Top 10 Skyscrapers

I already poked fun to tons of "Bullshit Buildings," but let's make a more positive list. Here I will list my top 10 favorite skyscrapers. This totally depends on my taste on architecture, and has nothing to do with its utility. Some of them also were canceled or not yet built.

From: EnglishRussia

10) Ostankino Tower

Location: Moscow Russia

Built: 1963 - 1967

Pinnacle Height: 540 m

There are tons of sky-high tower. My personal favorite is Ostankino Tower in Moscow.

I have to admit, I am extremely biased when I choose this tower instead of other more popular towers like CN Towers. Hey, blame my soft-spot for anything Russian, but since this is a subjective list, of course my bias is the whole point. So, why not started it with this one?

Besides, despite its tallness, it is not too fat like Tokyo Skytree, or involving any extreme deviation from the straight-line nearby its top like the Kuala Lumpur Tower or Tianjin TV & Radio Tower. Oh yeah, I also dislike non-solidness, the mast-ness (Is that an existing English word?) of Tokyo Skytree and Canton Tower.

Ostankino Tower represent the best of the best of the towers, started this list at #10.

9) Burj Khalifa

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Built: 2004 - 2010

Pinnacle Heigh: 830 m

Floor Area: 517.240 m²

Blame it to the publicity. Blame it to the media. Whatever. I like this extremely well-known skyscraper. I once criticized the Abraj-al-Bait as ugly, this skyscraper can be said at its anti-thesis.

You can feel the Arabian atmosphere permeated by its shape. Unlike the Abraj-al-Bait that basically shouts "HEY, I am the Arabian ripped-off of Big Ben!" this design screams originality.

If you view it from top, it is even cooler. Unlike most building here when you saw blocky shape from top, this sky scraper has tri-star shape, showing stability, beauty, and elegance at the same time.

Oh yeah, the spectacular Dubai fountain also located right in front of this giant. That adds another point for this building.

Originality, publicity, and the most spectacular music fountain secured the #9 position for Burj Khalifa.

8) Palace of the Soviets:

Location: Moscow, Russia

Built: Cancelled

Pinnacle Height: 495 m

Floor Area: ??

Despite all of the bullshitness of this building, I must admit that the design is awesome.

Yes, I am serious in putting one of the bullshit building in this list.

Why not? I already stated that every single building made to this list 100% by its aesthetic, not its utility. For the palace of the Soviets, it is not only tall, but also wide, large, and the statue on top of it adds grandeur to the already cool design. Even better, there is a large empty space in front of it, further enhancing its awesomeness. 

I can't help but wonder "Wow, if there is some miracle and they managed to erect this building, I will be awed when I stand in front of it and stare it with my own eyes."

For its grandeur, this bullshit building earned itself #8.

From: Bustler

7) Kingdom Tower

Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Built: Proposed

Pinnacle Height: 1.000 m

Floor Area: 319.000 m²

Holy hell, they really planned to build a 1 km tall building? I mean ... ONE KILOMETER TALL BUILDING? Shit just got real!

That alone clenched a position in this Top 10 list. But that is not all. Unlike the Abraj-al-Bait, the design of this tower is very sleek and modern.

It is also very simple. Sometimes, simple design just work. Hey, one reason why the Abraj-al-bait is ugly as hell is its nonsensical complexity.

What else could be said about this tall tower? Hmm ... ah, why give a shit, it is a goddamn 1 kilometer building! Height doesn't always translated into beauty but 1 kilometer of height is just too awesome to be ignored. Of course it deserves #7 position! NEXT!

From:
wikipedia

6) Empire State Building

Location: New York, USA

Built: 1930 - 1931

Pinnacle Height: 443 m

Floor Area: 208.879 m²

Unlike many other building here, this one was already known by all of us since our primary school time, I presume.  It is everywhere, it is one of the most iconic representation of the phrase "sky scraper" itself. This building already captivated my eyes when I read the word "sky scraper" for the first time, thus I am quite sentimental about this tower.

But sentimentality is not the only reason why this building was included in this list. The art-deco architecture here combined the blocky shape of the tower, and the sharpness of the antennae gracefully. 

