The Bali Series 5: Two-Tiered Pricing System

As I originally contemplated writing this article, I was aware I was pissed off by something and wanted to have my say, but as I typed and edited I began to see that it was something bigger. And that's why it so bothered me.

There was a famous commercial many years ago in my country that showed a first nations man in full head dress with a tear running down his cheek. The tag line was: A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste.

To this day - I don't remember what the advert was for, but I think that sums up why this upsets me. And why I'm writing. We could say - Indonesia is a terrible country to waste. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

This is actually a continuation of my Thinking of Living in Bali? series, but the ideas apply to the whole of Indonesia.

So, IF you are considering living in Bali/Indonesia, there is a very annoying aspect of life here. Something that is one of the banes of this country and especially pronounced in Bali.

And just today it hit me why I detest it so much. It is the practice of charging one price to locals (a lower one) and a significantly higher price to foreigners.

And I'm going to be brutally honest. It is the foreigner visitors themselves who often instigate and encourage this practice. They look at someone working hard, charging a fair price -- by this country's standards -- for some service.

They hear the price and immediately decide THAT'S NOT ENOUGH.

So they offer more!

"Oh you poor thing. We won't let you work for that." is the well-intentioned but foolish beginning.

I've seen this too many times to recount.

Yes - by Western standards - people here work for pennies. But --- and this is the point of this pointed post --- there is a reason WHY this is so.

Have we forgotten how hard many of our grand fathers and mothers were working -  for pennies - before our countries developed?

But for a moment, let's go back to the locals and their sordid practice of maintaining a two-tiered pricing structure. And keep in mind, this has nothing to do with foreigners picking up their fair share of taxes or any other such (possibly) legitimate explanation.

It is ENVY. Many locals see the relatively rich Westerns (or should i say  people from more developed countries?) who are comparatively better off than them.

Fine. But it is what they then choose to do with that envy that is the problem.
IF they said to themselves: "Damn, look at that dude with his hot girl, cool car and great life. I wanna be like him. I'm gonna work my ass off and make a better life for myself and my family."

If they say that, I'm their biggest fan and supporter. But that is not what many say.

Instead too many say: "Look at that rich foreigner. How can I get some of her money so I can have better life?"

In this way, there is direct link between envy and greed. And NO, Gordon Gekko is WRONG. Greed is NOT good. The profit motive is good. That is what has built our world. But -

Greed is a perversion of that good and natural desire which kills the will and creativity to growth, production and development.


And ENVY and GREED are two diseases Indonesians have in cancerous proportions. Hence - a two price structure.

But, while this does temporary damage to visitors and is an constant source of irritation and injustice to foreigners who live here,

it cripples the Indonesians. 

It retards them because as this attitude has metastasized into their whole culture and AND THE REASON THEY TOLERATE their unbelievably corrupt government.

Many, (i hope not most) no longer look for ways to better themselves by hard, clever, creative work that produces a better good or service.

Instead...

They have developed a mentality of looking for ways to extort money from people who have it.  The parking mafia is another great example that I'll come to in a moment...

And I believe THIS is one of the main ubiquitous attitudes which keeps Indonesia in the Dark Ages.
Retards it, its development, its people and stunts its future.

And makes it one of the laughing stocks of Asia.

It is also why Japan has bullet trains and Indonesia still runs trains from the 1930s,

and still doesn't even have the equivalent of a national expressway system. It still piddles along with a dilapidated set of railways and local roads. 

It is still the 1950s. 

Unbelievable? Yes. True? Yes. In Indonesia there is still no express way between it's two largest cities, Jakarta and Surabaya. That's right.

You have only locals highways that are notoriously narrow, dangerous and eternally congested with bicycles, motorbikes, peddle-taxis, peddler-carts, cars, buses, lorries and construction vehicles.


Amid this cacophonous mess, you still need to stop for trafic lights in every town and berg along the way.

Nor does it have a modern rail system.

Consider this:

Nozomi class bullet trains cover the distance from Tokyo to Osaka (about 550 kilometers) in 2 1/2 hours. If Indonesia had bullet trains, one could travel from Jakarta to Surabaya (796 km) in 3 hours 40 minutes.... And from Jakarta to Denpasar (1206 km) in 5 1/2 hours.


