Campaign of hatred
So - are you boycotting the Olympic Games, because of what China has done to the people of Tibet and Sudan?
Me, I’m torn. It’s not like I’ll be watching the Olympics-the last time I did watch it was when I was in elementary. I agree that sports should never be mixed with politics, but nowadays it is too naïve to say that the Olympics involve nothing but sports. It’s a massive capitalistic event. China will get lots of financial benefits from it-that they can use to a) fund their oppression on the Tibetans and nature-destroying projects; b) improve the conditions of the Chinese environment and the people. The capitalistic machine is working, and my how it works.
About the film Fitna… well, I’m not emotional about it. I just shrugged when I heard about it. I mean, people like Hitler and their campaign of hatred will always be with us. My reactions to the news about the film were just that:
- Oh OK, maybe the filmmakers had never gone to Indonesia.
- I disagree with using ‘freedom of speech’ as a justification to campaign of hatred, but then I guess even the Muslims (and Christians) share the similar guilts as the Dutch filmmakers. Do you remember the last time your ulema said that we must wipe the Jews off the Earth? Or when your priest said that the Muslims are stupid people that won’t be saved because they don’t believe in Jesus Christ? Hm.
- The protests are just natural, I think. If the filmmakers are free to voice their hatred, then people who feel offended by the film have the right to protest, as long they do not involve violence or anarchy.
And are the prices of food rising in your country? You’re not the only one experiencing this. One of the causes is biofuel: many plantations and farmers concentrate on biofuel that they forget about crops for food. And if you think biofuel is going to be our saviour, you’re wrong. Because:
- For every 10.000 m2 of Brazilian rainforest cleared for growing soya to make biodiesel, over 700 tonnes of CO2 would be released. It needs 300 years to cancel that out by the carbon saving from the resulting bioodiesel.
- Converting rainforest in Indonesia to grow palm oil creates a carbon debt that will take over 400 years to repay.
- Corn ethanol produces nearly twice as much carbon as ethanol, when the carbon released by land clearances is accounted for.
(Researches by Joseph Fargione &c of the Nature Conservancy and Timothy Searchinger &c of Princeton University)
BTW, I just saw it on TV: a freak weather happened in Bandung-it was a hail! You see, global warming is creeping on us!
Me, I’m torn. It’s not like I’ll be watching the Olympics-the last time I did watch it was when I was in elementary. I agree that sports should never be mixed with politics, but nowadays it is too naïve to say that the Olympics involve nothing but sports. It’s a massive capitalistic event. China will get lots of financial benefits from it-that they can use to a) fund their oppression on the Tibetans and nature-destroying projects; b) improve the conditions of the Chinese environment and the people. The capitalistic machine is working, and my how it works.
About the film Fitna… well, I’m not emotional about it. I just shrugged when I heard about it. I mean, people like Hitler and their campaign of hatred will always be with us. My reactions to the news about the film were just that:
- Oh OK, maybe the filmmakers had never gone to Indonesia.
- I disagree with using ‘freedom of speech’ as a justification to campaign of hatred, but then I guess even the Muslims (and Christians) share the similar guilts as the Dutch filmmakers. Do you remember the last time your ulema said that we must wipe the Jews off the Earth? Or when your priest said that the Muslims are stupid people that won’t be saved because they don’t believe in Jesus Christ? Hm.
- The protests are just natural, I think. If the filmmakers are free to voice their hatred, then people who feel offended by the film have the right to protest, as long they do not involve violence or anarchy.
And are the prices of food rising in your country? You’re not the only one experiencing this. One of the causes is biofuel: many plantations and farmers concentrate on biofuel that they forget about crops for food. And if you think biofuel is going to be our saviour, you’re wrong. Because:
- For every 10.000 m2 of Brazilian rainforest cleared for growing soya to make biodiesel, over 700 tonnes of CO2 would be released. It needs 300 years to cancel that out by the carbon saving from the resulting bioodiesel.
- Converting rainforest in Indonesia to grow palm oil creates a carbon debt that will take over 400 years to repay.
- Corn ethanol produces nearly twice as much carbon as ethanol, when the carbon released by land clearances is accounted for.
(Researches by Joseph Fargione &c of the Nature Conservancy and Timothy Searchinger &c of Princeton University)
BTW, I just saw it on TV: a freak weather happened in Bandung-it was a hail! You see, global warming is creeping on us!