“To dare is to do”, reads the slogan at Tottenham Hotspur’s football stadium in north London. But a Chinese proverb states that one should “act when it is beneficial to do so, desist if it is not”.
Speaking of daring. In Belgium apparently certain convicts are allowed to leave prison in the morning and they just need to return in the evening. Yeah indeed. Like a hotel. Jailbird Hotel. Better than a hotel because free food, free cable TV, free accommodation, free laundry, free gym, free medical care. Indeed. It’s crazy. It doesn’t really help overcrowding because you still need to give him/her a bed to sleep at night. I’ve heard about alternative sentencing and programs to re-adjust to society (and support most of them), but this is taking it a step too far.
And reality came crushing down. Hard and brutal. A 32-year old inmate (well most of it seems out-mate) went on his regular trip outside his residential-jail in Brussels, committed a robbery and went back to sleep in his cell in the evening. No joke! And on top of this ridiculous situation he killed somebody while committing his new crime. One dead and one seriously wounded. Tell that to the grieving family.
The male convict was sentenced to 9 years in 2005 for 4 armed robberies. Clearly his jail time didn’t make him change his ways. I hope they lock him up and throw away the key forever. And change this stupid prison system before somebody else gets wacked.
Human behaviour! Being flexible and progressive is one thing. Being over the edge is another thing.
Sticking to guns. Middle America has shown its strangeness again. Certain things just don’t change. There are still guarantees in life. President Obama was on one of his “sell my healthcare plan” whistle stops. The convoy halted in Arizona. This US State is apparently one of the “open carrying” States. Meaning, you can carry a gun or rifle openly in public. Yes indeed. It’s a constitutional right apparently. Or some kind of right. Maybe even Devine right. As long as the weapon is openly visible and not concealed it’s all perfectly fine. Indeed. I spotted a photo in a newspaper with one of the locals awaiting Obama’s arrival and he had an assault rifle hanging on his shoulder. One of those soldier type toys they use in Iraq and Afghanistan. So the President is about to arrive and you got those armed locals just hanging around. Interesting, to say the least. Anyway, this Rambo-dude was asked about his fashion statement and he just said “Well, it’s my right”. And legally he is indeed right. Just like I am in my right to call him nuts. What is it with people needing guns to walk around on the streets of their town. Civilisation? Image issues? Manhood troubles? Too much cable TV? Legacy of cowboys vs indians? Still thinking the Russians are about to attack? Or aliens about to land? Those E.T.s from the blockbuster District 9 maybe? I mean. Wow. Get real. Your right, yes. But reasonable attitude? No way. Hello Colombia High. Remember?
And put God in the gunpowder mix and the circle is round. God and guns. The eternal American dream. Road to so called progress. The Bible in one hand and the bullet in the other. Nothing different from the Spanish Conquistadores whom invaded Latin America some centuries ago. The only difference is that the gun replaced the sword.
Human behaviour sometimes remains a mystery, but sometimes it remains very basic, crude, and animalistic.
Prison and guns lead pretty easy to the topic of crime. And when one mentions crime, too often South Africa comes to mind as it is one of the most deadly societies on planet earth. The killing fields of the rainbow nation. Blood stained daily reality.
The South African Criminal System working group reported that every year more than a million of the two million criminal cases that are reported to the cops across South Africa are never solved. That’s crazy, right? As a starter. Two million reported crimes per year in a nation of 50 million people. And we are only talking about reported crimes. That’s already beyond mad. And then more than half of those reported get lost in the system. That’s criminally mad. Somebody said that these lost cases seem to fall between the cracks. Well, fix the cracks then! It seems pretty necessary.
This ridiculous situation leads then, not surprisingly, to a conviction rate of only 10 percent. Kick that. That man in Arizona is probably buying extra ammunition if he reads this. And a tank.
Sticking to South Africa. In fact, it’s about a South African in Germany with an Australian suspicion to it. The global village of athletics. World Championships in Berlin. Medal fest.
South Africa’s Mokgadi Semenya, aka Caster (her nickname apparently), wins the 800 meters final and gets the gold medal around her neck. But Australian media cry foul and say she is a he. Yes, they claim that 18-year old Caster is a man and thus that she doesn’t deserve her golden medal. Now accusations, especially such low ones, coming from Australians are a bit much. They are all descendents of convicts sent down under by her Majesty the Queen or King from the once almighty United Kingdom. The genetics of criminal minds.
Anyway the international athletics federation, or something like that, say they will do some sex tests. But they claim that it will take weeks before the results are known. Weeks? Does it take weeks to check if somebody is a man or a woman? Even with sex operations and steroids available and all that, it should be pretty fast and simple to check if somebody is a he or she. I wonder what the man with the assault rifle in Arizona thinks about that! Semanya’s grandmother in rural South Africa is somewhat confused about the Australian tackle and claims that she knows very well her grandchild is a girl. And has always been a girl. Basta.
The scary thing is that in 1932 a certain Stella Walsh won gold in the 100 meters sprint at LA’s Olympics. There were rumours back then too that she was a he. But no sex tests and thus Stella could stick to her gold. But when she died in 1980, from a stray bullet during a robbery, the post mortem discovered she had male genitals and female chromosomes. She was a he and a she at the same time. Apparently they call that mosaicism. Feels straight out of an episode of CSI. Is the Arizona man loading all weapons for an imminent alien attack?
Anyway, the South African grandma has closed the door on the malicious Australian tabloid spin. Caster is a chick! She might run like man, but she is a lady. And those jealous ones out there, shut up or bring proof to the table. Balls and all. Oeps. Parental advisory.
Throw out. My recent delving into Chris Cornell’s audio history has left me puzzled. Firstly I tuned into Temple Of The Dog’s self titled debut album from 1991. A unique collaboration between Cornell and Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam fame. Amazingly Led Zeppelin-esque. After the one album Vedder went on to form the highly successful Pearl Jam, and Cornell switched between Soundgarden, solo projects, the milestone band Audioslave, and then back solo. In March this year Cornell released “Scream”, a new solo album produced by Timbaland. And that’s a huge mistake. “Scream” sucks. It’s cheap dance tunes with somewhere bits of Cornell’s (magical) voice. What a disaster! Why did Cornell decided to go down this road with Timbaland who knows nothing about rock music? Cornell fans, like me, must feel the deep pain when listening to his latest produce. I just heard it for the first time, and it’s going to go very deep in a box or somewhere on an external hard drive to be left for the next generation (so they can be shocked too). Wow.
C-Ya
collateral – August 2009 is nearing its final breath in history.
