Farouk Gulsara's Blog, page 153

A new dawn?

http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara

Eudaemonia is an illusion

Kavalai Illatha Manithan (Man without worries, கவலை இல்லாத மனிதன்; 1960)
That is what everyone is yearning for, for a life without worries, happy, without pain, of eudaemonia. From time immemorial, everyone has been throwing their two cents worth of sense into the cooking pot. At the end of the day, we still stay confused about what is expected of us.  We are still searching for the elusive happiness but what is it we are actually looking for? Can we be happy and what is happiness? Some swear that life on Earth is just a testbed for bigger things to come in the afterlife, so we are expected to live in a particular manner to ensure a place amongst the Blessed ones there. Then there others to profess that our time on Earth is a reward of sorts for all the aeons of karmic cycles of birth and the torture of rebirth of a lesser being. But wait, that is no reason to rejoice as our progress can be reversed if our conduct is far from the exemplary. And another viewpoint is that we are here, that is all. The sole of our existence is for the progression of the human race. We just come and go to connect the dots in this jigsaw puzzle called civilisation.

Continuing our journey of philosophy in Tamil cinema, we explore a light comedy starring JP Chandrababu (Joseph Panimayadas Chandrababu Rodriguez). Hailed as the then new fresh nimble talent who swept to stardom with Jerry Lewis-que slapstick antics, his ability to sway to modern western tunes, his yodelling and his brand of philosophical thought provoking evergreen songs, his entry to the silver screen almost did not materialise. He almost died, attempting suicide by ingesting copper sulphate salts after not being able to meet a director for auditioning but he made a grand entrance afterwards. Just when the tide was changing, a failed marriage plunged him into a bitter battle with the bottle and depression. Just when he thought that the rough seas had settled, a failed movie venture (when he offended MGR) made him penniless. He spent his last few days on the goodwill of friends. Rather ironic to the title of one of his hit songs and movie, 'Man Without Worries', his life never lacked any of it. 
This film narrates the tale of three characters (a father and two sons) who thought that they had found their secret formula to life. The father, TS Balaiah, is quite happy with his job of a restauranteur, working hard who money as his answer to happiness. Like Adam Smith's model of commerce elevating the socio-economic strata of a nation, he believes that money is the answer to all. He believes in the division of class based on wealth and caste.
The elder of the brothers, MR Radha, thinks that his sole purpose of life is to enjoy life. He finds pleasure in recreational sports, even though he does not work. There is no need to work as his father has deep pockets and he is the rightful beneficiary of his money. His seek for pleasure includes music, women and wine. 
The younger brother, the protagonist, Muthu (Chandrababu), is a young new graduate of law, who has a more socialistic outlook on life. (Incidentally, Chandrababu's father in real life was a freedom fighter). He tries to cement the invisible fence that divides the caste and the classes. All through the movie, socialist ideology is sprinkled sporadically in the dialogue. His love interest is a tribal girl. 
The plot of the story is the arranged marriage of the elder brother to a girl who is in love with another and the elder brother had already impregnated somebody else and denies responsibility for it. In comes, Muthu, the younger brother, the do-gooder, to correct the love quadrangle and put things in order. After much jostling and hoodwinking, all three characters must have realised that Man can never be without worries.
We are all too intertwined to live as an island. Our bonds that we develop in the course of our lives makes it impossible to stick on to our ideals. Our bars need to be lowered. Exceptions have to be made. Rules are made to be bent. What works for the goose may not work for the gander. There seems to be no true blueprint for living. We make our rules and bend them as we saunter along.