This proportionally perfect skyscraper also impressed me with its intricacies, and symmetries. The fact that it looks like it had several blocks also added to its sophistication.

It is impossible not to put this classic and iconic building on this list, therefore the Empire State Building stand tall at #6.

From arkoudi.de

5) Ulmer Münster

Location: Ulm, Germany

Built: 1377 - 1890

Pinnacle Height: 161,5 m
I am not really into church and cathedral architecture. But I make an exception for this one. With good reasons.

It is tall, it is grand, it is antique, it is the Ulmer Münster, the tallest church in da world. Yes, in da world!

It is the pinnacle of all Gothic design. It is the pinnacle of cathedral architecture. It is the pinnacle of Germany Christendom.

And this is also the only building in this list that was built BEFORE the beginning of 20th century. You have to respect that!

Ulmer Münster contemplatively sitting at #5.

By Path2k6

4) John Hancock Center

Location: Chicago, USA

Built: 1965 - 1969

Pinnacle Height: 457 m

Floor Area: 260.126 m²
Like I said before, sometimes, a simple design is the aesthetically best design. John Hancock Center in Chicago is a fine example of it. It is just a "simple black block with 2 antennae" but this building is still really cool.

The simple "block" design gives the impression of firmness, stability, and solidity.

The simple "black" color gleams the aura of non-compromise, strength, and power.

The dual antennae strangely increase the size of the building, enhancing its aura enormously.

John Hancock Center utilizes simplicity at most, comfortably rests at #4.

By Calvin Teo

3) Parkview Square

Location: Singapore

Built: 1999 - 2002

Pinnacle Height: 144 m

Floor Area: 39.145 m²

Unlike other skycrapers listed here, this one is not even reached 150 m. But this is about aesthetic, not height. Height does not always translated into beauty.

This building really fascinated me because during my stay in Singapore, this building shine in extreme awesomeness in comparison with its surrounding. Its classiness put other bland Singaporean buildings into shame. Effortlessly. Totally. Undoubtedly.

That's why my view on Singapore's downtown always focuses on this specific classic building. The art deco and oriental combination of the design works extremely beautifully here.

Parkview Square is an oasis in the middle of the desert of blandness named "Singapore downtown," without any problem grabbed the #3 position.

From:
Foster&Partners

2) Russia Tower

Location: Moscow, Russia

Built: cancelled

Pinnacle Height: ca. 600 m

Floor Area: 520.800 m²

Why Russians have the habit of canceling very awesome buildings? 

Seriously, when I saw this building's sketch, it was love at first sight. It soars high to the sky, and the beam from the lamp on its roof amplify that impression even more! 

It also reminded me of the ancient pyramid, while at the same time permeates modernity. Russian style modernity? The soaring light also imbued this skyscraper with the majestic aura it deserves.

Oh yeah, finally, bonus point for being located in Russia, and has "Russia" in its name! You can't be more Russian than that!

Russia Tower, towering at #2.

And the best sky scraper is ...

By Mätes II

1) Jin Mao Tower

Location: Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Built: 1994 - 1998

Pinnacle Height: 420 m

Floor Area: 278.707 m²
It is tall, it is majestic, it is classic, it is totally Chinese. It is the Jin Mao Tower. With so many terrific buildings in this world, it is a tough job to get #1, but the Jin Mao Tower did it.

Just see that building. It invokes grandeur permeated by ancient Chinese pagodas. And amplify it with its size. 

What else? Let's see ... it's shape radiates the classical-oriental aura and its material produces modern feeling, enhancing both contradictory feeling. Sounds impossible, but that's why this building is the best-designed building in this world, aesthetically, in my opinion.

Jin Mao Tower somehow woven 2 impossible contradictory aura, got the pinnacle position at this list.

Sources:

Emporis

Skyscraperpage

Amazing Quotes 19: Simplicity

I think simplicity is one of things that is overlooked by intellectuals. Since many "intellectuals" don't want to educate anyone, only want to show-off how smart they are, no surprise tons of them acted like this. Their idea is: saying complicated things made them look smarter! Nope, just check some of these true intellectuals, they love simplicity.

"Other things being equal, a simpler explanation is better than a more complex one."

-- Ockham's Razor

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

-- Leonardo da Vinci

"Nature is pleased with simplicity, and nature is no dummy."