Swimming can be dangerous
Clothing has been in the news around the globe recently. Sometimes the lack of it, sometimes too much of it. And not really from a purely, innocent fashion point of view. The politics of clothing. Values. Morals. So called values and morals, because that’s an open-ended debate. Like a Pandora’s box. Like opening a can of worms. Silk worms maybe in this case.
Respectfulness, tastes, ethics, social politics, emotions, reactions, human rights, religion, laicism. Put all that in a blender and you get a cocktail from hell. Inflammable. Corrosive and explosive.
And all these terms (ethics, politics, morals,...) need a big fat ‘so called’ in front of them too! Because most of the times these words are used and abused beyond their neutral meaning. Socio-political hijacking. The purity of a word lost by human touch. Lost beyond found. Pushed into a labyrinth where there is no return to the starting block.
And swimwear seems to be at the core of most of these stories that caught my eye, ear and mind.
The politics of swimming. Pool-politics. Swimwear has always been some kind of symbol of social evolution. Of ever changing ethics and fashion and expressive freedom within a society. And as there is no global unique society it then also, unavoidably, leads to cultural clashes. Diversity of minds.
In the end it is often as simple as how much flesh is there to be shown and to be seen. The politics of human flesh. The politics of human beauty and sexual appeal.
First stop. France. To be more precise, Emerainville on the eastern outskirts of Paris. A French women from Muslim faith wanted to enjoy the municipal pool in a so called burqini. That’s a new word I discovered. As swimwear fashion progresses so does swimwear language. It is a head-to-toe swimsuit for Muslim women. It was designed by a Lebanese Australian and allows Muslim women to swim without defying their religion.
But as the lady enjoyed some water splashing moments the life guard ordered her out of the pool and said the burqini was unhygienic.
Hygiene seems a handy political tool. I wonder what the life guard feels about those suits surfers wear. It’s also pretty full body cover. Besides the head and hair. When politics, religion and fashion are mixed it gets ugly fast and furious.
The burqini ban follows a heated discussion in France about an overall ban of the burka – the fully covered dress that conservative Muslim women wear. Or are forced to wear. That’s already where the trouble starts. Free will or politico-religious pressure? It’s a very difficult debate. A minefield.
French urban regeneration minister Fadela Amara said that a burka-ban would stop the spread of radical Islam in France. Amara herself is of Muslim faith – that needs to be pointed out. She labelled radical Islam a cancer. She added that she felt that the burka – which covers everything except the eyes of a woman (and sometimes even these eyes have a net with little see-through holes) – represents the oppression of women. Coming from a Muslim woman it needs to be respected. If it was some conservative, Caucasian male saying this, it would be less valuable. This is an opinion from within. But look at it wider, isn’t all radical religion a threat to society? From radical Muslims to radical Christians. The more radical the more oppressive and narrow minded.
France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe and thus the burka debate is highly inflammable and controversial. Muslim-phobia and racism are hard to keep out of such a debate. Also it needs to be noted that France takes its laicism reasonably serious. And thus it’s the battle for the famous grey area between personal rights and choices on one side, and social rules on the other.
Unfortunately the burka debate comes with the heavy burden of Taliban-politics. It is clear for all to see in Afghanistan and Pakistan – amongst others – that the use and interpretation of conservative Islam faith leads to the degradation of females. Taking young girls out of schools. Forced marriages. No voting rights for females. No driving licences for women. And so on and on. Plenty of proof there that women are not equal to men in those societies. And thus totally unacceptable. Totally regrettable. Repeat: unacceptable!
So the French parliament is debating the total ban of the burka in France. President Sarkozy calls the burka a prison. His minister Amara calls it a political manipulation of religion. Slick Sarkozy of course likes to parade his young wife to the world. But that’s another issue.
Keep an eye on this debate in France. It will get over-heated for sure.
From France to Sudan is just a couple of hours flying time. As mentioned in an earlier blog-article, Sudan has shown its ugly face when its ‘morality police’ arrested a young woman for wearing trousers in public. They call that anti-Islamic. Despite the fact that the official garment for female soldiers and police officers in Sudan is trousers. Take that for absurdity. Double standards. The politics of religion. Another proof that religion and politics should never ever be mixed. Just totally unacceptable. The lady now faces a possible 40 whip lashes as punishment. Medieval brutality.
But back to swimwear. Where the burqini for some shows too little flesh, the opposite is now an issue in the United Kingdom. And here it’s not about female attraction, but male’s shape and sizes.
The famous Speedo is under attack. These famous, little swimming shorts for men are just too little for some.
The English Alton Towers Resort has banned the Speedo. Get that! Too much tight trunks in the waterpark and thus no more. Some felt disturbed it seems. The manager of the resort said that Alton Towers is a family resort and “we don’t want kids asking questions”.
Indeed that’s what the manager said! I think these kids he is worried about are likely seeing more flesh on daily TV than men in tight swimwear. What’s next? Measurements of swimwear, for men and women, when you make a reservation in a resort? Beach police to check how much breast is there sticking out of the skimpy bathing suit, or how tight the men’s trunks are? Call it the Talibanisation of Alton Towers. Human behaviour remains a mystery. France bans the burka, England bans the Speedo. Maybe it says something about both cultures and how they look at life and humans in it. Can’t wait for Italian Prime Minister and loverboy-deluxe, Silvio Berlusconi, to step into the debate. Guaranteed 5-star newspaper headlines. He will probably demand nudity for all women under 25 years old.
Anyway. Still sticking to swimwear but of a life saving-kind. I forgot where it happened exactly, but animal lovers have made a swimsuit for a penguin that lost all his/her feathers and thus was seriously at risk. Normally the new feathers push out the old ones, but in this case the penguin got naked. Humans to the rescue. The penguin seems to like it and is back in full swing – awaiting the return of his/her natural swimsuit.
From skimpy or more fully-bodied swimwear to Afghanistan is an easy move when burkas are the topic.
Afghanistan is holding elections this week. Much awaited polls. But polls overshadowed by Taliban violence and bombings and assassinations. Democracy under attack. Blood polls. You might mark the ballot paper with your X, get your thumb marked with ink as a proof that you have voted (and thus stopping voting twice), but a return to your village might be your last breath as the Taliban butchers are trying to stop the Afghan people from expressing their political rights. More on these elections guaranteed in the coming days. I’m holding my breath (in small time lapses of course).
Swimwear, human flesh, religious pressure, and the return of a symbol of the former east Germany. All in a day’s brainwave.
Remember that near the end of 1989 the so called Berlin Wall fell. Taken down by people power. The iron curtain that divided Western Europe from its Eastern, communist opponent was gone. In a blitz moment of uprising by angry, fed up East Europeans stupidity of history was destroyed. It was a wonderful moment and a victory for the human spirit. A victory for freedom against oppression. Not the kind of freedom politically abused by former US President Ronald Reagan, and copied by George Bush Junior, but honest, straight forward freedom of the common man in their daily lives. It was a magical moment. The winds of change had blown and cleared the air.
