The Dream vs The Dreamer

I have a dream
That one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:
'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia
The sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners
Will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression,
Will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin
But by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.

- Martin Luther King's infamous " I have a dream" speech. Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in 1963.

This speech is considered one of the greatest speeches delivered in the 20st century. I don't know why, but when I heard the song "It was all a dream" by Jay-Z which bites the first verse of Notorious B.I.G "Juicy", I just thought of the "I have a dream speech". I think its the first line, check it...........

It was all a dream/
I used to read Word Up magazine/
Salt'n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine/
Hangin' pictures on my wall/
Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl/
I let my tape rock 'til my tape popped...............
You never thought that hip hop would take it this far/
Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight/
Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade....... "

I'm too tired to write anything else inspiring since I just left work at 8.30pm, ate dinner in the city and caught a cab home. Here's some random points:

1. This weekend will be less hectic than last weekend, as on Friday I went to Privilege to see what the fuss was about, Dinner at Amo Roma with some work people, salsa @ Hotel Chambers and then the Kanye West concert on Sunday.

2. Congrats to Aruni who's engaged! And to Simon who's having a buck's party on Saturday night.

3. . I was supposed to lead class discussion about franking credits and I was getting grilled like a George Foreman product by the lecturer. All I can say is this - I survived! Oh and I got 24/30 as well for my assignment.

Top dunks of the regular 2005 NBA season

The guy that should have won the dunk comp but was robbed

1) Vince Carter over Alonzo Mourning. That dunk.
2) Dwight Howard alley-oop - one arm fully outstretched behind his head before he crammed that sucker home.
3) AI to Andre Iguodala alley oop on the fastbreak - AI pretends to do a layup and throws it back for AI Squared who grabs it one handed and slams it.
4) Deron Williams penetration, hop, step, DUNK over some poor fool.

Dwight Howard aka Shaq Lite

5) Al Harrington to Josh Smith reverse alley oop, the way that was way too far behind him but only he could pull it in.
6) Lebron James tomahawk every night
7) 'Melo drives from half court, penetrates, and dunks over everyone
8) Jason Richardson - drive baseline, float underneath the basket, and then kaboom, one handed flush.
9) Dwyane Wade - too many to count. He's posterized everyone.
10) There's a couple of Paul Pierce hammer dunks and Jerry "Dont Call Me Geriatric" Stackhouse rising high crams which would also make the list.

Special mention for this dunk below to Nate Robinson (who knew that a guy 5 Foot 5 could dunk like this? He's like 160cms tall?!!!!!!!!!)

A DJ divided between two worlds

GEORGE: Ah you have no idea of the magnitude of this thing. If she is allowed to infiltrate this world, then George Costanza as you know him, Ceases to Exist! You see, right now, I have Relationship George, but there is also Independent George. That's the George you know, the George you grew up with -- Movie George, Coffee shop George, Liar George, Bawdy George.

JERRY: I, I love that George.

GEORGE: Me Too! And he's Dying Jerry! If Relationship George walks through this door, he will Kill Independent George! A George, divided against itself, Cannot Stand!

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Breaking up with someone is hard. But moving on is the hardest part. There's a part of me that wants to move on. And there's a part of me that wants to stay in contact with my ex. We were together for more than 5 years - since first semester in 2001 to February 10 2006.

The breakup of the Berlin Wall. This is how a break up feels like.

I posted up the Seinfeld comment because it reflects how I feel: A DJ divided between two worlds. It's actually in a different context about how George wants to keep his friends and his independece, and his relationship with Susan totally separate. And never the two shall meet.

My problem is several fold: Do I get back together with her or do I break free? If we sat down and tried to work things out, maybe we could. But would things really be different? Which leads to my next question: If i choose not to get back together, should we still stay in contact? And that is the dilemna I am in. Can I ever break the shackles of the old relationship so I can enter into a new one?

And that my friend is the "divided between two worlds" dilemna.

I was talking to this girl two nights ago, and she said that she couldn't move on with her life until she cut off all contact with her ex. But the thing is, we used to talk every day. Eat lunch in the city together. Go out like twice a week. I'm very good friends with her close friends. We were so dependent on each other during those years. We still talk to each other all the time. Whenever we have a problem, we still run to each other. I still carry her photo in my wallet. I still accidentally dial her number when I'm calling home.