கவலை இல்லாத மனிதன்
உலகத்தை அறிந்தவன் துணிந்தவன் அவனே
கவலை இல்லாத மனிதன்
போவதைக் கண்டு கலங்காமல்
வருவதைக் கண்டு மயங்காமல்
மெய் தளராமல் கை நடுங்காமல்
உண்மையை போய்யை உணர்ந்தவனே
வாழ்க்கை என்பது நாடகமே
வந்து போனவர் ஆயிரமே
கொண்டு சென்றவர் யாருமில்லை
கொடுத்துப் போனதும் நினைவுமில்லை
அந்த நாடகம் இன்னும் முடியவில்லை
மறு நாளைக்கு வருவதும் தெரிவதில்லை
வாழ்வை அறிந்தவன் சம்சாரி
வாழ பயந்தவன் சந்நியாசி
கண்ணீர் வடிப்பவன் மூடனடா
காலத்தை வென்றவன் வீரனடா நல் இன்பத்தை தேடி உறவாடு
நீ எழுந்திடு மனிதா விளையாடு

The Man with no worries,
He who understands the world and is brave,
is the man with no worries.
doesn't bemoan what is gone,
not faltered by what is to come
doesn't shiver to uphold the Truth,
understands the truth and the lie,
Life is a drama,
thousands come and go,
nobody brings away anything,
nobody remembers what was given away,
that drama has still not ended,
when it recurs tomorrow, we wouldn't realise.
One who understands life indulges in pleasure,
He who fears life is an ascetic,
He who cries is a fool,
He who wins time is the brave,
Seek happiness in good relationships,
You, man, rise and play!

http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara

I win again!

You called me cheat and hurled me names,That I am self-centred, to fill my coffers,Surrounded by sycophants to blow my horn,Our race was epic, spicier than the Vedas.

We raised our game to make Kurushetra a child's play,You took my dignity, I took your sanity, tit for tat, this for that, we took politics to dizzying heights,I was in chains, you were behind bars.

We were neck to neck, shoulder to shoulder,My swan song so sweet,To put on a pedestal, to the petals showered by the plebians,Sweet victory keeps on coming, when you bow in humility to my lifeless cadaver,my soul sees you as asking forgiveness.

I will clean the slate, Now that I am a saint,I will set a duel,When I see you, in no time I will!
Guess, I'll win again!http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara

Too blind to see?

Two stories got me thinking this week.

A paraplegic found out that humanity had not died. He was surprised to see that people went out of their way to appease his less fortunate

self even though the last thing that the paraplegic wanted was self-pity and pittance thrown at him. Still, people obliged. It was much like the blind man who was forever taken over to the other side of the road just because he was standing at the edge of the road, not intending to cross or worse had just crossed the road.

Then, there was another chap who had been taking care of his stroke-stricken mother for the past twenty over the years. In the initial few years, he was so high-spirited to give his mother all that modern technology could provide. Things were looking brighter until she was stricken with another episode of apoplexy, paralysing her so bad snatching away her motor and vocal abilities. What is left of a once robust chatty lady is just a faded rose, responding sluggishly to stimuli. Caring for her has progressively become from bad to worse. Frustration set in both sides. Seeing her suffer proved too much for the son. Sometimes, he wonders what plan the Maker has for her; living each day enduring pain and disappointment that her appointment for the Big Sleep is yet to come. But he dutifully does what is expected of him, his filial duties and a chance to repay his dues for the care that he received in the blurry days of infancy and toddlers.

Are we innately hardwired to show compassion to others? After all the generations enduring calamities and hardship, is selflessness part of our DNA? Is it that our constant societal conditioning of its subject to care for the needy changed our selfish selves which were primally satisfied with self-fulfilling primal needs?

Just when I thought that humanity had not died and the human race had a chance for redemption, in walks my son from 'The Big Bad Wolf' sales. He had purchased a book on Auschwitz just to highlight the banality of evil that still lurks as an undercurrent in all of us. http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara

Lanna hospitality at your service!

Muang Thai Chiang Mai Half Marathon 2016
18th December 2016

"Sir, you are representing Malaysia?" she (or ze), the volunteer at the registration counter asked with her heavily Thai-accented English. Till then it did not strike me. Wow, I am at an international participant attended by representatives from 53 countries, and three of us were there to hold our national flag!
She handed me a racing bib with my name proudly printed against my multi-hued country flag.

