Sunday, November 30, 2008
Buckethead
Ozzy Osbourne: "I tried out that Buckethead guy. I met with him and asked him to work with me but only if he got rid of the fucking bucket. So I came back a bit later and he's wearing this green fucking Martian's-hat thing. I said, 'Look, just be yourself!' He told me his name was Brian, so I said that's what I'd call him. He says, 'No one calls me Brian except my mother.' So I said, 'Pretend I'm your mum then!' I haven't even got out of the room and I'm already playing fucking mind games with the guy. What happens if one day he's gone and there's a note saying, 'I've been beamed up?' [Laughs] Don't get me wrong, he's a great player. He plays like a motherfucker!"
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Palin
And I can see Russia from my house! LOL
Let me repost one of the comments I made recently in my POLS2221 (US and Evolving International Order) course:
When I found out that McCain chose Alaskan governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, I was genuinely shocked. McCain obvious thinks that this is the best decision, and decided to go with an Alaskan woman as his running candidate.
Why though?
Convention and political gamesmenship dictates that McCain choose someone someone from the North, as he is from Arizona (a southern state). Palin isn't even from the mainland, so obviously McCain thought that he could pull the votes better with Palin. Palin was not chosen because of her logistical connections - Alaska is a hardcore Republican state, and only carries 3 electoral votes. No reason for McCain to choose someone from Alaska. Palin obviously has something better than that.
Is it Palin's experience? No. Palin is 44 years old, and could pass as McCain's daughter. She was a mayor of a tiny town in Alaska. She is a first term governor (with 2 years of experience). Experience-wise, she is even worse than Obama, which is saying a lot. Palin must have something even better than that.
What is it that Palin has that McCain decided it was important enough to forgo all the rules of the political gamesmenship and choose her over more experienced, more well known and regarded politicians? The answer? A vagina. Palin was chosen because of her gender, in an attempt to pull the disgruntled Clinton supporters to the Republican side. McCain obviously thinks that he has a better chance of winning with a pretty 44 year old beauty queen than with other more seasoned, experienced and well regarded and well respected politicians.
Naturally, this begs the question: Is the American public that immatured and shallow? McCain certainly thinks so. Palin, not chosen because of her experience, or her policies, but because of her gender and her beauty.
Oh well, why am I even asking this question... The Democrats did chose African American over experience. I'll leave you with two quotes from Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman chosen by a major party to stand in a presidential election (Palin is the second) :
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept"
"...in 1984 if my name was Gerard Ferraro instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would have never been chosen as a vice presidential candidate. It had nothing to do with my qualification."
And then in a following post defending myself after offending some:
Thanks for the reply. Sorry if I offended you :).
In no way I am belittling Palin's achievements. I am sure she is a great mother, and a great leader.
Just not the best.
There were scores of other more eligible, qualified and experienced candidates that McCain could have chosen. In my previous posting, I have shown that she didn't beat the other candidates in areas of experience or qualification, or any other reason besides the fact that she is a woman. The fact that she is a woman was what made McCain decide on her over others that had more experience and qualification.
Impressive political career? Perhaps, but not as impressive as the other candidates. Of course she is not a complete political novice; she is just not a political maestro - and why would you choose a first term Alaskan governor over other political maestros?
Chairing the Oil & Natural Gas Resource Development Group? Impressive, but more impressive than the much much vaster experiences of the other candidates? I think not.
Which brings us back to she was chosen because she is a woman. She is a qualified woman, and I'm sure she would make a great VP, but ultimately, the reason she is selected is because she is a woman. Again, I am in no way belittling her achievements, but I don't think it was those achievements that made McCain choose her. McCain didn't choose her because of her experience or qualification, impressive as it might be, but because of her gender.
Obama may be an "intelligent, articulate, passionate and persuasive individual", but I personally think if he were to be a white man, he would not be accepting the nomination in Denver. Obama rode on the massive (almost 90%) support of the African American votes, and if he were a white man, a white, "intelligent, articulate, passionate and persuasive individual", he would not have been elected.
This is not to say that Palin and Obama are both impressive individuals. Openly stating that their gender and race are the reasons they are where they are today, might deny their personal achievements, but it is a fact. It is a fact that their gender and race were given more weight than their achievements and experience. I am not condoning or saying it is a positive or desirable phenomena, I am merely saying it is a fact.
And the fact is, Obama was elected because he is African American and Palin was chosen because she is woman.
Vagina anyone?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Newest crackdown against dissent - Malaysia heading for another Ops. Lalang?
DAP leader Teresa Kok has also been detained under the Internal Security Act - the third person to be detained without trial today.  | Confirmed by DGP |
| Arrested at 11.18pm |
Malaysiakini report
First it was a blogger. And then it was a journalist.Then went an MP and a state exco member.
The last time a journalist or an MP was detained under the ISA act, it was 21 years ago. We lived under a more oppressive regime, a more oppressive leader, a nation that did not tolerate dissent.
Or so we thought.
Echoing the sentiments of the Malaysian Bar Council President, I was under the impression that Malaysia was moving towards being a more open, matured society where dissent was accepted, even cherished. Evidently I have given too much credit to my nation's government.
They still resort to the Machiavellian ways of running the country - by arresting and jailing dissenters as means to threaten and intimidate the general population. And we say that our nation is not in distress.
To the Home Ministry, I ask you this : How is it that you can perceive these 3 Malaysians, especially the two women, Teresa Kok and Sin Chew report Tan Hong Chen to be a grave threat to Malaysian national security? Have they purchased bombs to blow up a body? What have they done, but to fight for justice, for freedom, for the rights of the individuals in our nation of Malaysia?
One can only wonder as to the plans of the Home Ministry. Are more to come?
Of particular concern is the arrest of Teresa Kok. An MP and a state exco legislator. The arrest not only deprives her of the individual liberties supposedly guranteed under article 5 of our constitution, but also deprives the people of Seputeh and Selangor of their right to representation in the Federal and State Parliament.
Only time will tell whether we will shrink back into our holes, cower and hide, just like in 1987, or we will come forward to aid our heroes in a time where they now need us to bear the torch for them. Will we fight for justice, for freedom, and for the liberty of these 3 heroes, now that they are incapable of carrying on our fight?
