Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

[Ghent12]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

China is still at the early stage. If you want to know about freedom, you should check Singapore first.

Brainwashing is a very powerful communist political tool, if you haven't experienced it, you won't understand it.

Like in communist China, brainwashing in Singapore starts from birth. From preschool, kids are opposed to government propaganda, school lessons are crafted to glorify and enforce the legitimacy of the party and to condemn the fallen political opponents. The party is involved in all neighborhood activities, not just political but also recreational and even sports events. All these measures can legitimize autocracy in the eyes of the populace.

For people born in such an environment, freedom is worthless.

Indeed, Singapore is downright scary. I've been there more times than I've cared to tally up, and each time there was a bit of dread in the back of my mind. You can get caned or heavily fined there for just about any 'offense' including spitting on the sidewalk, having risqué images of your girlfriend/wife on your cell phone, and chewing gum. An odd, interesting, and scary place, to be sure. The cleanest city in the world, and among the more expensive. Worth a visit but I couldn't imagine living there.

[Starving Steve]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

Indeed, Singapore is downright scary. I've been there more times than I've cared to tally up, and each time there was a bit of dread in the back of my mind. You can get caned or heavily fined there for just about any 'offense' including spitting on the sidewalk, having risqué images of your girlfriend/wife on your cell phone, and chewing gum. An odd, interesting, and scary place, to be sure. The cleanest city in the world, and among the more expensive. Worth a visit but I couldn't imagine living there.

Probably more than anyone, I like freedom. I like the freedom to be eccentric, to ask questions, to ask so-called "authorities", so-called, "experts", and so-called, "scientists". I want the freedom to think.

I will defend Stalin here more than anyone, but there has to be freedom of speech, freedom to think, freedom to OWN property, a right to privacy, a right to the written and transparent Rule of Law, a right to healthcare, a right to Social Security, a right to travel, and a right to question authority, a right to ask questions to "experts", a right to safety in your bank deposits, a right to have cash, a right to own GOLD, a right to responsible, licensed, and private gun-ownership, a right to believe whatever you want to, and a right to be eccentric....... Once those freedoms are gone, there is nothing; and one becomes "a ditto-head" or "a puppet", "a hooligan", or even "a Nazi".

Those are the things that I learned at UC Berkeley, and I did ask questions--- even to the bunch that wanted to establish the world's first Islamic Republic in Iran..... Why weren't more students asking questions in 1969? That answer that I received from the speaker on the Sproul Hall steps at UC: "We intend to protect our religious minorities the same way Isreal has." And in our own time, last summer, in fact: "There was no Holocaust in WWII." Why did no-one question the speaker at the World Islamic Conference?

[touchring]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

Guangzhou city (Canton), another 10 million urban dwellers, within 1 hr by high speed rail from HK.

[Starving Steve]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

We will learn from China, and China will learn from the freedoms in the Western World.... The entire world will prosper. That is the future; I hope.

The 21st C. is the century of China and India's new prosperity. But my hope is that we would retain our freedoms here in the Western World. Each part of the globe will learn from the other, because there is no other way to proceed.

Peace, freedom, and prosperity for all.

I am just one person, so I can not speak for entire nations, nor for the world....... My wish is just my wish.

[touchring]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

This is what you hope but reality will be opposite as the concept of freedom differs in the US from China.

In China, freedom is the right to live according to the laws of the country, and the laws are:

1. Do not go against the communist party.
2. Do not do anything that will disrupt social harmony.
3. Do not disobey point 1 and 2.

We will learn from China, and China will learn from the freedoms in the Western World.... The entire world will prosper. That is the future; I hope.

The 21st C. is the century of China and India's new prosperity. But my hope is that we would retain our freedoms here in the Western World. Each part of the globe will learn from the other, because there is no other way to proceed.

Peace, freedom, and prosperity for all.

I am just one person, so I can not speak for entire nations, nor for the world....... My wish is just my wish.

[Starving Steve]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

This is what you hope but reality will be opposite as the concept of freedom differs in the US from China.

In China, freedom is the right to live according to the laws of the country, and the laws are:

1. Do not go against the communist party.
2. Do not do anything that will disrupt social harmony.
3. Do not disobey point 1 and 2.

I hope that I am not living in a dream-world. My hope is that the U.S. State Department and the Communist Party of China will be wise. As far as social harmony is concerned, there must never be hooliganism like what happened in Arizona. That was horrible!

[touchring]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

I hope that I am not living in a dream-world. My hope is that the U.S. State Department and the Communist Party of China will be wise. As far as social harmony is concerned, there must never be hooliganism like what happened in Arizona. That was horrible!

There will be peace if the US is willing to yield and agree that China will be world leader by 2025.

[Starving Steve]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

There will be peace if the US is willing to yield and agree that China will be world leader by 2025.

I can not speak for the U.S. State Department, nor for any government. But I think the wise decision would be
to let China be the world leader by 2025.

