How to make revolutions more appealing

Before you read any further i do warn you all that this is a light-hearted post so to speak so don’t take it literally and to heart.

Ok, so i thought i would do my bit for charity and post a helpful and useful post. We all know of someone who finds it hard & tricky to get their heads around what’s going on in the Middle East revolution-wise. So how do we rectify this? How do we break it down into a simpler bite-size form?

I think i might just have the answer: use Analogy’s…and in particular…football analogies.

Why football I hear you cry? It’s simply because no other sport can capture the hearts & minds of the majority of the world’s people so intensely. Proof being, every time there is a match on that involves a team of 11 over-paid-&over-valued footballers playing against another team of 11-over-paid-&over-valued footballers my facebook newsfeed blows up. People’s facebook statuses become alight with news and updates on what’s going on…it’s so mind-blowingly gripping that some people even manage in their excitement to mistake their facebook’s for an official football commentary channel….i am so well informed i feel like i am literally part of the team….if not on the pitch then at least on the subs bench

So how about we mould this enthusiasm and interest into a topic like the revolutions in the Middle East. Consider this a template:

Imagine the police/pro-government forces are one team, and the anti-government supporters are another….Disregard if you can the idea of a limit imposed on how many players you can have on a team…we are trying to be all-inclusive. Throw in an imaginary football whenever you are watching scenes of unrest between the two crowds. When they are clashing…the match is on….when they are not…it’s half time….One again…i stress the need also to eliminate the component of ‘time’ when you’re watching this ‘match’…If you can’t seem to do that think of it as ‘overtime’…it’s meant to cover all the wasted time the ‘dictators’ have been in power.

But where does the dictator fit into all these football shenanigans? Well he is the manager of the police/pro-government forces… whilst the manager of the opposing team is Mr common sense & dignity.

When the police/pro-government forces are using dirty underhand tactics against the anti-government supporters i.e. beating them, shooting at them etc. That’s their version of playing foul. So of course this should be met with a stern rebuttal by the referee.

Yes there is a ‘self-imposed’ referee in all this and its the international community…in specific …the leaders of the countries that really matter on the world stage…so yea…Imagine Obama or anyone from the U.S state department in a referee kit whenever they are making a speech…whenever you hear the words ‘restraint’ that’s a straight up yellow card….when the words are on the level of ‘transition’ you know things have gotten serious and big daddy is pulling out that red card.

Oh and before i forget, you must be wondering about the goalposts and how goals are actually scored. Well the overall goal is for either team to get their hands on the ‘throne of power’ trophy….the current holders of this trophy are the team headed by the ‘dictators’.  You can also think of the army as ‘goalkeepers’ for both teams, as they are the ones that really determine whether the goals can actually be scored or prevented.

So overall, this post is a messy business for anyone who has no clue what football is. But for everyone else, rejoice, this revolution can now be shared and watched by all football fans with as match fever and vigour as countless other football matches … albeit it being a match with a few ‘minor’ adjustments.

Till Next time,

 

Food for Thought: Ignorance & Hate

‘People tend to be frightened of what they don’t understand’

It’s a simple quote, but a quote which I think resonates perfectly with the times we find ourselves living in at the moment. It’s also a quote I picked up watching the ‘Big fat Gypsy Wedding’…for all those who don’t know what that is…. it’s a show on channel 4 that highlights some aspects of the customs and traditions of gypsies.

But the reason why I speak about it is because I feel partially ashamed. But before I get into that I need to back-track a bit. Just before I watched the final programme of ‘Big fat Gypsy wedding’ I watched a programme about Geert Wilder on BBC’s this world programme …there is of course no nice way of explaining who this detestable guy is, and it’s also unfortunate that anyone has to hear of his name. He is a prominent Dutch MP in Holland who spews hate-filled, factually inaccurate and ignorant comments directed strictly against  the faith of Islam and it’s followers  …he is also a card- carrying hard-line ardent Christian-Zionist…It’s something I believe which partially explains a lot of about where his views come from. The reason why he has become so prominent is because his party unfortunately currently holds 12% of the parliamentary seats in Holland.