BUT...

the reality today is that from Jakarta to Denpasar (Bali) would take at least a day -- [by car or train] and likely longer with chronically common delays.

But that's not all:
In Indonesia, there is a common site on the streets you won't see in most other countries - parking men. These are men who stand in front of some shop or restaurant and literally help squeeze you into a parking space.

Because many streets are narrow, and the parking areas narrow as well, these men often serve the valuable function of helping people into the narrowest of spaces, then directing traffic to help them safely re enter the flow when they leave.

They often even ask you to leave you car in neutral so they can push it forward or backward to make room for another car to pass into or out of  the parking area. And for this, they collect a fee from each car.

Fair enough.

BUT, there are also many occasions --- and this is why i call them the Parking Mafia ---  when they perform no work, no function. Keep in mind, these are places that would be FREE parking in developed countries.

They simply collect a fee from you for ENTERING THEIR ZONE.  They merely sit like a security guard and collect your money. But they provide no security.

The money they collect doesn't go beautify the city, plant trees, build roads, rails, hospitals, schools or feed the poor.

It goes in these mens pockets. And many of these men make hundreds and even thousands of dollars per month in a country where most people still live on a few dollars a day.

The system is tolerated because when someone refuses to pay, the parking mafia are known to retaliate: Things like keying your car.... or worse. 

This is EXTORTION. 

So, when Indonesians, especially the Balinese give up this self-defeating bid to extort money from the productive in order to subsidize their laziness. ..

When they give up and this weak, pathetic behavior and decide to start building their country by providing better goods and services in their businesses, THEN AND ONLY THEN

will they have the balls to begin

DEMANDING better government from their third-world idiot stand-ins for leaders. And they will have turned a corner and pushed the button on the Indonesian Renaissance.

Because... they will never eliminate corruption in their government until they give it up amongst themselves and against foreigners.

When they do, they will have high speed rail, a modern expressway system and streets that don't flood up to your waist every time it rains. In short - a modern country with quality services and infrastructure.

And they will be richer. Maybe richer than the people now visiting Indonesia...

I wonder how much longer they will slovenly accept the status quo? How long they will persist in their greed?
How long until they give up their pathetic attempts to get something for nothing?


Because until they do - they don't deserve better. And until they do - they will remain poor and retarded.

Until they do...

They will continue to live narrow, short, darkened lives --- as they deserve.

I wonder: Is that Karma?

Indonesia Scraps Medieval Treatment of Women

They have talked about it forever. And finally written this into law - nearly 20 years after Singapore. 

Of what do I speak?

The wretched law that says a foreign man married to an Indonesian woman must have a work visa in order to live and work in Indonesia!

A truly antiquated, backward, bigoted - and ultimately self-defeating law which inevitably results in many of the best and brightest women taking their brains, money and talents OUT of Indonesia.

That's about to change!

As soon as this becomes law, Indonesia will join the great majority of countries where marriage affords one the right to live and work freely and unhindered.


The key points of the New Law are as follows:

· If you marry an Indonesian citizen here, you will be entitled to Izin Tinggal Terbatas. After 2 years, you can convert it to Izin Tinggal Tetap (ITAP).

· If you have already been legally married for at least two years to an Indonesian citizen, you get an ITAP immediately. E.g. if you marry your Indonesian spouse in Australia and stay there for 2 years before coming to live in Indonesia, you are entitled to an ITAP immediately.

· If you have an ITAP because you are married to an Indonesian, you can work here without needing a work permit.

· If your children choose to keep their foreign nationality once they reach the age of 18, they are entitled to an ITAP and can work here.

· If your children were over 18 when the citizenship law was passed and never had Indonesian nationality, they are now entitled to an ITAP and can work.

· Foreigners who are legally married to Indonesians no longer need a `penjamin' (sponsor).

· The ITAP is valid for an unlimited period but needs to be renewed administratively every 5 years. There is no cost for this.

· If you already have an ITAP and your Indonesian spouse dies, you keep the ITAP.