The StartI would like to believe I am holding the good name of my country on my shoulders and it is my responsibility to make my motherland proud. It just gives a lame justification to motivate me to try harder. That is all. Nobody gives two hoots, actually. There is no 'the other' that I need to satisfy, to compete with or to set an example for. It is all in my mind. But then, it feels good, though.

In keeping with the sombre state of affairs in accordance to the recent demise of the much-beloved monarch, the festivities were held in a much low key setting. Even the running attire was printed in mellowed monochrome - black and white. Lacing the roads at intervals were long black and white long ribbons to set the tone. Hospitality, the smile and the humble Thai salutations of 'Sawadee' and 'Kho Khun Kha' were still abundant. Hey, life has to go on. One cannot live on fresh air and sympathy alone!

Right on the dot, at 5 am, the half marathon runners were flagged off without much unnecessary bantering and needless speeches by VIPs. Even though the temperature was recorded as a cooling 17 degrees C, it did feel so comfortable, though. As I cruised along the first kilometre, I noticed that I was sweating again like a pig (yeah, pigs do not sweat!). Even though the temperature was moderate, the humidity was surprisingly high at 85%, slighter better that the one day before, 100%! The air was almost still. The morning was young or rather the night was way late as it was still very dark. Sunrise in Chiangmai on that day was almost 7 am. In the still of Chiangmai streets, almost seamlessly in well-coordinated fashion, runners, mostly amateur fun-loving ones, moved along the streets.

Basically, the town is built around a canal with an almost rectangular lattice of road networks. We ran in the form of two quadrangular loops, extending to the airport and back. The Thais must be very hardworking people as they were already busy on the road at 5 o'clock on a Sunday morning. It could not be Saturday night revellers who partied through the evening as they seem quiet. The only boisterous crowd appear to be gweilos in taxis. Despite the inconveniences by the race, in the form of traffic congestion and long waiting times at junctions, the Thais took it in their usual docile fashion - quiet and patient. They know they have to play dance monkey to appear inviting to foreigners. That is their bread and butter or rather tom-yam and mango glutinous rice pudding! Like their Indo and Malayan counterparts who found pleasure in horns blasting, they stayed silent.

Paradoxically, as the race progressed, the ambience became more comfortable. With the rise in temperature, the humidity must have decreased, and it became more pleasant to just cruise along. One sees the culture and civilisation of a country by looking at the ordinary folks. What better way to observe this then to weave through the streets amongst the denizens of Chiang Mai. It was a common sight to see Buddhist holy men, with their bowls chanting sacred texts to kneeling people for some exchange of alms, I presume.

Without any untoward incidences, the race ended at where it started. What puzzled me afterwards was the seemingly seamless flow of events at the finishing line. After crossing the timing belt, runners are given the usual complimentary drinks and medals, together with a print out of their run timings! Nothing is going to stop them from issuing laminated finishers' certificates in the very near future! The post run galore continued with coconut drinks and signature foot massage for the sore feet and legs. A well-organised race to showcase the superb hospitality of the Lanna folks.









Lanna hospitality at your service!
http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara

Some more pix

A Unique Side of History
http://historicalguru.com/33-images-show-a-unique-side-of-history-you-probably-didnt-know/35



During the pre-penicillin era, syphilis was a major disease that devastated many. This is a photo of a young boy whose face suffered from the side effects of Congenital Syphilis. This condition occurred when a mother who was infected with Syphilis gave birth. During civil rights movement of the 1960s many suffered injuries from police brutality. This is just one of the photos of one of the victims. Pictured here a man is being attacked by police dogs in 1964, unfortunately not a rare occurrence for the movement. This is an iconic photograph of United State’s history when the Voting Rights Act finally passed in 1965. Here is President Lyndon B. Johnson photographed with Martin Luther King Jr. 
During the 1920’s alcohol in the United States became illegal. People resorted to creating and going to speakeasies to get their fix of alcohol. When prohibition ended on December 5, 1933, people everywhere celebrated. Here is a photo of some of the men partying for the end of prohibition. 

