Find out about the buzz over Wolfram Alpha and why this new upstart software can eat the lunch of Google as a more versatile search engine ?
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/an-invention-that-could-change-the-internet-for-ever-1678109.html
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Fortress Australia - Aussie Premier Kevin Rudd bulking up its own military on rise of CHINDIA (China and India)
Who's kidding who, Mr. Kevin Rudd ?
Fundamentally, Australia still sees itself alligned with Europe and America and is the bulwark state acting as Asia policeman for the Europeans and North Americans.
In the face of an emerging CHINDIA, i.e. China and India, and the increasing role China and India play in the world's geopolitical stage, Aussies are getting skittish about their role as America's "junior policeman" providing the containment rim to curb a rising CHINDIA.
And here we are seeing the rationale and justification of a "bulking up" of Australia's military by a whooping US$ 72 billion, spread out over 20 years. That's a lot of 'baksheeh' , folks.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0503/p99s01-woap.html
Shades of that "white supremacy" world hegemony at play. The Aussies are always ambivalent and confused about whether they are Asians or Europeans.
And understandably, upon seeing a weakening Uncle Sam (or Uncle Obama), Uncle Kevin is preparing for contingency.... just in case.
Uncle Kevin may speak Mandarin; but his heart is screwed on the wrong place. And it shows lately in his political posturing in the international stage.
Fundamentally, Australia still sees itself alligned with Europe and America and is the bulwark state acting as Asia policeman for the Europeans and North Americans.
In the face of an emerging CHINDIA, i.e. China and India, and the increasing role China and India play in the world's geopolitical stage, Aussies are getting skittish about their role as America's "junior policeman" providing the containment rim to curb a rising CHINDIA.
And here we are seeing the rationale and justification of a "bulking up" of Australia's military by a whooping US$ 72 billion, spread out over 20 years. That's a lot of 'baksheeh' , folks.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0503/p99s01-woap.html
Shades of that "white supremacy" world hegemony at play. The Aussies are always ambivalent and confused about whether they are Asians or Europeans.
And understandably, upon seeing a weakening Uncle Sam (or Uncle Obama), Uncle Kevin is preparing for contingency.... just in case.
Uncle Kevin may speak Mandarin; but his heart is screwed on the wrong place. And it shows lately in his political posturing in the international stage.
Triple whammies of global financial meltdown, drug cartels violence, and now..... swine flu whack Mexico
Lately, the people of Mexico, some 110,000,000 (110 million) masses of them, are going through a hellacious time.
It is a sad state of affairs. And the pandemic of swine flu could not have happened at a worse time. Right smack at a time of Cinco de Mayo (May 5th)... Mexico's National Independence Day, a festive celebratory occasion.
The triple whammies of the global financial meltdown triggered by Wall Street and Canary Wharf have unleashed a first wave of tsunami striking at the heart of Mexico's economy. This horrific scenario is worse than the SARS crisis which whacked HKG, Singapore and China before because then, the global financial system was intact, and there was not the added mess created by the pandemic of drugs, heroin, cocaine growing and smuggling which have now beset Mexico and their American and Canadian customers.
With the price of oil plunging, Mexico's oil industry, a major source of state revenues, has been hurting....as demand has shriveled and global oil consumption shrunk.
Furthermore, because of incessant demand and the rampant abuse and ingestion of drugs by the "gringos" in the North, i.e. namely Americans, there erupted an internecine war which has heated up inside Mexico by rival drug growers and smugglers.
The rival drug gangs were emboldened by a weak anti-drug law enforcement policy and a weak U.S.-Mexican border which experienced rampant smuggling of drugs being smuggled from one way across the border from Mexico; and from the other way across from the U.S. to Mexico.... money laundering and high-powered weapons and assault rifles.
There is a largely unreported "hot war" among rival drug cartels inside Mexico which has wracked the Mexican citizenry caught in the crossfire, and the Central government in Mexico is frantically fighting very hard to stomp out the violence.
The U.S. President Barack Obama knows that Americans and American drug users, gun stores, and American proclivity to buy high-powered assault weapons compound and add to the problems of Mexico's fight against the cross-border drug cartels.
And now...... here we go with the horrific news and perilous pandemic of the swine flu.
This is the third hugh wave of the "tsunami" which struck this sad country of 110 million peoples.
With the news of swine flu afflicting Mexico...... tourism, which is one of its biggest source of cash revenues, is now dead. Hotel occupancy in resort destinations like Cancun, in the Caribbean side of the country, is now down to single digit occupancy, i.e. 7% to 8%.