Anyway. The paranoia of the East German dictatorship still needs to be further explored and historically outlined for generations to come. Interesting study of madness. The North Koreans are still sticking to this politico madness.
Anyway. East Germany had built its own, ugly car called the Trabant. Unknown to most of the world, till this little car came driving through the gaps in the broken iron curtain back in 1989. Well a German consortium is busy building a new version of the Trabant. And the new Trabant will, apparently, be slick and green. Electric engine. Solar panels on the roof. The prototype is expected to be unveiled at the well-known Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Am sure it will get plenty of attention. If it will get plenty of buyers is another question. Human behaviour will decide.
Throw out. “And to be yourself is all that you can do”. A line from the track “Be yourself” from Audioslave’s second album “Out of exile” from back in 2005. Was singing along with it while driving through town yesterday. Chris Cornell’s voice remains unique. Cornell’s climb to fame started when he was fronting Soundgarden. Just over 10 years ago he switched to a solo career, but in 2002 Audioslave’s self titled, debut album hit the world and hit the world hard. Cornell and former Rage Against The Machine guitar magician Tom Morello joined hands and formed Audioslave. Big. Amazing. Powerfull. A milestone in rock history. Audioslave had two more studio albums before the Cornell-Morello tandem sadly broke. Audioslave is no more but remains inspirational. Meanwhile Cornell has picked up his solo career again. Audioslave can be listened to anytime, anywhere, any mood. It’s perfect soul fuel!
C-Ya
collateral – 2nd half of August 2009
Respectfulness, tastes, ethics, social politics, emotions, reactions, human rights, religion, laicism. Put all that in a blender and you get a cocktail from hell. Inflammable. Corrosive and explosive.
And all these terms (ethics, politics, morals,...) need a big fat ‘so called’ in front of them too! Because most of the times these words are used and abused beyond their neutral meaning. Socio-political hijacking. The purity of a word lost by human touch. Lost beyond found. Pushed into a labyrinth where there is no return to the starting block.
And swimwear seems to be at the core of most of these stories that caught my eye, ear and mind.
The politics of swimming. Pool-politics. Swimwear has always been some kind of symbol of social evolution. Of ever changing ethics and fashion and expressive freedom within a society. And as there is no global unique society it then also, unavoidably, leads to cultural clashes. Diversity of minds.
In the end it is often as simple as how much flesh is there to be shown and to be seen. The politics of human flesh. The politics of human beauty and sexual appeal.
First stop. France. To be more precise, Emerainville on the eastern outskirts of Paris. A French women from Muslim faith wanted to enjoy the municipal pool in a so called burqini. That’s a new word I discovered. As swimwear fashion progresses so does swimwear language. It is a head-to-toe swimsuit for Muslim women. It was designed by a Lebanese Australian and allows Muslim women to swim without defying their religion.
But as the lady enjoyed some water splashing moments the life guard ordered her out of the pool and said the burqini was unhygienic.
Hygiene seems a handy political tool. I wonder what the life guard feels about those suits surfers wear. It’s also pretty full body cover. Besides the head and hair. When politics, religion and fashion are mixed it gets ugly fast and furious.
The burqini ban follows a heated discussion in France about an overall ban of the burka – the fully covered dress that conservative Muslim women wear. Or are forced to wear. That’s already where the trouble starts. Free will or politico-religious pressure? It’s a very difficult debate. A minefield.
French urban regeneration minister Fadela Amara said that a burka-ban would stop the spread of radical Islam in France. Amara herself is of Muslim faith – that needs to be pointed out. She labelled radical Islam a cancer. She added that she felt that the burka – which covers everything except the eyes of a woman (and sometimes even these eyes have a net with little see-through holes) – represents the oppression of women. Coming from a Muslim woman it needs to be respected. If it was some conservative, Caucasian male saying this, it would be less valuable. This is an opinion from within. But look at it wider, isn’t all radical religion a threat to society? From radical Muslims to radical Christians. The more radical the more oppressive and narrow minded.
France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe and thus the burka debate is highly inflammable and controversial. Muslim-phobia and racism are hard to keep out of such a debate. Also it needs to be noted that France takes its laicism reasonably serious. And thus it’s the battle for the famous grey area between personal rights and choices on one side, and social rules on the other.
Unfortunately the burka debate comes with the heavy burden of Taliban-politics. It is clear for all to see in Afghanistan and Pakistan – amongst others – that the use and interpretation of conservative Islam faith leads to the degradation of females. Taking young girls out of schools. Forced marriages. No voting rights for females. No driving licences for women. And so on and on. Plenty of proof there that women are not equal to men in those societies. And thus totally unacceptable. Totally regrettable. Repeat: unacceptable!
So the French parliament is debating the total ban of the burka in France. President Sarkozy calls the burka a prison. His minister Amara calls it a political manipulation of religion. Slick Sarkozy of course likes to parade his young wife to the world. But that’s another issue.
Keep an eye on this debate in France. It will get over-heated for sure.
From France to Sudan is just a couple of hours flying time. As mentioned in an earlier blog-article, Sudan has shown its ugly face when its ‘morality police’ arrested a young woman for wearing trousers in public. They call that anti-Islamic. Despite the fact that the official garment for female soldiers and police officers in Sudan is trousers. Take that for absurdity. Double standards. The politics of religion. Another proof that religion and politics should never ever be mixed. Just totally unacceptable. The lady now faces a possible 40 whip lashes as punishment. Medieval brutality.
But back to swimwear. Where the burqini for some shows too little flesh, the opposite is now an issue in the United Kingdom. And here it’s not about female attraction, but male’s shape and sizes.
The famous Speedo is under attack. These famous, little swimming shorts for men are just too little for some.
The English Alton Towers Resort has banned the Speedo. Get that! Too much tight trunks in the waterpark and thus no more. Some felt disturbed it seems. The manager of the resort said that Alton Towers is a family resort and “we don’t want kids asking questions”.
Indeed that’s what the manager said! I think these kids he is worried about are likely seeing more flesh on daily TV than men in tight swimwear. What’s next? Measurements of swimwear, for men and women, when you make a reservation in a resort? Beach police to check how much breast is there sticking out of the skimpy bathing suit, or how tight the men’s trunks are? Call it the Talibanisation of Alton Towers. Human behaviour remains a mystery. France bans the burka, England bans the Speedo. Maybe it says something about both cultures and how they look at life and humans in it. Can’t wait for Italian Prime Minister and loverboy-deluxe, Silvio Berlusconi, to step into the debate. Guaranteed 5-star newspaper headlines. He will probably demand nudity for all women under 25 years old.
