Gary Glitter 'will fly to London'

Glitter spent almost three years in prison in Vietnam

Paedophile and disgraced pop star Gary Glitter has agreed to leave Bangkok for London, according to Thai police.

Glitter, who served a prison sentence for child abuse, flew to Thailand after refusing to travel to London and being rejected for entry to Hong Kong.

Thai authorities said he would fly to London later. They said he had been told no other country would take him.

Glitter sold millions of records as a glam rock star in the 1970s, with hits including I'm The Leader Of The Gang.

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was earlier deported from Vietnam after spending almost three years in jail for sexually abusing two girls.

Glitter had flown to Hong Kong from Bangkok after refusing to fly to the UK, and had made a plea for medical treatment after saying he was suffering a heart attack.

The singer had earlier boarded a Thai Airways flight to the Chinese territory after the Thai authorities refused him entry and threatened to deport him to Britain.

Thai police had earlier told the Reuters news agency they would be "deporting him to his home country, England, unconditionally".

The BBC's Jonathan Head says 19 countries have already said they would refuse Glitter entry.

I think these [new paedophile controls] are sensible and proportional ways of toughening up what is already a very tough system Home Secretary Jacqui Smith

Julian Weinberg, a criminal lawyer specializing in dealing with sexual offences, said he did not think Glitter could be forced to return to the UK.

"The problem is that the government is powerless to be able to take steps to force him to come back.

"Things might have been very different if he was put on a direct flight back from Vietnam to London.

"But he hasn't been, and that's why we're in the situation that we're in now, and there's not much the government can do about it."

If Glitter ever does return to the UK, he will be met at the airport by police and required to sign the sex offenders register.

He will then be subject to monitoring and have to tell the police where he plans to live and if he planned to go abroad. He could also face an order prohibiting him from going near children or using the internet.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said on Tuesday it was her view that Glitter should be given a Foreign Travel Order (FTO) banning him from overseas travel.

Travel bans

Ms Smith has also announced plans to tighten controls on the movements of paedophiles.

Proposed measures include increasing the length of time an FTO can apply from six months to up to five years, and automatically confiscating the passport of anyone subject to an order.

At present, police are only allowed to rely on evidence from the previous six months about the risk an individual poses, but that time period would also be extended under the plans.

"These are sensible and proportional ways of toughening up what is already a very tough system. I think that's what we owe to children in this country and to children abroad," Ms Smith said.

The home secretary's announcement came after children's charity Ecpat UK accused the government of "turning a blind eye" to British sex tourists.

The charity said it was too easy for nationals convicted abroad to stay under the radar of British police upon their return.

This painting is done as a starting into researching on consumerism (that's the them of my coursework). I did not paint the top part of the bottle, oops. This is just a simplified versin of the bottle. I like the Chinese text 可口可乐- the way it curves and bends around.    

Bright colors!

If these allegations prove true, it would scarcely be the first time China has lied about the age of an athlete. In 2000—three years after the minimum qualifying age for Olympic Gymnastic competition was raised to 16—Chinese gymnast Yang Yun won a bronze medal for her performance on the uneven bars. Yang's passport showed her as 16 years old at the time, but the gymnast herself later admitted on Chinese national television that she and her coaches had lied about her age, and that she had been just 14 at the time. There's also evidence that Chinese gymnast Li Ya was just 13 when she competed at the World Championships in Anaheim back in 2003. (link)

On that note, I thought I'd share a stress free and quick meal that we are all probably familiar and love, the humble stir fry.

I think there's no need for me to elaborate on a recipe here. In my opinion, you should just chuck in whatever you fancy, there are no boundaries. The one in the photo was made with pork mince, wheat noodles, carrots, broccoli, green beans and baby corn. Sauce wise, I used soya, abit of sugar and my favourite Jimmy satay sauce.

So if you are hungry for a stir fry tonight, here are some of my tips.

1. Stir frying should be a quick whisk around the wok. Make sure your ingredients are semi cooked/cooked before putting them in. Do not overcook any of your ingredients or it will be mushy.

2. Use the highest heat level you can. This help produces what the Chinese call, "wok flavour". Don't worry, your wok is not melting into your food. The high heat point simply releases the flavour of the food and the oils creating an aromatic experience.

3. Use an oil with a high heating point such as peanut oil. Oils with low boiling points (like olive oil) does not produce that "wok" burst of flavour. It will steam and burn instead of bursting into flavours.

4. If you are cooking with noodles, check the instruction on the packet as you might need to drain this under cold running water before putting it in the stir fry. The draining prevents the noodles from sticking together.