-- Isaac Newton

"There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth."

-- Leo Tolstoy 

"One should use common words to say uncommon things."

-- Arthur Schopenhauer

"If you can't explain something to a first year student, then you haven't understood it."

-- Richard Feynman

"Keep it simple, but not simpler!"

-- Albert Einstein

"The greatest ideas are the simplest."

-- William Golding in Lord of the Flies

"Living simply makes loving simple."

-- Bell Hooks

Mourdock, "God's Intention," and Spider-Man

In the heat of the 2012 election, suddenly Republican senatorial candidate, Richard Mourdock, said that "pregnancy from rape is something God intended to happen." And everybody is screaming. The democrats seizes it to discredit Republicans. Mitt Romney who before this fiasco endorsed Mourdock now throws him under the bus. Etc.

Folks ... let's think about that, although that statement looks nuts, Mourdock actually didn't contradict logic. Let me explain ...

First, remember what Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker? "With great power came great responsibility"! Using this valid logic, we can have "With infinite power came infinite responsibility." And of course "With no power came no responsibility."

Second, in case you forget, the Abrahamic God is not only omnipotent but also omniscient AND actively participates in this world. Since power is about relationship, a human has NO POWER compare to God.

VOILA, there you have it, "A God with infinite power is responsible for every single thing in this world." Hey, if God didn't permit that, who can object? Satan? Are you joking? Even Lucifer x 1.000.000 is still no match for God! 

So congrats guys, you can label ANYTHING as God's intention, as long as it already happened! The holocaust? God intended that! Rwandan genocide? God permitted that! W. won 2 presidential elections? With God's blessing! Obama defeated McCain in 2008? Of course God love to see that! 9/11 tragedy? God's will that too! Etc.

Christians will object by saying "God give human's free will." Irrelevant. Without any power to object, a will is only a will, it will be made real if and ONLY if God give His permission.

Don't like it? Maybe you should try God from other religion who has some limitation. Or God of Deism who only watched everything for whatever reason. Or atheism, where God is non existent.

So, thank you mister Mourdock to remind us how wonderful and responsible your God is!

Bullshit Building 14: Vaux-le-Vicomte

From this blog

If we want to discuss "Bullshit building," it is impossible to avoid talking at least once about palaces and mansions. So, let's start with one of the most bullshit one: Vaux-le-Vicomte.

The Origins

Nicolas Fouquet was a lucky man. He got a position as the minister of finance during the reign of the famous Louis XIV. He exploited that position by enriching himself enormously. The king already unhappy of his performance, and the fact that Jean-Baptiste-Colbert feeding the king with bad news and rumors about Fouquet was not helping him. He really pushed his luck when he decided to show-off his wealth in a spectacular fashion. The climax of this show-off was his Vaux-le-Vicomte project.

The gardens, from wikipedia

The Palace

To build this palace, Fouquet demolished 3 villages, and took their inhabitants to work on this palace. Around 18.000 villagers were working as maids, gardeners, etc. to maintain this palace. Classy! 

He also hired famous architect, Louis Le Vau to design the palace, and famous garden designer, Andre Le Notre to design its garden. He lavished the interior of the palace with diverse work of arts from famous artists like Francois Girardon (sculptor), Charles le Brun (painter) etc. Heck, Le Brun even painted the dome of this palace! Really classy!

For your information, before the building of this palace, Fouquet already famous for his art collection. In this palace, finally he could line-up all his collections, and show how artistic and rich he was. Err ... classy?

The garden is no less luxurious. It was lavished with famous sculpting, fountains, etc. Le Notre even used some optical illusion, called anamorphosis abscondita, to enhance the grandeur of the garden. Have I told you that Fouquet tried REALLY hard to be classy?

The Hall of Hercules. Source.

Neptune! From wikipedia

The End

Now, we must put all of this into perspective. Fouquet was NOT a monarch, but this palace of him surpassed so many palaces of that time. Oh yeah, at that time France also ran a very large deficit.

Fouquet didn't realize that a deficit economy is never a good time to boast the wealth of the finance minister, since he boasted this palace in front of the king. He specifically invited the king to Vaux-le-Vicomte, and even arranged a spectacular and extremely expensive performances, coupled with an impressive fireworks show. This man "really know" when, where, and to whom to show-off! 

