Blackest Night #7- One of the biggest worries about Blackest Night is how big of a story it is. This is a battle that rage from Oa to Earth and everywhere inbetween. So far, this has not being a problem as Geoff John and Ivan Reis had executed the story very well. However the problems started within 3 pages of #7. Last issue ends with the temp lanterns entering the fray, this issue start with everyone attacking Nekron. You just cannot shake the feeling that there is a jump in the action and the action in the whole issue was chaotic at best. As good as the art was by Reis, there was just too much going on. One moment Luthor was attacking the other lanterns, the next he stopped. One moment a guy could be flying high in the sky, the next he is at ground level. There are also jumps in the storyline. Basically it seems the story got too big for the series. The Entity suddenly appeared out of nowhere and all the corps suddenly appeared in Earth’s orbit. They then immediately started to slaughter Black Lanterns, but questions remain how everyone got there and why they all immediately know to fight the Black Lanterns instead on each other. #7 is not a bad issue, but it is too chaotic and a comedown from what came previously.
Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1- When Image was first formed, Top Cow Productions was often overlooked when compared to Wildstorm, Sprawn etc. Over 10 years later, Top Cow is (almost) the only one left standing. The biggest change for Top Cow came when The Darkness and Witchblade came out. With the cancellation of Cyberforce, Top Cow became the only comic-book company with a totally supernatural publishing lineup. Why mess with something that works? Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box is a new starting point for the Top Cow and I like the idea of Top Cow expanding their magic/supernatural world. With Marvel and DC positions, any company outside the top 2 need to find their own niche in the industry. A company with a magic/supernatural world would work and I look forward to see where this series will take me.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wrong Audience
Parents all over the world are always afraid their children will lose out to their peers. Now it seems the Singapore government is getting into the act.
The Singapore Ministry of Education has now launched an interactive web-based Education and Career Guidance (ECG) portal to help schoolchildren make informed choices in their career aspirations. Nothing wrong with that, in fact it’s a good idea but the web portal is targeted at Primary 5 and 6 students. In Singapore, that means children about 11 to 12 years of age!
Even in fast-pace Singapore, that’s just ridiculous. How many 11-year-olds really know what they want in life? And I personally like to know how this portal can tell the difference between career aspirations and childhood fantasy. I remember a time when I wanted to be a NBA player (I was a kid), is this portal suppose to help me become a NBA player?
The ECG portal is a good idea but it is targeted at the wrong audience. If the portal was targeted at 15 to 18 year olds, it would be great but children 11 to 12 years of age don’t need career guidance.
The Singapore Ministry of Education has now launched an interactive web-based Education and Career Guidance (ECG) portal to help schoolchildren make informed choices in their career aspirations. Nothing wrong with that, in fact it’s a good idea but the web portal is targeted at Primary 5 and 6 students. In Singapore, that means children about 11 to 12 years of age!
Even in fast-pace Singapore, that’s just ridiculous. How many 11-year-olds really know what they want in life? And I personally like to know how this portal can tell the difference between career aspirations and childhood fantasy. I remember a time when I wanted to be a NBA player (I was a kid), is this portal suppose to help me become a NBA player?
The ECG portal is a good idea but it is targeted at the wrong audience. If the portal was targeted at 15 to 18 year olds, it would be great but children 11 to 12 years of age don’t need career guidance.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Overkill
Surfing the web, I spotted a story that quip my interest.
24-year-old James Burt bought the game New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii gaming console when a shop accidentally put it on its shelves before the official sale date. Nothing wrong with that because he did bought the game legally. However, Mr. Burt then hacked into New Super Mario Bros. and then put the game on the internet on November 6, 2009.
In a comedy of errors, the Australian man now has to pay game developer Nintendo US$1.3 million for breaching copyright law by hacking into the game and illegally making it available on the Internet, all ahead of its global release. Now I know video game piracy is a big problem, I know New Super Mario Bros. is a big game, I know the Wii is the most popular gaming console in the world, but US$1.3million?
I’m not saying the man didn’t do anything illegal but there are thousands of websites which offer thousands of downloads, for everything from music, to television series, to movies, to games, and this guy got a fine of US$1.3 million? Wow…if game companies can get that much money, then they should hire less game developers and more of these electronic forensic specialists to pin-point who put these downloads on the internet.
With judgments like this, we might have a new industry on our hands.
24-year-old James Burt bought the game New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii gaming console when a shop accidentally put it on its shelves before the official sale date. Nothing wrong with that because he did bought the game legally. However, Mr. Burt then hacked into New Super Mario Bros. and then put the game on the internet on November 6, 2009.
In a comedy of errors, the Australian man now has to pay game developer Nintendo US$1.3 million for breaching copyright law by hacking into the game and illegally making it available on the Internet, all ahead of its global release. Now I know video game piracy is a big problem, I know New Super Mario Bros. is a big game, I know the Wii is the most popular gaming console in the world, but US$1.3million?
I’m not saying the man didn’t do anything illegal but there are thousands of websites which offer thousands of downloads, for everything from music, to television series, to movies, to games, and this guy got a fine of US$1.3 million? Wow…if game companies can get that much money, then they should hire less game developers and more of these electronic forensic specialists to pin-point who put these downloads on the internet.
With judgments like this, we might have a new industry on our hands.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Battle of Marjah
More than a week in and the attack on the Afghan town of Marjah is quickly looking embarrassing for the Americans.
The Pentagon has been trying to remain upbeat on the progress of the campaign, but the Americans had always needed a quick victory here. The main problem for the Americans is that the battle is between 15,000 US, Afghan and NATO troops against a Taliban force of at most 1,000.