Anyway. Still sticking to swimwear but of a life saving-kind. I forgot where it happened exactly, but animal lovers have made a swimsuit for a penguin that lost all his/her feathers and thus was seriously at risk. Normally the new feathers push out the old ones, but in this case the penguin got naked. Humans to the rescue. The penguin seems to like it and is back in full swing – awaiting the return of his/her natural swimsuit.
From skimpy or more fully-bodied swimwear to Afghanistan is an easy move when burkas are the topic.
Afghanistan is holding elections this week. Much awaited polls. But polls overshadowed by Taliban violence and bombings and assassinations. Democracy under attack. Blood polls. You might mark the ballot paper with your X, get your thumb marked with ink as a proof that you have voted (and thus stopping voting twice), but a return to your village might be your last breath as the Taliban butchers are trying to stop the Afghan people from expressing their political rights. More on these elections guaranteed in the coming days. I’m holding my breath (in small time lapses of course).
Swimwear, human flesh, religious pressure, and the return of a symbol of the former east Germany. All in a day’s brainwave.
Remember that near the end of 1989 the so called Berlin Wall fell. Taken down by people power. The iron curtain that divided Western Europe from its Eastern, communist opponent was gone. In a blitz moment of uprising by angry, fed up East Europeans stupidity of history was destroyed. It was a wonderful moment and a victory for the human spirit. A victory for freedom against oppression. Not the kind of freedom politically abused by former US President Ronald Reagan, and copied by George Bush Junior, but honest, straight forward freedom of the common man in their daily lives. It was a magical moment. The winds of change had blown and cleared the air.
Anyway. The paranoia of the East German dictatorship still needs to be further explored and historically outlined for generations to come. Interesting study of madness. The North Koreans are still sticking to this politico madness.
Anyway. East Germany had built its own, ugly car called the Trabant. Unknown to most of the world, till this little car came driving through the gaps in the broken iron curtain back in 1989. Well a German consortium is busy building a new version of the Trabant. And the new Trabant will, apparently, be slick and green. Electric engine. Solar panels on the roof. The prototype is expected to be unveiled at the well-known Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Am sure it will get plenty of attention. If it will get plenty of buyers is another question. Human behaviour will decide.
Throw out. “And to be yourself is all that you can do”. A line from the track “Be yourself” from Audioslave’s second album “Out of exile” from back in 2005. Was singing along with it while driving through town yesterday. Chris Cornell’s voice remains unique. Cornell’s climb to fame started when he was fronting Soundgarden. Just over 10 years ago he switched to a solo career, but in 2002 Audioslave’s self titled, debut album hit the world and hit the world hard. Cornell and former Rage Against The Machine guitar magician Tom Morello joined hands and formed Audioslave. Big. Amazing. Powerfull. A milestone in rock history. Audioslave had two more studio albums before the Cornell-Morello tandem sadly broke. Audioslave is no more but remains inspirational. Meanwhile Cornell has picked up his solo career again. Audioslave can be listened to anytime, anywhere, any mood. It’s perfect soul fuel!
C-Ya
collateral – 2nd half of August 2009
Pills and iPhones
Obama is up against it. He opened a can of worms with his health care reform plan. It brought out plenty of resistance, lunacy cries of socialism, hate speech and other crap. It’s crazy.
It’s not a bull in a China shop, nor a cat amongst the pigeons. It’s much more than that. It’s war. For some it seems America is under attack. It needs to be saved urgently from the devil’s clutches. Looking at it from a distance, it’s just nuts. The insults. The slogans. The spin. The lies. The public relations millions spent by the private health care companies lobbying against any reforms. It’s mad.
The US President is right that access to health care is not working in America today. Let’s face it. If you have millions who can’t afford health insurance and you claim to be the role model of the civilised, developed world, then something is seriously wrong. Something needs to be done. Something needs to change. If then the first – emotional – reaction from conservative corners and from the stinking rich healthcare conglomerates is to cry foul and speak about socialism and Russian-style interventionism, then it just shows straight forward ignorance and narrow mindedness and egoism and greed and no sense of social values nor building a strong society. Building a nation is also building bridges between rich and poor. It has nothing to do with socialism or communism or any isms. It’s part of building a common future in a nation that binds its citizens together. Strength in unity. I thought togetherness was something Americans craved for. Waving the flag also means building bonds.
The scare tactics and misinformation around the debate is mad. Indeed there needs to be serious discussion about the content of a health care reform, but there should not be doubt nor criticism that reform is urgent and needed. If that is not clear then those opposing the basics and spirit of it all need to crawl back under their rock and live by themselves far away from any society. Neanderthals.
Protests, screaming, yelling, stand offs.
Republicans, conservatives and big business claim Obama wants a state-run health care system to take over from the private sector. A European style health care system. First of all, as far as I can see, Obama wants a mixed system in which all Americans have access to health care. Is that not a noble principle? Health care for all citizens. There are so many cases of Americans that cannot pay for life saving medical interventions because they have no private health plan. Many of them have to mortgage their house to pay for medical bills, or have to choose between good education for their kids or go ahead with a required medical intervention for a parent. A choice from hell. Is that the way to continue in a so called developed world? Is that the American model? The American dream? That’s Darwinism. That’s rot.
I’ve seen protest slogans that a health care reform would kill off private practices and increase taxes. Get real. Now already the prices of medicines are so high in the US – hello private profit! – that Americans cross the border to Canada to be able to afford drugs. That’s crazy. I’ve seen Republicans saying Obama’s plans will lead to a government run health care, but at the same time they want price control on medicines and more regulation to lower doctors’ fees. That’s also so called state interventionism, isn’t it?
And the tax issue. Just learn something from many European nations, especially the Scandinavians, where there is a serious tax burden but you get plenty of great social services back that creates a better life for all citizens: great hospitals, great healthcare access for all, great public transport, great support systems for working mums, etc etc. So put that evil-tax spin in some perspective please.
It is so typical American ‘romanticism’ and brainless criticism to just straight away shout socialism, Russia, taxes, individual rights,... Why don’t they add God and guns to the mix and it’s all complete. Cocktail of narrow-mindedness.
I’m not interested in the details and sub-layers of the healthcare reform plan(s) Obama has in mind, but what I do know is that ignoring the fact that so many Americans can’t afford access to basic healthcare is a sour joke for a nation like America. An insult in fact.
It’s a tough one for Obama. The Democrats remember well that Hillary Clinton tried to launch the health care reform debate during husband Bill’s first presidency, and it just got very ugly and didn’t get too far in the system. Buried by Republican spin and the hot-air of “American values”.