It has been a common practice for soldiers throughout history to write messages on their ammo. Here two American soldiers have a special message for Hitler. On Easter Sunday of 1945, they wrote “Happy Easter Adolph” on their ammo. 
The construction of the Hoover Dam was a magnificent architectural masterpiece of the time. The start to the construction completion took years. Here are some men standing in a 45,000 steel pipe above the Dam. 
After V-Day, thousands of American soldiers came home in 1945. Here is a famous photograph of American troops arriving in New York City. They came home on the Queen Elizabeth and docked in the New York City harbour. 
An American soldier here is pictured happily replacing one of the street signs in Berlin, Germany. He changes the sign for “Adolph Hitler st” to “Roosevelt Blvd” in 1945. Roosevelt was the president during the victory against Hitler. This photograph is one of the infamous photos of D-Day in 1944. Here, American soldiers are captured approaching Normandy Beach on June 6, 1944. The soldiers pictured are faced with the possibility of dying for their nation. 

December 7, 1941, was declared by President Roosevelt as “a day that would live in infamy”. He made his famous speech as a reaction to the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor. Here is a photograph from the tragic bombings where the Destroyer USS exploded during the attack. 


During the 1800’s one of the first railroads that would give travellers the opportunity to travel from east to west for the first time was constructed. The building of the railroad gave employment to many Americans. Here is a photograph of some of the workers in 1868.
The first post WWII nuclear test was named Operation Crossroads. The experiment took place in the Marshall Islands. This is a photo of the destruction from Operation Crossroads. 

Before 1967 only males had run the Boston Marathon. Katherine Switzerland was the first female to participate in the marathon in 1967. She faced a lot of aggression for her choice, men attempted in stopping her numerous times.

The technique of using gas as ware fare became a popular mode of destruction during WWI. To combat against this kind of weapon soldiers wore gas masks. Pictured here in 1916 are two German soldiers and their donkey all wearing gas masks.

The “Punt Gun”, photographed here, was an usually enormous gun which had the capability of shooting over a pound of ammunition in one time. It was used during the 19th and 20th century for commercial harvesting operations. One couldn't operate it alone, you either needed a partner or to rest it on something to aim.


This disturbing photograph is of officials examining remains of cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov. Komarov fell from space in 1976. He was a soviet cosmonaut and the first person to die during a space mission. He was also the first Soviet to fly into space more than once. 

Evelyn McHale committed suicide from the Empire State Buildings observatory at the 86th floor. She landed on a limousine on the ground floor, pictured here. In 1947 Time Magazine named it “The Most Beautiful Suicide”.


At first glance, this odd photo is quite disturbing. Looking at it might give you the chills. However, not all is as it appears, these are actually mannequins from Madam Tussaud’s wax museum. The London exhibit had a fire and these are some of the remnants of the figures. http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara

An extrovert spy?

The Secret Life of Uri Geller – Psychic Spy?
BBC Documentary (2013) Director: Vikram Jayanti
The flamboyant Mossad and CIA secret agent always liked the attention but led a mysterious life. He wants to keep his admirers guessing of his ability as he finds joy in doing his stuff under the radar, under the cloak of secrecy and the excuse of national security.
Growing up in the 60s in Nicosia, he partook in the Six-Day War in 1967. After the war, he was a celebrity in the Tel Aviv entertainment circle as a performer performing spoon-bending mind tricks. He is said to possess psychokinetic powers, ability to do remote viewing and had psychic powers. His penchant for sticking around the wealthy and famous landed him in Mexico, doing a gig with a local TV and slowly building a strong bond with the first family. There, he is said to have done CIA's dirty work of erasing Russian floppy disks with remote viewing ability and psychokinetic skills. He then made his way to New York. Geller is said to be involved in CIA's secret, sometimes labelled fictitious, programme named Stargate Project. This project is supposed to develop ways to secretly 'view' enemies' documents from a distance.
In 1976, he is said to have used his gift to help the Israeli fighter planes to escape radar detection by the Egyptian Army as they flew past their airspace to get to Entebbe airway to rescue the 100 over hostages held in an Air France plane by Palestinian hijackers.
His activities are all hush hush. His services were in great demand at the heights of the Cold War. Even though the Stargate Project was officially terminated in 1995, his services were apparently reactivated after 9/11. In the documentary, Uri Geller finds intense pleasure in keeping his viewers in suspense. He does not admit or deny any of his clandestine activities.http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara

Some old pictures.

http://historicalguru.com/33-images-show-a-unique-side-of-history-you-probably-didnt-know

The original design for Mount Rushmore, 1923 Mount Rushmore has become an American iconic piece of artwork. Many don't know the process it took to complete the masterpiece. Here is a photo of the original design in 1923 before the work was started on the actual mountain.
When you think of public executions, usually people think of old history photos from the 1700s or possibly the 1800s. However the last public execution actually occurred a lot closer today than most of us would like to believe. This is a photo of the last public execution in the United States in Kentucky in 1936.

The sinking of the Titanic is quite arguably the most famous sinking of any ship. From all the press it got at the time for being the “unsinkable ship” that sunk to the famous block buster movie, almost everyone has heard of the tragedy that took many passengers life. Here is the last photograph of the Titanic before it sunk in 1912.


This is a rare photo captured of the Hindenburg Disaster in 1937. Rare, because in 1937 cameras were not as accessible as they are today. Not everyone had a personal camera on them, so for this moment to be captured was shocking for the time.

Iconic figures of the 1900’s Hellen Keller and Charlie Chaplin meet in 1919. Hellen Keller famous for creating braille and Charlie Chaplin famous for his silent films were both photographed here.

The roar at the start of MGM motion pictures is one that has become an iconic sound in Hollywood. Not everyone realizes that the roar is actually one of a real lion. That lion’s name was Jackie. She's pictured here during the recording of the famous roar.

 
When you hear the name Telsa today most of us think of the expensive car. Telsa was actually the creator of the “Magnifying Transmitter”. Here he is pictured with his machine in 1899.
When you think of wild sea life one doesn't typically think of New Jersey. However this Great Manta was caught in Brielle, New Jersey in 1933. The Great Manta weighed over 5,000 pounds.
 
Antarctica had been a mysterious land, unexplored for centuries. The British were one of the first to lead in the expedition of the inhabitable continent in 1911. They released some never before seen photographs of the continent. This is a photo from their expedition of a grotto iceberg they explored.


Woodstock is one of the most famous concerts of all times. When people think of the hippy age, Woodstock is undoubtedly a word that is conjured with the era. Here is a photo of the massive crowds gathered for the concert.


During the early 1900s, the building methods for the iconic New York skyline of today weren't the safest. In fact, many construction workers died in the process of constructing some of these high rise buildings. Here is a photograph of a construction worker for the Empire State building just hanging on a crane about New York City with no safety harness, very common for the time.

The nuclear bombing in reaction to the bombing of Pearl Harbor is one of the pieces of our dark destructive past. The United States bombed Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. This is a devastating photograph of one of the victim’s “nuclear shadows”.



The great Sphinx in Egypt has become one of the great wonders of the modern world. Today, millions of people make the expedition to Egypt to get a glance of the pyramids and the Sphinx. However, it was excavated until 1878, here is a photo of the excavation.

 
The great winter of 1911 in North America is one that went down in the history books. Temperatures of the time broke records. Even the great Niagara Falls complete froze over, here is a photograph of the falls completely frozen.


President John F. Kennedy was rumored to have had an affair outside his marriage to Jackie Kennedy with Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn at the time was one of Hollywood’s iconic film stars. Rumors grew after this photo of the two was released. http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara

Crouching tiger and balding eagle?