]]> http://parrymathur.wordpress.com/?p=40 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:10:54 +0000 parrymathur http://parrymathur.wordpress.com/?p=40 Engrish is what happens when the Chinese and Japanese assume that they should also export a user manual along with their products. These days, everything is made in China, including a backpack that I purchased from Connaught Place today.  The brand, named North Star, should probably be renamed East Abomination if it's creators feel that they print amazing tags. Here's a glimpse of the text on the tag attached to the bag:

It was damn funny. Such engrish is not uncommon. If you have a Made in China product lying around the house, take out its manual and read away. If you have many, you can plan an engrish party, where you can read out such manuals and laugh the night away.

Engrish has become an internet phonemenon. In fact, there's a site dedicated entirely to unearthing these gems from the orient. At www.engrish.com, you can read, submit and discuss loads of engrish. The site has neat categories ranging from engrish on household items to chocolate and clothing. Today's featured picture shows a vegetable seller's sign saying that he sells Fresh Herpes. Fresh Herpes? He probably meant Fresh Herbs. A toy's manual says, Let's decompose and enjoy assembling, a restroom sign tells you to use it without hesitation, while another one is only for the male man.

This brings me to another insane thought. What if some commonly heard proverbs were to be translated into engrish? I tried to come up with a few:

One bird in palm is good like two being inside bushes (A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush)

Rock falling quickly down not gets moose (A rolling stone gathers no moss)

Doing bad thing does not making you money (Crime does not pay)

Asking for know make the cat dead (Curiosity killed the cat)

Fighting burning with more burning (Fight fire with fire)

Saying true being the happiest plan (Honesty is the best policy)

No weeping when dairy set loose (It is no use crying over spilt milk)

Needed two peape to dance western happy dance (It takes two to tango)

Not knowing being very happy ecstasy (Ignorance is bliss)

And Finally:

Thunderbolt fall some other place this time (Lightning never strikes twice in the same place)

:D If you can think of more engrish, or have some lying around, post it as a comment. Happy engrishing!

]]> http://lazy3ight.wordpress.com/?p=10 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:44:22 +0000 lazy3ight http://lazy3ight.wordpress.com/?p=10 Came across with a few blogs which maintain a list of Asian Drama. Therefore watched some Chinese Dramas...

1. Chinese Paladin
2. Fairy form Wonderland
3. It Started With A Kiss
4. It Started with A Kiss 2
5. Why Why Love
6. Smiling Pasta
7. Silence
8. Legend of the Arching Hero (2003)

Refs:

1. http://chinkymovies.blogspot.com/
2. http://www.silentregrets.com/
3. http://intangiblefs.livejournal.com/17694.html/
4. http://www.mysoju.com/

* At the time of writing, "It Started with A Kiss 2" is not completely subbed. Therefore, watched  the rest at mysoju[4].

Sometimes when I am counseling with someone about forgiveness, especially when it is someone who has been hurt deeply by another person, he/she will say something like this to me: "I know I need to forgive them, but I'm just not ready to forgive yet." Most likely, what this hurting person is conveying with that comment is that he/she is not yet ready to start trusting that person again, because trust is a process and it takes time both to earn it and to give it. But I don't think of forgiveness in that same way. As Christians, I think it is better for us to think of forgiveness as a promise. It is not something we wait to do, it is a commitment we make right up front, just as soon as the pain has occurred. That's how God forgives us, and we are instructed to forgive others in the same way God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32).

I think too often we wait to forgive. We wait until it feels right to do so. But forgiveness (in the way the Bible describes it) is not a feeling at all. If we wait until we feel like forgiving, it will never happen.

Forgiveness is more about wiping away a debt. It is saying to a person, "You owe me nothing more...no money, no apology, no hugs, no sympathy cards, nothing...I really am no longer looking for any of that from you...you are released from any moral or ethical or legal obligations to me for this pain...as much as is possible, we are going to move forward now and I will not be holding this over you any longer, waiting to hit you on the head with it if you mess up again...I will not be keeping score because where I am concerned your slate is now wiped clean...I wish the very best for you and God's blessings on you." Forgiveness isn't something we wait to feel, it is something we communicate to the person who hurt us irrespective of how we feel.

And it is hard to do. If it were easy, everybody would be doing it. But it is not easy. This is why the very act of forgiveness tends to separate Christ's church from the rest of the world. It is a distinguishing characteristic of Christ followers. We have been forgiven much, so we forgive.

So while trust may be a process, the promise of forgiveness is not. But though trust and forgiveness are two different things, there is a definite relationship between them. Making the promise of forgiveness is what triggers the beginning of the trust process. Without forgiveness, there can be no more trust. But once forgiveness is given, the process of trusting again begins. Forgiveness takes a broken relationship and places it back on track for the healing process to begin. It is the first step in the healing journey.