Anyway, the way this discussion is going now there will be pain and there will be need for some medical interventions. If you can pay for it!
Speaking of Hillary. She is still flying around Africa. Hardly any real access to decent healthcare there for the vast majority. I saw that she was in Nigeria and praised the government there for its peace initiatives with rebels in the oil-rich south of the country – the so-called Delta. Of course the US is very worried about destabilising factors in Nigeria because Nigeria is a large oil exporter and the US is urgently trying to be less reliant on oil from the unstable Middle East. So it’s all handshakes and smiles and keeping US-Nigerian relations smooth. Despite Nigeria’s human rights violations, Muslim extremism in the north, massive corruption, environmental onslaught, growing poverty. It’s all about oil. A classic story. Times change but some things stay the same.
Hillary started her African journey in Kenya last week where she also met the Somali President and promised him arms to defend his government against the ever-advancing Islamic forces. The sitting president has hardly any territory left to defend. Seriously doubt that US arms will turn the tide. Somali officials are more likely to sell those brand new toys to the Islamic forces and flee with bags of cash.
Saw that those Islamic fighters have banned gold teeth in the areas they control. They say it’s un-Islamic. Should I laugh or cry? Medieval butchers. I also saw that 5 Pakistani preachers were killed too in the capital Mogadishu. The Somali bloodbath just keeps going on and on. No more tears to cry.
From healthcare and Somali onslaught to the IPhone. It’s all possible.
A French teenager suffered an eye injury when his girlfriend’s iPhone exploded. The phone made a hissing noise and then the screen shattered, sending glass around. An iPhone attack! Maybe Apple doesn’t like the French! But then apparently the same thing happened in England recently.
Wondering if the French teenager went to a public hospital and got good, decent, affordable treatment there.
Next time I see somebody using an iPhone I better keep some distance. Guess some American entrepreneur in good old-fashioned American tradition is already formulating an insurance for ‘exploding iPhones’. I feel a business opportunity. Of course the insurance will have a private medical cover linked to it. Entry ticket to a private hospital of course. Going to a public health care facility would be socialism, right? And didn’t the US beat those damn Soviets in the wild nuke race back in the 80s? So hey, the Reds are history. And for any pills to save your eye from infection from the shattered glass from the iPhone, you can always cross to Canada. Just a quick weekend trip. No sweat! I just hope that the exploding iPhones were not made in Mexico, or even ‘worse’, made in China. We can’t have that too right!
Throw out. Tuned in to Jersey’s This Charming Man’s only ever release “Very little secret” from back in 2005. It’s Brian Fallon’s band before he started the popular The Gaslight Anthem. Jersey tunes rocking away.
C-Ya
collateral – as August 2009 moves on
It’s not a bull in a China shop, nor a cat amongst the pigeons. It’s much more than that. It’s war. For some it seems America is under attack. It needs to be saved urgently from the devil’s clutches. Looking at it from a distance, it’s just nuts. The insults. The slogans. The spin. The lies. The public relations millions spent by the private health care companies lobbying against any reforms. It’s mad.
The US President is right that access to health care is not working in America today. Let’s face it. If you have millions who can’t afford health insurance and you claim to be the role model of the civilised, developed world, then something is seriously wrong. Something needs to be done. Something needs to change. If then the first – emotional – reaction from conservative corners and from the stinking rich healthcare conglomerates is to cry foul and speak about socialism and Russian-style interventionism, then it just shows straight forward ignorance and narrow mindedness and egoism and greed and no sense of social values nor building a strong society. Building a nation is also building bridges between rich and poor. It has nothing to do with socialism or communism or any isms. It’s part of building a common future in a nation that binds its citizens together. Strength in unity. I thought togetherness was something Americans craved for. Waving the flag also means building bonds.
The scare tactics and misinformation around the debate is mad. Indeed there needs to be serious discussion about the content of a health care reform, but there should not be doubt nor criticism that reform is urgent and needed. If that is not clear then those opposing the basics and spirit of it all need to crawl back under their rock and live by themselves far away from any society. Neanderthals.
Protests, screaming, yelling, stand offs.
Republicans, conservatives and big business claim Obama wants a state-run health care system to take over from the private sector. A European style health care system. First of all, as far as I can see, Obama wants a mixed system in which all Americans have access to health care. Is that not a noble principle? Health care for all citizens. There are so many cases of Americans that cannot pay for life saving medical interventions because they have no private health plan. Many of them have to mortgage their house to pay for medical bills, or have to choose between good education for their kids or go ahead with a required medical intervention for a parent. A choice from hell. Is that the way to continue in a so called developed world? Is that the American model? The American dream? That’s Darwinism. That’s rot.
I’ve seen protest slogans that a health care reform would kill off private practices and increase taxes. Get real. Now already the prices of medicines are so high in the US – hello private profit! – that Americans cross the border to Canada to be able to afford drugs. That’s crazy. I’ve seen Republicans saying Obama’s plans will lead to a government run health care, but at the same time they want price control on medicines and more regulation to lower doctors’ fees. That’s also so called state interventionism, isn’t it?
And the tax issue. Just learn something from many European nations, especially the Scandinavians, where there is a serious tax burden but you get plenty of great social services back that creates a better life for all citizens: great hospitals, great healthcare access for all, great public transport, great support systems for working mums, etc etc. So put that evil-tax spin in some perspective please.
It is so typical American ‘romanticism’ and brainless criticism to just straight away shout socialism, Russia, taxes, individual rights,... Why don’t they add God and guns to the mix and it’s all complete. Cocktail of narrow-mindedness.
I’m not interested in the details and sub-layers of the healthcare reform plan(s) Obama has in mind, but what I do know is that ignoring the fact that so many Americans can’t afford access to basic healthcare is a sour joke for a nation like America. An insult in fact.
It’s a tough one for Obama. The Democrats remember well that Hillary Clinton tried to launch the health care reform debate during husband Bill’s first presidency, and it just got very ugly and didn’t get too far in the system. Buried by Republican spin and the hot-air of “American values”.
Anyway, the way this discussion is going now there will be pain and there will be need for some medical interventions. If you can pay for it!
Speaking of Hillary. She is still flying around Africa. Hardly any real access to decent healthcare there for the vast majority. I saw that she was in Nigeria and praised the government there for its peace initiatives with rebels in the oil-rich south of the country – the so-called Delta. Of course the US is very worried about destabilising factors in Nigeria because Nigeria is a large oil exporter and the US is urgently trying to be less reliant on oil from the unstable Middle East. So it’s all handshakes and smiles and keeping US-Nigerian relations smooth. Despite Nigeria’s human rights violations, Muslim extremism in the north, massive corruption, environmental onslaught, growing poverty. It’s all about oil. A classic story. Times change but some things stay the same.
