Heil, Germany!

Over two world wars, Germany attempted to conquer Europe – and pretty much did by the second one.
Now, Europe is at Germany’s mercy, begging to be conquered.
Such delicious irony playing out in Europe deserves at least a moment’s ‘ponderosity’.
Hitler would be proud of Germany today.
Proud that it holds the future of the world in its hands.
Germany is a country that learns the lessons of history well.
It shakes off the scourge of Third Reich but still ends up ruling Europe.
Do not kill to conquer, rather conquer with killer innovation, technology, engineering, quality and hardwork.
(Image courtesy: FT.com)

How young is too young to fight?

I am moved this morning by this video clip of boys under-10 cage fighting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMESAwK9qRw
The outcry has been, generally, not in favour of the activity for such young men.
I’m not so sure.
Cage fighting needs discipline, fitness and courage – in doses that would set any man apart from the multitude.
Would you rather the boys watch TV or be training to fight?
The machoness in me without a doubt sees the training as better.
It’s the environment and cage that make it barbaric. To say the least.
At what age should a boy start to box, then?

With out, from with in

When you are angry and seething at the state of the world around you, you must at least have the moral equivalent of a soap box to stand on before you let loose.

If realization has struck you in the deep, dark recesses of a forlorn and miserable patch, it is perhaps best to breathe deeply and try to follow the Buddhist meditation technique of – not thinking.

What else can one do? You cannot begin to change the world yet except from within.

Too many from outside are inside, and too many from the inside are outside – St Augustine

Wait, and the shit will come to you

I normally do not indulge in schadenfreude.
Not even after Jon Stewart’s English stooge gave the word an orgasmic lift.
Not even with Suresh Kalmadi and Amar Singh in jail.
And sigh! Not even after I spent a fortune and travelled half way across the world to hear Metallica ‘live’ at the first Sonisphere festival.
Now, Metallica are coming to the UAE and India.
Which goes to show, if you wait long enough, shit will come to you.
So, I dug out an old post, post the concert back in ‘09.
http://ninety9words.blogspot.com/2009/08/devil-may-care-in-fact-he-most.html
Read it and if you can, go!

Bitches brew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDTMRUxNLMg

A day trip on youtube led me to look, and find, Bob Marley’s Redemption Song – one searches for what one needs.
Which, of course, led me to find a whole heavenly host of greats performing cover versions.
Which uncovered Sinead O’Connor, and then, Annie Lennox.
This is not so much about who did the best version (though Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder is there with a crazy take), but a reminder of the time when female singers could rely simply on the power of their vocals and some crazy angst.
Creative force did not have room for cheap sex appeal.

Must, not, must, not...

Must not buy into the media-driven overload of information that 9/11 was a life-changing event. Except the USA's.
Must buy into the belief that what counts is lives of people who died. On that day. And since.
Must not let the din from the 9/11 anniversary drown out the muted cry of thousands of Somali children dying of hunger and thirst.
Must keep in the mind that vested interests are our primary information sources. And the interests are not often mine.
Must not take the moral high ground.
Must not take refuge in the low ground of moral ambiguity.

Sexy like hard work

Learning and scholarship and hard work and thrift and deferment of present enjoyment for future gain.

Lee Kuan Yew, creator of modern Singapore and former PM, explaining why Asians succeed.

None of those words are sexy, none make for exciting copy or eye-ball grabbing headlines.

Yet, as the Asians move to take over the world, parents will have to weigh carefully drawing a balance between the un-cool truths of the past and the hip calling of the future.

How to propagate the grind without killing the innovation.

Or else, the inexorable cycle of life will bring us to ruin.