Simple math tell you the Taliban are out-numbered at least 15 to 1 with the Americans having the heavier firepower, and yet they are still holding off the Americans. Worse, their British allies now seem to have second thoughts on the battle. The British commander of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, Major General Nick Carter, now says that the troops would need another 25 to 30 days just to secure the Taliban stronghold and another 3 months after that to control the whole area.
In the grand scheme of things, it probably wouldn’t change the war too much but the battle of Marjah was suppose to be the start of a change in the tides of war in Afghanistan. That is unlikely to happen if the Americans take over a month to take just one town, especially when they have the Taliban outnumbered and outgunned 15 to 1.
That’s why the Americans had always needed a quick victory in Marjah. Unfortunately despite out-numbered 15 to 1, the Taliban have other ideas.
The Pentagon has been trying to remain upbeat on the progress of the campaign, but the Americans had always needed a quick victory here. The main problem for the Americans is that the battle is between 15,000 US, Afghan and NATO troops against a Taliban force of at most 1,000.
Simple math tell you the Taliban are out-numbered at least 15 to 1 with the Americans having the heavier firepower, and yet they are still holding off the Americans. Worse, their British allies now seem to have second thoughts on the battle. The British commander of NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, Major General Nick Carter, now says that the troops would need another 25 to 30 days just to secure the Taliban stronghold and another 3 months after that to control the whole area.
In the grand scheme of things, it probably wouldn’t change the war too much but the battle of Marjah was suppose to be the start of a change in the tides of war in Afghanistan. That is unlikely to happen if the Americans take over a month to take just one town, especially when they have the Taliban outnumbered and outgunned 15 to 1.
That’s why the Americans had always needed a quick victory in Marjah. Unfortunately despite out-numbered 15 to 1, the Taliban have other ideas.
Monday, February 22, 2010
How Serious Are You?
The Singapore Ministry of National Development say to pre-empt a bubble from forming in the private homes sector, they will impose a “Seller’s Stamp Duty” on all residential properties and residential land bought after 19/2, and sold within one year from the date of purchase. The housing loan limit will also be capped at 80% down from the current 90%. The Government says that these 2 new measures to cool the property market and ensure a stable and sustainable property market.
Dream on!
In theory, the “Seller’s Stamp Duty” is a good idea but the Ministry of National Development destroyed their own good idea with “sold within one year from the date of purchase” caveat. What is 1 year in the property market? Most buyers flip properties after 1 year, some even after 3-5 years. With the one year caveat, the “Seller’s Stamp Duty” is practically useless. Only a few days after the announcement, property agents are already saying the new rules will have minimal impact to the market.
They are right because even a property layman like me can see that the new rules are half-hearted at best. Last September, the Singapore Government introduced some anti-speculative measures to cool the property market which failed. These new rules will also almost certainly fail as well.
With all these failures, I can’t help but ask, “Just how serious is the Singapore Government in cooling down the property market?”
Dream on!
In theory, the “Seller’s Stamp Duty” is a good idea but the Ministry of National Development destroyed their own good idea with “sold within one year from the date of purchase” caveat. What is 1 year in the property market? Most buyers flip properties after 1 year, some even after 3-5 years. With the one year caveat, the “Seller’s Stamp Duty” is practically useless. Only a few days after the announcement, property agents are already saying the new rules will have minimal impact to the market.
They are right because even a property layman like me can see that the new rules are half-hearted at best. Last September, the Singapore Government introduced some anti-speculative measures to cool the property market which failed. These new rules will also almost certainly fail as well.
With all these failures, I can’t help but ask, “Just how serious is the Singapore Government in cooling down the property market?”
Saturday, February 20, 2010
A Whole New Level of Stupidity
In the fight against video game piracy, games developers had tried some pretty stupid stuff over the years. However Ubisoft is about to bring the anti-piracy fight to a whole new level of stupidity because Ubisoft's upcoming PC game, Assassin's Creed II, will require a constant internet connection.
It seems Assassin's Creed II is going to be a MMO because according to Ubisoft, if a player loses internet connection while playing, the game "will pause while it tries to reconnect." And if a connection cannot be found, the server restores your last saved game, which can only be continued once there is an internet reconnection.
Talk about bring stupid! I don’t even understand why I have to have an internet connection to “verify” the game before I can start playing, and now Ubisoft want me to have an internet connection at all times to play the game?
What about people without internet? Or people whose internet connection is down? Or people who use laptops to play? Or…I may like Assassin's Creed, but I think I’ll be skipping Assassin's Creed II.
It seems Assassin's Creed II is going to be a MMO because according to Ubisoft, if a player loses internet connection while playing, the game "will pause while it tries to reconnect." And if a connection cannot be found, the server restores your last saved game, which can only be continued once there is an internet reconnection.
Talk about bring stupid! I don’t even understand why I have to have an internet connection to “verify” the game before I can start playing, and now Ubisoft want me to have an internet connection at all times to play the game?
What about people without internet? Or people whose internet connection is down? Or people who use laptops to play? Or…I may like Assassin's Creed, but I think I’ll be skipping Assassin's Creed II.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Comics this week
Guardians of the Galaxy #23- A few issues ago, half the team perished in their battle against Magus Warlock. Last issue, writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning gave a teaser that the team and Magus weren't totally dead. Usually, I will call this a cop-out…but not here. Frankly I was a little bummed when Star-lord put a bullet in Magus because Magus was one hell of a villain. As a threat to the universe, he is right up there with Thanos. So I’m glad he’s back. However issue #23 is mostly on Martyr. Phyla-Vell may be the new Avatar of Death but when Magus said that she’s a poor choice for the role, most readers will totally understand where he is coming from. The previous Avatar of Death was Thanos and from Thanos to Phyla-Vell is a comedown no matter how you look at it. This is a good character issue and overall a solid setup issue for the coming fight between the Guardians and Magus, maybe even the upcoming “Realm of Kings” series (about time too). I say mostly because the art was terrible. I can accept that different artists have different styles but the art of Wes Craig is just bad. Maybe his work would work on a horror series or something but not on Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel need to change the artist.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Obama & the Dalai Lama
It had to happen sooner or later. U.S President Barack Obama will finally meet the Dalai Lama at the White House. The two Nobel Peace Prize winners (one deserved, the other not) will meet privately and release an official photo, but under pressure from the Chinese government, the leaders will not make any public appearances.