· If you have an ITAP and you and your Indonesian spouse divorce before you have been married for 10 years, the ITAP is cancelled.

· If you have an ITAP and you and your Indonesian spouse divorce when you have been married for 10 years or more, you keep the ITAP.

Unfortunately we still have to have the re-entry permit. If you have an ITAP, you will be able to get, as now, a multiple re-entry permit that is valid for 2 years.

Now that the bill has been approved by the DPR it will go to SetNeg and then be signed by the President. However, it will take some time before the implementing regulations are drawn up and this law becomes effective.

Source : Milis APAB.

Just Point To Make Real Things Tell You Their Story...

"The future is already here - it's just not very evenly distributed." --William Gibson

Science fiction has postulated and imagined what "augmented reality" would be like. Well - wonder no more: It's here...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704739504576067780550250202.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_Below_Video

So what is it? And what does it mean to you and me?

Everything-

Let's jump straight to the end of the article and the most immediately profitable application. Because like any new technology, there is always the need to find a viable way to make money.

Otherwise - development just doesn't happen.

MEDICINE: Specifically remote monitoring.
Imagine you have a slightly sick relative who --in a perfect world-- would have around the clock home care or professional nursing staff at beck and call.

But due to strained budgets due to high labour costs, reality often dictates finding less costly solutions.

Until now - about the only option was to "leave em to their own devices" and hope for the best. Soon - you will be able to remotely monitor almost anything. Right on your mobile phone.

Whether they're upright? Heart rate? Asthma? etc... You name it - it can be monitored and you can be alerted if anything falls out of its normal range.

And that's not all. Even if you're healthy - apps could let you get a virtual check up with your mobile. Soon, we will enter the era of mobile/remote medicine. It won't totally eliminate the need to go to the hospital - just most of it.  

Wouldn't you pay for that? I know i would.

But there are also sexier and juicier applications: Games are another avenue for development. And yet, it is other applications which promise to change our lives much more profoundly - and faster:

REAL ESTATE
Imagine being able to point your phone at a building and know who has property for rent or sale, for how much and who to contact? How about a virtual tour? A floor plan?

Have your own home and furniture's photos loaded? Hmmm... Wanna see how your stuff would look in that house or apartment?

I'd pay for that. How bout you?

SHOPPING
Or when you go shopping: There was recently a trial by Tissot Watches in London. Using Augmented Reality, customers were able to try on watches --virturally-- without entering the shop and enduring the high pressure sales...

Guess what - sales shot up 83%.

Oh, and sales probably shot up, because people could find the RIGHT watch so much faster and with less hassle... 

EDUCATION
The possibilities are endless and mind boggling.
Welcome to the era of virtual teachers. One-on-One interaction. Customized education to fit your pace, learning style, dominant intelligence and idiosyncratic strengths and weaknesses.

If Einsteins brain was apparently noted for its rich connections, in future this will not be uncommon anymore. 

Truly accelerated learning. That is fun and relevant.

The emphasis on memorization will fade into oblivion to be replaced by students producing results. Real world results.

And out of this, I see a revolutionary new model of education emerging which turns the current dead factory  era method on its head. And oh - it can't come soon enough....

I see this technology as so fundamentally becoming a part of our lives that in 10 years we will wonder how we ever lived with out it. Kinda like the internet and mobile phones have become today.

Because as i read about this, I am simultaneously pulled in two directions at once: On the one hand, I can only begin to imagine the impact such technologies as this will have on our lives.

How it will change the way we do business, live and play...?

But I also wonder, with the rapidity and ubiquity of change technology is bringing in its tsunami - How will I explain to the younglings in 10 years how we used to live Pre-Mobile phone or Pre-Internet....??

It will seem to them as distant and faded as it is for me to watch jerky black and white film clips of the early 1900s: WWI, the fall of empires and the Roaring 20's....

A time when most people lived on farms, not cities, electricity and phones were still not common for most. Ditto running water and indoor toilets.

What a difference a hundred years makes!

The Government of Kansas City is Lucid - For Now...

