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Wednesday, 12 October 2016



Introduction
Thailand is, as with Hong Kong, with Malaysia, and Singapore, a model for economic development - especially for the continent of Africa.
In my previous blog in March 2014 (reproduced below) I left out some important information.
Some years ago I had the opportunity to meet and question the former Thai Premier, Thaksin Shinawatra.  The setting was a Press Briefing at Carlton House in Central London.
I also had the opportunity for a 'one-to-one' chat with Mr Shinawatra.
(The premises is no longer used by the International Press for briefings.)
Thaksin Shinawatra was one of the most likeable Prime Minister's I ever met.
Very much at ease with the Press, very humble, great sense of humor, and very polite. 
I contrast that with Kofi Annan, the former U.N. Secretary General (on whose 'watch' the Rwanda genocide took place) who, the only time I met him at a venue in central London, asked me ' and what do you do for a living?'  When I informed him that I was Secretary of The Chartered Institute of Journalists, Freelance Division, he darted a cold steely look directly at me - which already said 'then you probably know all my secrets!' and hastily moved on.  (Actually I do know a lot not in the mainstream about Kofi Annan but I have never been in the 'peddling dirt' end of media research so I just committed it to memory because it was all so fascinating.)  Likewise when I was introduced by a friend to the former Malaysian Premier at a private gathering in the British House of Commons, that same 'Kofi Annan' syndrome (as I coin it!) was apparent when the words 'media' and 'researcher' were used to describe me. 
Not true of Mr Shinawatra, former Premier of Thailand, loved by half of the country and despised by the other half (including the armed forces - who mounted a coup d'etat just to prevent him from returning to power - when he would have been elected overwhelmingly by the populace in any free and fair election.  Even today, in a free and fair election, Thaksin Shinawatra would be Premier of Thailand.)
Interestingly, as with Mr Donald Trump, Mr Shinawatra is one of the wealthiest individuals in the world.  Unlike Mr Trump, he is so polite, so friendly, well-mannered and so cordial
that they were both obviously 'schooled' then 'baptised' in the fires of the business and political worlds, through very very different paths and encounters. 
I omitted this information from the article below because events in Thailand were, say, very delicate, at that time, and it would have served no useful purpose (indeed it would have been counter productive) to bring Mr Shinawatra into the equation.

A press release about the health of the King was issued yesterday - which is most unusual in the wording and stylized manner in which it has appeared.
The Thai government appears to be preparing the country (and the world) for the imminent demise of King Rama IX (Bhumibol Adulajev.)

The Thai military, by mounting a coup (Thai style - nobody killed just the removal of identified 'troublesome' politicians from office) two years ago have already firmly ensured through the ensuing 'democratic elections' (Thai-style) which followed, that there will be no return of Mr Shinawatra nor political chaos in the country in the (anticipated?) event of the death of King Rama IX.
I have heard all the 'locker room' talk about the Royal Household when last in the country.
Because people are forbidden by law from talking about the King and Royal Household in the media and in public, almost everyone banters and gossips ('locker-room' style - including 'girls talk'!) about what is happening at 'the Palace' in the privacy of their homes.
The nature of what I heard (maybe real maybe imagined) convinced me that, well perhaps a more 'open' approach would benefit the reputation of the Royal Household amongst the Thai people, as a whole.
It's a very brief article but because the international media will not speculate about the King's succession (they would loose their VIP 'access privileges' in Thailand if they did !) I thought you might want to see how the Thai people view the issue of succession (in private - since they cannot by law talk publicly about this matter in the country.)



*Kofi Annan:

I must add here that there is nothing detrimental to Mr Annan. The Secretary General at the time of the Rwanda Tutsi genocide was Boutros Boutros-Ghali.   I said on Mr Annan's 'watch' referring to his delegated departmental responsibility - and not as Secretary General. 

The Rwanda genocide of the Tutsi people was an institutional (United Nations) failure at all levels.  The failures were systemic and, to this day, few lessons have been learned.  For those who were U.N. Officers it was very frustrating and decisions were taken which, to say the least, were in bad judgement.   Mr Annan was not at that time The Secretary General.


 It is also an appropriate time to mention these facts again because what is happening to the ordinary people  in The Yemen and in Syria are crimes against humanity - for which nobody will ever be brought to account.  The Yemen because it is one of the poorest countries on the planet with little to no influence internationally - and Saudi Arabia, the United States, Iran and the Russian Federation will never agree as to who are 'war criminals' in the civil ( tribal-religious) war; in  Syria because any 'war criminals' will never be agreed  between the United States, Saudi Arabia, the Russian Federation, Iran, Lebanon, Turkey, The Kurdish people and the government of Syria (which, the way outsiders are speaking, you might be forgiven for thinking that this was not a sovereign independent country but governed by Imperial powers or the Ottoman Empire.)


http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1108093/thais-don-pink-for-his-majesty


http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1010762.shtml

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaksin_Shinawatra

unrelated travel information:
http://www.thaitravelblogs.com/2013/09/dont-fall-for-the-grand-palace-is-closed-scam/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_genocide


Nothing appears on the official government website (below.)
The official explanation is that there is no connection between the Royal Household and the Thai government - other than in it's capacity of acting as 'protector' of the Thai Constitution and Royal Household against destabilization and insurgency - at home and abroad.

http://www.thaigov.go.th/en.html

http://www.thaigov.go.th/index.php/en/component/search/?searchword=King+Rama+IX&ordering=newest&searchphrase=all

http://www.thaigov.go.th/index.php/en/the-cabinet1


 March 2014 article (reproduced)
 

King Rama IX (Bhumibol Adulajev)
Reports have it that Thailand's much loved and revered King Bhumibol is again in ailing health.
Fortunately his premature expiration has been falsely predicted on many occasions and, for many years, he has managed to soldier on – and the country continues prosper as a beacon of economic success and development for South East Asia and rest of the world.

Most Thais would rejoice if the King's daughter* succeeded her father to the throne.
She is (genuinely) much loved by the populace as a whole.
But the Royal line of succession precludes a Queen of Siam.
It is for this reason that millions of Thais are praying that the King will continue to live – for forever and a day.   We all know that such is not going to happen and talk in the country about the Royal succession, whilst strictly forbidden, is nonetheless the main event in every other Thai household.
The King's son, however, is the likely successor.