Naturally the King was far from happy. Only weeks after that, Fouquet was arrested for corruption & incompetence, while his wife was exiled. Yes, this is the first bullshit building in my list that directly caused its owner to be jailed. If building an extremely luxurious palace caused you to be arrested is not bullshit, I don't know what is. 

Oh, one last thing. Louis XIV was appalled by Fouquet, but this bullshit palace inspired him to build even larger and grander bullshit palace. The architects, artists, and craftsmen who worked for this bullshit palace was hired to build the new palace.  Many of the artworks in Vaux-le Vicomte were confiscated, and brought to the new palace.   Today, we all know this new palace as the Versailles. That is of course, another story ...

Previous Bullshit Building: The Vatican

Next Bullshit Building: Peter the Great Statue

Amazing Quotes 18: Money!

Money doesn't look complicated. It is a tool to buy something. It is a tool to count your ability to acquire new property. Why so many people are so crazy about it? Maybe these masters could help. One of them even have his face printed on money!

The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.

-- Alexis de Tocqueville

He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.

-- Benjamin Franklin

The lack of money is the root of all evil.

-- Mark Twain

Who can over estimate the progress of the world if all the money wasted in superstition could be used to enlighten, elevate and civilize mankind?

-- Robert Green Ingersoll, "Some Mistakes of Moses" (1879)

“While money can't buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.”

-- Groucho Marx

Money is the most important thing in the world. It represents health, strength, honor, generosity and beauty as conspicuously as the want of it represents illness, weakness, disgrace, meanness and ugliness.

-- George Bernard Shaw 

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”

-- Franklin D. Roosevelt

“If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.”

-- Dorothy Parker

“Making money isn't hard in itself... What's hard is to earn it doing something worth devoting one's life to.”

-- Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind

Friendship and money: oil and water.

-- Mario Puzo

Amazing Quotes 17: the Bible

Ah, the Bible, the holy scriptures of Christianity. Revered by so many, but turned off so many too. These are some of my favorite quotes about the Bible:

If your Bible is an argument for the degradation of woman, and the abuse by whipping of little children, I advise you to put it away, and use your common sense instead.

--Lucy N. Colman (The Truth Seeker, March 5, 1887)

So the choice before us is simple: we can either have a 21st century conversation about ethics—availing ourselves of all the arguments and scientific insights that have accumulated in the last 2,000 years of human discourse—or we can confine ourselves to a first century conversation as it is preserved in the bible.

--Sam Harris in his response to readers & criticisms

No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means.

--George Bernard Shaw

According to the Bible, God had never revealed himself to these people and he knew that without a revelation they could not know that he was the true God. Whose fault was it then that they were heathen?

--Robert G. Ingersoll "Why I am an Agnostic" (1896)

"There was no place in the land where the seeker could not find some small budding sign of pity for the slave. No place in all the land but one-- the pulpit. It yielded last; it always does. It fought a strong and stubborn fight, and then did what it always does, joined the procession-- at the tail end. Slavery fell. The slavery texts in the Bible remained; the practice changed; that was all."

--"Mark Twain and the Three R's, by Maxwell Geismar, p.109

"The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals. It's just that they need more supervision."

--Lynn Lavner

Independence & Racism

Here is a "politically-incorrect" idea about political independence: It is a form of racism. Hence, all people who fight for a political independence for ANY people in ANY area are racists.

Really.

The idea that "everyone in position of power has to govern well" is NOT racist. 
The idea hold by the "imperialist" or "colonialist" is that "ONLY people with certain skin color/race can govern" is racist. 
No need to contest those 2, everybody agree with that. On the other hand,  the idea that "You can't govern us well because your skin color are DIFFERENT from us" is just as racist as the imperialist's idea. The different is, this racism is done by the "colonized," by the "weak" toward the "colonialists", toward the "powerful". 

Why correlating independence with racism is not popular? Simple, because of at least one of these factors:

1) People think that the "weak"s are entitled to do anything they like.

2) People think that "racism" can only be done by the "powerful."

3) People think that 2 wrongs makes a right.