On the issue of cutting all contact, I feel that option is just cruel. We were really close, how could I live like that? Who am I going to turn to if I have problems? Maybe I have to learn to be independent again. Cause I felt like I went into battle with her by my side everytime. It was like me and her against the world. And that's why its hard for me to be single.

Post break up, they say (not me - Dr Phil and Richard Mercer wannabe's), you need one month for every year you've broken up before you start dating again. I'd consider asking a girl out, but my friend PJ was like "Your on the rebound DJ. Your just looking for a girl". That might be the case, so females stay away (not that I attract them in the first place). I think for me since I've been in a relationship for so long, I feel like I need someone in my life to some extent. And its a horrible feeling. For those that are single, you've learnt to be independent. I've lost that to a certain degree and I need to get it back that independent side.
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(Elaine enters)

GEORGE: You're Killing Independent George! You know that, don't you?

You've been barred

Martin Place Bar not on a Saturday: notice the number of non-Asians
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I have a huge assignment due in 4 days and i have not written a single word. This is going to be interesting. I was supposed to start writing this weekend, but i've managed to waste the majority of my day looking up basketball news, reading other people's blogs, talking to my ex, and so on. It's 5.30pm, and I should be starting to do something but instead I'm updating my blog.

Raising the bar

On a friday night, i can typically be found at one of these high class establishments and here's a rundown on each one:

Bar 333
For some reason I always end up here at some stage during the night. Downstairs is for white folks, upstairs is for everyone else. They try to turn upstairs into some kind of classy nightclub by having "shirt's with collars only", with a dancefloor the size of my toilet.

The funniest line i've used at trip 3? On the dancefloor I told this girl that my friend was dancing with:

"Did you know that he's got several AVO orders against him?"

Needless to say, she ran faster than Ben Johnson on steriods. Regulator / cockblock 1.Oh and the bar tenders downstairs are hot. For some reason on a saturday night, this place is jumping and the clientlie is so hot right now.

Ryan's Bar, Australia Square

Interesting. During the day its full of officeworkers eating lunch in the open table areas. By nightfall, its totally changed. the officeworkers come back, some in nice dresses, live band starts belting out songs, and the atmosphere is awesome and the hotdogs are unhygenic. Bartenders hot!

Brooklyn Hotel
Ah the brookie, my spiritual home! Inside it turns into a hip hop nightclub full of asians and indians (high levels of crunk and cries of lil jon 'What's" can be found inside). Outside is just packed with workers from Grosvenor Place building. Big ups to the security guard who thinks he knows me.

Equilibrium
One of those newer uber establishments. Located at world square, its compulsory for all of Ernst&Young employees to be found there. Place is jumping on a friday night. The place looks weird at the back, like I've stepped outta Dr Who's timemachine with that mirror on the wall/fire place setup. The vodka lounge is upstairs and the stubborn security guard refused me entry twice due to having drink in my hand and then the "private function, sir" excuse but was willing to let up a bunch of other randoms upstairs. NAZI'S!

Martin Place Bar
Too loud, too many people. Full of suits on Friday. Full of asians on Saturday. And I'm down with the bouncer here as well - a friend from my UTS basketball playing days.

Establishment

The sleaziest place in Sydney, according to some of Sydney's rags. The place is expensive, and the bar tenders think they've got flair ie. i asked for a bottle of water and the dude chucked it over his shoulder and dropped it. Spectacular.

Opera Bar
I like this place. It's a massive open area in front of and underneath the opera house. I think most of sydney's hottest women can be found here. Must be the water. Drinks are expensive, music is just right, and outside is better than the gloomy interiors.

Belgian Bier Cafe & Bavarian Bier Cafe
I've grouped them together, cause essentially they are the same thing. Good food but you'll take a hit to the liver. And they serve imported german/european beers (or is that biers). Have the leffe blonde and I don't mean that blonde on your left. I like the wooden interiors, gives it a nice euro style look.

Jackson's On George: One word - dodgy.


I'm out like our domination of the Commonwealth Games,

DJ Ho.

A day in the life of an analyst

I did this exercise before, and I found it quite interesting. Here's a breakdown of my day.
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7.10am: wakeup, shower, breakfast, change clothes and go.