This is what happens when taxes are DRASTICALLY reduced --> Prosperity: A backwater becomes a teaming metropolis - alive.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704530204576235163052635494.html?mod=WSJASIA_newsreel_technology

In a nutshell, the article says that Kansas City Kansas, the poor dismal brother to Kansas City, Missouri began experiencing a dramatic turnaround in its fortunes a few years ago when it decided to --- GASP --- offer tax incentives.

And now - as a further sign of its progress - the mighty Google has decided to bestow upon it the fastest internet in the country.

But while this is a good thing, one must keep the bigger picture in mind. Lowering taxes is merely government's way of belatedly and usually begrudgingly admitting that business pays all taxes and creates all prosperity.

An admission that governments usually only make in desperation as they acknowledge that without business, they (the government) will eventually cease to exist. Plain and simple.

Yet - history continues to demonstrate that as soon as governments get a taste of the prosperity companies create, they almost always begin killing the golden goose with their greed for higher taxes, corruption and utter bankruptcy of competence due to their lack of even the most fundamental understanding of economics.

And the cycle will continue, my friends....  Until one fine day, the citizens which have been milked like cows will use their intelligence to sprout metaphorical wings and fly away never to return. Then what will be the fate of parasitical governments?

Kidnapping: The New Tax Collection Technic

How long till the practice of government kidnapping and torture morphs into something that could make any one of us a target?  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804522/
In the 2007 movie, Rendition is kidnapping and torture, by --who else?-- in order to extract information from a suspected "terrorist". Of course, the whole point of the movie is that the guy they kidnapped had NO political inclinations, ideas and probably no interest in anybody's politics.

Just a guy trying to make a dollar and live his life. Until...

And then of course the story becomes all-too-familiar: Innocent, unsuspecting guy then DEVELOPS ideas and political aspirations as a result of the welcome and hospitality he endured at the hands of his torturers.

So what's the point of all this?


With all the hooopla about tax havens being blacklisted, governments around the world simultaneously running out of money AND getting  more desperate to follow so-called "tax-cheats", it's not much of a logical leap to see the day when "terrorism" will be replaced by "catching tax-cheats" or whatever demonized moniker is invented.


Because with the greater mobility of money and with the impoverished governments of the world becoming ever more grasping and rapacious, we may begin to see governments using tried and tested methods from one field in another. And I mean  --- why not? From their perspective, it's just an economical use of resources.

Or rather, once the "terrorism" era is over (or at least on the wane), those agencies and people who've developed those competencies will not just lie down and die.

No. As always, they will morph into something else. It's the survival instinct. They will find another mission --- so to speak.

And what will that new mission be?

Well, if they thought they were doing God and Country service "protecting it from terrorists", how much more fanatical and bloody can they become if a new group of people is identified as those who would single-handedly destroy the fabric of society and bring civilization to ruin?

Enter the so called "tax-cheat". And remember, just as the definitions of "terrorist" are fuzzy and shifting, those for tax-cheats will likely be even more vague. So vague and shifting as to ensnare anyone.


Consider: What's to stop some arrogant government with the power to actually carry it out, and one which has actually shown it is immune to any moral limitations in the past --- to freely violate anyone's rights, debase and besmear any creed --- if it serves their current agenda  -- their survival?


IF they can convince themselves there's a threat --- a threat to their very survival. And of course, their survival is the ultimate law unto itself.  What will stop them?


I mean, why not turn the whole apparatus used to combat one brand of perceived threat to neutralize another?


It's simple. People could be snatched off the streets of almost anywhere in the world and held and tortured ..... until some alleged tax-bill is paid?


Or until the names of banks or the whereabouts of other hitherto unknown assets to come to light, "so they can be properly assessed and rightfully taxed"


How long? And where will it begin?


I can assure you, it will begin with someone gray. That is, someone high enough profile, but maybe not especially well-liked. One who has enemies.

And Assets!

But which do not directly benefit the country in question. Gray also meaning someone who may not always "pay his fair share". He or she will be someone who is very astute and aggressive in paying the absolute minimum tax. She will likely use every know tax "loophole" known.

In other words, he or she will play the game with the tax collector, and with superior intelligence and diligence BEAT the tax-man at his own game.