Anyone remember the fight against the imperialist power by the supreme leader Kim Il Sung? Or by Soekarno?  Yes, here I remind you how those freedom fighters ALWAYS sell the idea that independence will cure ALL problems like corruption, economic injustice, alienation, etc. In many cases that the new government behaves just like their previous colonial master, and continue the exploitation. Or in some cases, they just don't have any clue how to run a country. Usually to distract the people from their incompetence, or corruption, they keep scapegoating someone. Some ethnic minorities, some religious minorities, ANY western power, Israel, neighboring countries and many other groups usually picked as "the source of all our problems." Sounds familiar? Hell yeah, scapegoating is one of the oldest trick in politics, of course it is an "excellent choice"!

So what's the correct choice? Asking for equal access to capital, education, jobs, etc, without racism. Asking for accountability. Asking for representation. And so on. Not "independence." Politicians are all dirty, their skin color alone won't make them clean.

Amazing Quotes 16

Other than awesome quotations from awesome people, sometimes I found some written by my friends, a youtube user, and other laymen. Maybe some of them were stated by a famous person, but who knows? Here are some of them:

“Jede Wahrheit braucht einen Mutigen der sie ausspricht”

“Every truth needs a brave lad to say it“

"If god doesn't like the way I live, Let him tell me, not you!"

“Several thousand years ago, a small tribe of ignorant near-savages wrote various collections of myths, wild tales, lies, and gibberish. Over the centuries, these stories were embroidered, garbled, mutilated, and torn into small pieces that were then repeatedly shuffled. Finally, this material was badly translated into several languages successively. The resultant text, creationists feel, is the best guide to this complex and technical subject.“

“To the philosophic eye, the vices of the clergy are far less dangerous than their virtues.“

"I am treated as evil by those who feel persecuted because they are not allowed to force me to believe as they do."

"A society without religion is like a crazed psychopath without a .45."

"Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned."

"Christian Fundamentalism: The doctrine that there is an absolutely powerful, infinitely knowledgeable, universe spanning entity that is deeply and personally concerned about my sex life."

"Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day; give him a religion, and he'll starve to death while praying for a fish."

“War does not determine who is right, war determines who is left.”

Nobel Peace Prize for E.U.

The European Union won the 2012 Noble Peace Prize. 

Hurra?

Naaah, once again the Noble peace prize committee proved that they are a bunch of airheads. And no, unlike the Atlantic who pointed out that the E.U. doesn't deserve it due to some unsettled problems, I will argue that the EU still doesn't deserve it even after we assume that they do their job PERFECTLY.

Giving prize to E.U. for maintaining peace is like giving prize to a cop who respect due process: IT IS THE MINIMUM STANDARD, not an exceptional achievement! If that standard alone means they really deserved it, the committee should award them EVERY YEAR starting from now.

And yes, I say ONCE AGAIN, this is not the first time the committee undermined Nobel Peace prize. 

In 1906, they gave it to the most war-like person in the US, Theodore Roosevelt, who deployed military forces in Caribbean.

In 1973, they awarded it to Le Duc Tho and Henry Kissinger when there was still war in Vietnam. To his credit, Tho refused it, and to everyone's horror, Kissinger accepted it. 

In 1978, Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin got it. Huh? Sadat invaded Israel, while Begin was involved in a plan to murder Konrad Adenauer, so ... being a warmonger and a murderer qualifies anyone to receive peace prize?? 

In 1994, Yasser Arafat received it. Are you really that stupid? If that's the case, gave that same prize to another civilian murderer like Osama bin Laden please!

In 2001, Kofi Annan and the UN won the contest. Same with the E.U., it is THEIR JOB to maintain peace, MINIMUM STANDARD!

Et cetera. So many stupid award given, now the Nobel peace prize committee has send their reputation down the drain, directly to the septic tank, to enrich the bacteria there.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: the 2009 award, when they gave it to Barrack Obama, after he did absolutely NOTHING in maintaining world peace. It was basically a "Thank you for not being George W. Bush" award.

Look, I understand that the E.U. need some moral boosting because they are in deep financial crisis, but there are tons of method to do that WITHOUT undermining a peace prize that some people REALLY deserved. 