*eldest

[Interestingly, there has been a Buddhist prophesy for centuries that after the IX Rama, the dynasty will end.   I am unclear as to whether this solely refers to the male lineage or the dynasty as a whole.   There are so many different versions and interpretations of this prophesy that it would just be too confusing to mention all of them - other than to say that some Thais give considerable weight and respect to prophesy.]


King Bhumibol has brought stability, economic prosperity and development for Thailand as a whole.
Yes, admittedly there are groups – political parties, farmers, local communities, trades union representatives who will tell you a different story - and there are genuine grievances about wealth distribution, corruption, intrigues for power and influence within the elite of the Armed Forces and the Royal Thai Police.
Then there are border disputes with Cambodia which, thanks to international mediation and restraint by both sides, rarely escalate beyond occasional skirmishes over temples.
In November of last year, much to the disappointment of Thailand, the U.N. Court ruled in favor of Cambodia in the area around Preah Vihear Temple and ordered Thai forces to withdraw from the immediate vicinity.  This area is likely to be the flashpoint for further future conflict between the two countries as Thai nationalists and their supporters in the armed forces will never accept this decision.
There is also the prospect of Islamic insurgency intensifying in the South of the country as Malaysia does little to bring the insurgents to heel - for fear that the Jihadi militias will turn their attention (guns and bombs) to waging a campaign to destabilize the peace and quiet of Malaysia proper and an even greater threat is that they will link across with Jihadi insurgents in the province of Sabah to create a unified front – which could have devastating consequences for economic and political stability in the region as a whole.
[The Malaysia authorities will argue that they work in cooperation with Thai security forces to prevent terrorist infiltration across both sides of the border and will also suggest that arms and explosives are reaching Islamic rebels not across the Thai-Malaya border but from other countries.]

Hence the successor to King Bhumibol  will require the continued unanimous support of the Police and Armed forces to ensure that peace on the Thai-Cambodia and Thai-Malaysia borders are maintained as these areas could quickly flare into all-out wars between both parties, if outstanding border and Islamic identity issues, are not resolved to the long-term satisfaction of protagonists, and continue to linger.


Patrick Emek



http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2011/08/03/kings_failing_health_and_his_30b_fortune_puts_thailand_in_jeopardy.html


http://kanchanapisek.or.th/library/Tambiah-Thailand3.htm


http://madeinthai.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/the-nine-kings-of-the-chakri-dynasty-rama-i-%E2%80%93-the-founding-father-2/


http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324906004578289220025564486


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/world/asia/un-court-rules-for-cambodia-in-temple-dispute-with-thailand.html?_r=0


https://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130108213038AAciCU3

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

The Second CNN (not so!)
Presidential Debate
Last Sunday

In One Corner Of the Ring:
The Mouth Without A Brain:– The Thrilla Gorilla Who Says:
'I Eat The Clintons For Breakfast!'

-''The Donald'' -

V

In The Other Corner Of the Ring:
Crooked ''I'll Cut That ***k and those ****s of Yours Off, then Serve Them, Cooked and Marinaded, On A Silver Platter, To Rosie And All Abuse Sufferers''
    -''Hillary'' -


Donald Trump : Master Of Punk Political Oratory

I wouldn't vote for him. Six out of ten people I know would not vote for him. My cat probably (!) wouldn't vote for him. Nonetheless 'The Donald', is a master of aggressive punk oratory, regardless of the fact that the only politician who whole-heartedly endorses him is the British MEP Nigel Farage. Perhaps 'The Donald' will, as the first Supreme Dictator of America, should he be elected, appoint Nigel Farage as his Vice-President (or President For Vice) when he eventually falls seriously out with Mike Pence over some or other issue.

Undoubtedly, in my opinion, his oratory and movements in the most recent CNN debate were, for want of a better word, masterful and the work of a brilliant punk communicator, prowling agressively, like a wolf or bear, up and down, whilst contemplating how to quickly gut, fillet and de-bone his supper – and sup it down with a nice cup of ********* blood from the 'orifices'.
There is very little sh*t left on 'The Donald Sh** Cart' to throw at Hillary and Bill Clinton – except, perhaps, the empty smelly cart itself (!)

There was so much of it, the smell dispersed worldwide, at the half-speed of light, thanks to modern communications (!)



[If 'The Donald' is elected (which, however unlikely, is still possible!) expect turbulent times in Washington on The Hill, up at The Supreme Court, down at The Federal Reserve, over at the NSA, across at CIA and at the Pentagon.]




''If I'm Elected I'll Jail Hillary!''
Trump doesn't talk about the issues – because he hasn't a clue what the issues are – except perhaps, his knowledge about tax avoidance and tax evasion (!)
What brilliant strategy for a U.S. Presidential candidate to operate under cover of than to deny the issues and make your opponent the subject of the debate (!)
Another reason, in my opinion, to vote for Hillary Clinton:
VOTE HER IN - TO KEEP HER OUT!



How 'Low' Can You Go!
(and don't read any sexual innuendos into this title folks!!)
Certainly 'The Donald' has taken political debate to a new all time 'low'.
You know what they say: where America is today the world will follow tomorrow (!!)



''Locker Room Talk''
'The Donald' is absolutely correct. This is 'crude' male [hetero] 'banter'. Of course it is offensive to many people today – especially those who have had a dysfunctional life or existence caused by historical abuse. For this, he offers no apologies whatsoever.

I was on a bus with *** ******** some long time ago.
A girl (about 20 years, female) and her 'Mom' (in her 30s/40s) got on.  (We knew it was Mom because they were arguing, in ****** and she said 'Mom'.)
My companion said something to his friend in ****** which he later translated to me as 'that's a fine pair of **** she's got!' The recipient looked a little puzzled. 'No, I don't mean that scrawney tight ***** ***** ***** with the ****** tee-shirt but her Mom' I'd love to get ****** her ***** and f*** her **** up *** **** and ** *** ***
The younger girl looked shocked. Then the horror of it dawned on the 3 of us – she understood what X had just said (!)
The Mom didn't bat an eyelid – as her daughter appeared looking in her direction for some guidance.
When getting off the bus, Mom 'cat-whistled' the 3 of us and said smiling 'have a nice day boys!', in ******, waving slowly to us with a courteous smile as the bus departed – to the chagrin and apparent anger of her daughter (!)
(I had to ask for translations in aftermaths since I don't speak ******.)

