Yes, air travellers to and from U.S.A. can finally bring aboard liquid substances which do not require them to store in their bladders. According to the news report, in a partially relaxed anti-terror rules, passengers can bring on board liquids so long they are in 'tiny container of 3 ounces or less and only if they are in clear zip-loc bags.'
3 ounces. That is about 90ml which the US experts had determined that the most they can do is to blow a small hole in the toilet so the land below can be fertilized but not crash the aeroplane.
However, haven't history taught us terrorists don't necessarily act alone? What if more than one terrorist board the plane and they somehow combined that few containers of liquids and walah! They have got enough substances to blow the entire toilet cubicle off!
Now the passengers have one toilet less to use. Won't that be sad? Not that it will be the first thing on their mind at that moment.
The point I'm trying to say, which I'm certain many have said it before me, is there can never be absolute security in this area.
9/11 terrorists took over an aeroplane with the in flight metal knife. What did the US government do? They banned all metal cutleries on board and replace them with plastic ones. Last I know, my plastic fork can still sink into the tough beef steak I'm trying to eat.
Of course, the people have no say in all these. It always has been a knee jerk reaction by the aviation authorities and certain governments in imposing 'anti-terror' bans. Plane hijacked with a metal knife? Ban all sharp objects and change in-flight cutleries to plastic. Plans to blow the plane apart with liquid explosives to be brought on board? Ban all liquids.
Funny the authorities did not impose a maximum three-quarter bladder full rule. If I'm the terrorists, at this point I'll probably just announce I have plans to blow up a plane using my clothes which have been chemically pre-soaked and dried. All I have to do is to take off my clothes and slap them on the head of some bald passenger so that the static electricity will ignite the 'chemical bomb'.
Not that it is possible, but the authorities won't know anyway. Then I'll just sit back and watch their reactions just for laughs.
Maybe a ban will thus be imposed on all clothing. Then every air travellers will have to board the plane naked and be subjected to an anal probe. Now won't that be closer to absolute security.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Meeting's over
Every Singaporean going to Suntec area now can finally fart publicly in peace without alarming the ever present police into drawing out their guns or putting on their gas masks.
The roads can finally be torn up again to build the Circle Line, of which its expeditious completion is very important to Singapore's economy. Transport companies will then finally have one more reason to hike up the fares. Consumers will thus increase their expenditure and at the same time have something to 'feedback' about.
Through this, as far as my deep knowledge of economics is concern, something called the multiplier effect will cause money to start raining from the sky and everybody will become rich! Social observers will also at last concede Singaporeans are not a group of meek and repressed sheep, but hey surprise surprise, can baaa nosily to the shepherd at times too!
In addition, I heard the shop owners in the vicinity are whooping and dancing happily around the Suntec Fountain of Fortune in tutu at the return of the hoards of shoppers.
For me, well, I no longer have to hear the insufferable 'beep!' every time I pass the metal detector at work and go through the 'alright-drop-your-pants-and-hands-on-the-wall-opps-sorry-it's-just-your-belt-buckle' routine. Some days, I had even considered wearing just a pair of swimming trunks to work to avoid this hassle.
Not that I will actually do it you know.
Anyway, simply by working in the meeting vicinity had earned me a doctorate in economics within a matter of days. I can tell you, for one, US economy are slowing down, which means the greenback's value may drop. For two, Iran is threatening to sell its dollar reserves in retaliation to US's policies against it. If it is acted out, that means the greenback value will drop. Thirdly, China and India is against US's suggestion to hasten their currency liberalisation. This doesn't necessarily mean greenback value will drop, but it does mean the Americans have been kicked ass again.
So my conclusion? It's better to invest in luohan fishes than in the greenback at this moment. At least the louhan might just 'present' four lucky numbers for you to strike 4D.
Listening and reading the news and economics newsletters (Yes, I do read those. Just before I use them as coasters), it worries me about what this World Bank and IMF meeting have achieved.
To date, the only resounding triumph is the passing of the IMF voting reform. Even at that, they haven't even figure out how to actually carry it through. The other noticeable burp is the revival of the Doha talks, or rather how important it is to revive the Doha talks even though it has been trash canned for the past five years.
Somehow, what went on in this meeting reminds me of the video in my previous entry. Maybe the delegates did produce something productive not reported. Or maybe they were just playing with paper aeroplanes and having beer parties inside the meeting rooms.
I just hope some tangible and positive actions will be done, effecting in similar outcomes.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Laugh on past
Ever had times when you're searching for certain things and something else that shouldn't be related to what you're looking for just pops up unexpectedly?
I'm sure it happens as it did to me recently. Currently, I'm quite addicted to watching snippets of Monty Python shows on YouTube. So there I was just clicking video after video under the search theme of 'Monty Python' and there came along 'How AIESEC works'.
For a short introduction as to what AIESEC is, let's have a quick flashback to my previous entry.
As far as I see, this should be the work of some smart alec from AIESEC who cut this particular scene out from Monty Python's Life of Brian. Offended? Nay. Not when I'm way past the expiry date of AIESEC freshness. Not even if I'm still in. Not when there're shadows of what went on in some of the meetings I had attended.
Here, have a laugh.
Now, now. If AIESECers see this post, don't start hauling me over the burning coals for propagating it. We're for WORLD PEACE remember? Peace!
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Restarting
I remember the days I used to spend hours just typing out one piece of blog entry. Then I got into a job that practically kills my pathetic social life on a regular basis and my entries got less frequent as every thing got as exciting as a dead man's heartbeat. More importantly, it became less fun for me.
What finally made me closed down my previous blog was the three months that my computer was mainly in comatose. I got distant away from the internet, blogging and games. I went back to a daily diet of books and got so used to it that when my computer was finally revived, the first thing I did was pull the plug on my previous blog.
Now I'm back with a new blog, mainly motivated by the lack of brain activities at work. That if I don't get back to blogging, my brain will gradually shrink to the size of a sesame seed.
It'll be at this new address. Why? Partly because the old address has been taken by someone else. Partly also because six months of hiatus is too long for a comma. I've decided to make it a full stop the day I pull the plug on my old blog.
I know as a first blog entry, this is taking a too serious tone already. But hey, after six months, I need some time to get warmed up. For now, some of those craps (others I didn't save) that I forced my friends on can be view at Cylee Thoughts Revisited.
Well, let's see how long I can last this time!