-party police state. He then appointed his scheming mates, the same ones who organised the illegal airport seat-in which lead to lost tourism money, into his government. Who's really the one getting away with breaking the law here?

This government is just as dirty, if not dirtier, as the previous ones - and they haven't even got the people's mandate...

Yes, it is about time Thailand becomes a republic and get rid of their scrawny king and his proxy power minions.

Massacre

Leak video by Wikileaks showing a US Apache air crew gunning down Iraqi civilians (including a rescuer and children).



ICC, your turn.

US Christian terrorists charged

Or so the headline should have read, if the terrorists were Muslims that is. But apparently only Muslims can be called terrorists, where as Christians terrorists, like this so-called Hutaree and the Irish Republicans, are militias or at worst, dissidents.

Read

Send Tony Blair to the Hague

Everyday we are hearing more and more of what we have always known, that the (then) US and (current) UK government lied to their people and the world about Iraq. In any case fuck all will come out of this as the report has already been prepared. George Bush, Dick Cheney and their lap dog Tony Blair will never be tried for committing genocide and an illegal war on a sovereign nation based on deceit and made up dossiers. Anybody who thinks otherwise is living in a fucked up dreamland.

The International Court of Justice needs to grow some balls and drag Bush, Cheney, Bliar and their murdering accomplices to the Hague.

Tell the chancellor to tax bankers' bonuses

The bankers are at it again. The chancellor is considering introducing a windfall tax on bankers' bonuses. Naturally the bankers aren't liking it, and after stealing billions of pounds from UK tax payers and getting away with it, they are attempting to stop the chancellor by claiming 'human right' abuses. More than 5000 of them are expected to receive £1 million in bonuses - tax free, in a year where millions has seen job loses and the treasury plundered to subsidised the very same bankers who destroyed the economy. Please let Mr. Darling know that you approve of the windfall tax on bankers' bonuses in his pre-budget report this week. If he has any balls he would do just that.

Tell the Chancellor to tax bankers' bonuses - email him now.

RBS bankers can fuck off

So the fat cats arseholes that runs RBS are threatening to resign if they can't throw away £2 billion worth of taxpayers money onto their overpaid staff? This is a simple none-issue. If the government has any balls they will sack the bunch of ungrateful bankers with no severance pay (just cite incompetence and theft as reasons for dismissal). Throw out their pension pot as well I say. The taxpayers can have it back instead.

Fucking wankers.

I rather trust myself with the NHS over US health care

Right wing Republicans (aka nutjobs) has set its sight against the NHS, largely as part an offensive against plans by their Obama government to improve the health service (which does not involve copying the NHS). One paper had this to say:

People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn't have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.

A quick check on the web will reveal that Stephen Hawking is very much alive, is British and still lives in Britain. In fact, he has even credited the NHS for saving his life.

For all the faults of the NHS, many people here want it improved, not privatised. Over here we value the lifes of people from all backgrounds, not just nasty people who can afford private health care. I suggest that these right wing Republicans doling out mis-informed attacks on the NHS to go fuck themselves.

Also socialist is not a dirty word. Britain isn't one, but I wouldn't mind if it became one.