''Girls Talk''
If you're a female of the world and reading this, no doubt you too, have, likewise heard girls and women banter 'locker-room' style ('Girl Talk' as I think it's called.)
I certainly have – when I shouldn't have been listening (!!); and what I heard was far far far worse than anything I heard on ''The Donald Tapes'' (!)

Natural Born Thrillers (!)

[Don't also forget that some 'twisted' minded males – and females (!) - will find his 'stamina' appealing and alluring in an age of [enforced] PC and [enforced] male conformity to stringent legal guidelines about what to say so as not to cause any offence to anybody at any time anywhere in public or private, in civil society.]


Up Yours! Donald!

(no sexual innuendo here either!)


I would not vote for 'The Donald' for reasons other than his puerile comments about 'hot chicks' and erotic fantasies about what he would like to do with them - male hetero 'bitch-in-heat-like' - and more related to his ignorance of the policy issues he hasn't got a clue about – and will divide, rule and ruin the country, if elected President of the United (or should I say dis-United) States of America (!)


©Patrick Emek, October 2016








Friday, 7 October 2016







A Picture Can Say A Thousand Words

The above picture you have been reflecting on for several days is a satirical allegory.

'World TV' referring to how we get, perceive and interpret information in the here and now (instantly) – especially that relating to violent acts.
Because information is transmitted worldwide in the here and now, we are asked to (indeed have to) respond likewise in the here and now.
Different words have different meanings and it is how the media asks us to interpret them which conditions our reactions.
For example, the same words, in the context of torture in Iraq will have a different interpretation than, say, in a consensual setting.
Likewise the same words in a childrens 'game' (or tying someone to a tree in such a game) is an entirely different context than where a crime has been committed ('Cops and Robbers' 'Cowboys and Indians' – themselves also, subject to controversy and different interpretations in todays world.)
We are constantly being asked to interpret information in the context in which the media presents it to us – supposedly for our decision – whereas in reality the media has already a position which it simply wants us, as the mass populace, to blindly go along with and endorse – without question.

One function of satire – from Plato's 'Republic' to Sebastian Brant's 'Ship Of Fools' - is to hold up the fallacy of the accepted order of things to ridicule. To give the masses an opportunity to reflect on the absurdities and contradictions which are leading it into the abyss. It also, sometimes, provides abstract constructs for reflection and deeper thought.

It is for individuals to appreciate in satire the more subtle aspects of thought, imagination possibilities, the meanings, perceptions and interpretation of words.

I drew a mythical creature and subjected it to apparent torture by a person unknown.
But if someone was to set up, say a chicken farm and a slaughterhouse for millions of chickens or cows or any other animal this would be perfectly legal – throughout the world.
In another context, if someone was to 'torture' a chicken or just chop off it's head and pluck it's feathers out in public say on The Mall (which leads to Buckingham Palace) or the Champs Elysees (which leads to the Louvre) or indeed on Fifth Avenue before putting it in the pot (see the film 2012) would create an unholy furore bigger than if I were simply to go into a Kroger Company or J Sainsburys or an Edeka Centrale and simply buy a chicken – which someone else has already slaughtered, pulled apart limb by limb then carefully and neatly packaged for hundreds of millions of the populace to buy and cook and then eat.
In some countries, such as France, horse meat is perfectly acceptable for (human) carnivores eating whereas in others, such as Great Britain, such action is, in many quarters looked down upon as 'savage' and 'uncivilised' behavior by 'foreigners' – such as, for example, 'the French'.


The reference to 'Jewel Robbery' is mentioned in the context of the Champs Elysees – famed for surounding shops which sell some of the rarest pieces of finely crafted jewels in the world.

Indeed film producers (and actors) have made careers from inspiration taken from the exquisite nature and value of such items on display not in London nor in Berlin but from Paris, France ( see the The Pink Panther films.)
In yet another context, the glorification, adulation, and for some, awe, which jewel theft 'inspires' is in total contradiction with the very real crime itself which has been committed – yet we are asked by the media, by Hollywood and other production centers to accept one and all at the same time, without question, without contradiction, and total acceptance with nothing other than surface thought.
We are told that the horrors of war are evil. Yet all politicians in the developed world, in the West and in Russia, know that before sending troops into war zones they need to be made aware (psychologically) about what will await them – humans torn from limb to limb, bits and pieces of body parts, blood guts, brains and everything else you can imagine (and more) all over you -maybe even looking at your own body parts, dismembered.
What better preparatory tool than horror films or other visuals depicting all of the scenes you are likely to encounter in order to inure you, in advance, from what is about to come.
There always has been 'psych-up' before a battle or war zone – by all sides. Yet we are all instructed by the media to accept this without question – on this particular occasion out of patriotism and love of country.   Even the War Chaplin will not raise any objections to such violence beeing screened in this context because he or she knows all too well what horrors await the unit. (He or she might opt not to view it – but they too are human are will be subject to the same experiences as others in their platoon.)


[I am deeply indebted to my Secondary School (Sub Mariae Nomine) for enabling me to experience the classical works of ancient Greece and ancient Rome.]

'Ship Of Fools' by Sebastian Brant was another inspiration for the above satirical allegory.


That is why, folks, it is often said, ''a picture paints a thousand words.''


©Patrick Emek, October 2016































Thursday, 6 October 2016

.

Oh, What A Lovely War!


Last year I said that if not careful we could be going down the path towards war with Russia over Syria.
It is a terrible thing to say but someone had to say it because the politicians are either too deaf or too ignorant to be paying attention.
Perhaps a war is required to silence the 'Gung-ho' attitude coming from Washington Senators and House of Representative Members whose only knowledge of war is derived from Hollywood and its characters?