N.B: I have my own recipe for world peace.

Praise the Lord!

From this page

I have tons of reasons for losing my faith in Christianity. I already talked about how the Bible is literally wrong about God. I also have written about so many Bible Stories are morally screwed up in comparison with human rights and other 21st century standard. Here is another reason why I left Christianity: the mentality that every single Christian "has to praise God wherever and whenever they are, constantly."

Really?

Not even tyrants like Soeharto, Pinochet, etc. make that kind of rules. Yes, they prohibits criticism, but that is not the same with ordering everyone to praise them all the time.  Of course to have vanity is human, but ordering everyone to constantly kissing your buttock?

Hey, I know only ONE person that did that: the supreme leader of North Korea, KIM JONG IL! Remember about a North Korean who gained sight after an eye surgery healed his eyes and his first reaction was praising the Supreme Leader? Remember when the North Korean Government penalized ANYONE who didn't cry during Kim Jong Il's funeral? I don't know about you, but for me this kind of phenomena is CREEPY AS HELL!

What, you think since God is not a mere-mortal so He deserves different standard?

I agree. God deserves HIGHER standard, NOT lower! I heard God is omni-benevolent, He has to live-up to that standard. As far as I know, threatening and ordering people to lick ass IS NOT benevolent.

Oh, and the institution that enforces this sycophantic culture is even creepier. So, so long Christianity, you won't be missed.

Joe Biden & "Rudeness"

Everyone know that Romney won the first presidential debate. To say that Obama's performance was awful is an understatement. The president was too passive, too dull, and always stared at his lap. Naturally Romney got some boost in all pollings. When Joe Biden debated Ryan on Thursday night, everything's change. Biden mopped the floor with Ryan, no contest there.

FOXNews complained that Biden was rude. They got a point there, cutting others is not polite. Especially when you cut even the moderator. Nevertheless, I wonder why they focused on that thing? Last time I heard, "The-evil-socialist-communist-Muslim" Obama and his vice president is sooo bad, why suddenly Biden's "rudeness" become the issue? And I thought Obama focusing on "Big Bird" is moronic ...

Other than that, I think Biden has at least 3 good excuses for being "rude":

1) He is the oldest person in the debate.

Face it, people cut you FAR MORE slack if you are the oldest one. If it was Ryan who did it, everyone will think that he is a bully, but older person got some right to bully the young ones, especially when the age different is one generation wide. Nope, I don't like it, but that's still the case.

2) People are aware that he was compensating for Obama's passive and dull performance.

I think people know exactly that this debate is a continuation with Obama-Romney debate. People will be easier to forgive "a rudeness" if they picture it together with Obama's passivity previously. 

And the media LOVE reversal/comeback. Obama was already defeated by Romney, so when people hear: Ryan "The budget expert" defeated Biden? zzzz ... Biden "The gaffe maker" demolished Ryan? OH YEAH, that's interesting!

 Do I like this? Nope, but that's still the case.

3) Biden experienced some serious shit.

He lost his wife and daughter in a car accident. Yes that's happened decades ago, but out of thin air, Paul Ryan brought it to the table when he tried to portrait Mitt Romney as a compassionate person by pointing that Romney helped some car crash victims. What? Seriously, didn't you have another example? Is the only occasion where Romney showed compassion was when he met those car crash victims? A simple rule in debate that Ryan missed: DON'T MAKE THE AUDIENCES SYMPHATHIZED WITH YOUR OPPONENT! Great Scott, Ryan really deserved to be defeated in this debate.

And the Biden won not only in style, but also in substance. Biden's best moment in the debate is when he responded to Ryan's statement that stimulus money is wrong, and pointed out that Ryan himself wrote 2 e-mails asking for stimulus money. OUCH! Ryan was outclassed, outmatched, and outgunned by the energetic Biden.

 

Can Romney still win?

Absolutely.

This race was not, and won't be a cakewalk neither for Obama nor Romney.

Amazing Quotes 15: Fear & Bravery

One of the basic instinct of any organism is fear. Here is the collection of fantastic analysis of fear & bravery:

"Only a fool isn't frightened when there's danger. But only brave men do what must be done despite their fear."

-- High Prince Roelstra in "Dragon Prince" 

Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.