Cross-border traffic and weekend visitors across the U.S.-Mexican border have virtually come to a complete standstill.
Cruise ships which have provided Mexico's coastal port stops... from Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Zihuatenejo, Conzumel, with steady streams of dollar-spending tourists have stopped plying these ports of call as cruise destinations because of the fear of the swine flu.
Read on the story on how much damage this triple whammy has wrought upon the peoples of Mexico:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/05/03/MNC317CR8L.DTL
It is a sad state of affairs. And the pandemic of swine flu could not have happened at a worse time. Right smack at a time of Cinco de Mayo (May 5th)... Mexico's National Independence Day, a festive celebratory occasion.
The triple whammies of the global financial meltdown triggered by Wall Street and Canary Wharf have unleashed a first wave of tsunami striking at the heart of Mexico's economy. This horrific scenario is worse than the SARS crisis which whacked HKG, Singapore and China before because then, the global financial system was intact, and there was not the added mess created by the pandemic of drugs, heroin, cocaine growing and smuggling which have now beset Mexico and their American and Canadian customers.
With the price of oil plunging, Mexico's oil industry, a major source of state revenues, has been hurting....as demand has shriveled and global oil consumption shrunk.
Furthermore, because of incessant demand and the rampant abuse and ingestion of drugs by the "gringos" in the North, i.e. namely Americans, there erupted an internecine war which has heated up inside Mexico by rival drug growers and smugglers.
The rival drug gangs were emboldened by a weak anti-drug law enforcement policy and a weak U.S.-Mexican border which experienced rampant smuggling of drugs being smuggled from one way across the border from Mexico; and from the other way across from the U.S. to Mexico.... money laundering and high-powered weapons and assault rifles.
There is a largely unreported "hot war" among rival drug cartels inside Mexico which has wracked the Mexican citizenry caught in the crossfire, and the Central government in Mexico is frantically fighting very hard to stomp out the violence.
The U.S. President Barack Obama knows that Americans and American drug users, gun stores, and American proclivity to buy high-powered assault weapons compound and add to the problems of Mexico's fight against the cross-border drug cartels.
And now...... here we go with the horrific news and perilous pandemic of the swine flu.
This is the third hugh wave of the "tsunami" which struck this sad country of 110 million peoples.
With the news of swine flu afflicting Mexico...... tourism, which is one of its biggest source of cash revenues, is now dead. Hotel occupancy in resort destinations like Cancun, in the Caribbean side of the country, is now down to single digit occupancy, i.e. 7% to 8%.
Cross-border traffic and weekend visitors across the U.S.-Mexican border have virtually come to a complete standstill.
Cruise ships which have provided Mexico's coastal port stops... from Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Zihuatenejo, Conzumel, with steady streams of dollar-spending tourists have stopped plying these ports of call as cruise destinations because of the fear of the swine flu.
Read on the story on how much damage this triple whammy has wrought upon the peoples of Mexico:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/05/03/MNC317CR8L.DTL
Swine flu blues ... while China and HKG act vigorously and vigilantly, gweillos fulminate and attack quarantine as draconian and excessive
The difference in responses and the regimens between China, Singapore,and their Asian-Pacific neighors relative to those government officials in America and Europe demonstrates a major policy and mind gap between the gweillos/ Westerners/Europeans and the Chinese about sleuthing, containing, and eliminating viruses and the spread of communicable diseases.
This difference of approach is based on a fundamental divergence in attitude about worrying about the collective good as an overarching imperative and utmost priority as opposed to worrying about individual rights in the name of privacy and a Europeanized version of "civil liberties" and so-called "human rights."
This fight against the swine flu is playing out with a clear divergence in draconian measures imposed by China and the "PC" position practiced by some Western officials. The Chinese, in my opinion, have had more experiences with containing contagious disease, and their record has always been about the "collective good," i.e. "da qu mien;" not "PC" nor "PR" spin.
Given the Chinese experience and history with SARS, avian flu, and other epidemic, do you blame them ?
In my book, the science of epidemiology is one which is "hit and miss" and requires some luck, and some science. Sleuthing to find the cause and spread of contagious disease is not an exact science.
Respectful scientists can differ; but I would much rather go wrong on the side of overcaution than to go wrong on the side of carelessness and laxness.