中共思想的一個核心問題是全盤否定任何形式的教義和宗教,以致它的任何行為,最後都成了虛無主義,我不以為人可以在理性之內找到終極真理,人不可能是純理 性的人。中共的問題是把自 己和全中國都忽然間當成純理性的人,忽略了現代文明(機械文明)的最大問題是人和大自然的關係疏離,結果虛無主義+偽哲學/偽理性(即以為可以在理性之內找到終極真理的理性)做 成了一次次的天災人禍。人心的空虛,是社會一大問題的根源,宗教是一個暫時性的代替品,要取代宗教必須發展出一種以大自然/人類主義的超宗教,而某些 基要派無神論者一樣,卻只懂得反基督教,卻提不出比基督教更佳的代替品。我不以為中國可以再有一次心靈上的大躍進,忽然由泛神變成無神,比基要派無神論者 消源宗教更重要的是建構一套新的泛宗教/超宗教,而新紀元思想是一個好好的題材。

(轉載自: http://atheistdemo.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/%e5%a4%a2%e6%83%b3%e3%80%81%e7%8f%be%e5%af%a6%e5%92%8c%e4%bf%a1%e4%bb%b0/
(同一個世界,同一個夢想,2008年,不要中共!)

我的信仰很簡單:自然會戰勝非自然;中共的北京奧運是一種非自然的終極表現,由天氣到比賽過程到結果到比賽對外界的影響,中共不惜一切代價都要在它的 控制之內,絕對違反中國傳統的儒釋道精神。
雖然世上沒有一事是純天然的,但有不少事都是人類順着自然的規律來做,順理成章而不是逆水行舟,反自然當然是要 付出重的代價;為了確保好天氣,雨雲也被打散,結果是中共無法令水份消失,只是別的地方大雨成災。由此想來,之前的傳言說2004的奧運會是最後一屆是有 點幼稚,因為中共一向是不惜工本的要達到政治目的,問題是在中國如此的政治/經濟環境下,不惜工本會做成什麼樣的效 果?
反對中共統治的異見者,做到的只是透過散播不同的言論和思想來不斷的加重中共的政治/經濟代價,直至它不可以承受為止。如果說可以單憑一把口/一枝筆的力 量就可以 扳倒中共是痴人說夢,則還爭什麼2017年普選?還挑戰什麼有美國教會源源不絕的財政支援的明光社的基右霸權?泛民主派大慨可以不用選了,中共在動員全中 國的 資源來和泛民主派較量,而香港政府和9成的傳媒都站在建制這邊!

Chicken & instant noodles

Originally uploaded by Annie Mole

Interesting shapes and textures to the wriggly instant noodles here. The peas and cherry tomatoes look nice but you can't really see whats happened to the chicken. Great food blogging photography from Annie Mole.

Interesting enough, I suppose. Other than a brief moment of "what a delightful, noble goal," I didn't give the project much thought...

...until I realized that this exact same piece of technology could get me around Mobile Wrench's corporate firewall.  If the Freedom Stick could circumvent the Chinese Government's web resrictions, odds are it can get by a mere corporate firewall.

And lo-and-behold, a far less noble use for this great development is born; using their software package on a $5 jumpdrive, I can now Facebook and Reddit and Flickr to my heart's content while at work - other than bandwidth & speed concerns (the Tor network tends towards slow at the best of times, so some stuff'll time out regularly), I can go wherever the fuck I feel like online.

By William Maclean

ALGIERS (Reuters) - An influx of workers from China is receiving a mixed reception in Africa, where people both admire and resent the hard-working newcomers' pursuit of wealth.

Awe at the efficiency with which Chinese build roads, run shops and manage factories is matched by unease at a growing Chinese presence in Africa's fragile labor markets.

Delight at cheap shirts, toys and shoes sits aside concern at the undercutting of local retailers, Africans told Reuters correspondents around the continent.

The ambivalent response poses a potential risk to China's push to win hearts and minds in Africa, a priority for Beijing amid Western accusations that it is cutting corners on labor and human rights' safeguards in its African investment drive.

Keen to address foreign investment sensitivities, African finance ministers and central bankers meeting in Mauritania on Aug 1 pledged greater transparency in their dealings with China and other new investors pouring money into the continent.

They stressed the importance of developing local skills and industries beyond the extraction of raw materials.

However, most African leaders show no reservations in welcoming the billions of dollars spent by China to gain African oil and minerals for its growing economy.

Algerian bricklayer Djamel Laari marvels at China's growing links to his country, once shunned by foreign investors due to an impenetrable bureaucracy and past political violence.

But he wonders about the Chinese practice of flying planeloads of laborers into a war-weary, politically fragile society where seven out of 10 adults under 30 has no job.

"Many Algerians are not happy with this, because those companies bring Chinese workers with them. This doesn't help us cope with unemployment," Laari said.

Algerian officials say the country had 19,000 Chinese workers in 2007, mostly builders and craftsmen implementing parts of a $200 billion national economic development plan. Some Algerians believe the real number is several times that.