-- Thomas Jefferson

"Fear paralyzes the brain. Progress is born of courage. Fear believes courage doubts. Fear falls upon the earth and prays courage stands erect and thinks. Fear retreats courage advances. Fear is barbarism courage is civilization. Fear believes in witchcraft, in devils and in ghosts. Fear is religion courage is science."

-- Robert Green Ingersoll,"The Ghosts", 1877

We want to stand upon our own feet and look fair and square at the world -- its good facts, its bad facts, its beauties, and its ugliness; see the world as it is and be not afraid of it.

-- Bertrand Russel, "Why I am not a Christian" (1927)

Man gives every reason for his conduct save one, every excuse for his crimes save one, every plea for his safety save one; and that one is his cowardice.

-- George Bernard Shaw

"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."

-- Albert Einstein

China vs Japan, Capitalism vs Nationalism

From ProEdgeWire.com

China and Japan intensified their saber rattling. An analysis from NBC News showed how both sides won't get any financial benefit from such fight. Oh yeah, conflict between these 2 East-Asian giants potentially bring down other countries too.

So, here is the GIGANTIC FACT that few notice: peace could be preserved IF greed triumphs over nationalism, IF capitalism reigns supreme over patriotism, IF love over money triumphed against love over your country in BOTH countries.

OUCH!

Now I hear the left, who hate capitalism with all their heart, screaming, and whining.

I also deafened by the howling of the right in China and Japan, who love their country passionately.

See, both the left and the right HATE peace between both nations. 

Grow up, you don't always got what you want, time to prioritize, time to swallow some hard and bitter truth.

Oh yeah, sometimes "love of money" is not enough. We also need to force the politicians to risk their sons' life. In other words: we need liberal democracy AND military conscription at the same time. Neither China nor Japan have conscription. And we got a double whammy for China, since they don't have democracy too. That's why politicians from both sides can recklessly play with fire. They are not the one who put their sons to the front line in any case of war.

A Look on Benedict Anderson's "The Idea of Power in Javanese Culture"

From wikipedia

I just re-read an article from the famous Benedict Anderson, "The Idea of Power in Javanese Culture."

Wow. If that article is totally correct, Indonesia is in deep trouble. Very deep.

The Differences

According to Anderson, there are 4 main differences between "Western" and Javanese concept of power (pp. 5 - 9): 

1) Abstract vs concrete

2) Heterogeneous sources vs homogeneous source

3) Limitless vs Zero-sum

4) Morally ambiguous vs Beyond Moral

For me #3 & #4 are the important ones. Why?

"Power is a zero-sum game" is the most extreme way of the essence of Gore Vidal's quote:

"It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail."

No wonder "Envy" is ALWAYS a big problem in Indonesia's bureaucracy.

If #3 is bad, #4 is even worse. With the logic "power is beyond moral," there is no legitimate or illegitimate power. In Anderson words "Power is." Yes, that's a period there. "Might is right" according to the Javanese Culture. That's why Soekarno freely used Adolph Hitler as an example of exercise of power, to the horror of the Western audiences, for him the concept of "morally correct power" is absurd, power is just power. (p. 17.) And speaking about Soekarno ...

Signs of Power

The Javanese also believed that uniting contradictions, opposites, and antagonizing ideas is the sign of power. That's why Soekarno promoted "Nasakom" that put that religion and communism under the same umbrella. (p. 15.) That's why Indonesian motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, has slightly different meaning than E Pluribus Unum, in the sense that Indonesian motto actually pointed out that differences and unity is inseparable, while the American motto stressed that unity was reached DESPITE of differences. (Footnote in p. 15.)

In other words: Javanese have tendency to try impossible political moves. Yes, there is potential that this could actually achieve something that was previously thought as impossible, but there is also another possibility that it will end in fire, just like Soekarno's Nasakom.


Mandala
Another point that Anderson brought: the connection between Javanese concept of power and the concept of mandala from Indian culture (pp. 28 - 31).

Mandala or "Circle of Kings" is a political concept of state-management, whose basic tenets are:
1) Territory is fluid.
2) The State is defined by its center, not by its borders.
3) The power radiated from the center, to the periphery, so the center has to repeatedly assert its power against any competing power in its periphery.

