Author: Hafiz Noor Shams

For more about me, please read this.

Categories
Environment Politics & government Pop culture Sci-fi

[357] Of The Day After Tomorrow

I saw The Day After Tomorrow the day before yesterday with two friends. I was shocked to find out that the ticket price has considerably been raised. I guess inflation is everywhere now.

Enough economics.

The movie was entertaining though the effects of global warming were exaggerated. Then again, the director himself has said that this movie is for entertainment, not for some meteorology class. But the best thing is, I now understand how the movie serves as a really good conduit for the green cause. Before I watched the movie, I thought the movie is just some other movie that runs parallel with the green’s concerns. I was wrong as it was more than that.

The reason why The Day After Tomorrow is useful in creating awareness among the masses is how Professor Jack Hall – played by Dennis Quaid – describes that global warming could trigger a colder climate in a fictional UNFCCC (that, err, for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the one responsible for meetings of the Parties related to the Kyoto Protocol in the real world) in a snowing New Delhi. This is an irony that has been well-manipulated by the grays to discredit the greens on matters of global warming. In a larger sense, the movie tries to link global warming with a wider problem of accelerated climate change, one of the few things that the grays are trying to disprove.

All other parts of the movie are pure exaggeration. Nevertheless, the movie does provide as glimpse of what humanity will have to endure even when the effects of global warming occur in a very gradual manner. Currently, the frequency and the amplitude of natural disasters related to the climate have been going up but none are as devastating as in the movie of course. Jeremy Legett’s The Carbon War has also implied that we are seeing an increasing thread of climate related natural disasters’ severity.

Another noteworthy scene in the movie, of the most ironic thing considering the current era of Pax-Americana, is the American refugee camps. However, this picture might not be far away and actors will not be the Americans, but the citizens of the Pacific islanders and others small island-nations all around the world. These small pacific island-nations to my knowledge are currently lobbying the Australian government to accept any refugee related to the rising of the sea level. The global warming refugee scene is real as far as these poor islanders are concerned. The Australian government has been only unhelpful in recent negotiations.

All in all, the movie is informative and entertaining if you know to how to filter the information. There are some good jokes too. The special effect is gorgeous. Good for vanity, one of the lead actors, Jake Gyllenhaal, playing as Sam Hall, Jack Hall’s son, wear a Michigan shirt in a scene. This is probably a testimony of Ann Arbor’s political greenness.

Unfortunately, the worst part of the movie is where the word, “To Manchester United” is heard. Thank God by the end of the movie, Old Trafford would probably be under more than 15 meters of snow.

You should go watch the movie. You won’t be disappointed. I dare say it is better than the Matrix’s two pathetic sequels.

And after watching the movie, you should realize, first and foremost, the moral is we need to act now rather than later.

Categories
Liberty Politics & government

[356] Of Memorial Day

Should we remind ourselves of the soldiers and the civilians that fell or the players that played the pawns?

Categories
Economics

[355] Of another 7.0%

For the first quarter according to Bank Negara (Malaysian central bank for you non-Malaysians), Malaysian gross domestic product has grown for 7.6%. That is quite high and it definitely reminds me of the days during the Asian boom when Malaysia and a few others Southeast Asian countries earned the Asian tigers nick. Back in those days, Malaysia had consistently grown for more than 7.0% annually.

But of course, this is nothing compared to China, which is growing at almost 10%. Then again, China has only recently started to develop its economy. In contrast, I have read a report somewhere that states a country in Africa has a growth rate of about 70% – my guess, there is not even a toilet bowl there.

Forget about the toilet and let us concentrate on a few things that caught my eyes. Actually there are only two things. First:

The underlying fundamentals will continue to accord flexibility for monetary policy to support stronger economic activities, without creating inflationary pressures.

What flexibility? The Ringgit is pegged to the Dollar! Bank Negara is obliged to buy or sell the US Dollar in order to keep the exchange rate fixed at a certain rate. There is little room for maneuvering when it comes to monetary policy.

Secondly:

Interest rates can remain low for some time to come to support the growth momentum.

That sounds totally like Alan Greenspan. I am starting to wonder if all central bankers speak the same language.

Categories
Economics Politics & government

[354] Of separatism and globalization

Earlier today, one of the leaders of Islamic separatist in southern Thailand has been quoted saying that he has given up the idea of an independent state. His word, of which I am sure, was approximately translated to English from Malay:

This is the age of globalization. The world has moved on and there is no more room for separatism.

I have nothing but respect for the separatist leader. This is the wisdom that every other separatist movement the Aceh people, the MILF, the ETA, the IRA, the Quebecois and probably all around the world lack given the situation today. Though I am sympathetic of my fellow Muslim Malay brothers’ cause, I cannot help but feel their struggle is hopeless.

These southern Thai states lack the resources to develop their states alone and the political muscle to defend its interest just like East Timor. Though I am a green and in turn an advocate of decentralization, I feel an independent East Timor is a mistake. To support my view, East Timor, being small and powerless, has frequently been bullied by Australia in matter concerning its southern maritime border.

Even if they managed to break away from the Kingdom of Thailand and formed an independent state consisted of the Thai Malay states of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, they will probably be too dependent on Thailand or on their cultural ally, the Federation of Malaysia. Therefore, given a hypothetical scenario of independence, their political freedom in my opinion will be fairly limited relative to other stable sovereign nations. In the long run, these states will probably rejoin Thailand or become the members of the Malaysian Federation.

To Wan Kadir Che Man, the separatist leader, here is for you – hail to common sense.

p/s – Bye bye Houllier.

pp/s – James Lovelock and nuclear power. Via GreenSpin Watch and The Challenge.

Categories
Environment

[353] Of tanker collision near Singapore

This just in. One of the ships involved in the accident is a tanker carrying almost 300 000 tons of crude oil. Initial report indicates no leak.

And thank God, it is not the tanker that sunk. Else, it would be ugly.

p/s – here we go again. With the barometer is falling fast, a strong storm is likely. Let’s hope it’s not worse than or as bad as Friday’s storm.
pp/s – tornado in Genesee country, Michigan. Where the hell is Genesee country? The report says it is near Flint and Saginaw. Quite close. Via arborblogs.com