Personally I think the U.S is making a mistake here because President Barack Obama SHOULD make a public appearance with the Dalai Lama. Even 51 years after the Buddhist spiritual leader's exile to India, the Dalai Lama is still advocating non-violence to gain greater autonomy for Tibet. Even if you do not believe him and think he is trying to gain independence for Tibet, the fact is that the Dalai Lama had always advocate non-violence. Outside Gandhi, I can’t even think of anyone who has been as strong and as patient as the Dalai in advocating non-violence.
Not only that, he is almost the sole man who has stopped Tibetans from revolting against Chinese rule. However the Dalai Lama is old and as the riots in Tibet last year shown, no longer as influential as he once was. I’m no fan of former U.S President George W. Bush, but he did the right thing in meeting with the Dalai Lama and even awarding the U.S Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai in 2007.
Barack Obama should do the same because the Dalai Lama is a force for peace and when he dies, war might/will erupt in Tibet. A man like the Dalai deserves more than just a private meeting at the White House.
Personally I think the U.S is making a mistake here because President Barack Obama SHOULD make a public appearance with the Dalai Lama. Even 51 years after the Buddhist spiritual leader's exile to India, the Dalai Lama is still advocating non-violence to gain greater autonomy for Tibet. Even if you do not believe him and think he is trying to gain independence for Tibet, the fact is that the Dalai Lama had always advocate non-violence. Outside Gandhi, I can’t even think of anyone who has been as strong and as patient as the Dalai in advocating non-violence.
Not only that, he is almost the sole man who has stopped Tibetans from revolting against Chinese rule. However the Dalai Lama is old and as the riots in Tibet last year shown, no longer as influential as he once was. I’m no fan of former U.S President George W. Bush, but he did the right thing in meeting with the Dalai Lama and even awarding the U.S Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai in 2007.
Barack Obama should do the same because the Dalai Lama is a force for peace and when he dies, war might/will erupt in Tibet. A man like the Dalai deserves more than just a private meeting at the White House.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Not Be Patient; But Be Smart
This morning I read the papers and found something incredibly ridiculous. The picture showed a man standing in front of a taxi, blocking it and shouting at the driver.
When asked why, the man said that the taxi-driver showed an obscene gesture to him and that’s why he was standing in front of the taxi shouting at the driver. The article said that the stand-off took 30 minutes to resolve.
Now some people will say be patient; I say be smart. I mean even if the man was correct and the taxi-driver did show an obscene gesture to him, you are standing in the middle of the road blocking the flow of traffic! Between an obscene gesture and standing in the middle of the road blocking traffic, which do you think is more serious?
If the Traffic Police comes and saw a man standing in the middle of the road blocking traffic, what do you think will happen? Between an obscene gesture and standing in the middle of the road blocking traffic, which do you think the Traffic Police will take more seriously?
Even if the man was correct and the taxi-driver did show an obscene gesture to him, you are already in the wrong by blocking traffic standing in the middle of the road. And no matter what kind of obscene gesture the taxi-driver show, blocking the flow of traffic is a far more serious.
When asked why, the man said that the taxi-driver showed an obscene gesture to him and that’s why he was standing in front of the taxi shouting at the driver. The article said that the stand-off took 30 minutes to resolve.
Now some people will say be patient; I say be smart. I mean even if the man was correct and the taxi-driver did show an obscene gesture to him, you are standing in the middle of the road blocking the flow of traffic! Between an obscene gesture and standing in the middle of the road blocking traffic, which do you think is more serious?
If the Traffic Police comes and saw a man standing in the middle of the road blocking traffic, what do you think will happen? Between an obscene gesture and standing in the middle of the road blocking traffic, which do you think the Traffic Police will take more seriously?
Even if the man was correct and the taxi-driver did show an obscene gesture to him, you are already in the wrong by blocking traffic standing in the middle of the road. And no matter what kind of obscene gesture the taxi-driver show, blocking the flow of traffic is a far more serious.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Comics this week
Hit-Monkey #1- Show of hands, how many of you thought with a title like Hit-Monkey, this is a comedy title? I sure did and boy was I surprised! Hit-Monkey is the origin story of a monkey assassin and his path of vengeance, death and destruction after the destruction of his monkey clan. The plot is ludicrous but writer Daniel Way takes a very serious tone with the book and for some reason that I don’t understand…it worked! I think a lot of the credit has to go to Dalibor Talajic. His artwork managed to convey the silly scenes of a monkey gunning soldiers without it being silly. I know this sound like a contradiction but it worked! And since S.W.O.R.D has been cancelled, I am in need of a quirky comic to replace that quirky comic. Hit-Monkey, the ongoing series anyone?
S.W.O.R.D #4- It was always an uphill task. I said it 2 issues ago, it has no big-name writer, no big-name artist and no big-name characters in it; so despite the brilliant work of writer Kieron Gillen, S.W.O.R.D has been cancelled with #5 the last issue. Sad but it has been a hell of a ride.