This is to say that we should help them peacefully, without resorting to violence, for it would become a greater atrocity and blow to our 3 heroes' cause if we were to spiral into a web of violence and bloodshed. We must show that we, the rakyat of Malaysia oppose and will not take the jailing of our people lightly, but we still have the maturity and restrain ourselves.
Before I end, I will leave you with 4 profound, and extremely appropriate quotes:
Dissent is the highest form of patriotism - Howard Zinn
"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up." - Pastor Martin Niemoller.
Fight for me, and I'll fight for you! - Teresa Kok
Before one can be fit for the practice of civil disobedience one must have rendered a willing and respectful obedience to the state laws. . . A Satyagrahi obeys the laws of society intelligently and of his own free will, because he considers it to be his sacred duty to do so. It is only when a person has thus obeyed the laws of society scrupulously that he is in a position to judge as to which particular rules are good and just and which injust and iniquitous. Only then does the right accrue to him of the civil disobedience of certain laws in well-defined circumstances. - Mahatma Gandhi
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
An Epic Lesson On Physics And Politics.
No, not really. Just kidding.
Disclaimer: All facts involved in this article are in fact non-truths.
Anyhow.
Take a look at the title. I lied. This blog post isn't about either of the two charming subjects that start with the letter 'P' and form the member of the trinity (the last member ends with N and has an OR in the middle. Go figure.)
It's about lying.
I lied about that, actually. This is so confusing. I have no idea where I'm going with this.
What to do when an atom bomb hits.
Basically, when an atom bomb drops on you, you're f*cked. Yes, you will die. This is almost inevitable, unless you're Santa Clause - or Chuck Norris.
In case you're wondering how to avoid this plummeting death, wonder on.
20 Seconds Lapse is a dying blog. It's like the famous Hungabilly bird, unable to keep track in a high-paced world that waits for no stragglers. Oh, you poor thing. We so enjoyed the sight of your lush mottled green feathers brushing against the wind.
I want an e-bow.
This computer has a mind of its own.
Oh gosh that was awkward. No, I wasn't ogling your Facebook pic, don't be silly. No. Nope. Ow. OW! Hey, stay away from that! YOW!
Thursday is Formal Day. Well, not exactly, but who the hell cares. For what it's worth, it's Formal Day. That forms the initials FD, conincidentally the initials of that notorious banker-thief Frederick Diggory.
Be running up that hill.
Be running up that building.
Placebo.
What are you rushing around for, you slimy little overachiever? I hate you. Hate, hate, hate.
Let's make up rhymes, childish rhymes. Limes, crimes, dimes, chimes.
Ha ha ha ha.
You're running so fast. Pathetic whiny little voice. This is not fair. Fair- fair. Fair.
An epic lesson on .
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Soulja Boy Related To Led Zeppelin?
----
One is truly a musical legend, the other an overnight, over-rated mass media artist. See the link? Nothing obvious, but if we dig deeply we might get one…
Before I start, a side note of things:
DISCLAIMER: Any written words or sentence within this post are merely my thoughts and opinions and are not related whatsoever towards the future success or failure to the mentioned artists. All references and facts are to be cited from Wikipedia and iTunes and claimed to be true. If however, third party sources that are used for the articles from the original two sources are found to be inaccurate are used, tough luck.
Who would have thought that rock can be associated with cheap and cheesy rap? It sure does now.
Let’s start. Led Zeppelin is a classic rock band formed circa 1960s all the way to 1980 with a few reunions later on. Within this time too, bands such as The Who, Thin Lizzy, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith were formed. We mainly classify these bands as ‘Rock’ but specifically (citing Wikipedia):
- Led Zeppelin – Heavy metal, hard rock
- The Who – Rock, hard rock, pop rock
- Thin Lizzy – Heavy metal, hard rock
- The Rolling Stones – Rock
- Aerosmith – Heavy metal, hard rock
From there, we can see that all five of them are closely related.
How far have we gone from here?
Not far, we still have some distance to go.
For the ‘link’ to be found, we need to get a band(s) that crosses the timeline from the 60s or 70s all the way into the 21st century. Apart from that, we need the find bands that are a hybrid of rap and rock or rap rock as they call it.
Rap rock was first established or known in 1980s and originated from the
There. We have found the link for the age, which is between Red Hot Chilli Peppers and
For the hybrid band, we have
Things are starting to become clearer now. Since we have divulged in rap and
And from there again, Jay-Z and Kanye West are also in the list of pop rappers, together with Soulja Boy.
A blasphemous relationship, but hey, the link is there.
So in a nutshell:
Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith [linked by genre]
Aerosmith and Red Hot Chilli Peppers [linked by genre and influence on rap rock]
Red Hot Chilli Peppers and
Linkin Park and Jay-Z/Kanye West [linked by sub-genre]
Jay-Z/Kanye West and Soulja Boy [linked by genre]
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Song For MJ.
Why can't it (ever) be the same? (again)
It makes me feel.
'Memento mori' etched out in black ink,
But I already knew that
And we oscillate
Between love and hate.
See, it wasn't my choice.
It struck me by surprise.
And it's so tragic
So.
Ignorance is bliss
I concur.
But when you're nice,
You're nice.
And when you make me happy,
What do you want?
What do I want?
Odd world. Loopy contradictions
Sick irony - black humour.
i want.
it to be straightforward.
knowing that it won't ever be.
i lie deep in muddy waters
drenched in regret
and (personal) failure.
so far out - out of touch
i must have been
Stuttering.
i want.
to hold you tight
to hell with the world
they can't touch us
if we were what i wanted us to be.
So it's a song for MJ.
That I promised.
It's not quite ready.
And it's pretty damn chronic
But, yes.
Hold me tight
Through the night
Babe.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Mission: Big Mac (Vote Now!)
The Gustave Oon has submitted his contest entry for the Big Mac Chant Challenge by Nuffnang.
Dear, fans/readers/lecturers/kind strangers/stalkers/friends, vote for Gustave!
Vote for Mission: Big Mac and ONLY Mission: Big Mac
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct9-J2GZKLg
His second semester of college fees may be on the line!
Cheers!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Penguin rape.
Truth.
Penguin rape is a very real, very scary, and possibly very arousing phenomenon coming to a cybercafe near you.