On The Other Hand.........

What would a war between the United States and Syria entail?

Let us get a number of issues straight here.
A war with a superpower (Russia) will not be confined to Syria but, as I said eighteen months ago, involve the European Union and Britain (no matter how great a distance both attempt to place themselves from the political and military position of the United States via-a-vis the Russian Federation) it will cut no ice when the rubber meets the road.

With Friends Like These...................

The likelihood is that Turkey, given the present political climate, would declare itself 'neutral' (yes folks, withdraw from it's NATO commitments) if such a particular conflict went 'hot'.


Lines In The Sand
In the case of Syria, Russia has pretty much said to the United States (if it cared to listen) - 'this far and no further - this is where we draw our line in the sand.'


Living In Another World

The frightening thing for myself is that Washington is in its own 'bubbleworld' and is living in a sort of 'Reality TV' environment - which bares little to no relationship with what is happening in the real world.


A Stitch In Time
[As you may not know, very few U.S. politicians have ever travelled outside the territorial boundaries of the United States.  A few have travelled to NATO allied countries for conferences but that's about it.
I don't wish to be too critical here but our 'open society' does not provide adequate arrangements to facilitate most but the very senior U.S. VIPs (Senators and House members) to travel abroad with the resourced security detail required to guarantee their safety.  This is just one of the reasons so few travel outside the territorial boundaries of the United States.  
I want here to relate a story from some time ago (at least one decade.)
I recall a visiting VIP (Head of State/Senior Politician) had his/her own security.  A sort of row broke out between his/her (government assigned) security and British security (which was of course also assigned to protect the VIP whilst on British soil.)
The row was because I gave 'priority' (in the context of my minor involvement) to the  visiting VIPs security detail as opposed to the British security detail (because of their known reputation for efficiency, alertness and expertise.)   An unholy row almost broke out between me and the senior officer assigned by H.M. government to protect the VIP - which I managed to diffuse - and things settled down with everyone (almost!) happy again.  I could say more about this matter but I don't want to slight anyones reputation since some may still be serving officers in some capacity somewhere or other.  Suffice to say, here, at this time, I got the message - loud and clear(!)
Of course everything went smoothly.  But.....looking back....and with hindsight..... it would have been far better to have given priority to the visiting VIPs security detail because they were better trained than their British counterparts.  Indeed, their country provides training in diplomatic and personal protection to nations, corporations and VIP agencies across the globe - and has a reputation second to none in this regard.
The point I want to make here is that a number of countries have genuine concerns about the adequacy of 'local' security when their VIPs travel overseas - and in many cases they have every justification in being concerned in this regard.  So it should therefore not come as a total shock to learn that few U.S. Senators nor House Members travel abroad for the above reasons.]


Where The Rubber Meets The Road
Thankfully (at least at the present time) there exist in the senior ranks of the Pentagon, people who do have their feet firmly on the ground.
I have said for many years - and I repeat it again, the last thing any military high command  in the democratic world wants is to go down a path which could lead to nuclear war - especially with another nuclear superpower such as The Russian Federation.
If I am to be blunt and honest, military Staff in the democratic world would prefer to give speeches (about war preparations and readiness to fight future wars) attend conferences worldwide and 'party' than to fight in real wars (!)
This was the case in the past, and it's still the case today in the democratic world.
The last thing any sane serving officer wants to do is to fight in a real war - which they will of course do (with maximum efficiency) should they be so directed  by their politcial bosses.  Many have had first hand experience of a war zone in the course of their careers.  From what I was told, when you have this, the last thing which you want is to fight a war - because you have experienced, first hand, the horrors of warfare on both your colleagues and on the general populace.
I will not get into the argument here about drone warfare and how 'dehumanizing' it is to the remote service personnel. 


Ship Of Fools
The Chief of Defense Staff and senior military personnel have repeatedly warned U.S. politicians that a confrontation with the Russian Federation will become likely if they embark on particular actions.
The U.S. military is ready and prepared for a confrontation with Russia over Syria - should the need arise.
(Indeed I would imagine that battleplan operations to defeat Russia in Syria have been rehearsed for several years.)


Harum Scarum
What appears to be happening in the United States at present, particularly in the run up to the Presidential Election, is that both parties want to appear strong and confrontational with regard to Syria and Russia.
(Russia, in many respects, meddling in U.S. politics, has only itself to blame.  The heads of Russia's FSB and GRU should both be fired for gross incompetence since their actions equally share responsibility for the current state of tensions between Russia and the West.)
The Democrats cannot be seen to be perceived as 'weak' on defense matters - nor can the Republicans.
So expect everything to 'hot' up in the run up to the final countdown (Election Day.)
I would hope that after the election, the rhetoric will ease off  and then just pitter away into oblivion with the war in Syria just dragging on for years - with no end in sight - and, more importantly, no major military U.S. ground forces commitment into Syria.

So that's it folks (!)   The likely shape of things to come in Syria.
Iraq, however, with its strategic asset, is a very different kettle of fish.


©Patrick Emek, October 2016


References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh!_What_a_Lovely_War
(but remember folks, this was another era; these days, it's the democratic civilian politicians who are in ignorance and arrogance not their generals, in most instances)

http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/473025/syria-red-line-that-wasnt/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Fools_(satire)

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/harum-scarum

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harum_Scarum












Wednesday, 5 October 2016

A Story You May Have Missed

Lewis Hamilton:

'There Is A Conspiracy Against Me!'
Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the greatest drivers of this century.
Nobody doubts his skills nor his temperament. He 'lost it', however, after the recent Malaysia Grand Prix in Sepang when he openly accused 'person or persons unknown' of 'sabotaging' his car. His view is that 'someone or somebody does not want me to win'.

I have covered this matter previously but feel that it must be seriously addressed by those who profit from car racing tournaments (Grand Prixs) worldwide.