Hillary started her African journey in Kenya last week where she also met the Somali President and promised him arms to defend his government against the ever-advancing Islamic forces. The sitting president has hardly any territory left to defend. Seriously doubt that US arms will turn the tide. Somali officials are more likely to sell those brand new toys to the Islamic forces and flee with bags of cash.
Saw that those Islamic fighters have banned gold teeth in the areas they control. They say it’s un-Islamic. Should I laugh or cry? Medieval butchers. I also saw that 5 Pakistani preachers were killed too in the capital Mogadishu. The Somali bloodbath just keeps going on and on. No more tears to cry.
From healthcare and Somali onslaught to the IPhone. It’s all possible.
A French teenager suffered an eye injury when his girlfriend’s iPhone exploded. The phone made a hissing noise and then the screen shattered, sending glass around. An iPhone attack! Maybe Apple doesn’t like the French! But then apparently the same thing happened in England recently.
Wondering if the French teenager went to a public hospital and got good, decent, affordable treatment there.
Next time I see somebody using an iPhone I better keep some distance. Guess some American entrepreneur in good old-fashioned American tradition is already formulating an insurance for ‘exploding iPhones’. I feel a business opportunity. Of course the insurance will have a private medical cover linked to it. Entry ticket to a private hospital of course. Going to a public health care facility would be socialism, right? And didn’t the US beat those damn Soviets in the wild nuke race back in the 80s? So hey, the Reds are history. And for any pills to save your eye from infection from the shattered glass from the iPhone, you can always cross to Canada. Just a quick weekend trip. No sweat! I just hope that the exploding iPhones were not made in Mexico, or even ‘worse’, made in China. We can’t have that too right!
Throw out. Tuned in to Jersey’s This Charming Man’s only ever release “Very little secret” from back in 2005. It’s Brian Fallon’s band before he started the popular The Gaslight Anthem. Jersey tunes rocking away.
C-Ya
collateral – as August 2009 moves on
God & evil
Get this. A truck salesman in the US state of Missouri is offering a free AK-47 when buying a truck or van. So we are not talking about the “traditional” extras that might be thrown into the mix, like extra speakers, sunroof, sporty exhaust pipe, rims,... No, we are talking about an AK-47. A fire weapon.
In fact the AK-47 is the weapon of choice of most rebel fighters around the world. Be it the Talban in the Afghan mountains. Be it the Hutu butchers in eastern Congo. Be it child soldiers in Liberia in the 90s. Be it Islamic fighters in Russia’s hellhole Chechnya. But here in the US Midwest this truck salesman wants to push up his declining sales figures by offering this symbol of resistance as a nice little “extra”. It just sounds surreal. But then again, many ‘thoughts’ coming out of the Midwest are detached from reality.
The salesman said that “The purpose for guns like AK-47s is home defence." Oh, I forgot that typical American mythology of the right to own a gun. And the salesman was quickly to add that "God wants us to defend ourselves against evil." Now the circle is round. God and guns. They strangely seem connected forever. I guess the Taliban in Afghanistan or Pakistan also refers to their “god” when blasting their AKs at NATO soldiers or Pakistan forces. The divine right to kill. For sure self-defence is a respectable issue. But it’s too often a thin line. Besides the extra fact also that too many deadly accidents happen with guns in private homes. Be it kids accessing daddy’s gun, or a domestic flare-up spilling over into a killing zone.
Human behaviour.
From the Midwest to the outside world. A giant leap. Recent days trespassing Americans have made the news. First and foremost there were the 2 American ladies whom crossed by accident into North Korea – the most paranoid nation in the universe. Bad step. Wrong move. They were caught. The paranoia went into overdrive as usual. Stories of spying. CIA. Secret missions. A Hollywood movie in the making. Ridiculous sentence. Fading hope. Cries for help. And help came. Good old Bill Clinton to the rescue. Still hasn’t lost his charm. He went to the evil empire, talked the talk, and came back with the 2 ladies. The nation’s hero. George Bush Junior must be depressed back at the ranch in Texas. Big points for slick Bill while George was praying back down in the south. Hollywood is certainly drawing up the script already.
And all this while Bill’s wife Hillary has just started her African tour. It’s like a Clinton competition for whom gets the most media coverage in the household. Hands down victory for Bill. Hillary needs some catching up to do. Their daughter Chelsea must be having fun. It’s Wednesday. Mmh, let’s check my diary. Dad is in the evil empire playing superman, and mom went down to Africa to read those corrupt Kenyans the riot act. I wonder if Chelsea gets her parents frequent flyer miles for a holiday in Hawaii?
Let’s see if Hillary’s tough words toward corrupt politicians in Africa will stand the test of time. Talking tough when the cameras roll and walking the talk afterwards when commercial and / or strategic reasons pop up are too often a different piece of cake. Anyway. I liked her speech in Kenya. She was right and to the point. Let’s wait and see now.
But I am sliding away from my trespassing Americans. So we had the two American ladies saved by Bill from the dungeons of North Korea. Westbound from the Korean peninsula there is that powder keg region called the Middle East. Now some Americans, I think 4, have illegally walked from northern Iraq into Iran. The other evil empire. Bad move. And I am still confused why Americans, or anybody else for that matter, would go on a hiking holiday in northern Iraq. Adventure is one thing. Stupidity another. So they got caught by Iranian cops and are now facing justice for illegally entering Iran. That’s a tough one. Just as the hard line, nuke freak won the presidential race. Bad move. Bad timing. Bad luck. It’s like giving the Iranian president the perfect bargaining chip in his standoff with the West. I should say the West and many others.
Don’t want to be mean but are geography lessons in US schools so bad that Americans don’t know about borders and different countries? Maybe they think that the difference between North and South Korea is just like the difference between California and Nevada? Or that Iran and Iraq are all just part of one nation called the Middle East.
Honestly, you don’t just walk into a country. Can you imagine a Mexican, as he gets arrested by the US cops south of San Diego telling them. ‘Oh, am I in the US? Oh sorry, I was just walking along the river or across the hilltop in Mexico and must have gone lost”. I know, I know. It’s not the same thing (as they say) but I was just thinking about illegals entering the US as I was writing the faith of these Americans trespassing here and there.
Anyway, the 2 ladies are free from their Korean nightmare. Wondering if Bill is buying airline tickets to Iran next? Don’t think so. The poker game with Iran isn’t the same as the one with North Korea.
That’s that for missing Americans. One that wasn’t MIA was the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Wife of superman Bill. Her African safari across 7 countries is in full swing. After corrupt Kenya, she got to South Africa.