The following is based on a true story.
Gustave apologises for his absence from blogging.
The following is also a very suitable metaphor for the situation Gustave is in with SAM.
| |||||
An Antarctic fur seal has been observed trying to have sex with a king penguin.
The bizarre event took place on a beach on Marion Island, a sub-Antarctic island that is home to both fur seals and king penguins.
Why the seal attempted to have sex with the penguin is unclear. But the scientists who photographed the event speculate that it was the behaviour of a frustrated, sexually inexperienced young male seal.
Equally, it might be been an aggressive, predatory act; or even a playful one that turned sexual.
"At first glimpse, we thought the seal was killing the penguin," says Nico de Bruyn, of the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.
The brazenness of the seal's behaviour left those who saw it in no doubt as to what was happening.
De Bruyn and a colleague were on Trypot beach at Marion Island to study elephant seals when they noticed a young, adult male Antarctic fur seal, in good condition, attempting to copulate with an adult king penguin of unknown sex.
The 100kg seal first subdued the 15kg penguin by lying on it.
The penguin flapped its flippers and attempted to stand and escape - but to no avail.
The seal then alternated between resting on the penguin, and
thrusting its pelvis, trying to insert itself, unsuccessfully.
After 45 minutes the seal gave up, swam into the water and then completely ignored the bird it had just assaulted, the scientists report.
Why a fur seal would indulge in such extreme sexual behaviour is unclear.
Marion Island is the only place in the world where Antarctic fur seals are known to hunt king penguins on land, so the idea that the fur seal was trying to eat the object of its attention made sense.
"But then we realised that the seal's intentions were rather more amorous."
The researchers speculate that the male seal was too young to win access to female seals, and in a state of sexual excitement, looked elsewhere.
But the mating season was nearly over when the incident took place, leading the scientists to also wonder whether the seal's natural predatory aggression toward the bird became redirected into sexual arousal.
"It was most certainly a once-off and has never previously or since been recorded anywhere in the world to our knowledge," says de Bruyn.
By Matt Walker on BBC.
____________________________________________________________________
I apologise.
I know this goes against the absolutely -NO- nude photoshots rule.
However, I had trouble finding pictures of decently dressed seals.
Penguins I had no problems.
You know. The whole penguin in tuxedo thing.
But still.
Penguins in tuxedos getting raped by decently dressed seals in their natural habitat and not in the basement of some twisted animal lover with a Yiff fetish.
...yeah.
Cheers!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Just So You Know.
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
SEASON 2007/2008
Ryan Giggs for Ruler of the Universe!!!1111onee!two
Friday, May 9, 2008
Basic Instructions.
And here's a sample. It isn't the funniest one there, but it was the last one I read. Oh, and the last panel is full of win.
http://www.basicinstructions.net/2008/02/how-to-deal-with-someone-who-doesnt.html
The point of this post? There is none.
Mother's Day this Sunday, folks.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
The Empire Strikes Back
Raja Petra was charged under the sedition act, which, in my opinion, is totally unjustified:
1. The Sedition Act charges someone who 'incites the public into violence'. I find nothing seditious about the article, and I don't think anyone has taken to the streets as a result of the article.
2. The appropriate avenue, if DPM Najib is unsatisfied with the article and claims, is to sue Raja Petra with defamation. This obviously falls into the case of civil law; why use the government's resources (AG Chambers) and taxpayer's money? (The Sedition Act is under criminal law) Another example of the government grossly misplacing public funds.
3. Raja Petra has been writing articles like this for years now. Why are the government taking action only now? Is it because Raja Petra's blog was part of the political tsunami that drowned many in the BN? The Empire Strikes Back?
4. Raja Petra has 'kutuk-ed' the PM previously before this. Heck, Raja Petra has kutuk-ed everyone in the corridors of powers at least ten times. No action was taken. One has to wonder: why all the hullabaloo over this one? Does this mean that the number 2 is more powerful than the number 1?
5. With the recent promise of a judicial reform, one has to wonder about the timing of this charge. Sounds like it, looks like it, but is not it?
6. I think the government has taken the wrong route in charging Raja Petra. Now there will be 2 cases for Altantuyah: One is the watered down kangaroo court that is being delayed and delayed again, the other is Raja Petra's trial. By charging Raja Petra, the government has given him the avenue to reveal the information he has, as part of his 'defense'.
Anyone else marveling over the super defense team?
Victor
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Queensland State Championships
This would probably not interest you regular 20secondslapse readers/authors, but I had to post it somewhere, and between this and my badminton blog, this seemed the more appropriate place.
So I woke up t 5:30am to catch a taxi, a bus and a 40 minute train to some ulu place that seemed like 100KM south of Brisbane. After arriving, I realized that I was early, and had to wait outside the doors before they were opened. The next one hour was spent trying to organize the tables, food, registrations, before the Queensland Scrabble State Championships could begin.
Game 1: Lorraine
The game started neck to neck before I spotted JeOPARDY through a R. She then immediately struck back with a bingo, two over 50 power tile scores, and another bingo in 4 consecutive moves to throw me way behind. Spent 15 minutes on the last move trying to find a place for my MUNNIES, but the board was too blocked up. Eventually lost 409-340. Definitely not the start I intended.
Game 2: Rita
The benefit of losing the first game is that you get thrown way down the King of the Hill rankings, and get paired against a weaker player for the second and third rounds. Got SALTIER to win 362-251.
Game 3: Carol
She started off strongly, leading by 50 points all the way until she had to change and I put down AlIMONY. She retaliated with SQUIRMS to pull slightly ahead, but I finished strongly with NIXE (47) to clinch the game by 319-309.
Game 4: Trish
She is the highest rated player in our division, I am told. So logically, I should play conservative and block. For whatever reason, I decided gung ho open up, and for whatever reason, this worked so superbly I got the highest score of the tournament. I score big with BEADIER (78), TRADERS (75), ANTIsERA (82), supported by ZOA (40), DEX (49) and JUTE (40) to win 482-229.
At this stage it was lunch, and I had a feeling the tile faerie will reverse my luck.