As I said previously, whether it be on land, sea or in the air, there is an obsessive craving for pushing the limits in terms of speed and human endurance. Cars, boats and aeroplanes new technologies and appliances are all being pushed and( metaphorically speaking) pulled (in terms of metals, carbon fibre and nanofibre technologies) just up to and beyond the limits of what is known about the effects on performance, distance and human endurance.
In my opinion, this is disgraceful and akin to laboratory ('lab') rats being used for experimentation. The organisers and sponsors would argue that such personalities (and this is what Hamilton and his fellow drivers in the top leagues are. They are not drivers, but icons in the car racing world, sports star personalities with world-wide followings – and revenues in the billions of dollars in sales, rolyaties and sponsorships across the planet.)
But is it right to 'sacrifice' them in the 'arena' [Colosseum (!)] simply to provide the 'audience' with more 'kicks' (?); a crash or 'near death' will, most certainly 'heighten' awareness amongst the world populace and 'add' (or attract) even more 'glamour' and interest in the next race (or 'episode') in the 'saga'.
There are more practical ways (virtual reality simulations for example) in this day and age of reducing the risks on the open circuit to iconic personalities - such as Rosberg and Hamilton.
There is indeed, in my opinion, a 'conspiracy', it's nothing to do with Hamilton per ipse, but an obsession by the owners and investors with speed, performance and endurance - which is literally driving design and components (in a number of different areas-including airplane design, components and structure or form) to the brink of catastrophic failure.

Why is it that manufacturers and owners always wait until a tragedy happens before making (or being compelled to by law to make) changes in design in order to improve on safety for users or passengers?
It is not easy for stars simply to up and walk away on principle.
We all know how Hamilton's dear parents, of modest income, sacrificed so much for him, as a child, so that he would have the opportunities to be where he is today. How can you just give it all up and walk away when so many people throughout your life have 'invested' so much of their own lives and time (and resources) in your success? It's not an easy call, for anyone.
My hope is that the industry itself is the first one to make the call – and becomes a role model by voluntarily setting standards for other professions and industries to emulate - before any tragedy and heart-searching is necessary in the aftermath.

©Patrick Emek, 2016



Intermezzo

And now for a lighter moment
(of sorts.....................!)









................end of Intermezzo.........
 .............................
 Now back to the really serious reality stuff (!) 




''Don't regulate imagination. Stand up for copyright reform across Europe'' (Mozilla)

Monday, 3 October 2016


Introduction


I  wrote this blog about a year and a half ago.  I 'parked' it as a draft because it didn't quite 'fit in' with the other material. 
It was a sort of 'therapeutic' blog - after I had finished researching ISIL, its mindset and the cornucopia of horrors it beckoned believers, from the ages of 5 or 6 to the elderly, to wallow in, for guaranteed eternal salvation and the 'joy' (or rapture) of welcoming Allah's first Sharia kingdom here on earth.  I was still in a particular 'frame of thought' - which I felt I had to finally 'exorcise'.

I thought that, in some places, the blog 'rambled' on a bit, got too quasi-religious, ethereal and seemed to 'loose the plot'. 
If it appears in places to be decoherent and 'off-track' then please accept my apologies and attribute this to what I have just mentioned above.

I was recently going to delete it (because it is 'too rambling') with the other bits and pieces which never formed completed blogs.  But I looked at it again and, by coincidence, it was mentioned on TV that (yet another) a row about anti-Semitism was again raging within the British Labor Party.  I was curious to find out what this row was about and saw that there were issues which needed to be addressed, however uncomfortable they made one feel or think.
Recently, in the United Kingdom, a member of the Labour (Labor) Party was suspended for alleged anti-Semitism.  Her 'crime' was that she said that, in effect, the Jews only care about their own holocaust and ignore other peoples holocausts - the crime of slavery and the holocaust against Black people for centuries, Stalin's holocaust against millions of Russians, Pol Pot against millions in Cambodia, the holocaust against the Tutsi tribe in the Rwanda genocide (note that this is called 'genocide' not holocaust - which is 'reserved' for the crime by the Nazis against the Jews.)   I might add the Australian Aborigines and Native Inhabitants of Tasmania, the Indian Tribes in the Americas and the crime of economic slavery against  the African-Brazilians in Brazil today (who numbered over 75% of the population - before Brazil stopped recording racial statistics - on the grounds that racial differences were irrelevant) - and all such holocausts ignored by the world media and international community.
  The point being made here is that  peoples on different parts of this planet have suffered their own unique holocausts. 
It is neither generally known (nor publicized enough) that the term 'holocaust' has indeed, internationally, been extended to commemorate the sufferings of different peoples throughout the world.  Holocaust Day in many countries provide an opportunity for younger and older generations to reflect on the sufferings not just of their own 'tribe' or 'race' but place this evil into a better world perspective to try to minimize the likelihood of it happening again.

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, it's a fitting time to publish it as it was originally drafted, unedited.


The Islamic State or 'Bubbleworld'

 ISIL is probably one of the most evil movements this century  has created.
We have seen how the hatreds of Communism and Nazism tore Europe apart and resulted in the genocide and displacement of nearly eighty million souls during the last century.
The additional challenge in the twenty first century is now religious extremism preaching hatred, intolerance and death to unbelievers.
It's predecessors were imperial powers who used it's same methods of barbarity to
strike fear and terror into subjected populations and minorities in tribal backward Europe.
What is remarkable how much in common the Hutu preachers of hate in Rwanda, Pol Pot in Cambodia and all organizers of mass genocide  have in common with Nazism and Communism - if you care to study their propaganda literature.
It's organisers are not uneducated.  Quite the opposite.
But neither were the proponents and the politicians who supported Hitler or of Empires which used mass rape, enslavement of men and women as a means to their perfect end - a world where only one race or tribe or philosophy or religion would prevail.
But do you really need to read the vile and hateful literature of the Nazi regime to understand neo-Nazism or Communism or modern Fascism?   I contend that you do not.  Reading through it all is quite sickening and unless you have a strong constitution, bad for your mental health.  So I recommend that you read about it through people who have studied it and will honestly tell you of it's evil herein. Why allow yourself (and if you believe, your soul) to be contaminated and consumed with the fires of hatred and contempt for all others?
I say honestly because, not too long ago, someone I know, on several occasions, asked that I lie at diplomatic receptions so that diplomats are asked dishonest questions and not those which ordinary people (myself) are genuinely concerned about.
Her basis was that 'we only ask nice questions' at our Receptions.
I thought, I reflected and I contemplated for some guidance on what I had been asked to do.