8am: missed three trains i was supposed to catch, finally get this one

9.15am: delayed by the train line, I finally arrive at the client site. I'm on secondment you see.

9.15am - 12pm: assist client with tax operations, analyse financial figures, reconcile numbers.

12-12.30pm - travel back to the office, catchup with colleagues since I've been out of the office for a while.

12.30 - 2pm: Attend training presentation on LICS:"Listed Investment Companies". I learn that it is a unique industry with 25 on the ASX with mulitple cross ownership, with no major industry representation. With the new tax rules being introduced, it will basically kill of LICs in Australia. More importantly, I stock up on as much free food as I can - 10 mini sandwiches, 1/2 litre of orange juice and as much fruit mentos as I can put in my pockets.

2-2.30pm: learn that we are moving seats and start packing up my things into boxes. Then walk back to client site. See a partner in a totally differnet department walking in, say hi - other analyst notices that i am connected like the mob.

2.30 - 4.30pm: Continue the morning's work. It's actually not very efficient as I'm stopping and starting.

5-6.30pm: Arrive back at the office for team meeting. Hear about our financials, group results, get introduced to the new starters. More importantly - drink two glasses of Chardonnay and make sure that I pour the bottle for my partner's glass. Perform some group activity - we do charades and I am tarzan, beating my chest whilst rescuing Jane and killing a monkey while swinging across the room. Consider taking alcohol down to my desk, but realise that this looks cheap.

6.30 - 6.45pm: Check emails and finish packing up my desk.

6.45 - 7pm: Walk to my friend's desk and catch up with her. We debate whether or not to go to another analyst's b'day drinks. I decide to head down but am stopped multiple times by other people. Someone holds the door open for me and I recognise him as the head of one of our major departments and I thank him using his unusual first name. The other analyst notes this and laughs at how I act as if I am on a first name basis.

7-8pm: Drinks at the BBC except I don't drink. Too much wine makes a DJ go sleepy. Girl in our group is acting very drunk and embarrassing us. Decide that it is a good time to make my exit.

8-8.30pm: Train it home. Read the Ralph recommendations on dividend streaming for my assignment. Arrive home and get call from another analyst about Masters email and help him out.

8.30-9.30pm: Change clothes and shower. Eat dinner. Talk to family.

9.30-10.30pm: Study dividend streaming and return of capital rules. Read class rulings and journal articles.

10.40: Updating blog.

11pm: More study, pack bag for social basketball game tomorrow night with another work department (great opportunity for networking!). Sleep early coz got Masters the next day.


And there you have it folks, a day in the life of an analyst in a big company trying his best to make it in this world. Glamorous? Maybe not. Busy? Yes. Hectic? A little.

I feel like a corporate high flyer in my suit, walking in and out of client offices, my home base, straight into meetings, eating as much free food and drink as I can, dressed in my black suit.

Peace Out,

DJ Ho.

10 Things Cheney's Hands Can Do

Click on the photo to make it bigger. Notice how I airbrushed the middle to remove the advertiser's logo and inserted my own website. Now that's some photoshop editing. Personally, I like impalement and choking.

DJ Ho.

p.s. I took down the Muslim cartoons from my blog out of respect and tolerance for other's cultures.

Catchup - how i'm doing

Catchup/Ketchup: Get it punk ?

I haven't written anything personal on my blog lately (democracy, Mac Bank, Pinball machine, etc.....) were more important topics, so here a quick breakdown of what i've been up to.

Putting in Work

I restarted my Masters class today. It was so good - the lecturer was awesome, the class is full of work people, and its held at my workplace. What more could i ask for? It's held during work hours as well. I'm so spoilt and i don't pay a single cent. It's one of the few things that I look forward to during the work week.

And in other work related news, I go on secondment tomorrow - so I'll be based at a big bank for the next month and be treated as one of their employees. They'll be training me up on their IT systems and I'll be sitting next to all their regular employees. But I've done it before. I've been based at this client for 2 months in the past year or so. Looks glamorous on the outside, but usually we don't have internet access, we have less control over our work hours, we don't have choice over where we sit.