Game 5: Erika
At this stage, I was playing the leader, Erika. I was told that she was the second highest rated player in my division, and she was ‘damn good’. No fear, I play gung ho like the previous game. And gung ho it was. Two successive bingos ThRONED and STONIER put me ahead by 100 points, but her power tiles in the late game managed to pull her close. I eventually won 373-351.
Game 6: Sharon
After dislodging the leader, I played the other leader in our division. It was a tight game all the way, with no bingos, but I eventually lost 372-355.
Game 7: Wendy
Notice a trend here how all my opponents seem to be women? At this stage I had a slight fever, but ploughed on bravely. Her two successively bingos and power tiles took her 200 points ahead of me by the 6th move, but I never gave up and kept smiling. The tournament organizers gave me a gift for continuously smiling even though I was 200 points down. My spectacular comeback did materialize however, with my bingo STAINER and SATIRES and stinker XI, but her powerful outplay but her firmly out of my reach. Lost 397-353, but earned the praise of many for not giving up :D.
During the break, when Glenys Logan called the tile fairy a ‘bitch’, I wholeheartedly concurred.
Game 8: Jeanette
Another woman continues my spectacular collapse. She bingoed early on with SEQUOIa (94) and extended it to SEQUOIAS with her JUTES to score (52) in the next turn. Desperately trying to save the game, she pulled ahead with another bingo which scored her 68 points. Lost the game 462-338.
From 4-1 to 4-4. From near first place to god knows where. Fucking brilliant.
Game 9: Trevor
Finally, a guy. This Trevor was extremely friendly and funny. When I opened with JOCKS for 52, he commented: and I thought this was going to be a friendly game. At this stage I was extremely exhausted, and just opened the board and powered my way through, much to the dismay of Trevor. Got LENDERS and RAZED for 65 and 45 respectively. However, when I noticed that he was keeping a blank, and although I did not tile track, had the feeling he was going to attempt to outplay me by a bingo, I closed up all the openings that I opened. I think he noticed that too, and tried to open up. I did it just in time to prevent him from outplaying with a SEAGIT? Rack, to win 397-280.
And you thought the excitement for the day stopped there. Of course not. Exhausted, I took the 40 minute train back to Brisbane. On the train, I met an extremely cute Korean girl that attempted conversation. You know Victor is very exhausted when he doesn’t make a conscious effort to try to flirt with a woman, especially one who likes the music of Big Bang. Fell asleep on the train, but was woken up by the nice Korean girl when the train reached my station.
At the railway station, I was supposed to wait 30 minutes for a bus, but decided to hail a cab. After 10 minutes of failed hailing of a cab, I finally called the taxi company to send a cab my way (for a 2 dollar surcharge: I initially wanted to save the 2 dollars…stingy university students ma…). On my way back to my unit, I suddenly had diarrhea and had to stop at a toilet on the way back.
And now I am typing this on my 40 minute train ride to my second day of the Queensland State Championships – This tournament is certainly shaping up to be the most eventful of all tournaments I have ever been to!
Am typing this just after I’ve missed my train and have to wait 30 minutes for the next one.
Game 10: Svendt
He puts the first bingo down, DEcORATE for 72 before I retaliate with PaLMERS for 75. We then trade power tile moves with ZEA for 48 and DIX for 40. My SOLVITE* got challenged off, and he bingos the next move. Lose 422-325. Definitely not the start I want.
Game 11: Arnold
I open with 3 unusable (literally) racks when he powers tiles his way to a 50 point lead. I eventually pull back with a 78 point bingo. When he challenged it and I got up, I accidently saw that he had a J on his rack. The next move, he tried to bingo futilely with a word without J. My suspicion is that he is keeping tiles. Win eventually by trapping him with both Vs (351-301).
Game 12: Anne
My karma in this game was at its all time low. She bingos 4 times, got all power tiles to win 421-330. I managed to bingo once, but was too depressed to write it down.
At this point I am 6-6 and I am depressed. But then the most extraordinary this happens.
Game 13: Keith
I feel bad for bullying this man by time pressuring him. His score got deducted by 40 as a result of the time penalty. I, on the other hand, got NAILERS, EXIDE and AZON for 72, 50 ad 48 to win comfortably by 384-236.
Game 14: Anne
I was drawn against the player with the least wins in my division as a result of the no repeat rule. She applies a brilliant strategy of restricting my (perceived) bingo power, but I eventually manage to win by trapping her with the Q and both Vs by 308-268.
Game 15: Noni
Noni is the leader and eventual winner of this tournament. She has been undefeated all day, and played an open game, much to my delight. I open with GLEANERS and ENTAILED for 71 and 70 respectively to bring my score to 223-106 after round 4. I follow up with VoTings for 83 to defeat her for the first time today at 435-390.
Game 16: Sharon
That’s right, the same Sharon from day 1. Everyone was asking me to ‘kick her arse’… Apparently she is not too popular over here. I bingo with ANTIAiR and ARRESTS to win 437-252.
Game 17: Trish
This is the same Trish from day 1 whom I beat by 250+ points. When she found out she had got me, she cried in dismay. I told her that it would be a good time for her to exact her revenge. Apparently the tile gods liked me better. My ZO, WAILeRS and XI managed to get 69,72 and 53 points respectively for me to win by 483-298.
I ended up at 4th place, but could have gotten 2nd place if Noni won her last game and Trevor lost his last game. So I go home empty handed and nearly broke. Mission failed.
One note about the players in division 2: Division 2 players in Australia are not as ‘easy’ as division 2 players in Malaysia. Don’t pray pray with them! They are extremely lethal with very impressive word knowledge/strategy. But I was glad I was able get from 6-6 to 11-6 with sweeping wins. The average age of the players on the other hand, is perhaps 4 times mine.
In the masters division, Chris May amazingly won 16/17 games to beat a strong field of Joanne Craig, Bob Jackman, Olga Visser to the title.
Number of bingos: 24 (Average 1.4 per game)
Average points scored each game: 355
Average points per move: 21.4
I think those are OK statistics.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Babies seized by Robert Mugabe's forces as Zimbabwe hounds voters
Scores of children and babies have been locked up in filthy prison cells in Harare as Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president, sinks to new depths in his campaign to force the opposition into exile before an expected run-off in presidential elections.