That means for the Javanese, the concept of equality among all provinces, among all Indonesians is absurd. The center has to assert its domination over the "Sebrang," the peripheries. The primacy of the center is not to be questioned, the secondary status of the peripheries is its logical consequence.(p. 29.)

Conclusions

If Anderson is correct, than the Javanese culture is very prone to unhealthy competition, corruption, and incoherent political policies.  The non-Javanese people also have VALID reasons to be worried of Javanese domination.  Is this really the case? Hopefully not, since MOST Indonesians are Javanese. Hopefully even if Anderson analysis is true, the reality is not as gloom as my interpretation ...

IF These Bible Stories Happen Today ...

Gutenberg Bible. From wikipedia

The Bible is believed by the Christians as the perfect moral guidance.

Really?

Previously I already pointed out how the Bible does not have any coherence in its own concept of God. Now, let's imagine that some of the Bible characters live in contemporary time ...

Abraham & Isaac

If the story of the sacrifice happens today, Isaac could report Abraham to the police for child abuse. Why not? "GOD ORDER ME TO SACRIFICE MY OWN SON!!" sounds like a reason screamed by a deranged psychopath. Especially after this psycho already put his son on a table, and prepare to stab him with a knife. Abraham will be locked down in a mental hospital or send to a maximum security prison.

Moses, Joshua & Canaan

Both of them will be branded as a genocide perpetrator. They attack a city, defeat its military, and proceed by massacring any living thing inside it. Even if you are a kid, but you live in that city, you will be stabbed too. They also didn't spare the old, the sick, etc., every single breathing human inside the city had to be butchered. Hitler, Milosevic, and other modern genocide leader were branded as "personification of evil" while Moses & Joshua was regarded as saints. Wow ... ladies and gentlemen, THAT'S the power of religion.

Gideon & Freedom of Religion

Who else destroy the statue of other religion? Ah yeah, the Taliban when they dynamited the Bamiyan Buddhas! After Gideon destroyed so many temple, he will be sued for all the property damage he has done, and in many countries, he will be sued for inciting religious hatred too. Of course in the end he will be regarded as "the Taliban Jew" by the international world, and thrown into jail.

Elijah & the Baal Priests

On the other hand, how Ahab treated Elijah is not really far from what can happened to him in modern world. Hey, don't blame Ahab, Elijah goes 3 steps further than Gideon and start butchering the Baal priests! Yeah, that's our Christian role model, slaughtering other religion's priests because of God's wrath and order! Yippee!

Paul & Slavery

So, all of the examples were taken from the Old Testament. Is that means the New Testament is vastly superior moral guidance and can be used as today moral compass? Hell no. Let's check Paul, the 2nd most important figure in Christianity. If Paul was alive today, he won't be pals with Abraham Lincoln. Just checked Ephesians 6:5-8, here I quoted the New International Version:

"(5) Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. (6) Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. (7) Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, (8) because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free."

Yup, Paul ordered every slave to obey his master, not to fight for their freedom, not to fight to end this horrifying institution like the British empire and Lincoln did more than 1500 years later. Paul, using God's authority, ORDERED all slaves to perpetuate the institution of slavery. He even had THE NERVE to equate a slave owner with God. Why? Because Paul agreed that slavery is a fact of life and his "omniscient" and "omnibenevolent" God never contradict him. That's why. If Paul is alive today and say this sentence, he will be considered a monster, a racist, and so many other negative brand. No civilized person will listen to him.

And so on, you got the point right? More than half of the Bible was written more than 2.000 years ago. The rest of it was written only slightly less than 2.000 years ago. And you expect any morality drawn from that book will say something against genocide & slavery? GET REAL!! Oh yeah, that book PISSED on freedom of religion too, even suggesting that the priests of other religion should be butchered.

What? No? You still think the Bible is still a good moral guidance? Tell you what, you and your ignorant friends better start creating a time machine to go back to the ancient time where genocide and slavery is part of life. The civilized world have move on and won't used this book as their constitution or moral guidance.

So, it's reasonable to brand the bible as an R-rated book. Hey, this is the book that ordered genocide, slavery, child abuse, and so many other despicable things!