"YOU MIGHT AS WELL COMMIT SUICIDE"

Two-way trade rose to $3.8 billion in 2007 from less than a billion in 2002, driven by a rise in Chinese exports to Algeria, which has won an estimated $1 billion in Chinese investment.

In neighboring Morocco, respect among retailers for Chinese mercantile determination is tainted with dismay over a slump in profit margins due to Chinese price competition, and over the willingness of Chinese to work for low pay.

Read the rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080821/lf_nm_life/
africa_china_labour_dc_1

聲討英軍屠殺罪行‧工委會全國收集簽名

（吉隆坡）《追討英軍屠殺罪行工委會》將在一個月內赴全國各地，展開全國社團簽名蓋章運動，呼籲大家支持“追討英軍60年前屠殺平民冤案”簽署請愿書。

 上述全國社團簽名蓋章運動週三（20日）在華總謝富年禮堂舉行推動儀式。工委會收集到的請愿書，將通過英國最高專員署呈交英女王，要求英國政府道歉、賠償及為受害者建立紀念塔。

新闻来源：光明日报 http://www.guangming.com.my/node/32155

翁诗杰：殖民者企图掩盖自己在我国所犯下的各种罪行

他指出，殖民者在当时任由‘顺民文化’滋长，以掩盖自己在我国所犯下的各种罪行，特别是60年前24名胶工被射杀的巴冬加里屠杀惨案，这是人民至今无可妥协的。

他今日在这里为“追讨英军60年前屠杀平民冤案--全国社团签名盖章运动”主持推介仪式时表示，英国政府至今并无诚意对此事道歉，因此我国人民需摒弃‘顺民’努力争取。

他说：“我在数个月前曾经接收‘追讨英军屠杀罪行工委会’的相关书面要求和文献，而我也以身在内阁之便将文献转交外交部，向他们知会华社对此历史惨剧的意愿。”

也是马华副总会长的翁诗杰补充，此次民间对此事所提出的3项诉求为道歉、赔偿和建塔，但物质的追讨还是其次，他们所需要的是一个公道和真心道歉。

他说：“我们也希望借着这个平台让历史真相还原，为死难者讨回公道，同时也让本地社群特别是华社，行使民间组织对历史的话语权，这并非当权者的工具。”

出席该项推介仪式的也包括雪华堂主席拿督黄汉良、七大乡团协调委员会主席拿督孔庆庶、董教总署理主席邹寿汉、马中友好协会秘书长陈凯希等知名华团领袖。

而与会的国州议员也包括巴都国会议员蔡添强、武吉免登国会议员方贵仑、蕉赖区国会议员陈国伟，以及新古毛州议员黄冠文等。

由华团及专业人士组成的该工委会在今日正式发起全国社团签名盖章运动，并预计在1个月后将社团集体签名，随同请愿书经由英国驻马最高专员署上交英女皇。

该签名请愿要求英国政府向巴冬加里屠杀惨案的殉难者家属及当地华社道歉、给予殉难者合理的赔偿金，以及为殉难者建立纪念碑。

目前已签署的包括大马中华大会堂（华总）、七大乡团协调委员会、八大华青协调委员会、董教总，以及大马国家青年协会。

签名盖章运动主任兼律师团召集人郭义民律师在较后的记者会中说，此运动其实在本月初就已展开，并会以新山为起点，一路北上收集大马半岛的社团签名。

他指出，该工委会预计可在1个月内收集1000个华团和民间组织的签名，并会在这之后向英国驻马最高专员署递交请愿签名。

 新闻来源：马新社 http://mandarin.bernama.com/news.php?id=35018

No one saw it coming. It was a routine he never tried before in competition. It was perfect. 

Pre-Olympic Interview:

 

But the Beijing police still sentenced the two women to an extrajudicial term of “re-education through labor” this week for applying to hold a legal protest in a designated area in Beijing, where officials promised that Chinese could hold demonstrations during the Olympic Games.

They became the most recent examples of people punished for submitting applications to protest. A few would-be demonstrators have simply disappeared, at least for the duration of the Games, squelching already diminished hopes that the influx of foreigners and the prestige of holding the Games would push China’s leaders to relax their tight grip on political expression.

“Can you imagine two old ladies in their 70s being re-educated through labor?” asked Li Xuehui, Ms. Wu’s son, who said the police told the two women that their sentence might remain in suspension if they stayed at home and stopped asking for permission to protest.

“I feel very sad and angry because we’re only asking for the basic right of living and it’s been six years, but nobody will do anything to help,” Mr. Li said.

It is unclear why the police have detained people who sought permission to protest. Some political analysts say the police may be refusing to enforce the government’s order, announced last month, to allow protest zones. Chinese lawyers and human rights advocates also suggested a more cynical motivation — that the authorities were using the possibility of legal demonstrations as a ploy to lure restive citizens into declaring their intention to protest, allowing the police to take action against them.