Secret Six #18 – Thank goodness it’s only 2 issues! With Secret Six #18, the Blackest Night tie-ins are over. Only 2 issues (3 if you add Suicide Squad #67) and the lackluster tie-in/crossover is over. Hopefully service will be back to normal next issue.
S.W.O.R.D #4- It was always an uphill task. I said it 2 issues ago, it has no big-name writer, no big-name artist and no big-name characters in it; so despite the brilliant work of writer Kieron Gillen, S.W.O.R.D has been cancelled with #5 the last issue. Sad but it has been a hell of a ride.
Secret Six #18 – Thank goodness it’s only 2 issues! With Secret Six #18, the Blackest Night tie-ins are over. Only 2 issues (3 if you add Suicide Squad #67) and the lackluster tie-in/crossover is over. Hopefully service will be back to normal next issue.
Friday, February 12, 2010
The King Is Back To Save The Day
The king has returned, only this time the king has turned into the messiah.
That is basically the story of the new Formula One (F1) season. After a season of scandals and off-season of turmoil, Michael Schumacher's comeback couldn’t have come at a better time for F1.
After the Liegate of Lewis Hamilton and the Crashgate of Renault, manufacturing giants Toyota, BMW and Honda have left, and Renault already has one foot out of the F1's door. Having a 7-time world champion returning to the sport was a heaven’s gift to the desperate F1. After all, it’s hard to get excited over Lotus, Campos, Virgin and USF1, the new teams on the block.
Never mind that Schumacher is already 41, retired for 4 years, is generally hated when he was in F1, and had a neck injury that kept him out of the season in 2009; the messiah has come to save F1!
That is basically the story of the new Formula One (F1) season. After a season of scandals and off-season of turmoil, Michael Schumacher's comeback couldn’t have come at a better time for F1.
After the Liegate of Lewis Hamilton and the Crashgate of Renault, manufacturing giants Toyota, BMW and Honda have left, and Renault already has one foot out of the F1's door. Having a 7-time world champion returning to the sport was a heaven’s gift to the desperate F1. After all, it’s hard to get excited over Lotus, Campos, Virgin and USF1, the new teams on the block.
Never mind that Schumacher is already 41, retired for 4 years, is generally hated when he was in F1, and had a neck injury that kept him out of the season in 2009; the messiah has come to save F1!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
A Possible Reason
Front page on the Strait Times newspaper yesterday was the case of Pastor Rony Tan being called up by the Internal Security Department (ISD) for making insensitive remarks against the Buddhist and Taoist faiths. The paper made a huge point of saying Pastor Tan had personally apologized to the leaders of the two religions and Venerable Kwang Sheng, President of Singapore Buddhist Federation, had accepted the apology.
Basically everyone just wants to sweep the whole thing under the carpet and let the matter rest. Sorry to say this but that is just not possible. I say this because everything is already on the net!
The whole started when Pastor Tan interviewed a former monk and a former nun at his church sessions, made some comments which were insulting to Buddhism and Taoism and the sessions were video-recorded. To add insult to stupidity, the videos were then made available on the Lighthouse Evangelism’s website which Pastor Tan belong to. Of course this begin the age of the internet, people downloaded the clips from Lighthouse Evangelism and post it on YouTube and other websites. The pastor was called up by the ISD, after which he then issued a public apology on his church’s website and took down the clips.
Too late my friend!
If you go on Youtube, you can still find the clip showing Pastor Tan interviewing the former monk and the former nun. Sweeping the incident under the carpet can’t work when the clips is out there for millions of viewers all over the world. I also like to ask what in the world was Dr Albert Ting saying. In response to media query, the principal of Singapore Bible College said that the college trained would-be pastors to be mindful of what they say. Nothing wrong there, but he then say that “in the heat of the moment, a preacher can cross the line”.
Now usually I don’t blog about religion, I just don’t care that much about it, but how in the world is this “in the heat of the moment”? The interview sessions were not done “in the heat of the moment”, making the videos was not “in the heat of the moment”, putting it up on the Lighthouse Evangelism’s website was surely not done “in the heat of the moment”, so what in the world was Dr Albert Ting saying. Instead of finding a flimsy excuse for one of his pastor, he should have condemned the action of Pastor Tan. Even if he felt some loyalty to the pastor, surely he has to come up with something better than “in the heat of the moment”.
I mean talk about digging a bigger hole for yourself. That excuse is not just stupid but insultingly stupid. And this guy is the principal of Singapore Bible College? Well…at least we got a possible reason for the actions and stupidity of Pastor Rony Tan.
Basically everyone just wants to sweep the whole thing under the carpet and let the matter rest. Sorry to say this but that is just not possible. I say this because everything is already on the net!
The whole started when Pastor Tan interviewed a former monk and a former nun at his church sessions, made some comments which were insulting to Buddhism and Taoism and the sessions were video-recorded. To add insult to stupidity, the videos were then made available on the Lighthouse Evangelism’s website which Pastor Tan belong to. Of course this begin the age of the internet, people downloaded the clips from Lighthouse Evangelism and post it on YouTube and other websites. The pastor was called up by the ISD, after which he then issued a public apology on his church’s website and took down the clips.
Too late my friend!
If you go on Youtube, you can still find the clip showing Pastor Tan interviewing the former monk and the former nun. Sweeping the incident under the carpet can’t work when the clips is out there for millions of viewers all over the world. I also like to ask what in the world was Dr Albert Ting saying. In response to media query, the principal of Singapore Bible College said that the college trained would-be pastors to be mindful of what they say. Nothing wrong there, but he then say that “in the heat of the moment, a preacher can cross the line”.