But that fact that he exists and has some public backing shouldn’t be a complete surprise. It is, if anything, an expected occurrence especially if you consulate with the history books. This is because whenever there seems to be economic turmoil or hardships  the minorities/outsiders/immigrants are always targeted and blamed for the faults of an inherently unequal system….I wonder if the dear old bankers contemplate this when they moan about banker bashing…It’s always an indirect consequence of economic hardship that people use and find scapegoats to blame all the countries woes and troubles on…and with the rise of Extremist far-right  groups across Europe, unfortunately  the scapegoat this time around is Muslims and Islam.

It’s saddening to see inside these far right groups, so called people of faith lamenting another faith-group vehemently with hate…it’s especially saddening to see that a select few happen to be Jewish.  This is because it wasn’t so long ago that they were themselves on the unfortunate receiving end of this kind of incoherent hate… albeit of a much worse kind. But it seems that history is intent on repeating itself one way or another, be it under a different guise or form. And how does this occur? Simply put because of ignorance. As it is only ignorance unfortunately that seems to best survive and breed on simple fear and misinformation… As Mark Twain once put it, A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

So to bring this article full circle, why do I feel bad after watching the final episode of the big fat gypsy wedding?

It’s because I realised, watching the last episode which dealt with the discrimination that gypsies faced, that I had fallen privy to the same mistake scores of people fall into everyday…that is to base my judgement of  people whom I’ve never met and whom I know nothing about on this one barely truly encompassing programme. I had done what many people had unfortunately done, treated this show and its participants as a joke and the people in it as uncultured or backward….but whom am I to judge and discriminate? How can  anyone claim to be a target of hate when they also harbour ill will to others? It’s not to say that you have to agree with everything they do or say, but to simply deal with some disagreements by slapping a label on the people you disagree with and turning your nose up at  them is in itself inherently reductionist and wrong.

Overall, I think none of the problems that we face in this world can simply be blamed willy-nilly on a marginalised group of people, the debate and problems we face are complex for a reason… So extremists should not insult our intelligence by suggesting otherwise. So for all those people who ask why they should bother with simply keeping in touch with what’s going on in the wider world…remembers this simple fact…by being ignorant, you are inadvertently building yourself up to be a perpetrator of prejudice and discrimination.

Till Next Time,

‘The Greatest Ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about’ - Anonymous

 

Confession

Ok….I have a confession to make of sorts….ever since Bush left the white house I’ve felt something has been missing in my life and in the life of politics in general….. comedy…..the guy was a one-man stand up comedic show……. he was the modern-day Court Jester…..he was, and excuse the reference if you aren’t Arab, the western Jo7a…. he came up with phrases and quotes that left you at first…shocked that anyone could mess up so badly… then laughing your ass off and alerting every Tom, Dick and Harry about the said phrase…. he single-handedly I believe *with no evidence to support this* helped boost the profits of company’s selling posters  aimed at students *glances back at wall with a ‘Bushism, great quotes of our time’ poster*. He was plentiful in his comedic contributions….and what was great about him….was he wasn’t even aware of his so-called talent to make people laugh…..he was crap and useless at everything else..like on the verge of not being able to be trusted to make toast useless….but boi could he make a simple speech/qs and answer session turn into a right old knees up laugh fest.

So what do we do know when we are feeling down and low-in-the-IQ region about ourselves? when we feel like nothing is possible? We no longer have Bush to single-handedly reassert the fact that because he can be given the most powerful job in the world that anything is within reach no matter how unqualified you are or deserving you are of your goal. Has that American dream of anyone being a somebody been dashed to the curb with Bush having upped and left?

Well I say to you all….don’t despair…their IS hope…..Where I hear you call….where else…in the USA of course….Who I hear you ask? Sarah freaking-self-confessed-mama-grizzly-Palin

I have a love hate relationship with that woman….mainly hate…but the love shines through every time  I find myself searching for a new butt to a joke. Now don’t get me wrong…I don’t want her as president of the USA….I just don’t mind her dilly dallying about on the fringes of politics to add a bit of light-hearted fun to a serious arena….