Legal Admission

For those that keep bugging me, here's the deal - I handed in my forms today to be admitted as a lawyer. I actually qualified in October 2005 but couldn't be stuffed doing anything about it. I'll be admitted (lock it in) on 7 April 2006. that is the day DJ Ho becomes Solicitor Ho. So Aleks, make sure you are there to move my admission!

Breakups to makeups

I'm not sure if I've deliberately put this down the list and buried it on purpose. But here goes (deep breath): Dawen and I broke up before Valentines Day. Let the record show that it was a mutual breakup. After 5 years, things were not going the way we planned and we are both moving on. We are still on talking terms and still remain pretty good friends. And that's all I'm prepared to say at this point.

And no, in case your wondering - I am not single and on the prowl. I think i'm not going to do anything for the next 6 months or even more. I need my space.

Friends

My best friend Tim who i've known throughout high school has gone to Canada/New York/UK to work in the ski fields/bars/NBA front office. May the force be with you. And he's got a blog too!

I also inspired Aleks to start up a blog over a conversation at Angel Bar. In fact, I set it up for him. I'm sure Sheena's impressed :P

Hip Hop

Coming up is the Kanye West concert, can't wait. Also planning to see my dog, Snoop Dogg in April. Ok that was a really bad joke. Gin and Juice, What's my Name, Signs - all Snoop classics. Public Enemy are also coming, i'd like to go but since Tim's not here, who else is there that's down with real old skool hip hop? Holla back if you are.

Good to see that rappers are commendable citizens

I'm also going to see Nathan Tasker this weekend. He's not really hip hop, in fact he's very far from it. He's an Australian Christian artist and I've got a signed copy of his CD! In fact I spoke to him and told him how I like it when artist does a solo act without their band. His response "You like that? I'll have do it at my next concert!". YEAH!

Basketball

My finger is jarred at the moment since I played on Sunday. I did it in the middle of the third game we played but kept going and then played a fourth game to 21. It's a bit swollen and bruised. It was killing during the game. But you know what? IT'S GO HARD OR GO HOME! I've also joined a second work basketball group that just play socially.

Overall

I'm not in a very good mood. It's a combination of many things. I snapped on Friday at a colleague. I'm just in not in a good mood when things get frustrating and people have noticed it as well. We all have our ups and downs. Hopefully with Masters, Secondment, Kanye & Snoop, and basketball I've got something to take my mind off things.

Peace Out.

DJ HO.

p.s. tell me what's happening in your world.

What is your deepest fear?

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were all meant to shine as children do.
Its not just in some of us, its in everyone.
As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear
Our presence automatically liberates others

- Temo Cruze in the movie Coach Carter

MAC'king

Yesterday, we were supposed to play basketball against Mac Bank but it turned out to be another finance company. It’s motivated me to write a piece about them aka The Millionaire’s Factory aka Macquarie Bank Limited. I’ve been meaning to do it since 8 months ago especially when they were in their frenzied acquisition stage.

For many people, the term “Mac Bank” means different things. For graduates it is one of the places to be. For investors, it was a place to put all their hard earned cash as the price skyrocketed from $20 to $75 in the last couple of years. For fund managers, they have been in awe but lately they have been calling for their heads. For companies, it represents a source of capital and advice. For public infrastructure and the government, it has been a godsend.

But for many of us, it is still an impenetrable fortress. And we don’t know exactly how this mysterious place works. A lot of my information is taken from articles I’ve read, internet, conversations with two directors of Mac Bank, their financial report, examining their ASX disclosures to the stock market, reports to potential American and Asian investors and just stuff I know in general.


Background

Without boring you too much, here’s the 411. It started out as an offshoot of the UK bank Hill Samuel & Co in the early 70’s and originally had only 12 people (much less than the current 7000 staff). Back then it only operated in forex. They recognised that deregulation of financial markets was on the government agenda and that forex was the area to be in. In 1985, they changed the name to Macquarie Bank and came to a crucial cross road that faces many SME’s: Do we remain stable or do we grow bigger?

They chose growth and the rest is history.

Mac began in a specific area but broadened its focus to full-service merchant banking i.e. an investment bank now colloquially known as an “i-bank”. It offered the traditional services expected like corporate advisory, M&A, IPO’s, stockbroking, trading, equity research analysis, debt market finance, and private client wealth management.