Read the rest:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/sports/
olympics/21protest.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Wednesday August 20 2008

PM: Call to fly Jalur Gemilang upside down evil

MALACCA, Aug 20 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has described the action of a blogger in calling on his blogsite followers to fly the national flag upside down as a sign of protest as evil.

He said flying the Jalur Gemilang upside down could not be regarded as an act of mischief alone but a despicable one, what more with Malaysia about to celebrate its 51st independence anniversary.

(Bernama)

Evil - term used to indicate a negative moral or ethical judgment, often used to describe intentional acts that are cruel, unjust, or selfish.

You know what Pak Lah? Telling lies is evil.

How an act of flying the flag upside down is considered 'cruel, unjust or selfish?'. A flag is just a flag, it is a useless piece of cloth if not for the symbolism behind it. It is an inanimate object, but it is the principle behind raising a flag that matters.

The government tell you to raise your flag during the Independence Month - August but for what reason? Any of you aware of the reason for you to raise the flag? Oh, it is August, government encourage us to fly the flag so we follow. That's it? There are many interpretations to the act of flying it upside down, depends on which side you are standing. Flying the national flag often regarded as an expression of love, loyalty and pride for the country.

Love? I love this country. Loyalty? I am extremely loyal to the country. I love the country so much and I am  determined to show my loyalty by not letting this country going down the drain or to the dogs. Keyword is “country”. Do not confuse government with country. Country stays, government changes.

Changing of government is very normal, except for Malaysians. The current government is slowly destroying this beautiful country with its incompetence, self-serving and increasingly racist remarks, its continued divide and rule policy and its its indifference to the rampant corruption at the highest level of government. What’s left for Malaysians to be proud of?It is apt to fly the flag upside down because the country is upside down.

So Pak Lah is hoping for the police to act on this matter? Shoot me. Is there any law that say you cannot fly the flag upside down? The most they can do is to press charge under the Act of Sedition.

Get it right, it’s just a sign of protest, the message here is ‘protest’ not ‘disrespect’. It is 'disrespect' to people that do not understand or share the same sentiments, but this is a free country so you are free to think what you like. Of course the government and its supporters will continue saying this is evil and shit, but it is expected from bunch of nincompoops and morons.

Only morons playing over and over again Saiful's confession during election campaign to garner votes without realising voters nowadays are getting more astute and they do not like to be treated as idiots. Only retard wrote about how handsome Saiful is in her paper when there are many things to write about. Only sohais believe what Saiful said - this is not politics, but a personal matter between him and Anwar Ibrahim. Saiful is a hero? Yes, he is a hero. You know their version of hero is somehow screwed when  they called our overated, hyped and 'nationally' celebrated space tourist is also a hero. I heard he is a hero for AliCafe and Sunway Lagoon now? So much work to be a hero. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Lastly only an imbecile would make this kind of statement:

Ismail Sabri, in his speech, said that Chong Wei's success shows that the Chinese are not discriminated. "Our sports programme is for all Malaysians," he declared and promised to ensure Chong Wei returns with a gold medal in four years.

To top that off, I would like to take this opportunity to thank BN for not discriminating against Chinese in sport and for agreeing to license Indians who collect scrap metal illegally. Thank you for playing the racial card relentlessly. Thank you to UMNO for organising many activities disguised under non-governmental groups, to push for Malay interests. Thank you for the increasing articles in Utusan Meloya Melayu championing Malay rights and criticising minorities' demands. Thank you also for the propaganda on the "unity talks" between UMNO and PAS.

BN UMNO is doing overtime gunning for Malay support  at all cost and in the process further racially divides this country. We shall work together as Malaysians to stop these delusional racist bigots agenda from destroying this beautiful country. Let's hope for the best!

]]> http://wilsonyang.wordpress.com/?p=850 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:03:51 +0000 wilsonyang http://wilsonyang.wordpress.com/?p=850 第四节 远离煎熬 ――翻译完成于21/08/2008

从1995年后，我开始慢慢减少直接参与斯莫利关系中心地运作，我同时开始打算在未来的几年里，逐渐把这个机构传给我的孩子们。在1996年的时候，我出版了新书《让爱变得永恒》（Making Love Last Forever），这本书大卖特卖。

看到我这样的成就，我几个生意上的好朋友（他们自己的生意也很成功）问我是否想要我的出版事业更上一层楼，如果是的话，我应该考虑和纽约一带的文化代理商签约，这些代理商有自己的门路可以把我的书交给最成功的出版商。他们介绍的这个代理商对如何把作者在一个方面的名气带领导出版圈里是十分在行。她帮助过的人包括菲尔•麦格劳博士（Dr.Phil McGraw）, 玛丽亚•施赖弗（Maria Shriver）和Body by Jake的杰克•斯坦菲尔德（Jake Steinfeld ）。接受她的帮助听起来似乎是很好的建议。