China has 1.3 billion inhabitants; and it has some of the densest and most populated cities in the world. Cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen are hubs for international travellers. And given that the swine flu is ascertained to have originated and flared up outside of China, it is logical and prudent for China to act vigorously and vigilantly.
Already, Chinese authorities have quarantined at least 50 Mexican nationals suspected of carrying the swine flu virus and isolated them in their hotels in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
This shut-down and draconian measures were executed because the country cannot afford to lose on this. Besides, there does not appear to be a tinge of racism in this.
Anyone with these symptoms or contact with someone with the swine flu are immediately quarantined. And these include Taiwanese, Indians, Singaporeans, Koreans, Japanese, Sri-Lankans, Arabs...... and not just Europeans, Mexicans, Americans. It is the Western news media which are hyping on this controversy and protests by the Europeans and American health authorities, as well as the Mexican foreign minister.
Rather than overemphasize on individual rights, and despite all the fulmigation, Chinese authorities are doing what they have to do in order to fight the spread of this virus, which may have the tendency of mutation and morphing into a more virulent and deadly strain.
Look at the "lock-down" in Mexico city; the Mexican foreign minister has no cause nor bases to protest.
Read the latest about the quarantine inside China inside China, i.e. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou.
These are densely populated cities, not unlike Mexico City. Cities with over 10 million people packed in subways, streets, alleys, food places.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/NewsBreak/20090503153119/Article/index_html
More to the story from MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30471035/
Amazingly, the Red Cross through Atlanta's Center for Disease Control, has a website which also explained the method of containing the spread of viruses, and in it, the use of quarantine is advocated.
http://www.redcross.org/preparedness/cdc_english/IsoQuar.asp
Overall, when you are fighting a fire, or trying to catch a criminal, or fighting an epidemic... you have to do what you have to do.
I think Americans are dumb and stupid and always play the "PC" side.
It applies in identifying suspects in crime and never mentioning their race.
Hey, if the serial bank robber on a crime spree preying on victimns is a Black, White, Brown or a Yellow..... you need to have that information on race in order to catch him. It is only good common sense.
Again, with regard to the swine flu, if more Mexicans come in contact with the virus from Mexican city, is it not logical to identify and isolate them more as potential carriers of the virus ?
Again, we must underscore that along with Mexicans and Europeans, China and HKG are also quaranteeing Taiwanese, Malaysians, SIngaporeans, or anyone who came in contact or were close to the Mexican traveller afflicted with the Swine Flu on that China Eastern Airlines flight from Shanghai to HKG.
That's not "PC;", i.e.playing "political correctnes"; but that is the right thing to do.
HKG epidemiologists ought to be applauded for being thorough and vigilant. HKG's Wanchai, Central, Tsimsatsui, Causeway Bay, Mongkok, Yaumatei, and other densely populated districts are too perilous to take a chance. Imagine if the virus spreads through contact on the underground MRT, or onto the trains headed to Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta region. All hell freezes when that happens.
Compare Americans with their "PC" bullshit. They have not even introduced thermal imaging equipment at their airports processing international travellers. They even asked their border guards across the U.S.-Mexican not to wear masks in order to be "PC." Wait until the Swine Flu mixed up with the HIV-AIDS virus. Imagine AIDs mixed with the swine flu.
All hell will freeze. When that happens, my butt will be outta San Francisco pronto.
You can have this chi-chi city by the Bay full of loonies, crazies, and uber-liberals. Yesterday,while the rest of the world is fighting this viral scourge, some San Franciscans in the streets were vigorously protesting eating "foie gras" and paraded before a French restaurant, proclaiming that eating "foie gras," i.e. goose liver, is abusing the geese.
Gimme a break.
SingaBore (the derisive term for Singapore) may suck; but better suck than be sorry. :-) I say, worry about the "da qu mien," the collective good.
This difference of approach is based on a fundamental divergence in attitude about worrying about the collective good as an overarching imperative and utmost priority as opposed to worrying about individual rights in the name of privacy and a Europeanized version of "civil liberties" and so-called "human rights."
This fight against the swine flu is playing out with a clear divergence in draconian measures imposed by China and the "PC" position practiced by some Western officials. The Chinese, in my opinion, have had more experiences with containing contagious disease, and their record has always been about the "collective good," i.e. "da qu mien;" not "PC" nor "PR" spin.
Given the Chinese experience and history with SARS, avian flu, and other epidemic, do you blame them ?
In my book, the science of epidemiology is one which is "hit and miss" and requires some luck, and some science. Sleuthing to find the cause and spread of contagious disease is not an exact science.