I was taught that you never have to obey any command your conscience tells you is wrong.
You do not have to tell people in authority lies - especially if you believe that such lies will ultimately assist in creating misery and suffering for others.
It's almost as if lying is an essential part of our psyche or culture. [At least it is of hers!]
Without it, we [some people] are lost in a dishonest world where other wolves will devour the  lambs caught between right and wrong.
This happened on three separate occasions over a period of 3 months.
Something else happened around that that time - between at least two of the events.
I was speaking with a teenager (18 year old, practicing Christian, male) who was telling me that it was all 'the buzz' for kids to be watching the video of a Jordanian pilot being roasted alive by ISIL.
I almost jumped out of my skin when he told me this - but (alas!) pretended it was of insignificance to me.  It was of plenty of significnce!
During my lifetime I have personally seen the aftermath of bomb explosions - where people have been torn limb from limb and have been a witness to other horrors (both first and second-hand) which I do not want to relive, because, believe, me it is not therapeutic to relive everything - as the psychiatrists will falsely tell you in order to make money out of treating your misery and torment.
So I was absolutely horrified that this is what teenagers (and possibly younger) are watching 'for kicks' as he had no reason to lie to me and the manner in which the issue had arisen was not designed to either boast nor impress me - but just 'matter-of-fact' - this is what 'turns them on.'
In a world where children are constantly lied to - and they know they are being lied to - is it any wonder that they look 'elsewhere' for 'excitement?'
They are told they cannot have sex - yet their parents do it every night.
They cannot look at porn magazines, that taking drugs [even legal 'highs'] are evil and forbidden.  They cannot watch violence [unless it is violence sanctioned ritually by the State to promote the ideals of heroism in war or law enforcement] because we have 'nannies' to constantly regulate and monitor every aspect of their private existence.  They cannot gather in shopping Malls or within seconds security (active or passive electronic subsonic or ultrasonic) will turn up to confront them.  They cannot walk even in shops without being followed [see the recent law case where staff in the U.S. were ordered to follow every Black customer who came into the store chain - throughout the United States - and is now (quite rightly in my view) being sued for racial discrimination.]
I linked both these things (my politically correct individual living in her 'bubble') and what 'excites' young adults - the roasting alive, like a sheep on a spit,  of another human being, and his screams of pain - Reality TV ISIL style - for the pleasure of the masses.
We all live in 'politically correct' bubbles.  We try to creat these same bubbles for all those around us - then ultimately attempt to impose the 'serenity' of these newly 'discovered' bubbles on the rest of society and ultimately on the rest of the world.  We create a whole industry or structures which justify such bubbles - in much the same way as Dr. Goebbels created a whole industry of writing letters from Jews burnt in gas ovens in concentration camps to create the 'illusion' of 'normality' existing.  But things were far from 'normal' in concentration camps. The issue was that things were so abnormal that it was necessary, no should I say a prerequisite that 'normality' be invented because what was happening was patently abnormal and too insane to be a part of the normal world - but in actual reality it was a part of  normal life if you were a prisoner in Bergen-Belsen or Dachau or Theresienstadt concentration camps or a camp guard or commander.
People needed to invent lies to remain sane in the insane world we live in.
A furthert example is the mass rape of women and children by the Allied Forces during World War II.
Mass rape of women and children during World War II was just as common by Allied Forces as it was by the Russians.  Yet an industry of lies through historical books were created for the world 'to buy into' and a new  history 'created'  where the only 'rapists' were the 'barbarian' conquering Russian troops.  If you did not 'buy into the lie' you were 'frozen out' of mainstream society and denied a platform to evocate such truths.
Why such events happened can only be discerned if you study history since the dawn of human civilization and go figure out for yourself.
But we pretended that Allied troops were above such atavism, were Saints and the epitome of every lie we had invented over the centuries.
That we (in the West) are somehow more advanced in spiritual development than the animals in the jungle or the 'naked savages' in Africa, Asia or the 'uncivilized' Americas or convict colonies Australasia and New Zealand - until the truth finally surfaces that is to say.
Allied Western troops don't rape women in war zones  'en masse' only the 'barbarian' Russians and the Japanese, Africans, Mongols and other 'savages' do this.
The lies our society creates to maintain it's sanity are quiet profound.

Slavery or Personal Slave Ownership Was Abolished Because It Became Too Uneconomic In It's Existing Form In the New Industrialized World 

A further example is slavery.  Slavery was not abolished because of do-gooders but because slavery, as it existed, was had become patently uneconomic and, with the advent of the industrial revolution and mass production, better forms of 'new slavery' which were more productive financially were now available for exploitation.
This is why Christendom enjoys the luxury of criticizing 'slavery' in the developing world - where, to survive, children must work to support the extended family.
In developing and underdeveloped societies there are no advanced networks of State support and as all that you have is your extended family to turn to for financial and social assistance when times are hard there are no other options but to do something to earn a living - enter the Western NGOs to 'remould' third world societies and cultures into their own making and values -which never incidentally existed in reality(!)
 Another word for this is neo-colonialism.
So even the history books we teach our kids values about are all built on lies.

Why My Colleague Was Right And You Can Never Tell The Truth
I am now going to turn the argument upside down and say that lying is an essential prerequisite for survival and success.
This individual was right about lying and that I was patently wrong and naiive.
But it is because of the fact that I was naiive and wrong, that ISIL and it's inheritors [and even more evil from the dark side, just waiting for the boat ride across the Styx] will be waging Holy Wars for the next 100 years - and that, when such conflicts in the Muslim Arab world finally simmer, millions of souls (if not more) will have either perished or suffered greatly.