And though at first I didn’t understand why Sarah Palin would want to call herself mama grizzly, I soon saw the light when a saw a picture of a mama grizzly….the resemblance is UNCANNY. If you don’t believe me, take a crack at it below;

Took me some tiiiiimeeeee and effort to be able to differentiate and label the two correctly, but in the end the effort paid off….Never have I been more proud of my spot the difference abilities, it’s a talent, you either got it or you don’t.

So basically in summary..women is a comedic giver.. the balance of life is once again restored….Hallelujah

Till next time

 

Anyone up for a battle royale?

I’v got an idea that I think will blow people away… literally… whilst also solving a few social problems. Here’s the basic idea, we get the extremist ‘Muslim’ jihadi’s and the extremist islamaphobes *im taking hardcore fundamentalist ‘Christians’, ‘Jews’, EDL members etc.* and we place them on an island somewhere, *one as far away as possible from the general civilized community* and we just let them fight it out, old skool style, dog eat dog etc. Let ignorance fight it out for the sake of our sanity.

I have had just abount enough of both sides utter nonesense. You get these well hard don’t-fuck-with-us brits showing their hardness by….protesting in areas like Luton with a bunch of  flags….well hard…you know they must mean buisness because the big bois have brought out the st. Johns flags. Rocky balboua ain’t got shit on these guys ….FACT. If these guys really wanted to combat ‘jihad’ then what the hell are they doing in quaint old Luton and NOT Afghanistan? Did they just get lost on the way and decide to set up shop in the nearest district with a substantial enough Islamic community? Targeting the moderates, that’s the way to do it.

And where to start with the ‘Islamic’ extremists…….well, firstly, when you speak off attacking the ‘heart of the west’ do u really just mean a bunch of innocent civillians goin abt their daily chores? heart of the west? As far as I know the bus’s and trains you attacked in London only follow 1 route and their destinations are not the lair of satan himself….Bummer. And in the process of your so called mission you happen to end up targeting the most defenceless people, where is the honour in that?  Not to mention you finish yourself conveniently off so as not to deal with the consequences of your ignorant and misguided act. You do kill 2 birds with 1 stone though, you manage to not only break the Islamic rule that FORBIDS one taking their own life aka suicide but ALSO you manage to disobey the clear saying of your own prophet which says you should in times of war leave non-combatants i.e. civilians, woman, children, elderly etc.   unharmed….. so that’s an Islamic combat FAIL. It’s like these people have decided to treat the religion like a pick and mix…picking NOTHING of relevance and MIXING in their own crap. And funnily enough, the heads of this extremist faction always seem to stay put where they are… in this life… unfortunately. I imagine the conversation goes a bit like this:

Mullah: So you see, your mission in life is to carry out this deed *hands bomb strapped vest over*. It is the rightful path for true believers.

Unsuspecting Dude; I understand, *straps on vest* So when do we depart?

Mullah: We? you mean just you right *nervous laugh*.

Unsuspecting Dude: haha, your a right old joker come on man, when are we heading out?

Mullah: Well your heading out  next week, I’v got a few errands to run here and there, you know, big man stuff, accounting, goat herding < them bastards are a rowdy bunch, chicken counting etc. etc. etc.,  someone’s gotta do the hard grafting, and unfortunately it lands on me….I’d LOVE to come, but I can’t, maybe next ti…..*cough cough* …*deadly silence*… brother  Ali? Did you call me?

UD: That was a goat

Mullah: You sure? Cause I swear I heard Ali call me saying something or other about an emergency…better check it out…*hauls ass out of the cave*

So how about both of you lot MAN up and go fight each other head on an island far far awayyyyy.

Till next time

“Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight you and do not trangress the limits. Indeed, Allah does not love those who trangress”. (Qur’an 2:190)

 

Second time’s a charm

So as you can see my promise to keep this blog alive and kicking was shortlived to say the least. So here I am ready to give it another go and hopefully this time my attempt will last longer then my first. I still haven’t decided how regularly ill be posting in this blog but for now ill just post when I can *which shouldn’t be much of a problem as I doubt being a bum takes up that much time* and whenever I happen to come across an interesting issue.