The new world-currency should be backed with gold, and with electrical energy, delivered on a grid. Atomic energy and hydro-electric energy, all energy, should be delivered on the grid. We work to try to raise the standard-of-living of everyone in the world, and we all will prosper...... The birds and the fish will love it.

[don]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

20 years difference



Shanghai

[sishya]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

Indeed, Singapore is downright scary. I've been there more times than I've cared to tally up, and each time there was a bit of dread in the back of my mind. You can get caned or heavily fined there for just about any 'offense' including spitting on the sidewalk, having risqué images of your girlfriend/wife on your cell phone, and chewing gum. An odd, interesting, and scary place, to be sure. The cleanest city in the world, and among the more expensive. Worth a visit but I couldn't imagine living there.

Singapore is not that clean. When I was there 2 years ago there were semi-open drains(I took video of it when I was surprised) and beer cans on the pavement. I think it is just a Tourism Dept. orchestrated myth that Singapore is the cleanest. I would say a suburb of Chicago(like Schaumburg) is cleaner than Singapore.

Also Singapore looked like a giant shopping mall . Young People everywhere walking on the streets and mall, but buying nothing - It felt strange. Of course I was passing through SIngapore in Jan 2009, when recession was at Peak and Airport traffic was so light. But the food choice looked very large, food stalls everywhere.

[Ghent12]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

Singapore is not that clean. When I was there 2 years ago there were semi-open drains(I took video of it when I was surprised) and beer cans on the pavement. I think it is just a Tourism Dept. orchestrated myth that Singapore is the cleanest. I would say a suburb of Chicago(like Schaumburg) is cleaner than Singapore.

Also Singapore looked like a giant shopping mall . Young People everywhere walking on the streets and mall, but buying nothing - It felt strange. Of course I was passing through SIngapore in Jan 2009, when recession was at Peak and Airport traffic was so light. But the food choice looked very large, food stalls everywhere.

Your experience differs from mine significantly in respect towards cleanliness. Singapore was completely spotless when I visited multiple times between 2006 and 2008. The variety of food was indeed quite significant, especially around Clarke Quay, but the more "local" type of restaurants served ridiculously small portions of food and everything was very expensive.

[touchring]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

Your experience differs from mine significantly in respect towards cleanliness. Singapore was completely spotless when I visited multiple times between 2006 and 2008. The variety of food was indeed quite significant, especially around Clarke Quay, but the more "local" type of restaurants served ridiculously small portions of food and everything was very expensive.

Food portion at restaurants are usually very small and sufficient only for small sized Asian women on a controlled diet, so if you're a big guy, you are expected to order side dishes or another main course (if you're a big American guy).

Restaurants in Japan serve larger food portions and of much higher quality, if you want to eat good portions of quality restaurant food, the final bill in Singapore would nearly add up to you would pay in Tokyo. From my experience, restaurants in China serve bigger portions.

If you eat at places where expats and tourists frequent, some shops have got 2 menus - a tourist menu and a local menu, and always remember to ask for the final cost before ordering, otherwise you may end up with a nasty bill.

Also Singapore looked like a giant shopping mall . Young People everywhere walking on the streets and mall, but buying nothing - It felt strange. Of course I was passing through SIngapore in Jan 2009, when recession was at Peak and Airport traffic was so light. But the food choice looked very large, food stalls everywhere.

Window shopping is the regular pastime for Singapore women. It's also a form of workout - walking non stop for half a day or even an entire day can burn a good amount of calories.

[sishya]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

Window shopping is the regular pastime for Singapore women. It's also a form of workout - walking non stop for half a day or even an entire day can burn a good amount of calories.

Actually it was Dec 2008, when I was there and the airport was unbelievable sparse. Our Tour Guide was complaining about the drop in tourists. I liked the place since it is a big city with large population. But there is a shopping mall in every block. I started walking through the city and in one Mall I entered, it is all catering to immigrants, I think from Burma. Another Mall served another set of immigrants. I never knew Singapore had a lot of immigrants. I very much wanted to try Singapore food( Singapore noodles is my favorite in USA), but since I am very conservative in trying new food items and since food did not look like what I am used to, I could not muster courage to try those different Chinese cuisine(they looked different from what I have seen in America or India).

But I liked the experience of the whole population on pavement buzzing between malls, unlike my wife who prefers rural areas.

[touchring]

Re: Coruscant like paranoma view taken from 38th floor of Hilton, Shanghai

I started walking through the city and in one Mall I entered, it is all catering to immigrants, I think from Burma. Another Mall served another set of immigrants. I never knew Singapore had a lot of immigrants. I very much wanted to try Singapore food( Singapore noodles is my favorite in USA), but since I am very conservative in trying new food items and since food did not look like what I am used to, I could not muster courage to try those different Chinese cuisine(they looked different from what I have seen in America or India).

The Chinese cuisine in Singapore has mostly been adapted for Western palate (sweeter and less salty) so you can safely try any restaurant food, though you must be careful not to order spicy food if you can't take those.

If you want good Singapore food, you must go to Kuala Lumpur because most of the "Singapore food" actually originate from Malaysia.