Twenty-four babies and 40 children under the age of six were among the 250 people rounded up in a raid on Friday, according to Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Yesterday they were crammed into cells in Southerton police station in central Harare.
“This is ruthlessness of the worst kind. How can you incarcerate children whose mothers have fled their homes hoping to give their children refuge?” asked an emotional Chamisa yesterday. “In Mugabe’s Zimbabwe even children are not spared the terror that befalls their parents.”
The families were rounded up from MDC headquarters, where they had sought refuge from violence in the countryside.
Thought to be directed by top military officers, Operation Where Did You Put Your Cross? has prompted thousands to flee. They are trying to escape the so-called war veterans, who are attacking people and burning down hundreds of houses for voting “incorrectly” in last month’s elections.
“What we’re seeing is an undeclared civil war,” said Chamisa. “It’s genocide. This situation is out of control, it’s now beyond the capacity of the MDC alone. It requires the region, the continent, the international community to act.”
Four weeks after the elections, official results have still not been released for presidential polls widely thought to have been won by Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC leader.
Simultaneous parliamentary elections saw the ruling Zanu-PF party lose its 28-year-long majority. The election commission is engaged in the recount of 23 constituencies after regime claims that they had been rigged by the opposition. None of the results has been overturned in the 14 so far announced. Even if the remaining nine were to go to Zanu-PF it still would not have won a majority.
While some Zimbabweans see a glimmer of hope in this, Mugabe has remained defiant in the face of international condemnation. Most expect the regime to announce that no candidate won a majority in the presidential election and to order a run-off next month which Mugabe will ensure that he wins.
“The only game in town is a run-off,” said George Sibotshiwe, Tsvangirai’s spokesman. “The recount was just to buy them time to smash people’s heads in, so when they go for a run-off nobody will even be thinking of voting.”
The regime’s strategy is to ensure that by the time of the run-off, Mugabe would have a clean sweep in rural areas, where 70% of Zimbabweans live. A police officer admitted yesterday that he had been instructed not to interfere with war veterans as they carry out their campaign of terror.
At the same time the opposition leadership has been driven into hiding or abroad. Tsvangirai fled Zimbabwe two weeks ago after he was charged with treason for “conspiring with the British to oust Mugabe”.
“I am unable to return home for fear of my life,” he wrote in The Washington Post last week.
On the ground the party’s network of district officials is being decimated. Tichanzii Gandanga, the MDC election agent for Harare province, can barely walk after he was beaten and left for dead.
Four men arrived at his offices in central Harare at about 6pm on Wednesday. “They told me I knew my crimes and so I had to confess,” said Gandanga. “They blindfolded me, bundled me into a truck, then drove for a long distance, beating me on the head, on the back, everywhere. They played loud music so that no one could hear my cries. I don’t know how I survived.”
As he was being beaten, Gandanga was questioned about the whereabouts of Tsvangirai. Eventually he was dumped in the bush. He managed to crawl to a main road where he was picked up and taken to the head of a nearby village.
For two days Gandanga was nursed by villagers. Eventually he got word to his relatives who moved him to a private hospital.
Ten people have been killed so far, according to the MDC, including a five-year-old boy who was burnt to death in a hut. The first victim on April 12 was Tapiwa Mubwanda, 54, the organising secretary for the MDC for Hurungwe East.
According to his widow they were on their way back to their village when they saw a group of Zanu-PF youth militia. While she fled into the bush with their children, her husband and his elder brother were beaten with rocks. “They said, ‘You voted for the MDC, now we want to do this in order to teach you to vote. You wasted your vote by voting for Tsvangirai. He will never be the president of Zimbabwe. Robert Mugabe will remain, so we want to teach you to vote’.”
When she crept out of hiding her husband was dead.
Another MDC activist, Manyika Kashiri, 55, of Chigumbu village in Uzumba, had his foot smashed by an axe when militias stormed into his shack at midnight on Tuesday. Kashiri woke after a bang at his door and rocks smashing against his windows. When he emerged, he was hit with a log by one of the militias and another tried to chop off his right foot with an axe in front of his grandchildren, one of whom was just four.
“We’re seeing a major increase in government-sponsored violence,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
“The ruling party has been sending its allies after people it thinks voted for the opposition. Now anyone seen as opposing Mugabe is in danger.”
One activist, a 25-year-old fitter in hiding in Bulawayo, told The Sunday Times how he and two colleagues had been picked up by intelligence officers and forced to eat a poster of Tsvangirai. “You like him so much, now eat him,” they told him.
“Every day that passes, hope is seeping away,” said an aid worker in Zimbabwe. “This could very easily end up being yet another stolen election.”
Zimbabwe’s churches said yesterday that they had opened up their premises to victims of the violence.
Church leaders worldwide have declared today to be a day of prayer for Zimbabwe. “The current climate of political intimidation, violence, vote-rigging and delay has left the presidential election process without credibility,” read a statement from two senior Anglican archbishops, Rowan Williams and John Sentamu. “Now the people of Zimbabwe are left even more vulnerable to conflict heaped upon poverty and the threat of national disintegration.”
International pressure has continued. The top US envoy for Africa, Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state, has declared Tsvangirai the clear winner of the presidential vote.
Tsvangirai has spent the past two weeks travelling round Africa trying to drum up support to pressure Mugabe to step down. After the weak response from Thabo Mbeki, the South African president, focus has shifted to the African Union (AU). Its chairman Jikaya Kikwete, president of Tanzania, has privately said that he would be willing to consider convening a summit on Zimbabwe.
Britain is hoping to get the United Nations involved and has managed to put Zimbabwe on the agenda of the UN security council this week. Proposals include an arms embargo and sending a UN envoy to Harare “with a tough message”.
At the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo on Friday, Mugabe was defiant. “When the West, led by the British, shamelessly continue to denounce our country, what is our crime?” he asked. “We are simply defending our hard-won national sovereignty.”
Friday, April 25, 2008
Paradoxes... Part One.
Click here.
Here are a couple of paradoxes to think about. The paradoxes are obtained from:
- Falletta: The Paradoxicon
- Sainsbury: Paradoxes, 2nd Edition
- Smullyan: What Is The Name of This Book?
- Morris: The Ivan Morris Puzzle Book
I know, it's weird to put sources first, but I'm too damned lazy to type them out afterwards.
