Balance of Power

The balance of power can be observed around us. Just, sometimes, the proportion is not quite right…

The Yi Ching emphasized the balance of Qi, between Yin and Yang. The two Qis existed everywhere, from something as large as the Universe or as tiny as our single thought.

Government around the world, although mostly claimed to practice Separation of Powers, have actually maintained a check and balance – one power that counteracts the other.

Even physics got a Newtonian action-reaction force…

What else…… Any idea……?

Unknown… Unsung Heroes…

Sometimes, or, most of the time, good things just passed by and known only to a few people. I believe most people do realize this…

Looking on the pane on the right side of this article you will find a company named ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Some people think that I am nut displaying such company with a ‘weird’ name. (If you know this company well, you may ignore this article.) What does this company do and what is its significance?

Consider the following name: BMW, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Jaguar, Land Rover. When you mention those name, people will think of high performance luxury cars. For those who drove the car before, they know it’s really good. The transmission shift quality are seamless. The suspension system provides a supple and comfortable ride. The brake system is almost perfect.

All those parts are not manufactured by car makers themselves. It has been purchased from ZF. This is perfectly understandable that in this era virtually every field has gone specialization. It is uneconomical for a car maker to do all the research and development by itself. By collecting resources across a range of manufacturers (income and experience that is) the systems shared among them would have been made to a higher level of sophistication, functionality and quality.

ZF can be regarded as a platform that specializes in driveline technology and provides all car makers with a very desirable driveline systems solutions. By adapting the products made by ZF to their specifications, car makers could simply produce a car with higher quality without sacrificing too much of their financial resources. A global network of development and service centers ensure that their product is well supported after sales.

And it’s pity that so few people give attention to this company of great importance. Most people like cars, but they don’t like to share the stories behind. What makes a car shine is not merely its appearance. It’s the engineering marvel beneath the skin, the advancements of technology the car has experienced and the legacy of the car in future generations.

So, if you like cars and want to learn more about it, do visit their website and surf around. You’ll be surprised by the range of products they made.

p.s. Don’t misunderstand: ZF don’t pay me to write this!

A Rethink

I recently downloaded the Handbook For Bloggers and Cyber Dissidents, published by Reporters Without Borders. I am writing this article while reading it.

The handbook briefly explains the functions and features of blog from a journalistic point of view. The handbook reminds me of something which I have not give notice to. The purpose of publishing a blog. The philosophy behind. And to some, the sacrifices and hardship they must bear to do so.

The purpose of publishing a blog. In my community, most people use blog as means of sharing their daily lives and personal thoughts with outside world. The readership are often limited to their circle of friends and relatives. Whereas for some people, they use blog to publish news often considered obscure or inappropriate by the authorities, for example, matters related to human rights and political thoughts. Blog is the most suitable medium of publicity since the writers normally do not have to host it themselves, and they can remain anonymous.

But the technology is catching up fast. Some governments impose sensorships and deploy sophisticated tracking tools to track down those who make announcements expressing condemnation or criticism on them. (It’s worth to note that 李敖 just stated that ‘共党总有一天要消灭’).

The philosophy behind. Most of us simply post on the blogs without much consideration. The handbook introduces me to various guidelines that keep the blog in best shape and the spirit of publishing a blog. Post articles that are healthy and (best to have) creditable. Write articles carefully to avoid any inconveniences. Be thorough, accurate, fair and independent. Still got much to learn from these…

The sacrifices and hardship. I believe many people enjoy blogging. There are some of them blog while risk themselves being detained by authorities. As in the handbook said, Chan’ad Bahraini blog under the eyes of government, while Arash Sigarchi has been sentenced to 14 years in prison and is currently seeking appeal.

After reading all the contents I really need a rethink – on blog, on journalism, or simply myself. I have take my freedom for granted. It is still not too late to appreciate it…

If you are interested to download the handbook, click here.

Investment… What’s Wrong?

Most Malaysians, elder Chinese in particular, are very reluctant of investments. When I mention something about investment or my intention to get involved in the field, most of the people will warn me, “Investment is a ‘dirty’ business. It’s better to stay honest.”

To those people, they might think that investment is just another form of gambling. They said investment is that you guess when the price is going to hike and buy the stock in advance. Then, you just sit down and ride the wave, waiting to sell the stocks at higher prices. In other words, buying high and selling low – speculations.

I don’t meant to criticize anyone, but I am totally disagree with this perception. This is very narrow-minded indeed. Do they realize that they also indirectly got involved in investments by vesting their funds in EPF and insurance? The fund managers are just using their deposits to invest in corporations they deemed capable of making good return.

Ironically, these fund managers are rather ‘short-sighted’. I don’t mean that they overlook long term opportunities. However they are subject to performance reviews by the Trustee on a month-to-month or quarter-to-quarter basis, so their goal is to make a higher-than-average returns within the period, or at least outperform other funds in the bad times. Doing so may bypass the stocks of some companies that have high intrinsic values but does not shine at the moment. So, is it wiser to leave all your money in the hands of Fund Managers, or to invest under your own discretion?

IMHO, investment, apart from making a profit as a result of capital gain, is to support the development of certain products and services you are interested in, or you think might have a bright future and benefit the world. People always admire those successful businessmen and industrialists, but without investors, where do they get the capital?

Finally, I wish to use this opportunity to remind myself to honor others’ opinion. My opinion may differ from other people, but it’s certainly legitimate to make my own choice. And to respect others’ choices as well.

Saddam Hussein: The Dilemma

Saddam Hussein, good or bad man?

Perhaps everyone think that Saddam Hussein was a bad guy. He was considered ruthless. He was infamous of cracking down the Kurdish and was accused of using chemical weapons against them. He was being seen by others as an evil.

Is that really so? Or this is simply a part of conspiracy against him?

Firstly, take a look on the Kurdish. They were separatists since the British Mandate period, long before Saddam came to power. The fact is that Saddam did initially offered them autonomous power and generous government funding. But what happened? They still wanted independence and hope to achieve so through the use of violence. If you are Saddam, what will you do? Are negotiations alone good enough to solve the problem?

Secondly, consider what he made for his country during the 1970s. Saddam greatly expanded the agricultural and industrial sector of Iraq. During the time Iraq possesses the best healthcare and education system in the Middle East. Everyone got health treatment and taught to read and write. Have something like this happened both past and present in Iraq?

Not forget to mention is Saddam’s relations with the West. He was a close ally of Ronald Reagan during the 1970s. Reagan gave Saddam huge military assistance during the Iran-Iraq war. But when the Americans don’t need him, they just simply accused him of some non-existent charges and purged him.

Therefore I personally think that Saddam may not be as bad as most people think of. It is always good to look things from the other side of the fence.