Rubenerd Blog

Category archive for politics

Because archives are so much easier than having just hundreds of posts on the home page. I learned that the hard way.

Sarah Palin, Russia, parliament, stupidity

2008.10.02 – 14.20

Sarah Palin seen here with John McCain opening Noah’s Ark. Photo by Rachael Dickson on Wikipedia

It’s another example of thinking a situation or person couldn’t possibly get any worse, then realising that your error in judgement was bigger than a pair of pigs with lipstick. In the States this is old news already but I only just picked it up: the Vice Presidential nominee for the Republicans Sarah Palin claims the fact she can see Russia from her home in Alaska somehow gives her diplomatic experience with them.

From the Huffington Post’s transcript of a televised interview:

COURIC: You’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?

PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land– boundary that we have with– Canada. It– it’s funny that a comment like that was– kind of made to– cari– I don’t know, you know? Reporters–

COURIC: Mock?

PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that’s the word, yeah.

COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.

PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our– our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They’re in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia–

COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We– we do– it’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where– where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is– from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to– to our state.

I’m so glad I live in a country like Australia that has a Parliamentary system of government, meaning we vote for every single person we want in office. The Prime Minister can’t appoint anyone he or she wants, only people who hold seats in electorates, and even if his or her party wins, if they lose their electoral seat they can’t be PM. This also means technically we can’t know for sure who the deputy PM will be until after elections and electorate votes are tallied.

It also means that we are completely immune from corruption and head smacking acts of stupidity in our elected officials.

By Ruben Schade | Also posted in funny | Comments (1)

3/700ths of a Wall Street bailout will feed every child

2008.10.01 – 23.40

Sometimes you post comments about how you’re going through a crisis of your own, only to see something that completely puts developed world problems into context.

First a bit of background: Channel Ten in Australia presents a 24 hour delayed telecast of the Late Show with David Letterman from the States on most weeknights which I treat myself to watching after a day of working and studying. Tonight, alongside The Virgins (a band I instantly liked after hearing less than 5 seconds of the song they played) and Anne Hathaway (call me… please?) Dave also had on Josette Sheeran from the World Food Programme.

It was without a doubt one of the most inspirational interviews I’d ever seen. They discussed the plight of starving children from Myanmar to Darfur in Sudan, and how by the WFP’s calculations $3 billion these children could be fed.

$3 billion could feed every child on the planet. Let me say that again.

$3 billion could feed every child on the planet.

My thoughts turned to the nauseating $700 billion plan to bail out the arrogant bankers who exploited people through lax legislation, and it managed not only to boil my blood but turn the mild headache I had at that point into a migraine. $3 billion is NOTHING.

From the site URL they posted on the programme:

Welcome! You may have just seen me on the “Late Show with David Letterman” where I was talking about hunger and the frontline work of WFP. It is WFP’s goal to put hunger out of business. Together we can do this. Just 25 cents a day or 50 US Dollars a year can ensure that children have a nourishing cup of porridge in school - virtually transforming their lives.

WFP is as effective as it is efficient. 93 cents out of every dollar goes directly to getting food to those who need it. WFP is pioneering solutions to hunger including purchasing 80 percent of the food we buy from developing world farmers. This is a win-win that can break the cycle of hunger at its roots.

I have just come back from Haiti, which has been devastated by series of four hurricanes and tropical storms over a six-week period. I saw people in Gonaives walking knee-deep in grey-brown mud, and escaping to the refuge of their roofs, where they are living as they wait for water to recede and mud to dry.

Their children need your help now. Any contribution you can make will go to school meals. You can be part of the solution now.

Josette Sheeran
WFP Executive Director

Now to business. It’s not often I explicitly tell people to do something, but I’m ordering you to do this right now.

If you have a credit card that has even $5 remaining on it, go to The World Food Programme website, click on "United States" or "Outside the US" depending on where you are, and donate some money. I was saving my credit card balance for a new internal hard drive for my laptop, but I’m giving the money to these folks instead.

I wish the United Nations and the World Food Programme the best of luck in their efforts. If they’re part of a conspiracy to instigate a New World Order, I’m look ing forward to it. Time to put aside this 19th century mindsent nonsense that countries are still relevant in this day and age and start helping… people.

United Nations C-130 Hercules transports deliver food to the Rumbak region of Sudan From Wikipedia: United Nations transports deliver food to Sudan

By Ruben Schade | Also posted in economics | Comments (1)

I believe in the United Nations Charter

2008.08.22 – 19.46

Being a third culture kid who values cosmopolitan ideals over patriotism, humans over nationalities, cultures over borders, language over legal speak and grilled cheese sandwiches over trousers made out of zucchinis, I am proud to call myself a believer in the Charter of the United Nations!

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and
to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and
to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and
to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and
to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and
to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS

An addendum to my Illuminati and New World Order post.

By Ruben Schade | Comments (1)

JB Singapore urban rails: about time!

2008.04.17 – 20.17

The always impartial, unbiased and reliable Channel News Asia is reporting some good news in Singapore-Malaysian relations specifically related to Johor Bahru

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has responded positively to a suggestion by Johor’s Chief Minister Abdul Ghani Othman to link up the urban rails of Singapore and Johor Bahru.