Crouching Tiger (Documentary, 2015)
Director: Peter Navarro

China, through their foreign envoys, continues to try to impress upon the rest of the world that they are a peaceful nation. From the time in history, they have been a nation of trade. They expanded their shipping fleet and extended their influences the world over in pursuit of peaceful trade until the Ming Dynasty's closed door policy when they decided to introspect with their own brand of realisation and Confucianism. Apparently, this system failed to satisfy the masses. Recent changes in their economic outlook had awoken the tiger from a long slumber.

Nehru, as the head of a newly independent democracy then, thought the best way to foster relationships with another great civilisation was through commerce. Unfortunately, he found out the hard way, that China has their own way of doing business when both countries engaged in a war in 1962 and India lost Tibet causing the Dalai Lama to abdicate.

Singapore, in the 90s, did the same only to leave with a bad after-taste and burnt fingers, deciding to look elsewhere for bilateral trade deals.

Back home, our country is trying to relive the 15th-century dynamics when China was the 'taiko' (Big Brother), and Malacca was the subservient servant as history tell us. The leaders have gladly given the gentlemen's handshake, inked the document and literally given a blank cheque to China's mysterious long term plans as a force to be reckoned with.

This documentary, directed by one of President Elect Donald J Trump's economic advisors, takes a paranoid view at the rise of China as an economic power. He interviews many US Military and Strategic advisors who paint a very bleak view of China's intentions to do business. They foresee China as also wanting to excel as a military force, expand their territory and eventually to exert their hegemonic power over the rest of the world.

In five one-hour episodes, the director discusses possibilities of US war with China, the world at the mercy of the Chinese might, the place of North Korea, Japan and Taiwan in the equation of the global military power balance.

A Greek philosopher, Thucydides, said that the rise of power and the increase in the might of one country would intimate its neighbours. Many leaders in history have stayed true to this policy. Whenever a country becomes strong, its neighbours takes it upon themselves to strengthen themselves so as not to be usurped by their neighbouring nation. This has been the law of nature. War is a necessary evil to propel our race to greater heights. America, as a newly independent nation then, decreed the Monroe Doctrine to keep the European powers out of the Caribbean Islands and South America.

Now China is preparing a two-island strategy, from the southern tip of Japan all through Taiwan till the South East Asia island strips, to create a war of defence and power over much of East Asia and the Pacific. After centuries of humiliation by foreign forces, the British, the French, the Russians and even the Japanese, they had their territories carved away a bit by a bit. Sea commerce had always been their strong point. Now, the question is whether the strengthening of the Chinese fleet is for the protection of its routes or for world domination? Can it rise safely or will it grow up like an autistic child with a dangerous toy to play and would not heed to advice? With their ability the produce low-cost defence equipment and anti-access strategy, are we heading for a headlong collision?

The Chinese military capability has dwarfed the US might of late. Their DF21 delta styled anti-aircraft carrier missiles, their torpedo sea-mines, their new generation 'silent' submarines all send chills down the spines of the Yankees. The next world war would probably be fought in space, outer space and cyberspace! With the Chinese prowess to steal intellectual properties, US military secrets, the Americans are basically sitting ducks. China, under their thumb, just may have the power to disrupt financial markets, destroy critical infrastructure, satellites, banking sector, water, power grid and other essential amenities. If the next war may be fought in outer space, is not an irony that the US is wrapping its space program while China is going gangbusters into space dominance?
North Korea, the spoilt little kid with a nuclear warhead, continues to pose a security threat to the US. It is under the direct patronage and protection of the Chinese and helps to keep US interference in the Pacific rim in check. Taiwan, on the other hand, is US counterbalance of the Chinese. History has shown, from the example of British PM Neville Chamberlain's faux pas in 1938 of signing a 'grand bargain treaty' with Hitler only to have the Germans attack Poland, not to trust the enemies.