She reached the Rainbow nation just as it is facing a winter of discontent. Yes, for those wondering, it’s winter now in the southern hemisphere. South Africa is facing social unrest and protests in all corners. Public service staff (trash collectors, municipal officials, public hospitals staff,... ) have just returned to work after days of striking for better wages. The public broadcaster was on strike. Now the state owned telephone company has laid down tools. Same for the state owned electricity company. And before all these strikes, several poor urban suburbs – townships as they are called – were up in arms, stoning cars and cops, setting tyres on fire on the roads,... as they were angry that they seem to be forgotten by government as they slide deeper into poverty and live in horrible conditions without sanitation, schools, medical facilities nor electricity. Oh, and the main airport in South Africa nearly ran out of fuel. But Hillary wont see any of all this. Red carpet, handshakes here, there and a bit more somewhere else. Fine words. Glass of champagne. Then visiting some social project and off to her next safari-stop Angola.
And all these hick ups as South Africa is getting ready to host the soccer world cup next year. Both Koreas are already qualified for the world cup. Korean war in South Africa! The Netherlands and Australia are also already qualified. Obviously also host South Africa. Japan is nearly ready to buy their tickets I think. Pretty sure the classic stars Brazil, Italy, Germany, Spain and England will make it too. The US seems likely also to come down south next June 2010.
Speaking of soccer or football as it is called more traditionally in Europe. Believe it or not but the Somali Football Federation is still very active despite the war, famine, Islamic attacks, Ethiopian invasion, no central government for about 20 years or so, northern provinces wanting independence, pirates,... Amongst the slaughter the Somali football fever is alive and games are being played. Surreal.
Throw out. Listening to the new release by Death Before Dishonor. It’s called “Better ways to die”. Boston tunes. Hard!
C-Ya
collateral – as August 2009 moves on
In fact the AK-47 is the weapon of choice of most rebel fighters around the world. Be it the Talban in the Afghan mountains. Be it the Hutu butchers in eastern Congo. Be it child soldiers in Liberia in the 90s. Be it Islamic fighters in Russia’s hellhole Chechnya. But here in the US Midwest this truck salesman wants to push up his declining sales figures by offering this symbol of resistance as a nice little “extra”. It just sounds surreal. But then again, many ‘thoughts’ coming out of the Midwest are detached from reality.
The salesman said that “The purpose for guns like AK-47s is home defence." Oh, I forgot that typical American mythology of the right to own a gun. And the salesman was quickly to add that "God wants us to defend ourselves against evil." Now the circle is round. God and guns. They strangely seem connected forever. I guess the Taliban in Afghanistan or Pakistan also refers to their “god” when blasting their AKs at NATO soldiers or Pakistan forces. The divine right to kill. For sure self-defence is a respectable issue. But it’s too often a thin line. Besides the extra fact also that too many deadly accidents happen with guns in private homes. Be it kids accessing daddy’s gun, or a domestic flare-up spilling over into a killing zone.
Human behaviour.
From the Midwest to the outside world. A giant leap. Recent days trespassing Americans have made the news. First and foremost there were the 2 American ladies whom crossed by accident into North Korea – the most paranoid nation in the universe. Bad step. Wrong move. They were caught. The paranoia went into overdrive as usual. Stories of spying. CIA. Secret missions. A Hollywood movie in the making. Ridiculous sentence. Fading hope. Cries for help. And help came. Good old Bill Clinton to the rescue. Still hasn’t lost his charm. He went to the evil empire, talked the talk, and came back with the 2 ladies. The nation’s hero. George Bush Junior must be depressed back at the ranch in Texas. Big points for slick Bill while George was praying back down in the south. Hollywood is certainly drawing up the script already.
And all this while Bill’s wife Hillary has just started her African tour. It’s like a Clinton competition for whom gets the most media coverage in the household. Hands down victory for Bill. Hillary needs some catching up to do. Their daughter Chelsea must be having fun. It’s Wednesday. Mmh, let’s check my diary. Dad is in the evil empire playing superman, and mom went down to Africa to read those corrupt Kenyans the riot act. I wonder if Chelsea gets her parents frequent flyer miles for a holiday in Hawaii?
Let’s see if Hillary’s tough words toward corrupt politicians in Africa will stand the test of time. Talking tough when the cameras roll and walking the talk afterwards when commercial and / or strategic reasons pop up are too often a different piece of cake. Anyway. I liked her speech in Kenya. She was right and to the point. Let’s wait and see now.
But I am sliding away from my trespassing Americans. So we had the two American ladies saved by Bill from the dungeons of North Korea. Westbound from the Korean peninsula there is that powder keg region called the Middle East. Now some Americans, I think 4, have illegally walked from northern Iraq into Iran. The other evil empire. Bad move. And I am still confused why Americans, or anybody else for that matter, would go on a hiking holiday in northern Iraq. Adventure is one thing. Stupidity another. So they got caught by Iranian cops and are now facing justice for illegally entering Iran. That’s a tough one. Just as the hard line, nuke freak won the presidential race. Bad move. Bad timing. Bad luck. It’s like giving the Iranian president the perfect bargaining chip in his standoff with the West. I should say the West and many others.
Don’t want to be mean but are geography lessons in US schools so bad that Americans don’t know about borders and different countries? Maybe they think that the difference between North and South Korea is just like the difference between California and Nevada? Or that Iran and Iraq are all just part of one nation called the Middle East.
Honestly, you don’t just walk into a country. Can you imagine a Mexican, as he gets arrested by the US cops south of San Diego telling them. ‘Oh, am I in the US? Oh sorry, I was just walking along the river or across the hilltop in Mexico and must have gone lost”. I know, I know. It’s not the same thing (as they say) but I was just thinking about illegals entering the US as I was writing the faith of these Americans trespassing here and there.
Anyway, the 2 ladies are free from their Korean nightmare. Wondering if Bill is buying airline tickets to Iran next? Don’t think so. The poker game with Iran isn’t the same as the one with North Korea.
That’s that for missing Americans. One that wasn’t MIA was the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Wife of superman Bill. Her African safari across 7 countries is in full swing. After corrupt Kenya, she got to South Africa.
She reached the Rainbow nation just as it is facing a winter of discontent. Yes, for those wondering, it’s winter now in the southern hemisphere. South Africa is facing social unrest and protests in all corners. Public service staff (trash collectors, municipal officials, public hospitals staff,... ) have just returned to work after days of striking for better wages. The public broadcaster was on strike. Now the state owned telephone company has laid down tools. Same for the state owned electricity company. And before all these strikes, several poor urban suburbs – townships as they are called – were up in arms, stoning cars and cops, setting tyres on fire on the roads,... as they were angry that they seem to be forgotten by government as they slide deeper into poverty and live in horrible conditions without sanitation, schools, medical facilities nor electricity. Oh, and the main airport in South Africa nearly ran out of fuel. But Hillary wont see any of all this. Red carpet, handshakes here, there and a bit more somewhere else. Fine words. Glass of champagne. Then visiting some social project and off to her next safari-stop Angola.
