Free society and free speech

I am not really into politics or economics. Their issues are usually more complex than my brain can handle. But the following speeches really resonate in me:

1. The first is by Margaret Thatcher on free society.

" We believe they should be individual. We are all unequal ... we believe that everyone has the right be to unequal. But to us, every human being is equally important. A man's right to work as he will, to spend what he earns, to own property, to have the state as his servant and not his master. They are the essence of a free economy, and on that freedom, all our other freedom depends." 

Margaret Thatcher (1975)

2. I would never have expected Mr Bean to give a speech on free speech. Rowan Atkinson can say any serious stuff and they will still sound funny to me. And that is what make this speech so appealing - seriousness with a dash of humour.



3. This speech is packed with punches. Jabs and crosses unpulled. Very serious, very angry, very well-argued.

 

A rainy ubin trip

An Ubin trip on a rainy day, armed with waterproof camera and mobile phone ( it's a sony!). You can always trusts the Japanese to come out with some useful devices suitable for rugged adventure. Here are some photos taken:

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The waterproof camera is a Nikon - it's a Japanese product too! ... Though I doubt it's made in Japan.

Manado

A nice diving trip at Manado. The nature reserve is called Bunaken. Below is the signature pic of the mini bunaken hill with clouds at its peak. Somehow, the cloud is always there all day long.

Pristine waters. Even at 20 metres deep. The water surface can be visible. 

And yeah, I saw dolphin and pilot whale on the way to the dive site!

It is a pity not much pictures are taken underwater. My friends underwater housing is spoilt. But the dive guide is kind enough to bring his own camera in some of the dives. 

I must say the pictures here do not give Bunaken the justice it deserves. There are plenty more not captured.  Below is a huge fan coral.  I must say the coral diversity is among the most diverse and rich I have seen. 

A flounder! 

This place famous for its tiny creatures; and those creatures that are masters in mimicry and camouflage. This trip really makes me want to re-read certain chapters of The Ancestors Tale again. My only regret is not bringing a magnifying glass there!

A cute little shark

It has a little buddy - a puffer fish :-)

Nice authentic indonesian lunch.

Costa Cruise

Some quality time with my family and relatives. We went to a Costa cruise. 

Cruise started at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre. 

Monkeys - Fairness

Wow. Funny and thought provoking.

Another one. On cooperation and fairness

 I have not completely read The Descent of Man. After watching these, feel like picking up the book again.

Paper Promises

Just read this:

In brief, the message I gathered is : We are in deep shit - And that's an understatement!

It talks about the departure of the gold standard, Bretton Wood system and how we end up like this. Rather pessimistic. But we should see it coming. Everyday we are confronted with the rising prices of the things we buy,  and of our assets (This may not be a good thing) . The debt incurred is unsustainable! Argg...

Listen to what the author says in an interview here:
 


 I would also like to refer to another book I read, and a its related video  - The Ascent of Money
http://ykwee.blogspot.sg/2011/12/i-never-knew-financial-history-can-be.html

The book is on financial history and I think of it as some sort of prequel to The Paper Promises.

Halloween at Universal Studios Sentosa, Singapore

One of the most amazing nights!

I must say USS has indeed done an awesome job! Even though the place is small, they have superb utilization of spaces available. The 'exhibits' are so densely packed, every turn of a corner is ghost, gore or something else.

Too busy enjoying myself, didn't really take lots of pics. Hee hee. Took the Battlestar Galatica rides 5 times! twice on Cylon and thrice on Human. 

Also, the express tickets were really worth it. Couldn't have such a fun-packed night without it.