Now usually I don’t blog about religion, I just don’t care that much about it, but how in the world is this “in the heat of the moment”? The interview sessions were not done “in the heat of the moment”, making the videos was not “in the heat of the moment”, putting it up on the Lighthouse Evangelism’s website was surely not done “in the heat of the moment”, so what in the world was Dr Albert Ting saying. Instead of finding a flimsy excuse for one of his pastor, he should have condemned the action of Pastor Tan. Even if he felt some loyalty to the pastor, surely he has to come up with something better than “in the heat of the moment”.
I mean talk about digging a bigger hole for yourself. That excuse is not just stupid but insultingly stupid. And this guy is the principal of Singapore Bible College? Well…at least we got a possible reason for the actions and stupidity of Pastor Rony Tan.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Showing Better PR
Ever since General Stanley McChrystal became the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, there has been great expectation of a change in the tides of war in Afghanistan. There’s even a video on the internet showing U.S. Army soldiers getting a pep-talk before an attack on the Afghan town of Marjah. It seems that taking over the southern Afghan town of Marjah would change the war by seizing a major Taliban supply and drug-smuggling stronghold.
Frankly I don’t see how winning a battle like Marjah would change anything. With their superior weapons and firepower, the U.S. has won almost every major battle against the Taliban since the start of the Afghan war but the Taliban is still there and still fighting. If America wants to win the war, or at least get an honorable draw, they need to stop talking about battles and start to win over public support in Afghanistan. Take this latest battle for instance; Americans have been talking about the battle for weeks and how they will provide aid and services to the residents once the Taliban are gone. But isn’t that what the Americans has been trying to do from the very get-go? Since the start of the war, they had been (trying) bringing electricity, clean water, building schools etc to the people of Afghanistan. All after driving the Taliban from the area but the Taliban has always come back to the area.
So what has changed with this latest battle plan? Nothing expect better PR.
Frankly I don’t see how winning a battle like Marjah would change anything. With their superior weapons and firepower, the U.S. has won almost every major battle against the Taliban since the start of the Afghan war but the Taliban is still there and still fighting. If America wants to win the war, or at least get an honorable draw, they need to stop talking about battles and start to win over public support in Afghanistan. Take this latest battle for instance; Americans have been talking about the battle for weeks and how they will provide aid and services to the residents once the Taliban are gone. But isn’t that what the Americans has been trying to do from the very get-go? Since the start of the war, they had been (trying) bringing electricity, clean water, building schools etc to the people of Afghanistan. All after driving the Taliban from the area but the Taliban has always come back to the area.
So what has changed with this latest battle plan? Nothing expect better PR.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Closed Before It Really Opened
When it rains, it pours. Even when you are in the Middle-East!
A month after it was opened to great fanfare, the tallest skyscraper in the world has been closed to the public. The Burj Khalifa was supposed to show the world that Dubai is back on its feet. I never believe a word of it when it was opened but even I didn’t expect it to close a month after its lavish opening. The close has been blamed on electrical problems but it’s hard to believe that electrical problems can cause an indefinite closure.
And to think, all this before even the first permanent tenants had began their stay.
A month after it was opened to great fanfare, the tallest skyscraper in the world has been closed to the public. The Burj Khalifa was supposed to show the world that Dubai is back on its feet. I never believe a word of it when it was opened but even I didn’t expect it to close a month after its lavish opening. The close has been blamed on electrical problems but it’s hard to believe that electrical problems can cause an indefinite closure.
And to think, all this before even the first permanent tenants had began their stay.
Monday, February 8, 2010
He's Correct But...
Even before he takes up his post, the new US ambassador to Singapore, David Adelman, has already managed to “stir the pot” as they say.
In his first public statement on Singapore since he was assigned to his post, Mr. Adelman vow to encourage the Singapore government to allow greater openness in the political scene. This was of course welcomed by the Singapore opposition parties with Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam begin front and centre.
Personally, I’m not that impressed. The ambassador is right when he said that Singapore is not a multi-party democracy, but how is that any business of the US ambassador. Singapore has been ruled by the People's Action Party (PAP) since 1959 because they have won every general election since then.
Now I’m not saying the elections are fair, I’m not saying the Singapore media is not biased, I’m not saying Mr. Adelman is wrong; what I’m saying is that it’s none of his business who Singaporeans vote into power. He is the US ambassador to Singapore, it’s hardly his place to promote democratic reforms in Singapore or vow to encourage the Singapore government to allow greater openness.
There’s a time and place for everything, and good intentions he may have, Mr. Adelman was wrong to comment on the political situation of Singapore especially when he hasn’t even being in the post for 1 day.
In his first public statement on Singapore since he was assigned to his post, Mr. Adelman vow to encourage the Singapore government to allow greater openness in the political scene. This was of course welcomed by the Singapore opposition parties with Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam begin front and centre.
Personally, I’m not that impressed. The ambassador is right when he said that Singapore is not a multi-party democracy, but how is that any business of the US ambassador. Singapore has been ruled by the People's Action Party (PAP) since 1959 because they have won every general election since then.
Now I’m not saying the elections are fair, I’m not saying the Singapore media is not biased, I’m not saying Mr. Adelman is wrong; what I’m saying is that it’s none of his business who Singaporeans vote into power. He is the US ambassador to Singapore, it’s hardly his place to promote democratic reforms in Singapore or vow to encourage the Singapore government to allow greater openness.
There’s a time and place for everything, and good intentions he may have, Mr. Adelman was wrong to comment on the political situation of Singapore especially when he hasn’t even being in the post for 1 day.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
The Gathering Storm by Brandon Sanderson
Rant: This is Book 12 of the “Wheel of Time” series. As the creator of the “Wheel of Time” series, author Robert Jordan had stated on many occasions that Book 12, A Memory of Light, will be the final book in the series. Even if he had to hand in a 10,000 page monster, Book 12 is the final book. Partially written by Robert Jordan before his untimely passing in 2007, the book was then spilt into 3 novels of which “The Gathering Storm” is but the first. So instead of a 12 book “Wheel of Time” series, we will now have a 14 books series.