And all these hick ups as South Africa is getting ready to host the soccer world cup next year. Both Koreas are already qualified for the world cup. Korean war in South Africa! The Netherlands and Australia are also already qualified. Obviously also host South Africa. Japan is nearly ready to buy their tickets I think. Pretty sure the classic stars Brazil, Italy, Germany, Spain and England will make it too. The US seems likely also to come down south next June 2010.
Speaking of soccer or football as it is called more traditionally in Europe. Believe it or not but the Somali Football Federation is still very active despite the war, famine, Islamic attacks, Ethiopian invasion, no central government for about 20 years or so, northern provinces wanting independence, pirates,... Amongst the slaughter the Somali football fever is alive and games are being played. Surreal.
Throw out. Listening to the new release by Death Before Dishonor. It’s called “Better ways to die”. Boston tunes. Hard!
C-Ya
collateral – as August 2009 moves on
Madness. They call it madness.
Going south. Bunch of news stories from South Africa that caught my attention over the last days and hours.
Last week the public sector was on strike in the rainbow nation. So no trash collection, municipal offices closed, public hospital workers absent,... The state employees demanded a 15% salary rise. That’s double the current inflation rate of South Africa. And that amidst the country’s first economic recession in 17 years. Sometimes you wonder if the trade unions live on another planet. Do they have any sense of economics? Or is their hatred for the world economic system keeping them deaf, dumb and blind on factual issues. Get real folks! Or maybe, as sadly too often around the globe, the unions are not fighting for the rights of their members, but for political power towards the governing elite. In South Africa’s case that is certainly on the cards as the trade unions helped heavily bringing current President Jacob Zuma to power. And now it’s payback time. Recession or no recession.
And sometimes strikers are seriously out of line. Last Friday striking fire fighters refused to attend to a crash scene and cut a badly injured woman and the body of her husband from a car wreck. In the same accident two babies died. I mean that’s criminal! In the end fire fighters from a nearby power plant had to come to the rescue. Can these striking fire fighters look themselves in the mirror in the morning? Or is the ugliness of their behaviour blinding them? Not worth to be in such a job!
That attitude is maybe a reflection of a larger “cancer”.
The new national police commissioner of South Africa has called to stop the regular publication of crime statistics. I mean, get real. Something to hide perhaps? In a country like South Africa with unbelievable high crime rates it has the smell of rot if the new, gung-ho chief cop doesn’t want the public to know if the state’s crime fighting actions are having any effect or not. Maybe the new sheriff needs to learn the basic principle of holding public office. He is there to serve the people and thus the people have the right to know if the cops or making any progress in tackling South Africa’s sky high crime pest. The streets of the rainbow nation are soaked in blood.
A new, private study last month showed that house robberies went up by 13% in 1 year. That in 2008 there were 15000 house robberies in South Africa. Yes you are reading well. 15000 House robberies in 1 year in a nation of 50 million citizens. And often robberies go hand in hand with the use of violent force. The same study stated that a third of the house robbers had committed murder or would not hesitate to kill. And a mind-blowing 97% of the robbers are armed. And kick this. The average robber commits 103 robberies over an average period of 7 years before being caught. No surprise then that South Africa’s conviction rate for house robberies is just under 8%. Compare that to the US where it stands at 53%.
And these are just some statistics regarding house robberies. Add to that car jackings, straight forward murders, rapes, white collar crime,... and South Africa is gangster paradise. In fact gangsters, in the traditional, semi-romantic meaning of the word have some rules and ethics. That is often not the case in South Africa’s brutal crime reality. Call it thugs paradise!
And then the new cop-in-charge, all dressed out in an Italian suit, wants to keep the crime figures hidden from the people he is supposed to serve and protect. Nonsense. It smells of political spin. How best to protect the image of his friend and boss, President Zuma? It’s criminal!
And to explain his wacko policy, the new police chief goes on the radio to say that statistics give criminals the advantage. You’re kidding, right?! And he even adds that releasing crime statistics can be used by political opponents. So he admits he is protecting the political image of his boss. Right? It’s nuts and very disrespectful to the people of South Africa who have to live within this extreme violent society.
Staying with South Africa’s police force, but on a much lighter note. A commanding police officer in a station on the eastern edge of the country’s largest metropolis Johannesburg, has moved into his office. Yes indeed, he now lives in his office in his police station. And his fellow cops are every morning witnessing their boss washing up in the station’s kitchen. And it is reported that sometimes he gives morning briefings in his pyjamas and orders his staff to go and get him coffee. I mean the commanding police officer needs his morning coffee to get the day started and fight all those criminals out there. Right? And then you wonder why the trust in South Africa’s men in blue have fallen to all time lows amidst the population. I wonder if his pyjamas are blue?
Staying in Africa but moving north of the equator. And without doubt a much more serious topic than the police-resident. A mad story. A story with a medieval feel to it, but unfortunately very real and very 2009.
A female journalist in Sudan is facing 40 whip lashes for wearing trousers instead of a skirt. Slow down. Read again. A women is about to get lashed (by a man who probably will enjoy it) because she was having trousers on? I mean, pinch me. This is mad. Barbaric. Medieval. Inhuman. The police in Sudan’s capital Khartoum had arrested 30-year old Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein because they judged that wearing trousers was “indecent”. Sudan has a law that states that anyone wearing indecent clothing violates public morality. The 21st century maybe hasn’t reached Sudan yet.
The even more madly amazing fact is that female police and army members in Sudan are wearing trousers as part of their official uniform. Yes indeed! How paradox is that?! Just straight forward crap. 100% Bollocks. Going around preaching some religious morality on the streets of the capital, but then breaking your own morality in your own official institutions. Two faced! Anyway, it has nothing to do with any morality or social standards. It’s abuse of power towards women. It’s just rot. Religious freaks of all kinds always make me vomit in disgust.
Throw out. Listening to the new tunes by London ska-heroes Madness. A double album called “The liberty of Norton Folgate”. These funny lads have been around for more than 30 years. It’s since 1999 that Madness had not released new songs. And it’s the original line-up that appears here back together. They have moved on to pop-with-a-touch-of-ska, but still some fine tunes here and there. Moments of nostalgia.
C-Ya
collateral – August 2009
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