Respectful scientists can differ; but I would much rather go wrong on the side of overcaution than to go wrong on the side of carelessness and laxness.
China has 1.3 billion inhabitants; and it has some of the densest and most populated cities in the world. Cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen are hubs for international travellers. And given that the swine flu is ascertained to have originated and flared up outside of China, it is logical and prudent for China to act vigorously and vigilantly.
Already, Chinese authorities have quarantined at least 50 Mexican nationals suspected of carrying the swine flu virus and isolated them in their hotels in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
This shut-down and draconian measures were executed because the country cannot afford to lose on this. Besides, there does not appear to be a tinge of racism in this.
Anyone with these symptoms or contact with someone with the swine flu are immediately quarantined. And these include Taiwanese, Indians, Singaporeans, Koreans, Japanese, Sri-Lankans, Arabs...... and not just Europeans, Mexicans, Americans. It is the Western news media which are hyping on this controversy and protests by the Europeans and American health authorities, as well as the Mexican foreign minister.
Rather than overemphasize on individual rights, and despite all the fulmigation, Chinese authorities are doing what they have to do in order to fight the spread of this virus, which may have the tendency of mutation and morphing into a more virulent and deadly strain.
Look at the "lock-down" in Mexico city; the Mexican foreign minister has no cause nor bases to protest.
Read the latest about the quarantine inside China inside China, i.e. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou.
These are densely populated cities, not unlike Mexico City. Cities with over 10 million people packed in subways, streets, alleys, food places.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/NewsBreak/20090503153119/Article/index_html
More to the story from MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30471035/
Amazingly, the Red Cross through Atlanta's Center for Disease Control, has a website which also explained the method of containing the spread of viruses, and in it, the use of quarantine is advocated.
http://www.redcross.org/preparedness/cdc_english/IsoQuar.asp
Overall, when you are fighting a fire, or trying to catch a criminal, or fighting an epidemic... you have to do what you have to do.
I think Americans are dumb and stupid and always play the "PC" side.
It applies in identifying suspects in crime and never mentioning their race.
Hey, if the serial bank robber on a crime spree preying on victimns is a Black, White, Brown or a Yellow..... you need to have that information on race in order to catch him. It is only good common sense.
Again, with regard to the swine flu, if more Mexicans come in contact with the virus from Mexican city, is it not logical to identify and isolate them more as potential carriers of the virus ?
Again, we must underscore that along with Mexicans and Europeans, China and HKG are also quaranteeing Taiwanese, Malaysians, SIngaporeans, or anyone who came in contact or were close to the Mexican traveller afflicted with the Swine Flu on that China Eastern Airlines flight from Shanghai to HKG.
That's not "PC;", i.e.playing "political correctnes"; but that is the right thing to do.
HKG epidemiologists ought to be applauded for being thorough and vigilant. HKG's Wanchai, Central, Tsimsatsui, Causeway Bay, Mongkok, Yaumatei, and other densely populated districts are too perilous to take a chance. Imagine if the virus spreads through contact on the underground MRT, or onto the trains headed to Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta region. All hell freezes when that happens.
Compare Americans with their "PC" bullshit. They have not even introduced thermal imaging equipment at their airports processing international travellers. They even asked their border guards across the U.S.-Mexican not to wear masks in order to be "PC." Wait until the Swine Flu mixed up with the HIV-AIDS virus. Imagine AIDs mixed with the swine flu.
All hell will freeze. When that happens, my butt will be outta San Francisco pronto.
You can have this chi-chi city by the Bay full of loonies, crazies, and uber-liberals. Yesterday,while the rest of the world is fighting this viral scourge, some San Franciscans in the streets were vigorously protesting eating "foie gras" and paraded before a French restaurant, proclaiming that eating "foie gras," i.e. goose liver, is abusing the geese.
Gimme a break.
SingaBore (the derisive term for Singapore) may suck; but better suck than be sorry. :-) I say, worry about the "da qu mien," the collective good.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Mexico's foreign minister reacts angrily to China's quarantine and suspension of flights to and from Mexico City as "discriminatory"
China and four other Latin American countries, i.e. Cuba, Argentina, Ecuador and Peru were angrily denounced by the Mexican foreign minister for undertaking draconian measures to fight the spread of the swine flu.
From Mexico city, the foreign minister angrily advised Mexican nationals not
to travel to China. This was partly in response to draconian measure undertaken by HKG's health officials to quarantine and isolate the Mexican traveller and other foreign tourists in Wanchai's Metro Park hotel, after the Mexican traveller was found to be contaminated by the swine flu after enplaning from Shanghai to HKG flying via China Eastern Airlines.