What makes them different to a traditional i-bank

In the mid 90’s they took a gigantic leap. Laterally. With cash, an entrepreneurial mindset and a bit of risktaking, they bought half of the M5 motorway for $50m. Their first big play was a risky one to outsiders, but a calculated move into the infrastructure market. Now they are one of the world’s biggest players in the public/private infrastructure market.

This lateral move represents the uniqueness of Mac Bank. A lot of i-banks make direct investment and take them onto their balance sheet. But to me, the difference is in their ability to think laterally with an entrepreneurial focus yet still to be able to manage their risks. Mac was able to enter areas which were unheard of for an i-bank, particulary the area of public infrastructure that was being privatised. The difference is in the deals which they invest in.

Their strength lies in its capability to build adjacent businesses next to their core business. For example, I read that they went from one little desk servicing mortgages until someone came up with a brilliant idea about mortgage origination and they built a multi million dollar business out of it. These guys went from one M5 toll road, to owning toll roads in Virginia, Indiana, Isle of Man ferry and in the process of buying the London Stock Exchange. It is said that the executives receive on average one to two new business ideas a day.

Their direct investment formula is to pick unique assets with secure long term cash flows. Allan Moss their current CEO, outlined why they bought airports in a recent article. Each city usually has only one airport. The citizens have to use it to fly in and out and therefore there is a constant flow of traffic. The Isle of Man Ferry is another good example. It is the only mode of transport from London to the Isle of Man. They love to pick assets which hold monopoly positions which minimize their risk.

After buying them, they will bundle them up into a trust and usually but not always list them on the stock exchange. Then, investors, big institutions, fund managers, jump on board like crazy and start doling out their cash.

Some people use the analogy of a solar system to describe Macquarie Bank’s business model. The bank itself is the sun and the adjacent businesses spin around it like planets and moons. Macquarie is a lot bigger than people realise. It is worth about $40bn from memory and is fast making its name in the global market. Originally it just focused on the Australian market but it is fast drying out. They are now scouring the world, noticeably Asia-Pacific and the US for more assets and deals. In terms of size, it is still a lot smaller than your traditional bulge bracket i-banks like Merrills, Goldmans, etc…


Can the solar system ever collapse?

Mac Bank has a very strong risk management system in place. In fact if you look at their business model, it uses concentric circles to explain how it works. One of the inner circles is risk management, and the business is built around that. Although they come up with a lot of new ideas, a lot of time is still spent doing due diligence, crunching the numbers and understanding the broader risks. The risk management people consider worse case scenarios and the downside of what could happen. But even then, mistakes can happen.

I spoke to one of the directors last year during their frenzy stage and asked him “How do you balance the entrepreneurial mindset and the risk taking?” He actually was taken aback by my question, and mentioned that he was a little bit worried himself about all these new deals coming through. He justified it by saying that they assess the numbers and try to understand the risks as much as possible.

There was a very interesting article that came about at the frenzy stage and made the comparison of Mac to Enron: A fast growing business which not many people understand, and the share price just keeps skyrocketing. One of the problems (among many) with Enron, is that many people including stock analysts themselves had an unwavering belief in the company without any grasp of what the company was doing. It was a reflexive growth – the share price went higher, because people believe that it could.

The other similarity is that Enron became one of the most diverse businesses you could ever come across. Enron also took advantage of deregulation. If you look at the success that Mac Bank has had, from its early inception to now, it has been around the ability to take advantage of deregulated markets. The move into PPP’s (Private Public Infrastructure) is a great example. The government has been looking to sell of its infrastructure assets since the late 80’s and Mac was able to be the first mover into that area. It continues to do in far ranging places as governments try to spin off these assets - that is the risk and the financial capital needed to build these things into the private market. Macquarie Infrastrucre Group itself, an offshoot is now worth around $9bn.

I think Mac Bank has a lost of bit of its shine since September last year. I’ve all for risk taking but there are rumblings that the bank entered into too many acquisition deals. The reason they did that? To gain momentum. They were announcing new deals after new deal like there was no tomorrow. Every day, you would open the business section of the newspaper, and there would be multiple stories about Mac. There was so much that the term “Macquisition” was being used. The latest word is that all the infrastructure funds all 25 of them, aren’t doing very well and more assets will be moved off their balance sheet. Time will only tell how big the Macquarie solar system gets.

