Thoughts and Non Thoughts

Goodbye to 2006. Goodbye to all the heartaches and pain we felt and brought to others. Goodbye to all the regret for things we said, did or did not do. Goodbye to all the wishes unfulfilled and promises unkept. Goodbye to all the storms, earthquakes and disasters. Thanks for all the joy we felt and brought to others, the happiness we shared. Thanks for all the love we expressed, and things we did even if we didn't have to. Thanks for all the lessons learned, the wisdom gained. Thanks for all the sunsets and sunrises, the full moon and the unfailing spring. Thanks for another year. And welcome to another one. Hello 2007! Happy New Year to all!

Saddam Hussein. James Brown. Gerald Ford. Saddam survived his country's invasion, was captured in a foxhole, and in the end was hanged anyway by an American-backed court during Christmas season. Saddam is a symbol of defiance to the West therefore his followers see him as a hero, even if he caused the death of thousands of his own countrymen. To Americans his hanging may be some blood repaid for 9/11, but many in the Islamic world are vowing to avenge his blood. James Brown symbolized hope for the black man. He made them realize they can Feel Good about themselves. Thirty years after the civil rights movement, the voice has been replaced by gangster rap. Gerald Ford inherited a mess and had to clean up America's involvement in Vietnam. Thirty years on, look where America found itself again. Three lives with three lessons. I hope in thirty years we can celebrate the lives of people from whom we have truly learned. Hopefully not another tyrant hanged, or a voice of hope no longe...

The run up to Christmas was very hectic I didn't have time to get ready for it. I really thought I would be a scrooge this year. Well, it turned out not to be too bad, somehow the season managed to seep in. It may be a cliche but you really find the meaning of the season by looking outwards rather than inwards.

The latest CNN report. The latest twist to the Ipswich murders -- the Ripper, Strangler, whatever -- could be someone driving a blue BMW. A chubby Ripper. Not exactly the image conjured by Jack the Ripper of old. Nevertheless it could be a matter of time before this case is solved.

Jack the Ripper is back. CNN report on the Ipswich Ripper. Again. Every decade or so, a Jack the Ripper surfaces in England (and in America ?). The latest Ripper has killed five prostitutes so far, all within eleven days. UK Police are racing against the clock before the serial killer strikes again. Where to look for clues? I have a theory. This is genetic. The original 19th-century Jack the Ripper was never caught (see here a claim that the original Jack the Ripper has been identified). It is very likely that he had descendants. It might be worth testing the genes of the latter Rippers, or descendants of those claimed in the link above. Maybe there is a common gene there somewhere that could lead them to the Ipswich Ripper. And maybe help those with the gene to avoid turning into the next Ripper?

More than a year has passed since the Scandal in Animal Farm . The Pig decided to apologize to the farm animals, admitting it spoke to a Comselec official but not admitting any wrongdoing. It suggested that all of this noise is political and promised that the best solution to the problems of the farm is for the animals to dance the Chacha. The Pig promised to lead the Chacha dance, even if it could shorten its term as Supreme Animal. Some of the Pig’s allies thought this was the price the Pig had to pay for the Scandal, but its enemies claimed it was just a diversionary tactic. They tried to pressure the Pig to resign but the farm animals seemed bored by all the noise and ignored calls for protests. The overwhelming allies of the Pig in the House of Roosters made sure impeachment wouldn’t prosper there either. All seemed quiet for a while. Too quiet, even the farm animals were surprised that the the Chacha tune was now being played by a group called PI, or Pig’s Initiative. Many animal...

Now they're talking exit strategy. Sounds familiar? The magazine cannot escape the ghost of Vietnam. It would be easy to say that Vietnam didn't turn out that bad after all (neither did the US). Just a couple of days ago, the US Congress passed a law normalizing trade with Vietnam. The business press is all praises for Vietnam's coming of age as the new economic "tiger." So maybe we'll see a bright future for Iraq as well? But that is like jumping to the happy ending without the agony along the way. (Remember the movie "Click"?) Vietnam lost an entire generation from the war. It is still counting the social cost. And the US had to grapple with its conscience and its own human and political loss. (Speaking of movies again, the Americans had to foist the "Rambo" series and other Vietnam War movies to the hapless world in its very public act of catharsis.) Despite attempts by the US government to prevent news and photos of casualties from rea...

This latest movie is different from James Bond films of the recent past. Much has been written about it, so I won't do the comparison. But there were some scenes where the director and producer were certainly trying to tell the audience something. Like when James Bond tells M that double O's have short life expectancies anyway so she doesn't have to live long with her mistake (when she expressed that she may have promoted him to double O status too soon) -- obviously a double-entendre about Daniel Craig's casting as 007. Daniel Craig seemed like he was still auditioning for his role (in a sense he is). Clearly there is a lot of effort to win the audience over, as in the focus on his physicality, the near-death scene, the beating up while naked, the losing of his (only?) love, making him feel pain and his face scarred. Overall it succeeds. I don't agree with Time magazine's assessment that it's a movie with lots of body but no soul. On the contrary the romant...