带着我下一本书的计划书，这个代理商和我一起去纽约会见了三个出版商。最后，我和西蒙•舒斯特（Simon& Schuster）公司签了两本书的和约。但是现在才是我觉得压力剧增的开始。我的书在基督徒的市场里面已经有很多年成功的记录，这使我自己觉得，如果我在大众市场上如果表现得不好，那么我会觉得自己非常的失败。

如果从五到十年的角度去看，我可以清楚的看到在这段时间起，我开始偏离神。我听从其他周围人的声音，“你必须做这个，”“这样做才是好样的，”“这是很自然的一步，”“如果你想变得成功••••••”我可以看到这些声音对我的干扰，减少我生活的各个方面对神的依靠。

事情在2000年的时候变得更加的明显，这还要从我和西蒙•舒斯特（Simon & Schuster）的第一本书《持续爱的秘诀》（Secrets to Lasting Love）说起。首先，这不是我想要写的书。事实上我签的合约是基于另外一个构思，但从我开始写，出版商不喜欢我写的原来的那本书，要我把方向转向“持续爱的秘诀”这个构思。

我觉得，这个对我来说是旧的题目。在这本书之前，我已经出版了《让爱变得永恒》，我觉得我已经讲了所有关于这个题目的事情。当我开始尝试着按照出版商的思路开始写作的时候，我的内心充满矛盾，我告诉自己：“斯莫利，你根本没说什么新的内容，你只是用另一种方式说而已。”对此，出版商没有丝毫在意。

由于我常用的专题广告已经下线好几年了，我的名气也有些消退了。当《持续爱的秘诀》并没有像预期的那样大卖的时候，情况呈现出急挫下滑的趋势。我觉得我的代理商应当做更多的事情来帮助我推销这本书，但是她却对我说：“你曾告诉我你会有一个专题广告的，但你似乎没有办法让它上线。”同时，我的出版商西蒙•舒斯特（Simon & Schuster）对我说：“我们不确定将会帮你出第二本书。”这对我来说，简直就是一个恶梦。

最后的结果，我们的合约被终止了，我也同时失去赚取很多金钱的机会，但是对我的离开我却感到很开心，我不在乎我会因此损失多少的金钱。

在这个觉醒的过程了，我开始思考和相信我已经完成了我人生所能做的一切的事情。我没有任何新的写作灵感，我也没有多大的梦想。我觉得神已经在我身上完成他的旨意，至少在福音事工上，我已经做了所有我能做的了。我已经达到顶峰。我的生活已经是落幕了。

在我教会的会议上，每个人都开始讨论我的退休－更令我泄气的是，甚至有人在谈论他们将如何对应我死后的事情。我开始相信我已经完了。我失去了神呼召我的异象。我失去了对神话语渴望的那种饥渴，我失去了自己的价值观。我仍然参与教会的崇拜，但是经常是以我对讲道的评头论足作为结束的。

在我人生的这个季节，我确信我有祷告的，但是我不记得我有做过任何的规律性的祷告。我确信我有看圣经的，但我不记得有做过规律性的查经。我没有让神的话语每天来提醒我：为什么我在这里？我应当做些什么？我的人生目的是什么？我失去了希望和梦想的能力。我逐渐离开神，走我自己的路。我不断花钱，不断去旅游，物质主义又再一次的包围了我。神似乎也没有给我新的异象告诉我接下来要做的事，所以从表面看来，我开始减少对教会的直接参与事一件正确的选择，把教会传给我的孩子们，帮助他们接班。

如果你曾经参与过家族式的生意，你大概可以猜出接下来的故事往哪个方向走了。

China's Olympic team today competed against the last rival in group competition Greece and eventually defeated by the strong opponent by 77:91. In this year's Olympic Group Competition China won two and lost three, and will meet a more powerful opponent Lithuania team in the games for eight strongest teams.
The first few competitions, the Chinese team are beginning rely on the impact of opponents in a passive, even in the face of the U.S. "Dream 8", the Chinese team did not lose momentum at the start. But in today's match, Greece will be an opening firmly hold the initiative. The game, the Chinese team by the start of the three axes Greece played a bit cluttered.全场pressing through, opponents quickly lead to 10:3. Subsequently, although the Chinese team was lead catch up with 13:17, but the fight Shunshou immediately after the Greek with a 10:0 run, the game started again. Stop the first quarter score in 15:27.

Section II began, the Chinese team's offensive is still weak, Greece has succeeded consecutive offensive, the lead quickly widened the gap to 31:15. Since then, the Greek attack more so at home, at the end of halftime, already a 46:24 lead. Chinese team in the first half 3-pointers was 14 for 0, no outside support, can be said to be in the semi-state of collapse.

