Drums of war

"We go to war to teach Americans geography."

-- paraphrased from someone or other --

I grew up during the last dregs of the Cold War. Unlike most of my classmates, I watched the news (cos news time is sacrosanct to my Dad) and read the newspaper (I ran out of fun things to read), so I had an idea on how the West and Eastern bloc have a hard-on for each other. Hollywood's depiction of bumbling Communist spies also fed this idea. It was only while I was watching a Bruce Willis movie featuring the cold-eyed Eastern European baddie that it made me wonder: how do the filmmakers in the Communist Bloc feature Western spies?

I was 12 when the Berlin Wall came down. It was a severe buzzkill when you go to school telling people about this awesome event and most of them don't even know what is the Communist Bloc.

*head desk*

For a while the world was giddy with the thought of real world peace. It shouldn't be an impossibility, right? Now that everyone are friends and democratic-like. But we forget greed and human ambition has a way of changing the best laid plans. Yugoslavia imploded thanks to historical resentments and ethnic disputes. The states in the former Soviet Union began demanding autonomy and re-drawing of the borders; now we hear of exotic locales like Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan and the knowledge that there is another Georgia outside of the US of A. Warring factions in Africa never really stopped killing one another and the unfortunate civilians who occupy their disputed lands. The Dark Continent feeds our need for the minerals that adorn ourselves and run our electronics; turmoil ensures that the supply flow never ceased at a price that we can('t) afford.

In other words, business as usual.

September 11, 2001 changed the game plan yet again. The West have a new boogeyman and it is the Muslims who are out to destroy them cos the Muslims "hate their freedom" (paraphrasing George W here). Which ever theory subscribe, even those who say that the attack was a conspiracy by the Americans themselves to expand their strategic influence, there is no denying that the world is no longer the same as when the WTC was upright in Manhattan.

Iraq and Afghanistan was invaded in the name of rooting out the nasty Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations that are out to get the West. Hundreds and thousands of civilians are dead, maimed and displaced in the name of American freedom. As bad as things were under Saddam Hussein's regime, I wonder if the Iraqis would trade him for life under the Americans. It is nice that the American troops are withdrawing, but after near everything that made life bearable (like water treatment system, sewage management and electric plants) was reduced to a rubble by uranium-depleted shells, with nothing but a shaky government that has yet to show real ability to unite the people and move the country towards positive development and progress, I wonder if it is any different than the US abandonment of South Vietnam.

And now there is all this talk about attacking Iran because the nasty Mullahs are building nuclear weapons and not just developing alternative energy sources. First, the sanctions and trade embargo by the US and some of the other Western countries.  In retaliation, Iran is refusing to supply oil to British and French firms. Reports are coming in about how dangerous it is to be an Iranian nuclear scientists. Apparently, if the car bombs don't get you, dudes with guns/killer cars will.

*sigh*

I was privileged to have had an opportunity to visit Iran back in the 90's. My impression was of a country frozen in the 70's, manic drivers, and air perfumed with thousands of years of history. It was there that I see what military presence in the capital looks like (men with AK-47s at street corners and in front of strategic buildings). These were left over from the war with Iraq. Nearly every Persian men have gone through national service and know how to bear arms. The Persians are almost one and all friendly and proud of their historical and cultural heritage. They can tell you which king was ruling Persia in 789 AD. They are not Arabs and do not speak Arabic. They have excellent desserts. Pistachio is cheap there.

The government is repressive, women can't wear bright colours and the people worry about who is eavesdropping on them. But they don't hate the West, or the Sunnis (unlike Sunnis who think that Shiites are no better than heathens) nor do they want world domination. The Iranians want to join the rest of the world and be able to progress just like everyone else. They won't abandon religion altogether in the pursuit of moderation and liberation.

I think that an attack on Iran would be a terrible mistake. It would definitely be a costly and protracted one, and the only winner will be those with oil and gas interest who will take this opportunity to rape the country.

This song encapsulates the feeling of the ordinary citizens at the height of the Cold War. I think the sentiments are still the same right now for all of us the world over. Let us hope that the rattling of the sabres remain just that and that no weapons get unsheathed (except for your friendly neighbourhood flashers).



Freddie, I am sure this song brings memories of your youth, no?

Captain Obvious

Don't we wish we have the mental agility for such elegant and witty responses in the face of Captain Obvious when they cross our path?

Fandomising

When fandoms collide ...

Your online privacy is ephemeral, kids

If you have kids and they have Facebook, it behoves you to check out what they are up to online every so often.



I felt for this guy, I do. Heck, his kid and I aren't too dissimilar, except I'm not stupid enough to bitch about my parents on Facebook when my Dad works in IT.

DON'T BE MY VALENTINE

Especially if you got crazy fathers/mothers/siblings/ex-boyfriends/ex-girlfriend/spouse/what-fuckin'-ever.

One of the most retarded ads I've ever seen.

Sorry for not being politically correct but I have no other of expressing how I feel.

Lessons in song

(Severely personal post ahead. You have been warned.)