At the same time, four other Latin countries stopped and suspended Mexican airlines from flying to and from their countries.
These include Cuba, Argentina, Ecuador and Peru.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N02360932.htm
From Mexico city, the foreign minister angrily advised Mexican nationals not
to travel to China. This was partly in response to draconian measure undertaken by HKG's health officials to quarantine and isolate the Mexican traveller and other foreign tourists in Wanchai's Metro Park hotel, after the Mexican traveller was found to be contaminated by the swine flu after enplaning from Shanghai to HKG flying via China Eastern Airlines.
At the same time, four other Latin countries stopped and suspended Mexican airlines from flying to and from their countries.
These include Cuba, Argentina, Ecuador and Peru.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N02360932.htm
Draconian Quarantine in HKG Metropark Hotel in Wanchai --- better be safe than regrets; European guests #*@#!#@
Given HKG and China's past experience with SARS and Avian Flu, the health officials are taking no chances with the swine flu.
The quarantine and lock-down of all hotel guests at Wanchai district's Metropark Hotel after a Mexican national who flew in from Shanghai to HKG after catching swine flu and spreading it on his China Eastern Air flight from Shanghai to HKG is causing a lot of consternation among European guests in the hotel.
Let them fulminate.
Better be safe than have regrets later.
Click on how HKG health authorities are managing this pandemic:
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSHKG2279
The density level in Hong Kong is at par if not worse than in Mexico City, the latter with 20 million in population.
And certainly, across the border in Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta, there is no room for mistake.
It is imperative that Chinese officials be ever vigilant in taking steps to curb the spread of this swine flu virus. No room for mistake.
The quarantine and lock-down of all hotel guests at Wanchai district's Metropark Hotel after a Mexican national who flew in from Shanghai to HKG after catching swine flu and spreading it on his China Eastern Air flight from Shanghai to HKG is causing a lot of consternation among European guests in the hotel.
Let them fulminate.
Better be safe than have regrets later.
Click on how HKG health authorities are managing this pandemic:
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSHKG2279
The density level in Hong Kong is at par if not worse than in Mexico City, the latter with 20 million in population.
And certainly, across the border in Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta, there is no room for mistake.
It is imperative that Chinese officials be ever vigilant in taking steps to curb the spread of this swine flu virus. No room for mistake.
The debate between simplified vs. traditional Chinese characters is a non-issue; in fact all Chinese are learning global languages including English
You be the judge.
There is a simmering debate among ethnic Chinese as to whether to use and adopt simplified Chinese or traditional Chinese characters as the "lingua franca" for the 1.5 billion peoples around the world who use, speak, or write Chinese.
To many in the Huaren community overseas, the debate is really moot.
Many of us are fluidly adapting to both simplified Chinese characters, or jiantizi, to the traditional characters, fantizi, with ease.
Piece of cake.
On top of that, the facility and fluency in English, Spanish, and other world languages are increasingly pervasive and prevalent.
I would suggest that Arabic, Farsi, Russian and Hindu are languages that all Huarens in the Diasporic communities all are adapting to.
In a world of globalization, where cultures, businesses, and media are intersecting and evolving, it is imperative that there be impetus to open the door for more languages fluency and adaptation. To close that door to the windows of other cultures is a death knell and not the way to go.
Look at the debate between simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese in the link below:
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/chinese-language-ever-evolving/
There is a simmering debate among ethnic Chinese as to whether to use and adopt simplified Chinese or traditional Chinese characters as the "lingua franca" for the 1.5 billion peoples around the world who use, speak, or write Chinese.
To many in the Huaren community overseas, the debate is really moot.
Many of us are fluidly adapting to both simplified Chinese characters, or jiantizi, to the traditional characters, fantizi, with ease.
Piece of cake.
On top of that, the facility and fluency in English, Spanish, and other world languages are increasingly pervasive and prevalent.
I would suggest that Arabic, Farsi, Russian and Hindu are languages that all Huarens in the Diasporic communities all are adapting to.
In a world of globalization, where cultures, businesses, and media are intersecting and evolving, it is imperative that there be impetus to open the door for more languages fluency and adaptation. To close that door to the windows of other cultures is a death knell and not the way to go.
Look at the debate between simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese in the link below:
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/chinese-language-ever-evolving/
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