Yes. Someone who will be easy to point the finger at. And when the political temperature is right --- when enough of the tax consumers feel their government OWES them and they're NOT getting their due ... and  government can cleverly point the finger at the "Tax-Cheats" ---then the practice will begin.

I see that day not far away...

But just as taxes started out only for the rich, rendition too, will trickle down. Until... it makes its way to a neighborhood near you --- maybe yours.

How Many Times Have You Received An Email Like This?

I buy things over the internet. Lots of us do. Natural - right?

And sometimes we also no longer want something or we realise we're paying for something we're no longer using. Our needs change or whatever. So we cancel. And that's when we get emails like the following.

I hate them. Do you?


Email From A Corporate Giant Responding To My Cancellation Request.
I've deleted personal info to protect the privacy of the guilty and myself. 

From: "tickets@.com"
To: @yahoo.com
Sent: Friday, 18 February 2011 22:56:58
Subject: Update to Ticket ID: LGB-14745726

Hello ,

Thank you for contacting .com with your request. I noticed that you have been a valued member of the .com family for several months now and wanted to see if there were any outstanding issues on your account that I may be able to assist you with. Would you mind elaborating on exactly what problems you were experiencing on the account? I would be more than happy to assist you in any way that I can to fix any unresolved issues.

Please give me a call back at 866-XXX-2867, extension 1012 at your convenience (when the phone greeting comes on, just input "1012" and it'll transfer you right away). Or you can reply to this email.

I look forward to your reply and assisting you further with your account.

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Steven G..com LLC
http://support..com/
Available 24 hours a day at 1-866-XX-XXXXX


I'm sure i'm not the only one who's ever gotten an email like that. How did you feel?
Well, I can tell you how i felt. Because...

Here's the letter I WANTED TO SEND and the letter I WISH EVERY CORPORATE MANAGER WERE FORCED TO READ.

"Hello Steven G.,

I really am not sure how to respond to this email as i was expecting a confirmation of cancellation.

Because - while your emails sounds friendly and helpful, i get the feeling you're refusing to process my cancellation until i call you and explain my 'reason'.

Is that correct?

Or do i have it wrong?
If so, I am really disappointed.

Yes. I know you're just doing your job trying to keep a customer, but by putting this extra step between me and cancellation, you are effectively trying to block my way as i attempt to leave the building.

And that is insulting. Your managers who put you up to this should realise there is segment of the population that highly resents that. And I am among them.

Because --- by trying to frustrate and delay my leaving, you are actually achieving the very opposite of what your managers intended.

You see, i  already shared my (embarrassing) reason with some some sort of customer response thingee yesterday. Apparently you didn't receive that. And in that I gave xxxxx a glowing recommendation. And Yesterday HAD EVERY INTENTION OF LATER RETURNING.

But now...

Your email is single-handedly making me determined to never do business with you again and to share with every body I know just how hard it is to leave xxxxxx....

You see --- Your corporate wizards mistake is in NOT offering me the express cancellation ALONG with the option to talk to someone about my issue. Offer choices. Customers love choice.

In their infinite wisdom they've decided that most people can be, bullied and intimidated into staying put ---either through the unpleasantness of having to make that phone call and explain themselves like 5 year old child or because the company really can diagnose the issue, solve the problem and save the day.

But they forget that there is a sizable portion of the population that is roundly insulted and incensed by such treatment. And it has the very opposite effect to the intended one.

And since you all seem to need the simplest things repeated again and again, let me spell it out once again for your hard-headed moronically ignorant managers:

By placing the talk-it-out session between me and canceling you have effectively stood in my way as i try to get off the ride. You are trying to get me to pony up and stay on the ride indefinitely.


I resent that. And it will be front and center next time i want to do business with a company like yours... I will remember this little bit of unpleasantness and patronisation and will roundly avoid you."

End of email I WANTED TO SEND*******

BUT i know it is human nature.

Actually the managers have made a very astute decision. They know that such tactics actually WORK and work very well on large segments of the population. They have ----from a profit standpoint---- wisely calculated that pissing people like me off doesn't really matter. There are enough sheep to keep their pockets full of green.