Why? Hasn’t the family got enough money out of the series that they had to squeeze an extra 2 books out of it? It state on the cover page that Tor proudly presents The Gathering Storm as the first of three novels that will make up A Memory of Light. I fail to see what’s there to be proud about. Even if the size of the volume was too big for 1 book, can’t it be spilt into 2 books? Is the size so great that it HAS to be spilt in 3? Rant over.
After too long a wait, The Gathering Storm is finally here. Book 12 of the “Wheel of Time” series, The Gathering Storm was partially written by Robert Jordan before his death in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, author of the Mistborn books, was then chosen to finish the series using a guide written by Jordan before his death.
First off, fans of Jordan need not worry because you can tell that Sanderson is a fan as well. His love of the series is evident as he managed to capture all the characters, not easy considering the huge cast, perfectly and his treatment of the world was almost pitch-perfect. That’s not saying there’s no differences but the story came through without missing a beat. I don’t know much about Sanderson but he does hit the ground running. Unlike Jordan who tends to go on and on describing the scene and surroundings, Sanderson seems more interested in action and characters.
Picking up where Book 11 left off, Rand al’Thor is still trying to prepare for Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle. As he built his armies, Egwene al’Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, tries to unite the White Tower as the Seanchan finally attacks the White Tower. The book is basically how the duo did all this as The Gathering Storm is mostly spilt into 2 sections.
One on Rand, the other on Egwene.
So if you are a fan of these 2 characters, you’re in luck. If not, you’re in trouble.
To me, the Wheel of Time has always been about Rand, Mat and Perrin. I found the sections about Rand to be wonderful. As the pressure of being the Dragon Reborn gets to Rand, you can sympathize with him. When he got darker, you could understand why. When he cracked and started to slaughter innocents just to get to that one Forsaken, you can see his reason for doing so. Mat and Perrin made some cameos but the story of Rand more than made up for their absence.
Unfortunately, we then got to Egwene’s section of the book. As I had said earlier, the Wheel of Time has always been about Rand, Mat and Perrin. To me, it’s no coincidence that the series when downhill the moment Jordan decided to elevate side-characters like Egwene and Aviendah into main characters. Try as he might, Sanderson cannot change this. It was a bore reading how Egwene tries to unite the factions of Aes Sedai, so much so that during the Seanchan attack, I hoped they would kill a bunch of these bitchy women.
Personally I found The Gathering Storm to be the most action packed book in the series in quite a while. I can tell that Brandon Sanderson really has a deep love and respect for the world and characters created by Robert Jordan. I never once got the feeling that characters were reacting in ways that were at odds with how they were (no, I don’t think Mat was out of character in the book) and I have to applaud Sanderson for this as this was incredibly difficult to do.
The book is not perfect. The Forsaken got turned into wimps, the alliance between Min and Cadsuane was a little rushed, and I thought the meeting between Rand and Tam al’Thor could have been done better, but overall it’s no disaster and I did truly fear that it would be.
Bring on Tarmon Gai’don!
Why? Hasn’t the family got enough money out of the series that they had to squeeze an extra 2 books out of it? It state on the cover page that Tor proudly presents The Gathering Storm as the first of three novels that will make up A Memory of Light. I fail to see what’s there to be proud about. Even if the size of the volume was too big for 1 book, can’t it be spilt into 2 books? Is the size so great that it HAS to be spilt in 3? Rant over.
After too long a wait, The Gathering Storm is finally here. Book 12 of the “Wheel of Time” series, The Gathering Storm was partially written by Robert Jordan before his death in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, author of the Mistborn books, was then chosen to finish the series using a guide written by Jordan before his death.
First off, fans of Jordan need not worry because you can tell that Sanderson is a fan as well. His love of the series is evident as he managed to capture all the characters, not easy considering the huge cast, perfectly and his treatment of the world was almost pitch-perfect. That’s not saying there’s no differences but the story came through without missing a beat. I don’t know much about Sanderson but he does hit the ground running. Unlike Jordan who tends to go on and on describing the scene and surroundings, Sanderson seems more interested in action and characters.
Picking up where Book 11 left off, Rand al’Thor is still trying to prepare for Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle. As he built his armies, Egwene al’Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, tries to unite the White Tower as the Seanchan finally attacks the White Tower. The book is basically how the duo did all this as The Gathering Storm is mostly spilt into 2 sections.
One on Rand, the other on Egwene.
So if you are a fan of these 2 characters, you’re in luck. If not, you’re in trouble.
To me, the Wheel of Time has always been about Rand, Mat and Perrin. I found the sections about Rand to be wonderful. As the pressure of being the Dragon Reborn gets to Rand, you can sympathize with him. When he got darker, you could understand why. When he cracked and started to slaughter innocents just to get to that one Forsaken, you can see his reason for doing so. Mat and Perrin made some cameos but the story of Rand more than made up for their absence.
Unfortunately, we then got to Egwene’s section of the book. As I had said earlier, the Wheel of Time has always been about Rand, Mat and Perrin. To me, it’s no coincidence that the series when downhill the moment Jordan decided to elevate side-characters like Egwene and Aviendah into main characters. Try as he might, Sanderson cannot change this. It was a bore reading how Egwene tries to unite the factions of Aes Sedai, so much so that during the Seanchan attack, I hoped they would kill a bunch of these bitchy women.
