The Internationale - why the obsession?

Recently, or perhaps not so recently, I have been mildly impressed and indeed intrigued (it makes my hairs on the back of my neck stand on end) by the communist anthem The Internationale.

"Oh!", I hear you yelp; this from Darren the Thatcherite - how can that be?! The tune is blood-curdling and the passion with which it is sung is nonetheless electric. These worker-strugglers stood up for what they believed in and looking back with Cold War distance it is easy to mock - but also less challenging to appreciate it.

A German version is particularly rousing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aRF4aN5C6U&feature=fvw
Not to mention several Soviet renditions.
The Chinese don't do a bad job of rousing the party-faithful either.
And for those of you who know anything of Japanese nationalists - get the irony?!?! - this is wonderful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRkRiOYFs4A&feature=related

Mind you listening to an Hewbrew version - that sounds like Milk and Honey from the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhbMuW_RxP4&feature=related) it's perhaps not all doom and gloom or taken too serious either. You can compare and contrast with: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqFOxKPD_Ok&feature=related

On YouTube it's in virtually every imaginable language: Norwegian, French, Greek, Bangladeshi, and it goes on and on.....I even found it Burmese.

Marx was fool, Engel his equally idiotic side-kick, yet the lure of equality appeals even now. And perhaps it's right that it does: capitalism has taken a knock of late, but I still feel it's the most logical of human life-systems - the one that rewards those who deserve to be rewarded and penalises those who perhaps should be disadvantaged.

Yet, the powerful notion that we're all due something in life from government, from our fellow citizens, from God, is compelling and has ramifications for non-communist doctrines like capitalism. My Great-Uncle Jack has been a communist / socialist all of his life and a great life he's had too; I respect the history and origins of such beliefs, of such Weltanschauungen (world philosophies / views) but that framework of a solution is defunct, distressed, deserted.

We cannot and should not ignore our fellow man, we are all responsible for the good of our village, community and ultimately planet. This responsibility transcends left and right and currently the world is failing largely to acknowledge this obligation.

Yet the hypocrisy of communism should not be lost on anyone, especially the Nepalis in the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAxz0ECZ-Lo&feature=related where an adherent proudly wears an Arsenal football top - overtly displaying a symbol of both the submission of a sport to rampant capitalism and corporate manipulation - O2....?!!?

The world is crazy. But I love it.

How difficult can it be to wash ones hands? Surely easy.

Well that's what I naively thought before I ventured into the downstairs lavs at my work place.

Singapore is a great nation for educating its people and indeed ensuring that public information instructions are regularly delivered on a myriad of topics. A recent campaign in the underground, encourages boarding passengers to let the alighting individuals off first - then barge full steam ahead to get a seat - usually the priority seat also. This latter resting place is intended for the frail, pregnant and old; usually what happens is an able-bodied person of any age and/or sex plonks themselves down, makes themselves comfortable and resolutely refuses to budge even for one-armed, pregnant octogenarians - of which I must admit there are relatively few in sterile baby-poor Singapore.

The offending sitter is equally likely to be male, female, of teenage or middling years - and worse still, they are quite inclined to even pretend to be asleep or be engrossed in their play-station so as not to have yield their perch for a perhaps more deserving lackey.

Anyway, back to my rant.

Oh, before, I forget, talking of letting people out before you march in: I was in the elevator this morning at work and was quite encumbered with my pepper chicken puff, sweet tea (teh c) and numerous baggage items. As we approached the 3rd floor, I readied myself to exit the lift and as the doors parted I was for a split-second glared at by a middle-aged woman, on her mobile who regardless of my intent to exit (this was the top floor and the lift was going down) proceeded to push her way into the lift - as if it would descend any more quickly just because she'd managed to force her way in, even before the doors were actually fully opened...!

In my incredulity, I snipped: "You should let people out first! Then you'll find it easier to get in!" To which she retorted (increasing my pique of disbelief): "You didn't exit quick enough!" Amazing: I couldn't exit because she was right in the middle of the curtaining doors and blocked my way out....I was stunned and could only bring myself to yell back: "You stupid wench!" I'm sure she even understood what a wench is, but I felt sated.

So back to my hand-washing.

I did, in all honesty, think people should (thanks primarily to primary school teachers and perhaps even doting parents) know how to wash their hands. Well apparently not in Singapore and people need reminding. What I didn't know as can be clearly seen in the photo I snapped while in the gents (not a wise thing to do usually, I add) is that astonishingly, there are indeed 8 steps of good hand-washing. Now that's impressive.

Does anyone out there know what they are?

Card fraud - oh my word, I'm liable

Well, I must confess I had heard that in Singapore the cardholder is actually liable for any fraudulent activity relating to ones card - but we're creatures of ostrich propensity and I never really paid much attention to this niggling difference. In the UK, and a vast array of other "developed" nations, the merchant is actually liable for fraudulent transactions and has an obligation, therefore, to check the identity of the cardholder when they make a purchase.

They check your signature and may even ask for photo ID if you're buying something expensive.

Not so in beautiful Singers...here you can (and believe me cos I've done it) sign your name at Batman, Hitler or Mickey Mouse and the merchant won't bat an eyelid [pardon the pun].... why? Because they're not bloody liable, that's why.

It's a sham that's recently been highlighted in the local press and NOW at long last the Monetary Authority of Singapore is calling the banks to task on this -- but how long will it take to action?

The greatest irony of this all is that my credit card from Citibank - oh yes I shall name and shame - actually re-issued my about-to-expire card; the irony? Well, my previous card which expired on 31st August was a photo-card complete with a delightful mugshot of yours truly. The new "enhanced" card came complete without Darren's beaming visog but accessorised (and I use that term purposely) with a PIN chip built-in.

More secure, I hear you yell..!

Well, except that Singapore hasn't instituted a Chip and PIN scheme so the chip is redundant - you can't even eat the damn thing - so what's the point of that....!?

I have intelligence that the culprit is a 30+ male of Indian descent - how ironic...do you suppose he'd have been as successful in separating me from my credit line with my blue-eyed lily white countenance glaring back at the merchant? I doubt it somehow....

Thanks Citibank - from security to stupidity in one fell re-issue.

I love banks....I love them like Kin Jung Il loves democracy - you simply can't bank on them.

Oh and the photo? What's that all about?

Well my dryer wasn't performing, [in fact it was taking over 2 hours to dry 2 towels, 3 shirts and a sock] so I investigated and found a ton of fluff inside the filter -- thank you Miss Landlady for preparing my flat so well and cleaning thoroughly for my move in. Mind you, the fluff does have something in common with the banks in Singapore: they're grey, they're soiled, the lurk in dark corners with little or no transparency and worst of all, they stop the system from working properly...!

Good night.