The second half, Zhu Fangyu a 3-pointer opened the Chinese team a good start, the score is gradually recovering in recent. But at a crucial moment, the Chinese team Substitution properly, a good momentum can not continue. The end of the third quarter, the Chinese team still 54:69 behind. Chinese team in the fourth quarter made the greatest efforts, has wanted to change the backward situation. The boys did better than the preceding sections, and a lot of offense and defense has improved, the difference was narrowed to 10 points, but at the moment, the Greek team in the world show true color, they controlled the tempo and defensive In the Chinese team to even greater pressure. Chinese team eventually unable to Fanpan.

In this game, the Chinese team Yao got 18 points and five rebounds, Wang Zhizhi got 14 points and eight rebounds, Yi Jianlian 11 points; in Greece gained 19 points and five assists, 19 points and nine rebounds for Buluoxisi and 17 points for Futexisi.

When we walked in we grabbed a couple of menus and sat down.  The menu is HUGE here.  There are over 150 items on it.  I had no idea what to do, but knew I had to share with Will since there is not a kids menu.  I chose the "Springfield Cashew Nuts Chicken" special combination plate, which came with pork fired rice and an egg roll.  Billy ordered the "General Tso's Chicken" special combination plate.  We also ordered fried dumplings as an appetizer.  I love dumplings, and you can't find them everywhere.

We sat down to wait.  Right away, we were brought our egg rolls which were very big and appeared to be homemade.  You know how sometimes you can tell that they just took the egg roll out of the freezer and fried it?  These were full of veggies and roasted pork and definitely not frozen.  Will enjoyed these.

Right after our egg rolls came Billy's food came out.  It was a huge portion and very good; lots of crispy chicken in a spicy sauce.  The pork fried rice was filled with veggies and lots of pork.  Gemma really loved the rice.  So, we sat and ate Billy's food, but we hadn't received my food or the appetizer.  Ten minutes later, my food came out and so did the dumplings.  I have no idea what the holdup was and at this point I didn't care because everything was so good!  The dumplings were delicious and came with a cold dipping sauce that seemed to be a soy-ginger sauce.  Yum!  And the cashew chicken was excellent.  They served the sauce on the side which was great because the chicken didn't get all soggy.  The chicken had a thick batter on it and was really crunchy.  Will loved it.

The portions are huge at China King and the food is fresh and tasty.  It's not like your typical Springfield Chinese place.  It's much better!  The cashew chicken sauce is very dark and not thick, and the chicken isn't the typical breaded, fried chicken.  We will definitely be going back.

Politicians have always been playing the racial card. We may wince and fume at the racist comments made by politicians but there are already growing signs that more and more people are gradually buying into politicians' racial innuendos and outcries. My fellow bloggers Cherubim and Barbie from UiTM confirm my suspicion. UiTM is a breeding ground for racism amongst the professors and students. I ache to see UiTM students protested against opening up of more spaces for Malaysians, and they have the support of the Vice-Chancellor!

The longer this democracy based racial politics lasts, the more unsavoury democracy is going to be for Malaysia in general. Democracy only works when people are educated without the propaganda. I fear for the future. I fear when the number of racists will outnumber the number of people who are against racism. By then, democracy may no longer be what's best for the country, democracy then is only ‘good' for the sustenance of inefficient and unsustainable economic policies and resources uses. Yes, by then, it is still the voice of the majority, but will the voice of the majority be that of greater good when they are the ignorant ones? When the ignorant majority has the power to choose a lousy leader (like Bush)? What good then does democracy serves? Of course the voice of minority to any sane people left in Malaysia will be the right ones to listen to and act upon, but acting on the voice of the minority will then be undemocratic because it is neglecting the needs of the racist majority! This is what I fear!

As the rest of the minorities shrink in terms of percentage, the percentage Malays will and are growing. Things might even be much bleaker, if more Malays get brainwashed into their superiority complex, by then it will almost be infinitely harder to decide upon the right course of action through democracy. It will be way too easy for the politicians to gain power by swatting of the flies (the insignificant minorities) just to psyche up the Malays. By then democracy will actually deliver the death blow to the nation......

Why is the time now ripe for a more mature democracy? Badawi is incompetent while corruption, extremism, intolerance, bullying and inefficiency runs more rampant than before, where even some brainwashed racist Chinese, Indians, Malays, etc are turning their backs against the racist Executive. The racist elites betrayed the trust to ensure the welfare of their racist followers. In a way, the last general election can also be seen as a marriage of convenience between the racists and the non-racists. They despise the Executive so much that they put aside their racism for now to topple the current government. Sometimes, I doubt myself about my bullish belief that Malaysians are mature enough to handle democracy. Under Mahathir, he may be a racist bastard, but he would never allow such a coincidence of marriage of convenience between the racists and the non-racists to happen under his tenure!