Personally I found The Gathering Storm to be the most action packed book in the series in quite a while. I can tell that Brandon Sanderson really has a deep love and respect for the world and characters created by Robert Jordan. I never once got the feeling that characters were reacting in ways that were at odds with how they were (no, I don’t think Mat was out of character in the book) and I have to applaud Sanderson for this as this was incredibly difficult to do.
The book is not perfect. The Forsaken got turned into wimps, the alliance between Min and Cadsuane was a little rushed, and I thought the meeting between Rand and Tam al’Thor could have been done better, but overall it’s no disaster and I did truly fear that it would be.
Bring on Tarmon Gai’don!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Comics this week
Siege #2- What? What the hell happened? When did Steve Rogers got back to begin Captain America? Even after his return, didn’t he give the shield to Winter Soldier but here Steve Rogers is Captain America and Winter Soldier is Bucky 2.0. What the hell happened?
X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain #3- The hunt for the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak continues and X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain continues to be a confusing mess. The back-story of the family of Xavier and Marko Cain was good but the rest of the issue is a disaster. Wanda helped Thomas Halloway/ Robert Halloway /Angel (don’t ask) because of his help way, way back against a bouncer? Confusing story, confusing artwork; X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain has turned into a disappointment.
Street Fighter II Turbo #11- Just when we thought is would be Ryu vs Bison, Akuma show up and it became Akuma vs Bison. Not as good as last issue’s Ryu vs Sagat but close enough. Good issue
Nova #34- What do you usually get when a forgotten super-villain fight a double of himself and both grab 5 super-beings across time and space to fight each other? Usually…you get a piss-poor story. For some reason, that’s not the case here. This was actually a pretty good issue as Nova, Darkhawk, Mr. Fantastic, Namorita, and Black Bolt duke it out with their counterparts. Never knew Namorita was a swordswoman and a pretty good one to boot. A much better issue than I had expected.
X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain #3- The hunt for the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak continues and X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain continues to be a confusing mess. The back-story of the family of Xavier and Marko Cain was good but the rest of the issue is a disaster. Wanda helped Thomas Halloway/ Robert Halloway /Angel (don’t ask) because of his help way, way back against a bouncer? Confusing story, confusing artwork; X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain has turned into a disappointment.
Street Fighter II Turbo #11- Just when we thought is would be Ryu vs Bison, Akuma show up and it became Akuma vs Bison. Not as good as last issue’s Ryu vs Sagat but close enough. Good issue
Nova #34- What do you usually get when a forgotten super-villain fight a double of himself and both grab 5 super-beings across time and space to fight each other? Usually…you get a piss-poor story. For some reason, that’s not the case here. This was actually a pretty good issue as Nova, Darkhawk, Mr. Fantastic, Namorita, and Black Bolt duke it out with their counterparts. Never knew Namorita was a swordswoman and a pretty good one to boot. A much better issue than I had expected.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Laughable Malaysia
So in Malaysia, it begins again. No, not another sodomy trail against Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, but once again the Malaysian government is making their country the joke of the world.
A decade after he was arrested, beaten and jailed on sodomy charges, Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is once again in a Kuala Lumpur courtroom to face another sodomy charges. And just like the first time, not a single Malaysian in the country believes the charges.
This time, a former aide of Anwar, 23-year-old Saiful Bukhari Azlan, said that Anwar forced him to commit the acts. Like the first trial, the evidence in the case is laughable. The first doctor who checked Saiful said that he did not find any evidence of sodomy. The Malaysian Attorney General now say that it was nothing but an ‘initial’ examination and a ‘more through’ examination of Saiful (by another doctor) revealed evidence of sodomy. Said new evidence has not been turned over to the defense yet.
Also there is the question of how in the world could Anwar (a 60+ man in poor health) managed to ‘force’ Saiful (a young 23-year-old) is something only the Malaysian Attorney General and the Malaysian Police can answer. They can also answer why Anwar is charge with sodomy but not Saiful.
So for the second time, Anwar Ibrahim is charged with sodomy. With the political forces against him, he will probably be convicted of the charges and when that happen; the snickers against Malaysia will turn into outright laughter…again.
A decade after he was arrested, beaten and jailed on sodomy charges, Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is once again in a Kuala Lumpur courtroom to face another sodomy charges. And just like the first time, not a single Malaysian in the country believes the charges.
This time, a former aide of Anwar, 23-year-old Saiful Bukhari Azlan, said that Anwar forced him to commit the acts. Like the first trial, the evidence in the case is laughable. The first doctor who checked Saiful said that he did not find any evidence of sodomy. The Malaysian Attorney General now say that it was nothing but an ‘initial’ examination and a ‘more through’ examination of Saiful (by another doctor) revealed evidence of sodomy. Said new evidence has not been turned over to the defense yet.
Also there is the question of how in the world could Anwar (a 60+ man in poor health) managed to ‘force’ Saiful (a young 23-year-old) is something only the Malaysian Attorney General and the Malaysian Police can answer. They can also answer why Anwar is charge with sodomy but not Saiful.
So for the second time, Anwar Ibrahim is charged with sodomy. With the political forces against him, he will probably be convicted of the charges and when that happen; the snickers against Malaysia will turn into outright laughter…again.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Not For Singapore
Recently, a high-powered government planning committee recommended that Singapore should look into the use of the nuclear energy to meet the long-term energy needs of Singapore. Is nuclear power a viable option for Singapore?