Majalah 3 tonight featured Mr. Abdul Halim Yazid, a dikir barat artiste and his travels in the Deep South of the United States to trace the story of the blues. I only caught it halfway when my ears pricked to the call of prayer from Senegal that was featured on the show (caught the rest on online). I happily abandoned the dishes I was washing in the kitchen and sat down to watch.

It was nice to see how musicians from different backgrounds and musical traditions could mesh together so beautifully when they sit down for a jam session. But what made me tear up was the song "Al-Fatihah untuk Ayah" (Al-Fatihah Prayers for Father) that Mr Abdul Halim sang together with some blues musicians. No one uploaded that version just yet, so here is the plain dikir barat version.



It was a beautiful tribute from a child to his father, singing farewell to his father who has departed this world for the next. My understanding of the Kelantanese dialect is poor, but I got the gist of the message of the song. The words were simple but heartfelt, the melody plucking the heartstring as it beats along to the rhythm of the drum.

(The rest is undercut for intensely personal navel gazing which may not be of interest to you.)

Midweek Sh*ts and Giggles: dating scene

Bare your soul

This guy is mega courageous. The awesome Mr Reznor opens up on NPR.

Late to the party

I have just lost my nerd credentials: I only found out today that 2011 is the International Year of Chemistry.

And me, who believe in better living through chemistry.

*hangs head in shame*

And there are pretty posters! Swiped from here.

 Matter as elucidated by Einstein.

Graphene: the strongest material known to man.

Hydrogen: Explosive and yet when combined with oxygen, is the elixir of life.

Radiate! Marie Curie style.

Chemistry is about elements forming substance forming the universe as you and I know it.

Vive le chimie!

And what does 2012 hold for us? Armageddon?

Nah.

Just the International Year for Cooperatives. No pretty posters yet.

Midweek shits and giggles

Indifference

Humanity? Pfft.

WTF moment of the week: Friday

All those FB status about stop bullying should have been accompanied by this picture. Revenge of the bully victims ahoy!

Thinky thoughts

We grew up bombarded by images; stills and videos, in our media saturated world. I am sure many of us are skeptical about the idea of subliminal messages and how we are manipulated to buy, to believe, to act, by a group of nameless and faceless people driving media corporation.

But how many of us believe that pretty girls cannot do maths? How many of us believe that blondes are hotter than brunettes? How many of us obsess over what a female senior administrator look like rather than how well she can do her job?How many of us believe that women are emotional, conniving jerks? If you ever entertained such thoughts, please watch the video below.



If you have mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, I hope you rethink your stance.

There is hope!

... in the face of freaky people who don't believe in science.

Totally WTF.

On how I freaked out my friend at the movie theatre

It started really innocuously. I went to watch this movie with Naz ...

And I was a sobbing mess at the end of it. Haven't cried like that watching anything; not since the staging of Lantai T Pinkie and Erma Fatima's amazing monologue way back in 1997. That one was really bad in that there were 4 of us watching the theatre with only 2 pieces of Kleenex between us. FML.

Anyway ... most of my friends know that I have been frothing at the mouth to watch this movie thanks to this man,

who is not only dastardly attractive and massively talented, but also warm and kind and just bloody adorable as seen on his interviews.

But I have to say that I was absolutely ecstatic with how Gavin O'Connor crafted a family drama with mixed martial arts as a sport as a background.

Mad fangirl squeals and massive spoilers ahoy!

Midweek sh*t and giggles

Bloody tak senonoh stuff under cut! You have been warned.

*grin*

Belladonna by Anne Bishop

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I did not like Anne Bishop's style or the universe she created. I find her unnecessarily convoluted and her storyline unsatisfying. The characters feel like caricatures to me; basically, the protagonist is the textbook definition of a Mary Sue, in my humble opinion.

Am I too harsh? Maybe I got spoiled by Patricia Briggs' sword-and-sorcery books that have the plots tightly woven peopled with engaging characters. But then again, sword-and-sorcery is not a favourite genre of mine anyway.

Ri, jangan marah ya. Nanti kena jual. :p

View all my reviews

Midweek sh*t and giggles - hysterical history

Riding like a boss

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride it where I like ...

                                                                                                 - Bicycle Race (Queen)-

Riding the bike is a green transportation strategy. Many cities, particularly in Europe, embraces biking in the cities as a means to reduce pollution and traffic congestion.The Netherlands is popular for both canals and bicycles (with no doubt a number of the latter ending up in the former, thanks to great beers that the Netherlands are also famed for). To encourage more people to opt to cycle, these cities set aside a bicycle lane for cyclists' safety.

But of course, where there are space near the curb (or affectionately known in Malaysia as shoulder of the  road), so shall appear assholes who want to park there. In developing countries, drivers don't even bother with space; double and triple parking is pretty normal. How to overcome this? The mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania decided that a drastic approach is needed.




What I am interested to know is, can we do this here too? The crushing of inconsiderate motorists' vehicles, I mean.