Awakening

It's been a while since my last post. Quite a while, as a matter of fact. Been quite busy lately, between work and my thesis, which I'm a little behind on. But lately, I've realized something, which may seem odd, since its taken for granted by most of us - it's that time is really passing by quickly.

Sometimes, it takes a few events to occur in your life in order to shake the living shit out of you, and provide you with a helpful bitch slap across the face. I've spent the last year confused, and encountering difficulty in my thesis, and let me say - a Master's thesis is no joke. It's a serious, deep research project which will test your abilities to the ends of both your patience and sanity. I've been grappling with ways in which to define both terrorism and the al Qaeda group for the better part of the last year. Trust me, if you think you know how to define it academically in less than a 30 second explanation - you don't. I know you think you do, but trust me, you don't.

On the other hand, I've come to realize that I only have a limited amount of time to finish what I'm doing. Time is against me, and in less than 2 year's time, I'll need to consider the fact that I'll be well on my way to doing something else with my life. So, right now is the time I gotta get these things done. If not, I may not ever have the time to do these things again, if ever.

If this seems like an exercise in trying to remind myself of certain things, rather than to enlighten others, it could be that you're right. But on the other hand, sometimes you need to see shit written down before you can really have it sink in.

Moral of the story is: Take a shit or get off the toilet seat - get 'er done!

Counting pennies

Haven't posted anything here for a while. Probably because I couldn't be bothered, or else there wasn't anything groundbreaking enough to write. Well, sure there was. But laziness is the rule, not the exception.

Dissertation is going well, but progress has been pretty slow, since there's a lot of stuff that having been going my way. It's planned pretty well, most of the chapters have been outlined, and I got enough material and books for the time being. But I'll definitely be needing a few more books and analytical papers which will probably mean I'm either gonna have to dish out more cash on books (Note: I'm willing to do odd jobs, like looking after your alcohol cabinet at home, or even, if necessary, the fridge. It's a hard job, but I'll go that extra mile for anyone willing to pay. Contact me if you got such a job available) or else travel to London to get that little bit extra material from a library, photocopies and all.

Although I think my American passport won't save my ass from British airport security officials when they open my luggage and find several hundred pages worth of analytical information on terrorism and al Qaeda. But then again, I wouldn't blame them, security being what it is today. But somehow I don't think a short, blue-eyed dude who can barely grow a stubble on his chin really poses a security threat to anyone, right?

If anything, the University's student card will prove my case. Right? Yeah, probably not.
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It's funny. Last year, Chelsea made it to Moscow where they played against Man Utd (and lost, damn you Terry! Buy some decent fuckin' cleats dude!), and I spent a week scrounging for every penny I had to make the trip to Moscow. Alas, I didn't have enough pennies, and I guess it worked out ok. I don't think I would have been able to deal with the disappointment of watching Chelsea lose on penalties.

This year is another story. I had no idea Chelsea would be in the semi-finals at this point, it just didn't figure into my long term planning really. So I planned to travel to London in order to get some research done at the Institute of Strategic Studies. They have some decent literature about terrorism and security, and that's exactly what I need. So I planned to go between June 1st and June 5/6th. No problem.

But

I wasn't planning for Chelsea to be one step away from the Champtions League final in Rome on May 27th. All they have to do is defeat Barcelona, who's been the best team in Europe this season in both domestic and European competitions, thanks to their young prodigy/son of the devil Lionel Messi. (I'm just kidding, just because he scores more goals against the best teams in Europe than most normal people can in front of an empty net doesn't make him a demon. Fuck it, yeah it does.)

So, my plans hinge on a 21 year old's golden foot and Chelsea's ability to stop him on the 28th of April, and the 4th of May. If they lose, ah well. Maybe next year, right? If they win.. Rome beckons. The Champions League final is on May 27th, as I said, and I planned to go to London on June 1st - 6th. Going to both would stretch my pockets like a midget hanging upside and tying his head to the floor in order to get that few inches taller.

Fuck it - both if possible, Rome takes priority. London can wait a few months, right? It ain't going anywhere. For your viewing pleasure.

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For your viewing pleasure. Would have shown it here, but the width was fucked up.

Chance and luck.

"Destiny is an illusion - choice is chance, chance is luck, and luck is what you spend your life working for."

Matthew Bugeja - 2008

That's right. I said that one. If you see anyone writing that anywhere on the internet, they should be paying me some goddamned royalties. I'm just trying to earn a buck like Diddy, since he's bitchin' about gas prices and all.

Seriously. What the fuck is wrong with Diddy? Oh, boo hoo. The poor guy can't gas up his private jet. Whatever will the world do. This is the same poser that talks about how Africa has it bad, then he has the balls to bitch and moan about gassin' up his jet, so that he can fly around the U.S. recording singles and/or produce music that'll be forgotten within a few months. Cry me a river, Diddy.