[Some of the] issues discussed between the Singapore and Malaysian foreign ministers is how to further integrate the economies of both countries and to enhance connectivity across the causeway.

Photo of JB taken from Wikipedia by PM Poon

Having lived both in Singapore and Malaysia since the mid 1990s I’m used to hearing a lot of big talk and not much progress on most matters of collaboration, which even just from an economic perspective is such a shame. With so much competition from other players in Asia for the industries and services that Singapore and Malaysia both provide, it seems now that collaboration should be a top priority.

ASIDE: For my readers who aren’t from around these parts, JB is the near universally used name and acronym for Johor Bahru which is the closest Malaysian city to Singapore, separated only by tiny Straits of Johor.

Wikipedia articles on: Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Singapore.

Take Australia and New Zealand as an example: They’re separated by a strait of water (albeit somewhat larger!) and have roughly similar populations to Malaysia and Singapore respectively, but the difference in the amount of trade is huge! Now granted their economies are at different levels of development and the makeup of their exports and imports are different, but it shows that countries with a shared heritage can benefit each other even when socially and politically they may differ in many ways.

Google Maps imagery of Singapore and surrounds. The white stripe superimposed over the Straits of Johor is the national border between Singapore and Malaysia which is part of the Asian mainland.

Like it or not, Singapore and Malaysia are neighbours, and the only way they’ll each succeed in the long term is if they cooperate. Some more decent connections between JB and Singapore would be a good start.

By Ruben Schade | Also posted in economics, malaysia, singapore | Comments (0)

Tibet and the Olympics, a sign?

2008.03.18 – 17.43

A sign of things to come? Consider all these articles which were published within an hour of each other this afternoon Singapore time:

Sydney Morning Herald Video: Chinese Flag Burned: Tibet supporters took to the streets this morning to protest against China’s treatment of Tibet.. (00:01:18)
ABC Australia News: EU Parliament head urges political boycott of Olympics: The President of the European Parliament has urged politicians to consider boycotting the Beijing Olympic Games to protest against China’s crackdown on demonstrations in Tibet.
Reuters: China says Tibet rioters trying to wreck Olympics: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao accused the Dalai Lama of orchestrating riots in Tibet in which dozens may have died and said his followers were trying to “incite sabotage” of Beijing’s August Olympic Games.
ABC Australia News: Taiwan’s presidential favourite considers Olympics boycott: Taiwan’s presidential election front-runner says that if elected, he may bar the country’s athletes from the Olympic Games if China continues to crack down in Tibet.

I’ll certainly not be watching the 2008 Olympics. That’s not to say I’ve ever watched any of the other Olympic games in the past… and not because they’re dull and uninteresting. Is uninteresting a word?

By Ruben Schade | Also posted in sport | Comments (0)

Twitter keeps trying to recruit me

2008.02.24 – 18.40

I can recite the names of over a dozen American presidential candidates. Not because I’m that interested in American politics, but because I’ve been added by them on Twitter more times than I can count!

Political jokes aside, I’ve been added now by so many Twitter bots, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. The thing that bugs me most about it though is the fact this is happening despite the location parameter that’s on my profile: I’ve said I’m in Singapore! How hard would it be for a person writing these bots to push their favoured political candidates to ignore people who aren’t living in the United States? Unless they just don’t care and are just using the shotgun approach. Insert witty pun joke about gun control here.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Sydney attempting to bring up with George W. Bush the issue of American presidential candidates spamming Australians on Twitter, with seemingly little success.

Now that I’m using Twhirl as my desktop Twitter aggregator on my Mac (which shows private messages) I’m thinking of just creating a smart email folder that any Twitter messages get marked as read and filtered into. When I have to sort through thirty or so messages a day from Mark Huckabee, Ron Paul, John McCain and Chris Dodd I think it’s stopped being funny.

Actually nah, it’s still pretty funny :).

By Ruben Schade | Also posted in funny, internet | Comments (0)

Barack Obama, Bob Brown Awesomeness!

2008.02.13 – 22.59

Clicking the link from Joel Housman’s Twitter feed, I arrived at one of the greatest weblog posts of all time, entitled I’m Sorry:

Barack Obama of course is one of the lead candidates for the Democratic party in the United States along with Hillary Clinton, the primary opposition to the Republican party of whom George W. Bush is currently serving with. If I had any say in American politics I’d be voting for Obama all the way :-).

The post reminds me of a photo of my favourite Aussie politician Bob Brown of The Australian Greens seen here having his awesomeness adjusted! Bob Brown for Prime Minister!!

Senator Bob Brown's awesomeness!

Two awesome people in one post? What awesomeness!

By Ruben Schade | Also posted in australia, funny | Comments (0)

Australia 2007 - No more John Howard!

2007.11.24 – 22.38

This isn’t a political blog, and I love screenshots, so instead of writing up a long dry post about Australian politics I’m just going to post some images. The gist of it: The coalition’s and John Howard’s reign of conservative evil has ended: Kevin Rudd and Labor won the election! Yay!

Hopefully we can look forward to pulling Aussie troops out of Iraq (why did John Howard support George W. Bush?), improving the technology and education sectors, finally combatting global warming and critically improving Australia’s relationship with Asia, all of which John Howard genuinely screwed up. Political promises being what they are, right?