Of course not! I know this is just a recommendation but what in the world are those guys on that committee thinking? Now I’m not saying that nuclear energy is evil or anything, it is cleaner than oil and more cost-effective in the long-term, but the potential upside to nuclear energy is just not worth it when you compare it to the potential downside of an accident. Think about it; Singapore is a small island. If an accident was to happen, where in Singapore could we go to? Our island is only 42km wide and with a population of 5 million people, if there was an accident in the nuclear plant, there is just nowhere in Singapore we can run to. No matter how good the safety standards are, you can never rule out accidents (and in the long run, there will be an accident sooner or later) and if Singapore build a nuclear plant and there’s an accident in the plant…don’t we have to abandon Singapore then?
Looking at the matter, I fail to see how nuclear power can be a viable option for Singapore. I would like to know how that high-powered government planning committee could.
Of course not! I know this is just a recommendation but what in the world are those guys on that committee thinking? Now I’m not saying that nuclear energy is evil or anything, it is cleaner than oil and more cost-effective in the long-term, but the potential upside to nuclear energy is just not worth it when you compare it to the potential downside of an accident. Think about it; Singapore is a small island. If an accident was to happen, where in Singapore could we go to? Our island is only 42km wide and with a population of 5 million people, if there was an accident in the nuclear plant, there is just nowhere in Singapore we can run to. No matter how good the safety standards are, you can never rule out accidents (and in the long run, there will be an accident sooner or later) and if Singapore build a nuclear plant and there’s an accident in the plant…don’t we have to abandon Singapore then?
Looking at the matter, I fail to see how nuclear power can be a viable option for Singapore. I would like to know how that high-powered government planning committee could.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Beautiful DLC
I never got what’s so great about DLC. I’m playing Mass Effect 2 right now and less than a month after it came out, there is already direct downloadable content from Bioware.
I don’t understand this. If you have new content less than 1 month after the release, why not just put it onto the disc? What’s even funnier is when the download won’t work! When I tried to look at the downloaded content on the Bioware site, first thing I saw was “this site is currently on BETA but you are welcome to take it foe a spin”. I knew right then I was going to have problem.
Ho and behold, I was right. I can’t download anything. Worse, I don’t even know why! I’m sure my username and password is correct but I can’t login and the site doesn’t even tell me why. So not only do you have DLC immediately after release, you have DLC from a site on BETA which doesn’t tell you what’s wrong when the download failed!
Beautiful, just beautiful!
I don’t understand this. If you have new content less than 1 month after the release, why not just put it onto the disc? What’s even funnier is when the download won’t work! When I tried to look at the downloaded content on the Bioware site, first thing I saw was “this site is currently on BETA but you are welcome to take it foe a spin”. I knew right then I was going to have problem.
Ho and behold, I was right. I can’t download anything. Worse, I don’t even know why! I’m sure my username and password is correct but I can’t login and the site doesn’t even tell me why. So not only do you have DLC immediately after release, you have DLC from a site on BETA which doesn’t tell you what’s wrong when the download failed!
Beautiful, just beautiful!
Monday, February 1, 2010
EPL this month
The first month of 2010 is over and a gap has opened between the top 3; Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal, and the rest of the league. Still, there’s plenty of time for the rest to catch up.
Top Teams this Month
Chelsea- Those of you who say Chelsea’s title chase would be hurt by the African’s Nations Cup; HA! The sex scandal of club captain John Terry notwithstanding, it’s all system go for Chelsea as the title is still their’s to lose.
Liverpool- Even in Singapore, you can almost hear the relief of fans from Anfield. Worries for the season had slightly eased as manager Rafael Benitez has managed to string a few wins together. Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani is still finding his feet but his presence does give Liverpool a creative spark they were sorely missing. Who knows; with him there and Dirk Kuyt scoring, maybe Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres may finally have a chance to rest and have their injuries treated.
Surprise Team this month
Birmingham- A lot of people will put the current good run Birmingham has on the shoulders of the completed takeover of the club but no one has come into the club yet. Manger Alex McLeish has done wonders with his club and Lee Bowyer has been in especially good form this season. I’m not convinced the club has what it takes to continue their current good form but who would have thought of them challenging for a spot in Europe at the start of the season.
Disappointing Teams this month
Portsmouth- Yes they are here again this month. Did you expect otherwise? Just look at the league table and you’ll know why.
West Ham- A takeover of the club was done, and new owners David Sullivan and David Gold immediately proved that they are old hands at running a football club by revealing the debts of the club. It gave them time however the amount of debts at the club will make new transfers almost impossible. Who would want to play for a club that is in a mountain of debts?
Top Teams this Month
Chelsea- Those of you who say Chelsea’s title chase would be hurt by the African’s Nations Cup; HA! The sex scandal of club captain John Terry notwithstanding, it’s all system go for Chelsea as the title is still their’s to lose.
Liverpool- Even in Singapore, you can almost hear the relief of fans from Anfield. Worries for the season had slightly eased as manager Rafael Benitez has managed to string a few wins together. Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani is still finding his feet but his presence does give Liverpool a creative spark they were sorely missing. Who knows; with him there and Dirk Kuyt scoring, maybe Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres may finally have a chance to rest and have their injuries treated.
Surprise Team this month
Birmingham- A lot of people will put the current good run Birmingham has on the shoulders of the completed takeover of the club but no one has come into the club yet. Manger Alex McLeish has done wonders with his club and Lee Bowyer has been in especially good form this season. I’m not convinced the club has what it takes to continue their current good form but who would have thought of them challenging for a spot in Europe at the start of the season.
Disappointing Teams this month
Portsmouth- Yes they are here again this month. Did you expect otherwise? Just look at the league table and you’ll know why.
West Ham- A takeover of the club was done, and new owners David Sullivan and David Gold immediately proved that they are old hands at running a football club by revealing the debts of the club. It gave them time however the amount of debts at the club will make new transfers almost impossible. Who would want to play for a club that is in a mountain of debts?
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