Critical Passages and Chokepoints

The world's critical waterway chokepoints affecting trade, supplies, shipping and tourism have always been relevant for a long time now. The UK and Europe has taken strategic and stakeholder interests in Suez - while the USA even took control of the land strips beside the Panama Canal. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Dutch, Portuguese and British fought for the Straits of Malacca. Singapore sits at the southern end of the Malacca Straits, a very important junction between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. The Black Sea is vital to Russia, Ukraine and the surrounding landlocked states, thereby making the Bosporus Straits near Istanbul a vital opening to the Sea of Marmara. What about other significant water passages that are of value, historical concern and contemporary risk? The Sea of Japan between the southern Japanese island of Kyushu and the Korean Peninsular. The Mongols in the 13th century CE launched ships to attempt conquering the Japanese isles, but were rebuffed by typhoons in 1274 and 1281, that are now fondly referred to as the Kamikaze ( Divine Winds). The Straits of Gilbratar, narrow and small as it may be, is the only gateway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The British still maintain a tiny colonial foothold in Gilbratar, sandwiched between Spain and Morocco. Command of a narrow but strategic waterway pays off not only in military advantages, but also historically in revenue collection, geopolitical bargaining and in trading. The Torres Strait lies between Papua New Guinea and Cape York Peninsular in northern Queensland. It forms the shortest stretch of ocean between Asia and Australia. It was a channel of cultural exchange, trade and biological influences long before British settlement and the formation of modern Australia. The Baltic Sea, particularly the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothmia, are of top security and national importance to Russia and its neighbours of Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia , Finland, Poland and Sweden. Underwater cables carrying data and communications, submarine use and a much needed relatively fair weather water passageway out of landlocked territories - all these offer benefits and stakeholder advantages. The Taiwan Straits is near the economically vibrant Bay area of southern China and her key cities of Shenzhen, Xiamen, Hong Kong and Macao. Taiwan was named as Formosa (the Beautiful Island) by the Portuguese maritime explorers. Apart from the Taiwan Indigenous ( who are related to the Polynesians), Taiwan had been populated from the 17th century onwards, by migrants ( Hakkas and Hoklos) from the southern Chinese provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, before being taken over by Japan when the island nation won the Sino-Japanese War in 1895 against Qing Dynasty China. After the Japanese Imperialists surrendered in 1945 in the closure of the Second World War in the Pacific, Taiwan was returned to a China fighting a civil war. The Nationalists in China fled to Taiwan when they lost political control of the mainland to the Communists in 1949. In the almost 80 years since, Taiwan has been governed in varying ways different from mainland China. The Johore Straits separate the island republic of Singapore from the peninsular of the Federation of Malaysia. There are two causeways, fully utilised to the core every day with goods, produce and people. The Japanese Imperial army crossed over in early 1942 from the north ( Malayan peninsular) to take over British colonial Singapore in a few weeks. The Johore Straits divides two separate nations which were once together in the same Federation, but now differ in several key features. A sizeable number of people reside on the Johore side of the Straits but work in Singapore. Halong Bay lies south of Guang Xi Province of China, which borders northern Vietnam. That area of water also has the tropical Chinese island of Hainan nearby. It has witnessed the intense bombings over Hanoi and Haiphong during the worst years of the American War in Vietnam. Halong Bay has scenic limestone outcrops dotted over water. The St. Lawrence Seaway is the economic pipeline for eastern Canada, where most of her national population resides - and also for the north eastern United States. The so called seaway is a huge system of canals, rivers and locks that facilitate shipping, supplies, people movement and societal linkages. From inland provinces and small townships, it connects them to the northern Atlantic and serves the needs of two nations. Both national capitals of the USA and Canada are geographically near this never to be under estimated feature. Between Communist Cuba and Florida ( most south easterly state of the USA) is a stretch of water that does not take long to traverse. Known as the Straits of Florida, it connects the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean. Refugees are familiar with its waters. Pirates roamed to plunder and seize two and three centuries ago. It can be a geopolitical beach head just north of the Caribbean, which itself has a variety of tax havens, economically challenged societies and vacation spots. California has an economic and financial vitality that exceeds many of the world's independent nations. It has a long Pacific Ocean coast, viable diverse migrant demographics and apart from Hawaii, is the setting for key military installations for the West Coast of the USA. The Bering Straits separate mainlands of both Russia and the USA ( Alaska). It is said human beings walked over landbridges that existed long ago before the sea waters of the Straits rose up. The Straits represent a geographical divide between two large nations with stark comparisons in governance, philosophy and culture. The English Channel is what keeps the European continent distinct from the British Isles. Nazi bombers, Saxon invaders, Roman Empire legions and contemporay migrants from outside Europe have all crossed this narrow geographical feature. The North Sea, stormy as it mostly is, is a buffer between Scotland, Iceland and Scandinavia. Petroleum rich, it is also a passage to Greenland and the Arctic. Occupying north western Europe, it had witnessed Viking sailing mastery of the waters. The Adriatic Sea was a strategic basin for the city state of Venice in the Renaissance. Evidence of Roman Empire settlements, architecture and heritage are accessible, for example, along the Croatian coasts. The Ottomans expanded along this part of mainland Europe, though they did not take Italy except for Sicily. The Adriatic remains significant today as a rough boundary between Catholic and Orthodox Christian Europe, or between Latin and Slav cultural regions. #yongkevthoughts