Imagine if someone did that to you in public place...

Stopped you and asked you why you were leaving, then told you that you'd have to go explain yourself to so and so.....before you would be allowed to leave.

What would you do?

Yep. You'd probably try to humor them and be diplomatic in the beginning. But then imagine this happened in every shop. Almost Every time.
In the beginning you might say something like : "Hey pal, it was a blast, but I've had enough."

But eventually, your patience may just run out.

And the next time, you might just push the guy out of the way. And if he still persisted, you might call for help or bust him in the chops.

Knowing that : Here's the email I DID send:

"Hello Steven G.,

I really am not sure how to respond to this email as i was expecting a confirmation of cancellation.

Because - while your emails sounds friendly and helpful, i get the feeling you're refusing to process my cancellation until i call you and explain my 'reason'.

Is that correct?

Me"

End of Real Email *********

And if I don't receive the appropriate confirmation of cancellation within a half day, I will stop payment at the funding source.

The Next Wave in PCs is Here

I've been talking with my partner about this for some time - discussing what pcs, laptops or whatever you want to call them will look like in the years to come.

Well --- sometimes the future hits your right between the eyes sooner than you thought --- it's here. Albeit in a VERY primitive form.

First the link:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703373404576148190633168766.html?mod=WSJASIA_hpp_MIDDLEFourthNews

Here's the story in a nutshell: Motorola has come up with a smart phone slash pc. It's a pc or rather the brains of a pc in a handheld phone.

So how do you use it? 

You can use it as a stand alone or plug it into what's called a dock. That is a brainless pc. A pc without any of the stuff that usually makes it a pc. It's just a keyboard with a screen. It has no CPU. No memory... Zilch.

But - plug in the smart phone/pc and the thing comes alive.

Here's the catch. As is always true with any new technology, it is primitive and clumsy at first. Remember the first calculators? The first modems, browsers or search engines?

Translation: It can do some things, but not all that a regular laptop or pc could do. And what is does do, it doesn't do as well, as fast or as efficiently as the real deal.

BUT and this is the big but. It points to the shape of things to come. You see, as memory and processing capacity continue to grow by leaps and bounds, my partner and i have discussed many times that eventually,  everything would likely devolve into the phone.

Your TV, computer, music station, phone, internet etc. etc... would all eventually be scrunched into the size of a phone. Problem is : While we humans find those size gadgets handy to carry around, we don't feel the same way when it come to using them. Such mundane things such as typing become a real bitch on something that small. Especially when you have elephant fingers like me. 

So - imagine this scene. In a few short years, everybody carries her own pc/phone all-in-one work/play/communication device in her pocket or purse. She arrives at the office. The pc on her desk is a dummy. A box without a brain like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. She sits down docks her pc, and off to work she goes...

Or she finds herself in an airport. No pcs. Just dummies to dock into... You get the picture.
And on the run - she has the same functionality, albeit on that annoyingly small screen.

BUT what comes next?

What happens when everybody tires of those damn brainless boxes that either have to be carried around (just like laptops today), or the idiot boxes on their desks.

What happens when people get used to having the world at their fingertips and now want that same desktop experience without the box?

That's when something really interesting could be in store: Ever seen a hologram? You know - one of those things at the museum. It's just a projection - in thin air. You see an image, and as you move, the image seems to move or change too.

Hmmmmm.... What if something like that could be perfected to create that all-elusive keyboard and monitor for your smart pc/phone?

Imagine it: You hit a button or activate a voice command for Hologram, or whatever trade name it's called by. It deploys. You see a purple (that's what i imagine anyway..) mini-genie-like apparition. It's a keyboard that can be displayed on any flat surface in front of you and a screen that projects into the air in front of you.

But here's the best part:

With such a technology, by adjusting the angles from which it is visible, you can make the keyboard ---and hence every keystroke--- 100% private. Only you could see it because it would be uniquely adjusted for the angle of your eyes only. Same with the monitor.

You could be in the middle of the most crowded airport, office, maglev train or hotel --- and with the appropriate encryption--- having an absolutely private session.

Ready to leave? Turn off hologram and put it away or continue in hand held mode...