Evil Does Not Arrive From Nowhere
Yes, you could tell the truth - but who will ever listen if nobody will ever publicize you - because the mass media is also living in the same bubble and will never entertain your
viewpoint as part of mainstream knowledge - that is - until a tsunami hits or is predicted to hit (sic. that revelations about the truth are about to 'go viral') and someone 'politically' acceptable can be 'invented' to sing a new narrative about the 'revised' history or 'truth.'
It's a perfect system of bubbles of lies all insular from the feelings and emotions and sufferings of the real victims.
This is what has happened in the Arab world over the past centuries.
A few have benefited but the masses have ben impoverished and enslaved without a voice and without any hope of salvation - except through the words written in the Koran.
So ISIL was a movement waiting for it's time to come in the Arab world.
It was never a matter of 'if' but 'when' this monster-in-waiting would be let loose on the world stage.

To Prepare For What ISIL Is Saying Through It's Publication, DABIQ, You Must Recognise These Facts Or You Will Have Nothing To Argue Against It's Evil 

I won't even talk about the horrors of slavery of African people by the colonial powers nor the selling of naked men and women, boys and girls in the Slave Markets of Liverpool [England] or in South Carolina or Lexington Kentucky or even slavery today in Brazil or wage slavery in the United States.  Neither will I dwell too long on the fact tha African and Arab rulers and those victorious in battle traded captured slaves to Christendom and that the Koran endorses slavery - but it does not call it slavery by name. That similar practices exist worldwide is true today.
If you live in a financially impoverished community, have an extended family where a single income will not pay the bills, the children must work or everyone will starve to death. But you will be hard-pressed to find such controversial subjects talked honestly about in your history books or even in your media.
the emphasis will always be on 'exploitation' 'abuse' and 'neglect' and the urgency to impose our 'enlightened' Western values on Muslim, African and Asian societies.
The only acceptable slave economies are that run by multinationals where outsourcing destroys local Western and U.S. communities which are considered 'uneconomic' overpriced and no longer competitive - so the availability of labor in the developed world  
 Lies have been invented to 'protect' the children from the 'truth.'  Bubbles of politically correct language have been invented by the new Dr. Goebbels' so that nobody asks 'awkward' questions.
But kids are not stupid.  Intelligent ones never were.  They now have access to a treasure of information via the internet which once could be hidden away from them for their entire lives - effectively creating the perfect world bubble of  blissful lies for them to exist in. Should any raise 'awkward' questions it was never a problem as there were always enough too frightened to reveal the truth.
But nobody can conceal the truth forever - only  just long enough to benefit from the lie.
So now the aurhorities attempt to ban whole societies from sites on the internet in order to 'protect'  from 'exploitation'. 

Call 911! Kids Are Attempting To Find  Out The Truth via the Internet!
We attempt to ensure that the only websites they can visit have our stamp of approval and
are not politically incorrect [sites we say the law forbids them to visit.]
So now, having failed to achieve voluntary 'compliance', we introduce 'the whip' to compel it.  If that fails, then we can commence the 'torture' program. 
It is, in part, a rejection of our perfect world of lies that kids, for entertainment, today, watch a human being roasted  by other human beings (and prodded with an iron rod from time to time to ensure his 'full' and 'complete' roasting - according to ISIL's twisted interpretation of Islam.]

Rejecting The Narrative Christian kids, rejecting our perfect lies, are watching human roasting - 'Reality' Islamic TV - ISIL-style - because of it's 'entertainment' value (us having left them with little else but boredom, deceit and lies.) I am beginning to understand why young Muslims, some probably equally out of boredom many others for certain out of a rejection of the 'bubble of lies' we create  to deceive, join ISIL for 'adventure' and in search of  'the truth.'                    I will tell them this now - and this is not propaganda.  Christians never found the truth through their creation of a world or universe of lies neither will  Islam nor any other civilization or religion or philosophy.

Islam Rules, OK?
Islam is a wonderful religion  but sadly it can never be hijacked to 'rule the world' on a foundation of lies - which is what ISIL is attempting.
You probably do not know that, until the rise of movements such as ISIS and Al Qaeda which are, visibly, even to an educated non-Muslim such as myself, anti-Islamic and rotten to their core, Islam and not Christianity, was the fastest growing religion in the world. 
Without  movements such as ISIL, Salafism and Wahhabism, by pure default, Islam would have dominated the world - but as a conformist intolerant religion not one of peace tolerance and co-existence for all faiths, at least not yet.
If, to take it further, Islam had our equivalent of a Martin Luther, John Wesley, John Calvin  then ther is no limit to it's possibilities after breakout from it's fixation of intolerance and conformity.
There are contradictions between what I have just said and above, but, go figure(!)
You cannot build and sustain an existence forever on foundations of lies.
Yet we all cannot live with the truth because it is too painful otherwise.   This is humanity's sad paradox.

In the absence of lies, we are all naked in the embarrassment of the  hypocrisies we have all hidden before our God or Gods and, more important, from each other.

It is much easier and more practical to build edifices to Mammon than to an abstract all knowing all seeing entity.

You can never build the prefect world either on the lies my colleague wanted me to 'buy into' or by roasting other human beings alive just for the fun of it - then justifying this in the name of religion.  Both are two sides of the same coin. And you'd better recognise this or you will not survive the ISIL's of this world mentally intact.


'Herrenvolk' - ISIS Style
 Many civilizations have a narrative around themselves as a 'Herrenvolk' or 'Master Race'.
ISIL's is built around the Prophet as leader or Fuhrer with Islam's followers as the 'Herrenvolk'.   Such has always been appealing to imperial powers from time immemorial and indeed civilizations have been built upon such lies - until they all came crumblimg into the dust with nothing remaining except their ultimate physical demolition by the next Master Race-in-waiting.  The Taliban smashed history into dust so too do ISIL.
But such is the ultimate faith awaiting all civilizations - if they do not succumb to other catastrophies first.

Edutainment [of sorts!]
Have you ever watched 'Planet Of The Apes' - the made for TV series?
In one episode a human and an ape fall into a hole in the ground and discovers a picture on a wall showing apes as caged animals in a zoo for human entertainment and spectacle.
The ape immediately attempts to kill the human fearing the truth about the past world will be revealed and upset the order of society.