Greater Self Awareness

Reducing expectations is a necessary part of the personal process of letting go of the human penchant for attachment. Attachment reinforces expectations, expectations deepens attachment. Society exerts attachment in the pysche of every human being. We grow up and live consciously and subconsciously reinforcing attachment - and spend much in time, effort and finances in exercising that attachment. With attachment, comes addiction. The fuel for addiction in anything is personal expectation. It is definitely not easy to let go of attachment, as at every stage of human life, attachment is embedded in us - but we must be able to recognise it first before we can reduce and moderate it. Moderation in thought and practice only comes from an internal awakening - before then having a mindfulness about it. The awakening can be to recognise attachment coming from commercial drivers, political manipulation and personal deficiencies. Awakening can further arise from understanding why we have such addiction and expectation in several pronounced ways. For example, I reflect on why do I need round the clock news from media of any sort? Why do I expect to be able to try the latest yum food? Why do I possibly have the fear of missing out? Why do I feel the urge to visit another sensational foreign destination? Why must I have higher expectations of relatives than in acquaintances? When we manage to reduce our own level of expectations in others, the mind and emotion eases, opening up better pathways to evaluate and resolve a situation. Alongside a healthy process of reducing expectation, is the personal journey of increasing gratefulness for things, small or more, that already go right in our lives. The underlying constant requirement in each of us is the magic of personal awareness. Awareness helps us significantly to enable more observation and less reaction. We do not just observe the temporary nature of episodes, emotions and events, local or overseas, but also in ourselves. Our passing thoughts and feelings are truly not us, but only like fleeting clouds that pass us by. To be able to separate such matters is a first stage of reducing attachment. Awareness helps us in every aspect of our lifetime journey if we make the effort to embed it in everything we do. Awareness clarifies. Awareness helps in identifying causes and not just symptoms of a particular matter. Awareness makes us realise and identify the ever evolving motivations in ourselves and that of others. Are underlying reasons for our actions, thoughts and expectations instinctive, or have a specific cause for being, or are they due to some significant experience in our lives? Personal realisation helps us acknowledge our expectations and addictions. In so doing we understand better the attachments we carry. We are what we think. The mind can be the most powerful organ in rhe human body. Awareness can assist us to be moderate in approach, consumption and attitude. Moderation leads us to gratefulness, gratitude leads us to moderation. Once we can reduce our expectations, we chip down the hard rock of attachment, especially to external things and matters outside our selves. Within the journey of reducing attachment, we value what we already have. So the cycle can be summarised as such: Initial Awareness Less Distraction Greater Observation of Symptoms More Mindfulness Enhanced Focus Identifying Temporariness in Nature of Things Understanding Causes Reduced Expectations Less Addictions More Moderation Increased Gratitude More Effective Resolution Better Mental Health Less Attachment Even More Awareness To balance our approach to life, reducing attachment does not mean not recognising our personal level of energy, proactivity, initiative and turning our passions to reality. Our own positive characteristics and drive are our responsibilities to nurture and harvest from. We deal with them quietly and internally - we utilise them wisely in our independent journey of life. #yongkevthoughts