God is not all-powerful as he cannot build a wall he cannot jump .
A Paradoxical notice:
Please ignore this notice.
Ham Sandwich > Eternal Happiness.
Which is better, eternal happiness or a ham sandwich? It would appear that eternal happiness is better, but this is really not so! After all, nothing is better than eternal happiness, and a ham sandwich is certainly better than nothing. Therefore a ham sandwich is better than eternal happiness.
The Simplest Liar Paradox:
This Sentence is False.
Is that sentence true or false? If it is false then it is true, and if it is true then it is false...
Tortoise > Achilles
Zeno's second paradox of motion, of Achilles and the tortoise, is probably the best known of his four paradoxes of motion. In this problem, the fleet Greek warrior runs a race against a slow-moving tortoise. Assume Achilles runs at ten times the speed of the tortoise (1 meter per second to 0.1 meter per second). The tortoise is given a 100-meter handicap in a race that is 1,000 meters. By the time Achilles reaches the tortoise's starting point T0, the tortoise will have moved on to point T1. Soon, Achilles will reach point T1, but by then the tortoise would have moved on to T2, and so on, ad infinitum. Every time Achilles reaches a point where the tortoise has just been, the tortoise has moved on a bit. Although the distances between the two runners will diminish rapidly, Achilles can never catch up with the tortoise, or so it would seem.
Sorites Paradox of the Heap:
Suppose you have a heap of sand. If you take away one grain of sand, what remains is still a heap: removing a single grain cannot turn a heap into something that is not a heap. If two collections of grains of sand differ in number by just one grain, then both or neither are heaps. This apparently obvious and uncontroversial supposition appears to lead to the paradoxical conclusion that all collections of grains of sand, even one-membered collections, are heaps.
Proving that 2 = 1
Here is the version offered by Augustus De Morgan: Let x = 1. Then x² = x. So x² - 1 = x -1. Dividing both sides by x -1, we conclude that x + 1 = 1; that is, since x = 1, 2 = 1.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Do you think monkeys speak French?
Even if you are not a video game character.
C'est la vie.
Choices, Choices, Choices!
To clear things up, I am going to explain what a ‘posting window’ is. From the start, we’ve decided that each individual author take turns posting, with a days gap. Being a goody-goody I followed it.
Somehow the rule didn’t stick and there’s a flood of post ever since, which is good.
BUT I’m missing turns!
To amends things, I am barging in right now, regardless of what’s the date…
---
We face many in our lives, from the truly trivial to down right life-threatening.
An iPod or a Sony? No wait. That’s not a choice. The iPod gets it, regardless of what model, hands down.
Scorpions or Eagles? Urm… a bit difficult, but can I have both?
Frappuchino or Mocha Latte? See. Even a simple trip down to the local Starbucks can be a difficult thing, especially when you go during lunch breaks and you’re holding up the queue because you can’t make a decision.
And hand phones. Problem arises when we have an unlimited amount of budget, and when we have a limited amount of budget. Either way we will have a problem choosing a new phone.
No too mention the scholarship and university placement offers either. They fly out from every corner and sometimes you regret applying for so much.
Only that we wish a dice could be thrown or a coin be flipped to settle the debate.
But what if, one day, you receive a note, a random one. Straight to the point, without any riddles. Just simple and clear…
If you don’t take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blonde school teacher.
If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work.
You have six hours to decide.
The choice is yours…
Dean Koontz, Velocity
So, what's it then?
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Twack : Too damned good to be missed
Never give out your password or credit card number in an instant message conversation.
“Idiot” says:
heya
“me” says:
hello : D
“Idiot” says:
watching pursuit of happyness
“Idiot” says:
the starting is damn sad
“me” says:
lol eh i read abt that movie
“me” says:
isit abt a rebellious kid?
“me” says:
eh wait no
“me” says:
its abt a man and his kid right
“Idiot” says:
rebellious kid
“Idiot”:
lmao
“Idiot” says:
its yea the man and his kid
“Idiot” says:
damn nice show
“me” says:
lol oh den he lost his job or smth right?
“me” says:
read on cleo
“me” says:
hoho now i sound smarter den i actually am coz i read cleo
“me” says:
YAY
“me” says:
lol.
“me” says:
ur busyyyyyyy
“Idiot” says:
oh my gosh
“Idiot” says:
he lost one of his machine
“Idiot” says:
to save the car pay
“Idiot” says:
oh my gosh
“Idiot”) says:
oh wow
“Idiot” says:
this is damn sad
“me” says:
hahahahahaha
“me” says:
are u depressed?
“Idiot” says:
OH SHIT
“me” says:
damn ur funny
“Idiot” says:
HIS WIFE IS LEAVING HIM
“me” says:
oh ok oh shit?
“Idiot” says:
eh its not a funny show ok
“Idiot” says:
oh mannn
“Idiot” says:
damn sad
“Idiot” says:
damnnnn sadasdasdasdasdfasd
“Idiot” says:
fas
“Idiot” says:
dfgs
“Idiot” says:
dfg
“Idiot” says:
s
“Idiot” says:
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH
“Idiot” says:
GRARRRRRRRRRR
“Idiot” says:
GODZILLAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
“Idiot” says:
oh wow.
“Idiot” says:
he got the job offer!
“me” says:
YAY!
“Idiot” says:
when his family left!
“me” says:
HE GOT THE JOB OFFER!
“me” says:
oh
“me” says:
no yay?
“Idiot” says:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo
“Idiot” says:
sighhh
“Idiot” says:
oh my gosh
“Idiot” says:
so sad
“Idiot” says:
so sad
“Idiot” says:
wahhh
“Idiot” says:
wahhhhh
“me” says:
u are one weird handsome man lol.
“me” says:
boy
“me” says:
person
“me” says:
lolol
“Idiot” says:
damn sad
“Idiot” says:
...
“Idiot” says:
i feel like slapping u
“Idiot” says:
lol
“me” says:
ouch
“me” says:
: (
“me” says:
what happened to the "i feel like hugging you" phase
“me” says:
: (
“Idiot” says:
yalar ur spoiling my movie mood
“Idiot” says:
XD
“Idiot” says:
yalar hug
“me” says:
LOL
“me” says:
idiot
“Idiot” says:
hugz
“me” says:
can i copy paste this in the blog
“me” says:
lol i'll change ur display as idiot
“Idiot” says:
copy paste what?