But since I’m posting I might as well add my lil tidbit of commentary on an issue I happened to hear about. Apparently both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are kicking up a fuss with blackberry over there refusal to allow them access to monitor some of the blackberry handsets communication facilities. So they have instigated a ban on these communication features on the blackberry so people within there states can’t access them. So the action they have taken is if they can’t monitor it, then to hell with it. They are hoping to increase pressure on blackberry to release the information when they need it. They claim this request is for  ’national security reasons’.

Now, I don’t doubt it’s for security reasons, what I do doubt is if its for national reasons.  It seems to me its more of a case of monarchy-trying-to-keep-its-ass-on-the-throne security reasons. Its no secret that the ruling monarchy likes to keep a tab on all things that threaten there ruling interests. Lets just say democracy hasn’t yet reached the shores of these countries as quickly as the latest batch of blackberries have…customs in those shores can be quite a bitch when it comes to letting democracy through its borders. Latest technology – yes….democracy – will think about it and by think about it I mean I’ll keep a close *cracks whip* eye on those who do think about it and by close I mean as close as a contact lens gets to an eye….fairly close. Even clamp-down-on-everything China hasn’t taken these steps with blackberry, looks like these two countries like to be ahead of the totalitarian/dictatorship trend. China will be green with envy when it sees them strutting there new brand of the big brother state.  I hope blackberry don’t bow down to pressure and stick to their guns as stubbornly as the ruling elite in these countries stick their backsides on there oil rich throne. Hopefully the ban might raise the same backlash as China’s ban on google did with the wider world. though I doubt it, as on trend as these two countries are with dictatorships unlike China they are sat snug and cosy in the pocket of the western nations whose criticisms China endured.

Thats all for now

Till next time

 

Reclusive Genius

This story just fascinated me today:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/shy-maths-genius-leaves-million-dollar-prize-money-on-the-table-1928032.html

Though his motives are hard to ascertain I can’t help but feel a great sense of respect and awe towards him.

It goes to show that sometimes some people just do what they do through simple love of what they do and not just to attain fame and money.

You have to respect that, it’s not an easy task to do what he did, and once he did it, he spurned all the rewards that came with out. Its simply his perrogative.

 

About time

Well i have finally managed to start-up this blog which I have been wanting to do for ages. Main reason why is that im the type of person who reads/sees/hears something and can’t help but give her opinion or view on it…..that being dependent on if i know a thing or two about what is being discussed…..because if i didn’t….not only would i look like an opinionated jackass….but id also look like a foolish one…and that’s just not on….

ugh I hate writing up introductions they always seem forced and in my case…clearly lacking humour. Give me a topic I’m interested in and I will go to town on that bad boy….but ask me to talk about what i want to do or type up a bit about myself…and my mind goes blank…

And i’d just like to give a heads up to the one person reading this blog right now *moi* that most of these blog entries will include sarcasm…yes its the lowest form of wit..but god dam its useful in stressing out the irony in so many newsworthy events around the world….Half the time I’m reading things and thinking…reaaaaaaallly? example, with the recent expense scandal in the UK. For those of you who don’t know what the expanse scandal was about i suggest you look it up  but in brief MPs where claiming expenses from taxpayers money to fund irrelevant things like keeping a moat intact, buying porn, buying a plug for the bathroom etc. yea, apparently some UK MPs cant function properly if their moat isn’t intact….i don’t even need to go any further….its hilarious on its own terms. Anyway, point being, the MPs expenses first came out listing the current ruling Labour parties MPs expenses only…and every Tom, Dick and Harry from the Conservatives to the Lib Dems tore into Labour party going into the usual theatrics of  ’this is a shambles’….’beyond belief’….’Irresponsible’. etc…..that was…till there MPs expenses got released…and even though they didn’t excuse themselves for there failings…it just highlights what politics has come to mean for so many people….a bunch of w****** who are all in it for what they can get and are more focused on bringing down the opposition party and improving their image than formulating policies based around the public’s interests.

It’s not all doom and gloom, but i do think that governmental politics has turned into a bit of a farce…The same can be applied to US politics..if anything the divide between Democrats and republicans is worse than it is in the UK…but I don’t even need to go into too much detail as I think the image below just say’s it all…

Well I think that’s enough rambling for today….

Until next time