Oil Sufficiency in Nations - A Contrast

Singapore significantly plans ahead. She never seems to settle in a comfort zone for even a little while. Even if it does not produce oil at all, Singapore has invested long ago in massive refining capability, compared to Australia, New Zealand and other larger ASEAN nations. This comes from a government which takes on challenges by creating opportunity and approaching problems by looking and acting outside the norm. Singapore does not limit herself by whinging about its limitations, but by changing the nature of whatever disadvantages it has. Singapore is conscious especially of her high jet fuel needs as an important air hub. The small island nation has around 90 days reserves in petroleum, religiously complying with agreed international energy requirements. Singapore, even if it is a dot in land size, had long ago planned huge underground oil storage capability ( opposite to the consistent Australian government mentality and approach, when Australia is really a continental island and has more than sufficient geographical space to keep reserves of vital national assets). Australia has a population around 5 times bigger than Singapore. Singapore does not use much petrol and diesel for over land transport, compared to most of her neighbours. Goods and produce arrive via shipping and air transport, to which oil is most vital. Singapore does not have any natural resources and imports all its food requirements. Singapore is fortunately located in south east Asia, which sees significant trading routes, enormous shipping traffic and is an important hub for airlines. Singapore has positioned itself as a place to refuel, refresh and exchange. This is precisely why it maintains a huge stock of oil and refines them in huge quantities. Australia is more remotely located but geographically so large its domestic needs of petroleum of all kinds for use in private and commercial transport are more significant. This Southern Land has oil reserves but they lie mostly untapped due to a mish mash of complex reasons like environmental reasons, Indigenous cultural damage, possible lack of required commercial initiative by a sequence of governments and allowing foreign companies to walk over Australian independent strategic interests. The tendency to allow so called free market forces determine the production of refined oil in Australia has overruled national strategic interest considerations. Australia depends on oil based fertilisers to support its agricultural sector. Minimal refining capacity in Australia for so many years has now come home to roost related problems. Australia has liquefied natural gas capability, but has not taken the next step in utilising LNG to make helium like Oman ( which lies at the narrow Straits of Hormuz, opposite Iran). Helium is necessary as an ingredient to make or use in so many modern day applications ( straddling medicine, IT and more) - it can be ridiculous that some governments underestimate its importance. Australian governments seem content in history to export commodities, produce, minerals and resources in raw and unprocessed form overseas. Then Australians pay for the processed and transformed outcomes by importing them and paying foreigners. Successive Australian governments have a reluctance to regulate energy companies, especially foreign entities, and even allow outsiders to get gas at much cheaper rates than what Australian voters pay for domestically. There is no legislated prioritisation and reserve of petroleum and gas for use by domestic customers first, perhaps except in the state of Western Australia. In the current uncertainty affecting availability of oil, Australia has only 30 to 40 days reserves of oil. The significance of ASEAN in being key suppliers of refined petroleum to Australia has now come home to better realise and wake up to. Most of ASEAN have populations larger than Australia and when supply of oil generally gets cut off to them big time, how can Australian governments not make contingency anf future sufficiency plans before emergencies arise? ##yongkevthoughts

Stop and Be Cautious

Recurring Caution and Mindfulness from Us Required When: We are regularly lured to buy frivolous things all hyped by packaging, seemingly cheap deals and constant barraging. Getting into warranties as we are pyschologically seduced to pay for a promise that we almost certainly never use. Setting up auto debits for subscriptions, memberships and other payments. We instinctively know things, flavours and offers are too good to be true - and yet go ahead to acquire or eat/drink them. As we pay upfront for depreciable products even when we know we hardly use them. We are informed in tersely curt, impersonal and infornal language or wording in notifications that has an obvious feel of not telling us, as consumers, everything we are supposed and rightfully to know. When we are overwhelmed with what is included with our payment - but a dead silence received when we ask what is excluded. We do not know our rights when we encounter a situation not expected but can still happen. When we have doubts that what and who are dealing with are real or sincere. When reviews on social media can get so blurry or tricky on what is honest, what is paid advertising and what is influencing. #yongkevthoughts