The Millionaire's factory

Mac takes real good care of their employees. Most of the directors are on some crazy salaries with stock options to boot. And lot of the executives are quite young. I remember seeing a very young guy, 28 years old who was director and was on the Young Rich List. And this dude was on a salary, not an entreprenuer or actor or athlete. They call it the Millionarie's factory because Mac produces more millionaire's than any other company. They reward ability and promote these young guns very quickly. It's either up or out.

I'm out like Mac'king,

DJ Ho.

Democracy (in Jay-Z voice): so necessary

I've started a new habit/hobby. Instead of reading on the train or plain staring out the window, I whip out a pen and pad and start writing. About anything - about basketball, life, a poem, or in this case about human rights. Some of it is intended to be posted on my blog, others will remain concealed and will never see the light of day. This is one I've been working on since I came back from NZ.
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Is Democracy a basic human right?
1 March

Whenever my brother and I are travelling on public transport, people stop. Stare. And listen. Maybe it's the way we look. More likely its what we talk about. We talk about normal everyday stuff like music, uni, our friends, random stuff. But more often that not the convo's get deep and we start talking about current events, politics, geo-political news, war, economics, business.

Last Friday on the plane trip to NZ was no different. I brought up the Schappelle Corby trial, Guantomo bay and the ideal that everyone was entitled to a fair trial. I stated that there were basic universal human right like:
- freedom of speech
- freedom of religious choice
- right to be free of persecution
- right to a fair trial
and so on.............

He then hit me with a counterpunch with the force of Ali: "So your saying that democracy is a human right? Cause those things can exist in a democratic country". I thought about it and was stumped. He made a good point.

I normally associate the term democracy with politics, as in the right to be able to freely elect a government. But there are other things that flow from it. I just fundamentally don't believe that democracy is a basic human right. But how can I not? Those freedoms can only truly exist in a democratic society.

I think that most people would agree that the rights I listed above would be within basic human rights but also disagree that democracy is one of them. The system of government that a country has in its place we (outsiders) cannot control or modify. I am a big proponent of state sovereignty - the right of a nation to govern itself and to have its preferred political system in place. We have to respect that. And recently we've seen war waged on a country (ahem, Iraq) in the name of bringing democracy to the Iraqi peoples. The weapons argument didn't quite work out. For the outsiders to impose a system of governance would stretch our ideals too far.

So can democracy and basic human rights be separated or reconciled?I'm not sure. I'm not convinced that democracy is the answer to human rights. But the idea of human rights most probably sprung from democracy.

I look at countries like Singapore, that is considered "democractic" and first world. But I also consider the restrictions they have on their peoples. State control of media, curtailment of people movement, no mental element required for drug offences. Then I spin the world globe and place my eye on the land of the free, America. There is no basic wage rate, high levels of poverty, inequality of distribution of wealth. But relatively speaking, the human rights in these democratic countries are surely a lot better than in non-democratic nations.

This is because, for every level of state protection that we strip away we increase our freedoms. Hence every layer of regulation we add on, we restrict our freedoms. Therefore to have real freedoms, that is the idea of basic human rights we must have democracy. Democracy and human rights must go hand in hand. It is a symbiotic relationship. We cannot have one without the other. If we have state controlled media like in China, can the views of the oppressed/marginalised/those that have a view different to the government be heard? Most likely not.

I recognise that my views are biased/tainted. Being raised in Australia and taught at free thinking institution (UTS!) and learning about Western laws has influenced my way of thinking. Human rights is surely a western ideal pushed heavily by Western governments, media, Non Government Organisations's like the UN and other advocate groups in democractic countries. If Indonesia/Iraq/China ruled the world instead of Western countries, would our views on human rights and democracy be different? Of course. Dictatorship/Communism/Muslim type governments would be encouraged and the Western ideas of human rights would be curtailed. Instead, Western countries rule the world and dictate that democracy is the solution to many of the world's poorer countries.

In honestly, I don't think democracy is utopia. But it surely is a good place to start in securing basic freedoms.

Now isn't the world a better place?

DJ Ho.

p.s. if i don't "bring it" today against Mac Bank in our bball game, let it be known that I was blogging at 4.30am. Thankyou Howard for bringing that to my attention that we aren't playing Mallesons (PUNK!)