DSAI is not my idol or my hero but he is the best chance available Malaysia has to make full use of the opportunity given to us to work for a better future slowly. I fear that Malaysia might miss this opportunity. I fear that once Badawi steps down, in his place is a more corrupted, intolerant, extremist leader who is much more efficient and competent in his ruthless leadership. The West sees our democracy as fragile (a borderline between authoritarian and democracy), while I see our democracy as fragile in a different sense (fragile at using this rare TRUE democratic opportunity of coincidence wisely or risk ending up in a point of no return).

Before proceeding, though, it is worth remembering some former rikishi like Kiyonohana, the first and last heretofore Chinese born rikishi to compete in the salaried ranks. It took him a tad more than 7 years (66.May/74.July) to achieve Juryo, where he totaled 13 Basho and had a highest rank of Juryo #5. His intai or retirement went on in September, 1978 after a struggling 1-4-2 record at upper Makushita (ms5w).

Following a 12 year hiatus another Chinese showed up and decided to have a go at Ozumo. It was Kaiho Yi, and his experience lasted but 8 Basho in there, half of which not participating. There were two more rikishi with less or equal Sumo experience, Kotoo and Kanoyama. The latter had only one full Basho before calling it quits, whereas the former went as far as Sandanme #9, but promptly retired just 14 months away from Mae-zumo. Among such short careers there is a record to be broken. Takao Yu entered the Ozumo world at about the same time of the last three aforementioned compatriots in 1991 and lingered until 2003, being his acme the modest rank of Sandanme#41; that makes him the Chinese with most Basho in Ozumo, 71.

Now considering only rikishi in action, there are six lads, the most ever. Let's start from the bottom and up as to their ranks in the May Basho. Chiyohakuryu, from Kokonoe-beya, and Hanasegawa, from Kiriyama, were both in Jonidan and, even if Hanasegawa is a 'shoe-in' for Sandanme neither of them do look much promising. Just to leave a good word, one can say Hanasegawa's sumo is straight-forward, and of his 95 wins up to date only two came by the way of either hatakikomi(1) or hikiotoshi(1).

Kosei and Ryutei both are massive, but stucked in Sandanme despite their winning records last month in Nagoya (4-3 for both). Ryutei is roughly Hakuho's size, while his countryman is as heavy as Makushita hope Shiratsuka but 5 cm shorter. Kosei favors yorikiri, and a lot. 59 out of his 100 career wins so far came through this technique, on the other hand, Ryutei is considerably more versatile, including Yorikiri, Oshidashi and even Kotenage into his repertoire.

But the very auspicious Chinese rikishi of today are definitely Nakanokuni and Sokokurai. Nakanokuni has a backgroung in Judo and, curiously, his sumo style is rather focused on oshi and tsuki. A small worrisome thing about his career is his poor head-to-head records against most higher ranked rikishi, specially against Makushita-Joi(ms15 and above). This somehow explains why his once best position of Makushita #11 was obtained in March, 2005 following his first and only Yusho up to date - in Sandanme - and only exactly three years afterward it was surpassed by his drop by at Makushita #9 back in March this year. At the age of 24 a breakthrough is well within reach, although it should come soon for his own sake. 

Sokokurai(l), 24, and Nakanokuni(r), who will turn 25 come September.                            

Sokokurai, instead, got much more nearer the Juryo echelon. He also rejoices in a Sandanme Yusho, seized in May, 2007 from the very first post (Sd1e) out there. It brought him up to Makushita #11, but contrary to expectations, statistics and Nakanokuni's own make-koshi there (3-4, March 2005) the guy from Inner Mongolia posted two straight kachi-koshi which propelled him up to Makushita #2, from where his still not very strong frame couldn't deal with competition the best way and some tough tournaments thence followed only to prove he is able to recover and bounce back. A convincing 6-1 obtained in Nagoya from Makushita #28 shall be enough to put the increasingly stronger Sokokurai's body and skills - he has good yotsu in yoriki, shitatenage and uwatenage all working fine, let alone the weight he has put on - again confronting Makushita's toughest rikishi, maybe this time out for better results and a promotion.

Both guys are topping their heya rank-wise, and Sokokurai is as well portrayed as their first rikishi on their website list. There, they report his weight at 125kg, 8 kg more than sumo magazine's source as of March. It is hard to tell whether he has gained all of it or not. At any rate, making a little more weight is heartily welcome for one his size, no pun here.

Chinese will unlikely become as strong as Mongolians in Ozumo due to many reasons, the lack of similar sport there and historical issues just to mention two. They are unlikely, too, the most rooted-for rikishi in the land of Japan, but they can eventually succeed through hardships.

Keep an eye out !!!