China will never forget Japan's 'Rape of Nanking' before the onset of World War 2. Their territorial disputes over Senkaku/Dioyu Islands and Okinawa stays till date. Okinawa was part of China long ago, before modern history. The trouble is these strategic locales are important in China's two-island defence plan but ICJ does not entertain claims of control before 1890. Hence, China could pick up a fight if it wants to!

With these paranoid ideas which would probably border on conspiracy theories, this offering provides yet another reason to lose your sleep and reaffirm the scriptures' nihilistic outlook on mankind and the human race on the whole. Every new beginning starts with a bang. Think about it.


http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara

Karma bites back?

Death by China: How America lost its Manufacturing Base (2012)
Writer, Director, Narrator: Peter Navarro

As the world and the economic punters go on double guessing what President-Elect Donald J Trump and his team may bring to the table, this documentary, made by one of his financial advisors, Peter Navarro, may give an insight into what is in store for the next four years.

Twenty years ago, Singapore, one of the up and coming Tigers of the East roared itself to build cordial economic relationships with the then newly open economy of the New China. Pretty soon, Singapore had to retreat, licking its wounds with a bitter aftertaste.

Near home, under the guise reliving and recreating a time beaten era when Chinese ships graced our shores, and into our cosmopolitan ports, China is making big inroads into our space, our land and even salvaging our bad debts. This documentary will drive the adage that there is no such thing of a free lunch. Like the witch in Hansel and Gretel, all the feeding could just be a ploy to fatten up for the big kill!

After watching this presentation, it would appear crystal clear why Trump won the elections, and it would be unthinkable to assume otherwise.

With Nixon's 1972 seminal visit to China, the trade gates with the USA opened. Bill Clinton ushered China in the World Trade Organisation (WTA) to increase bilateral commerce. Unfortunately, over the years, the US may notice that the arrangement was lopsided. The Chinese flooded the American market with substandard, cheap and potentially unhealthy products. The currency manipulation by the Chinese gave them an unfair advantage. The multinational companies are also guilty of putting national interest aside in favour of profit to relocate factories in China. Small and medium enterprises had no choice but to relocate, unable to stay afloat with lower production cost in China. This robbed jobs from the American plant and factory workers. Pictures of abandoned factories in America soon became a familiar landscape.

The US of A, over the decades after the World War 2, have been instrumental in orchestrating political directions in many third world countries the world over to suit business climate in their favour. When the tide turns around, when karma bites back, they cry like babies. They whine and allege foul play. They say the Chinese do not care about the environment. They pollute the world with their the unabated toxic waste. The Chinese towns are most polluted cities in the world. They contribute vastly to carbon emission and environmental degradation. They have no respect for human rights and do not have labour laws. They force prisoners in labour camps with long hours of work to increase the country's productivity. They do not respect intellectual property. They promote piracy and counterfeits.

Another bone of contention with the Americans is how the production of military sensitive equipment and software are outsourced to China. It puts the US in a precarious situation as their national security may come under threat. The Chinese are known to copy and mass produce, even military hardware, putting the USA at the mercy of the increasing Chinese military might.

The filmmaker accuses the American multinational companies of selling out on its citizens. They did not use their resources to keep jobs for the Americans. The smaller industries could not compete anyway. He suggests that the trade reform is reviewed to balance trade. Research and development should go in tandem with production. The unholy union between politicians and entrepreneurs need to be nipped. Navarro emphasises that the criticism that he hurls is made against the Communist Party of China, not to the people of China, as they just want to survive and are oppressed. It is not the People's Republic of China but the Communist Party of China who called the shots.

He also tries to wake the patriotism of the Americans to resist the temptation to purchase the cheaper Chinese product which would increase US deficit but to buy American. It is easier said than done as it appears that there no more American products in the market.p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #454545; min-height: 14.0px} http://asok22.wix.com/rifle-range-boy
http://.facebook.com/farouk.gulsara