The Killing Fields
So too ISIL kill everyone who is remotely linked to the past because their new world can never be built upon any effigy or picture which shows a prior contrary view of existence to that narrative they have created about existence.
This effectively means they (ISIL) will ultimately have to convert, kill, or enslave at least 98% of all Muslims and 100% of everyone else (including you and me.)
Surprisingly you are probably thinking that I will say how appalling this is.
To myself however this is simply a logical extension of the past millennia.

They say that the past cannot be changed.  The present and the past both together influence the future.
ISIL's future is built upon the horrors of the past - as they so perfectly demonstrate today - so logically it can never be the Heaven of the future.
It follows the same sad pattern of every Satan which preceeded it and such makes it our quest to ensure it fails in its tasks of murder, enslavement andthe roasting alive of our children and loved ones as heretics - like witches to be burnt at the Stake.

DABIQ
Is the magazine of the Islamic State.  I have read it from Issue 1 and it is built on a pack of lies.  The sad thing is they are the mirror-image of the bubbles of lies Christendom has created - so the wheel is simply being re-invented.
This is why young adults are turning to extremist literature and propaganda online.
It gives them a perspective which is being actively denied or hidden in and by the mainstream mogul-controlled media and their networks worldwide.
Such propaganda, similar to ISIL's, plays with your thoughts and feelings by 'revealing' to you 'truths' which have been 'hidden' by politicians, schoolteachers and the media over the centuries. All of such are mentioned above in brief.
Dabiq, like the more effective extremist counterpart online publications is a very carefully crafted propaganda magazine based on the worst the twentieth century had to offer.
It does little to conceal it's contempt and hatred of Christianity and it's perception of Christians as savages and 'unclean' - not worthy of the term 'human being.'
But, like all extremist publications, unless you have studied propaganda you will be lost in it's content and accept it's 'connections' between what the Prophet said and the history of the Muslim world.
Sadly, ISIL has nothing to offer Islam but more blood.
Was it Mahathma Ghandi who said that if we all practice 'an eye for an eye' soon the whole world will go blind.

Protect and Serve
When your services are called upon by your Commander-In-Chief to protect America and the world in the Middle East and in the Gulf you need to be fully aware of what a Holy War entails in order to persevere to final victory.
For the reasons above, it will be a 'hollow' victory - but at least you will have the reassurance that your family and loved ones will continue to enjoy the freedom to be different, to practice whatever religion they want (or none) to criticize without fear and, above all else, to be able to express themselves as they so choose.


Underlying Thoughts The two most important objectives of education are to provide knowledge and to give it's recipients a compass or GPS so that they are not stuck in a rut forever.
ISIL achieves both in DABIQ but it's truths are lies and half-truths and it's 'compass' or GPS is attempting to drive Islam over a cliff and into the abyss out of which it will take centuries to recover.

My book, entitled 'DABIQ' or 'Honey, How Do We tell the Kids About ISIL?' was inspired by the above encounters with MCW and 'the kid'.
I had sort of run out of new ideas and had no 'compass'.

It is deliberately written in a quasi-mystical style (gotta get yer brain re-orientated!) to bring readers into the 'thought framework' of what a Holy War, 21st century style, entails.

Unlike ISIL and rather paradoxically, I hardly make any mention of God - but the essence of the divine is contained in selected quotations throughout it's content.
I leave them 'nameless' so you can judge them 'by their content' and not, metaphorically speaking, 'by the color of their skin'.
The booklet will enable you, as a novice, to be more than prepared for assignment in the Middle East or Persian Gulf without having to read through ISIL's hate propaganda to understand completely their 'message'.  Nothing will shock you so hopefully, with such knowledge, you will be less traumatized  and suffer far less in the aftermath than someone totally or less mentally prepared than yourself.
You will be able to manage better the hypocricies and contradictions and fortify yourself
with both as strengths rather than, as ISIL intends as weaknesses - thereby  leaving you more vulnerable to ISIL's emotional or psychological exploitation, by a very cunning enemy.
  Your senses will aslo be heightened - and this may save your life as you will be less complacent in this unique hostile environment than you might otherwise be in a 'normal' war zone.



©Patrick Emek, October 2016




References

http://christianity.about.com/od/methodistdenomination/a/John-Wesley.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2014/04/28/raping-german-women-and-children-as-a-form-of-revenge-after-wwii-part-i/

The Rape of Berlin:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32529679


http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/book-claims-us-soldiers-raped-190-000-german-women-post-wwii-a-1021298.html



additional references

I have cited the references below because they represent, in my opinion, best practice, for the commemoration of this evil in our world of today.  In this particular instance, the United Kingdom leads the way in terms of best practice for uniting a country around a common theme (and an alert or warning) for all of its citizens.



Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD)
http://hmd.org.uk/resources/theme-papers/hmd-2017-how-can-life-go


 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocaust_Memorial_Day_(UK)


for Kindergarten/Primary/Junior Schools:
http://www.as-creatives.com/6085



What Ha'aretz fails to mention (below) is that Walker is, herself, Jewish - but I think that reflects a 'psychological' 'problem' within Ha'aretz  as much as anything else - but that's another day's blog for me (!)

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/news/1.745379

 
On reflection,to save myself the time of yet another blog on the above issue, best that I refer you to one already out there which aptly summarizes what I might have said, in the referenced article below written by Sam Kriss:
(extract)
''It's hard not to see this as racism. Jackie Walker is of mixed heritage, both Jewish and black Jamaican; it's easy for white Jews to dismiss her as being not fully Jewish. When the pronouncements of a few unrepresentative and unelected "Jewish community leaders" are taken to be representative of our entire community, black, leftist, pro-Palestinian Jews like Jackie Walker don't fit into simple conceptual categories. (And it's worth remembering that this Jewish inability to be easily assimilated into existing structures was a major factor in pre-war European anti-Semitism.) But if Jews can be anti-Semitic – and this is what Walker's critics are tacitly claiming – then her treatment is also bald and despicable anti-Semitism.''


http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/jackie-walker-momentum-anti-semitism-the-left



http://hmd.org.uk/resources/theme-papers/hmd-2017-how-can-life-go


http://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/2016/calendar2016.html


http://hmd.org.uk/genocides/rwanda


http://hmd.org.uk/genocides/cambodia

http://hmd.org.uk/













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