“Idiot” says:
lmao
“Idiot” says:
change la change la
“Idiot” says:
then i
“Idiot” says:
will
“Idiot” says:
er
“Idiot” says:
i loseeee
“me” says:
hahaahahhaah
“me” says:
YAAAAY
“me” says:
lol i win woohooo
“Idiot” says:
yea
“Idiot” says:
lucky u
“me” says:
hahaah excuse me
“me” says:
takes more than luck darling
“me” says:
it's skill
“me” says:
HOHO
“Idiot” says:
rofl
Hah. who knew chatting could be so amusing. Or not?
TWACK : 5 Great Reasons.
'cause I will be the death of you.
Five good reasons why you need to play your part this 22nd April.
2. Polar bears are too cute to die due to melting of icebergs.
Scientists are very worried because ice is melting in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Animals, including polar bears, are also at risk of extinction.
This is because in the last 40 years, the ice has got thinner by 40%.
And with less ice around, polar bears don't have enough hunting ground for the seals they like to eat.
3. There'll be too much junk.
Till there won't be place for more shopping malls! :(
Imagine a world without malls =O
There are two ways to manage municipal solid waste (MSW). The high-waste approach involves leaving it somewhere, burning it, or burying it. Landfills, the symbol of the high-waste approach, have the proven reputation of preventing MSW from degrading, not to mention attracting a lot of traffic, noise, and dust to the surrounding areas.
4. Trees will die, Plants will die, Flowers will die.
Now where'll you get your roses for me from?
P/s I love white roses TQ.
There are between 5 and 30 million species of flora and fauna. The bulk exist in the tropics -- ten one-hectare plots of Borneo rain forest (below) can contain as many species of trees as all of North America. But we are destroying habitat and the biodiversity it sustains at between 1,000 and 10,000 times the rate of extinction before human intervention.
5. Earth Is God's Creation For Us.
And we want it to not only be here for us, but for our kids too. So please do your part and take great care of God's greatest creation for both you and I.
Whether you're a Christian, a Buddhist, a Muslim or a freethinker like me, it doesn't differ much because the EARTH is God's creation for us mankind. Let it be Allah, or Jesus, or the idols you worship to, either way it was created just for us.
And if you love God as much as I do, please do what you're supposed to do. In fact do what you're supposed to do not only on Earth Day, but every single day of your entire life. :)
TQ & have a great day ahead!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This is about me. Me. ME!!! Okay.
Just the other day I had buffet dinner with my childhood best friend & her family. & I fell. In the restaurant. Note, I was carrying a plate with keropok & I was wearing a denim skirt with my pair of highest heels.
Yes my skirt was short so it sorta adds to the embarrassment : (
Nooo I didn't ambil kesempatan to publish my picture here tsk tsk I was merely showing you my skirt! Grr. Wth.
And my heels were that high.
I wasn't sure how I fell but I was quite certain I ended on the floor like that :
And all the keropok fell onto the floor :(
Then the woman working there was staring at me like I was some freak.
What? Haven't you seen anyone falling in a buffet restaurant? Pfft
Cheers.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Twack : Last day with Hewlett Packard
Ah, beautiful day isn't it? Just wanted to let the world know I'll be blogging on the 22nd of April.
Special tribute to Earth Day.
Hah so much from me, the one who throws papers into the rubbish bin.
tata peeps.
-- A cheerful heart is good medicine.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Watch your mouth kid
How did I ended up blogging for the sake of the readers and not my personal interest...
But whatever the reason could be...
I have to blog..
I was admonished for my lack of responsibility and therefore I'm here..
Because I'm stuck between the devil and the deep sea..
Haha.. One is self pride and another is him.. XD
Ok enough about me... We shall move on to
________________________________
"Watch your mouth kid...."
Do you notice that people from all education level
speak the word of profanity?
people apparently love to swear...
yes curse!!
one of the famous ones is________.
Fill in the blank... I'm sure everyone is very familiar with this ilk of word....
Teenagers especially love to sing the words of profanity...
How unlikely would it be for you to not listen to this phrase at least once a day
"What the ****"
Pretty unlikely unless you are half deaf or you are acting all goody goody infront of your parents...
And the reasons (masks for lies) for profanity are
- expression of anger... HAHAHAHA
- everyone is using.. It is a culture.... cough cough
- it is not that bad....
IT IS BAD....
Can you image how painful it is to see this?It may seem hilarious.. XD which in my opinion it is.. xD
But it is not good...
Because all of us are so used to this...
This ilk of profanity are no longer offensive!!
Imagine the anger in you when you are seriously angry showing this and the others just laugh it off thinking it is cute.. What the.....
Preserve it so it would be more meaningful.. XD
stop showing it off every once in a while...
Give the others a chance to prove it worth more than laughter
come on...
ops..
I mean.. stop this ignorance towards the this ill existence in humanity...
Proving us as nothing but a bunch of uncivilized and uneducated animals...
Stop this.. kill it
It is not like the dictionary is lacking of words for us to use right?
Come on, wake up and stop sitting on the dictionary of yours...
Be civilized.. And preserve foul words..
I mean.. Prevent foul words..
Watch your mouth kid...
Cause everyone is listening....
_____________________________
seriously... you may take the honor to kick me out of this now.. XD
I know I have brought disgrace to this Gaia...
kakakka
posted by
A girl filled with reasons for being lazy..
Hammarskjold Trophy Competition Speech
Honorable President of the United Nations Security Council,
We have congregated here today to discuss the fate of Democratic Peopls's Republic of Korea, and to discuss whether to place sanction on the country. With reference to the Republic of Slovakia's earlier addresses, we would like to stress than while it might seem to right thing to do, we are strongly against against such blatant disregard for the people of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Who are the ones that suffer when embargoes and sanctions are placed on a country? The people. Who are the ones that have to cut back, from two meals a day, to one, when embargoes and sanctions are placed on the country? The people. Who are the dying ones in the street, desperate for one extra crumb of bread, desperate for one extra grain of rice? The people. We sit in luxury here deciding the fate of this nation, but we fail to recognize we are putting a death sentence on millions of North Koreans. Innocent people, who's only crime was to be on the wrong side of the earth. We particularly express our disappointment for the People's Republic of China's lack of commitment in stopping such an overly harsh resolution from passing through this chambers.
The Republic of Slovakia further expresses its alarm in the People's Republic of China's lack of commitment in blocking this resolution, seeing that if this resolution is passed, the United Nations will be authorized in invading this country. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's sovereignity is about to be breached here, if this very resolution passes this chamber. Was is not the United Nation's sworn duty, as highlighted in the preamble of its charter, to safeguard the sovereignity of nations? To prevent the scourge of war? This action is an invasion of the sovereignity of this nation. We once again, express our utmost disappointment in the People's Republic of China's lack of commitment in trying to aid its ally.
Honorable President,
Who are we, a western dominated organization, to infringe upon the sovereignity of this country, this country with a proud history reaching back to more than a thousand years. Who are we, the outsiders, to execute the basic decisions for the country, and by that, taking the sole privileged of the country to decide upon where it wants its people to go, what it wants to do. Who are we, the Security Council, to decide why or what another state can't do. We say North Korea might causes a war. Well, the US has nuclear weapons and caused the Iraq war. Should it be taken away from them? We all take the assumption that what we decide is what is best for this society. By invading the sovereignty of this country, we are taking away its sovereign, its pride, its independent existence. Do we want another Iraq? I am sure most member of states voted against that war that the US indefinitely decided to ignore the UN and continued, even as the world opposed. This is why, I pledge to all members states, especially the People Republic of China, which the Republic of Slovakia wishes to extend its utmost alarm and disappointment, to vote against this resolution. Thank You.
PS: The resolution went through, with one opposing (Slovakia), one abstentions (People Republic of China), and thirteen approvals.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Fruitcake.
College life is fast, hectic, and exciting.
Kind of like sex.
It may even be over before you know it.
And like sex, profound words of wisdom and acts that defy the laws of physics may even occur amidst the mind-blowing pressure and sweat.
MIND-blowing.
"Maybe some people have genetically straight pubic hair."
-Qirby, 1311, 09-04-2008.
Yes. She did say that.
No. We were in Asia Cafe enjoying roti telur bawang and puble tea.
Yes. That is spelt right...after Qirby found a "pubic" hair on the cover of her bubble tea.
No. It was not my hair. Pubic or otherwise.
And yes. Qirby made the quote of the week after I tried to convince her that pubic hair is curly.
Sarah: "You want to have Sex on The Beach?"
Gustave: "...Which beach?"
*Sarah bursts out laughing*
Gustave: "Oh right! It's a drink. Heh. Right?"
...Sometimes, during college (or sex), we reflect on the past, possibly even our high school life...
"My friend got suspended for a few weeks. I think he started a Mexican Wave in class."
-Victoria, 27-03-2008
...sometimes on the way to class in the morning we hear Chinese radio hosts trying to be the next Zen Tao Guru thing...
(translated from chinese)
"A kindergarten teacher shows her students a painting of a black dot on a sheet of white paper. She asks them what they see. They reply :'A black dot!' The teacher then says :'Class, that's the case in life. People will always focus on the bad parts of your character and miss all the good in you. It's time to look at the bigger picture of life.'"
...that actually seemed very profound and touching, taking into the account that I had about 5 hours of sleep and tend to be very groggy in the morning. But it makes perfect sense and fits as a metaphor just as an XL ribbed condom fits on 5-year-old's fist.
Ungh.
Yeah.
...what?
Fruitcake!
What if the kindergarten teacher showed them a picture of a WHITE dot on a sheet of BLACK paper?
I highly doubt that the answer would have been "A black mass engulfing a circular white spot."
A white flaggeracking spot.
That's what.
Speaking of Chinese wisdom...
"In waking a tiger, use a long stick."
-Mao Tse-Tung
Hmm.
That is definitely a war tactic.
Or practical advice for adrenaline-junkies.
Or a metaphor for sex.
Yeah. Probably a metaphor for sex.
...Aganrmas are wrods or prhaess mdae by minixg up the lterets of ohter wrods or pshraes...
The eyes
They see
Mother-in-law
Woman Hitler
Debit card
Bad credit
Astronomer
Moon starer
Desperation
A rope ends it
Election results
Lies - Let's recount
I'm sure we Malaysians can relate to the last one.
...and to cheerily top off this cherry ridden cherry fruitcake with big juicy banana...
Conversation.
VoicesRantOn.
Rock on.
Rock hard.
This is the Gustave, over and out.
Monday, April 14, 2008
20 Seconds Lapse - The Song.
20 SECOND LAPSE
Severing mountains above us
Stuffed rolls of cloud all fall away.
Echoing in a garbled mash of thick reverb
Meaningless and feverish.
oh.
how you hypnotise
remastered to lose the flak
with a world of expectations on your back
swirling thoughts tickle your mind
searching without hope of finding
because you don't know what you're looking for.
Feverish words.
Tell-tale migraines bursts
Felicitations in a morgue,
Dancing to the sound of the gat
Did you count on that?
for all the days,
parched lips so hurt.
both cracked and blistered.
you look so hurt
reality as a blank abstract dream
You look so hurt.
Things Fall Apart.
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
WB Yeats (The Second Coming, line 1-4) - Featured prominently in the book Things Fall Apart
“People go to Africa and confirm what they already have in their heads and so they fail to see what is there in front of them. This is what people have come to expect. It's not viewed as a serious continent. It's a place of strange, bizarre and illogical things, where people don't do what common sense demands.”
Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall ApartThe blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
WB Yeats (The Second Coming, line 5-8)
...Mugabe's government has come up with a brilliant plan to deal with the situation:
The central bank’s latest response to these problems, announced this week, was to declare inflation illegal. From March 1 to June 30, anyone who raises prices or wages will be arrested and punished. Only a “firm social contract” to end corruption and restructure the economy will bring an end to the crisis, said the reserve bank governor, Gideon GonoDaniel Drezner, author of "Things Fall Apart in Zimbabwe"
"South Africa has had to tread a very careful path around the minefield of being portrayed as a Western puppet by Mugabe"
Chris Maroleng, Zimbabwean analyst