Barack Obama looks like he's gonna be the new President. Surprised? Well, not really. Considering the guy has been handing McCain his ass in a paper bag for the last six weeks or so in the polls, it's not exactly a shock to learn that a black man is gonna be running the country come January. Can't say I'm really disappointed. I preferred McCain for quite some time, but I think Obama can pull it off too. Good luck dude. But after Bush, it would seem that you could probably invade Australia, and still do better than he did, overall.

L4D - Thursday. Say no more. It's looking great, can't wait to dig my teeth into the damn thing like a pitbull on a mailman's slinky ass.

Hmm.. what else is going on.. my whole M.A. dissertation is so far based on the following research question:

Does Al Qaeda still pose the same degree of threat to the West as it did on September 11th, 2001?

So far, the answer in my own little head is: Yes, and no. But the whole reasoning as to why I think is so complicated thus far, that it only makes sense in my own head. Here's to hoping a year from today, a binded version of my thoughts will be in front of me, and I can say - "This is what I meant." But yeah, that's not helping all that much right now.

In closing, for a laugh, check this clip out from Tropic Thunder.

Quotes of Wisdom

Krys - No really, he's a big guy.
Me - Yeah, I bet he wouldn't even fit in Tony's shower.
Brian - Why would you want to fit him in Tony's shower?
Me - Ah, Goddammit.

Tony - Do you even know what a minority is?
Max - Yeah, it's like when you're Hindu.

Shaun - What sauce is on that cookie?
Tony - It's cherry sauce, man.
Shaun tastes the cookie
Shaun - That ain't jerry sauce, man.


Me - Max, you couldn't give pleasure to a dog.
Max - Yeah I could, my c*** ain't big enough!

Anyone that remembers anymore, remind me.

An open letter to Jack Thompson

The crusader against violent video games. The self-styled "Batman" of our time. There have been many youtube videos by other gamers who have attacked you, and rightly so, and your bullshit-fueled campaign against video games.

May I start off by saying - fuck you. Video gamers such as myself number in the millions. Yes, millions. There are no less than 8 million people playing World of Warcraft - their ages ranging from 13 to probably in their 50's. Millions more play online everyday in games such as Call of Duty 2, Counterstrike Source, Team Fortress 2, and Unreal Tournament. Out of these millions that play, when less than half a percentage point of them commit a crime, you go ape shit. You start running your mouth like you know what you're talking about.

Mr. Thompson - it is because of you that gamers like me have a bad name. If it weren't for violent games, i would not have been interested in learning more about the military and war. It was actually one of these reasons for which i have taken my Bachelors (yes, with honors you elitist bastard) in International Relations, where I'm currently finishing my last year. I have yet to go on a murderous rampage, but if i do, I'll be sure to give you a call, so that you can prepare your tirade beforehand.

I have many friends who are also avid gamers - I'll mention a few of their occupations:

Doctor
Web Designer
IT specialist
International Relations Analyst
Logistics clerk
Waiter

Oh my god! Those ANIMALS! Look how horrible they turned out! Whatever shall the world do?

If stores sell games to kids that shouldn't be getting them because they're underage, go bitch to them. Stop picking on gamers and gaming companies, and pick on the bigger horses - like Walmart. But I bet i know why you don't - they got armies of lawyers, and you can't afford to take them on in court. Sly fox, you are.

Mr. Thompson, you'll probably never read this. But please know - I utterly despise you to my very core. Gamers all over the world probably share the same sentiment. And if it were true that we're violent, blood-thirsty animals, i guess you would be the first one to know.

But wait.. aren't you still breathing? Hmm.. interesting.

Anti-Americanism in Europe.

If there is one thing that you have to love about the media, both in the U.S., and in Europe, is how much of a grip it has on their audiences. I was just watching this video on videosift (great website, has 15 top notch videos every day, many of them hilariously good), and it got me thinking about the whole thing.

In the U.S., Americans are brainwashed in one way. We're constantly bombarded by companies who want us to buy their products. Yes, even worse than Europe. It has been a while since I've lived in the U.S., but I'm certain that nothing has changed since then. Consumerism is rampant in the U.S., and political propaganda is running wild at the moment with the Presidential elections coming up in November. But for the most part, if ever, you never see anti-European messages on U.S.-based television and news stations - with the exception of prior to the Iraq war, when Chirac and Schroeder of France and Germany respectively, opposed the U.S. invasion. But that's another story in itself.

So, why do the Europeans hate the U.S. so much? Well, the invasion of Iraq didn't help. Some of Bush's policies were unilateralist and did not take into account the multilateral leanings of Europeans. Abu Gharib, Guantanamo bay, the refusal to join the Kyoto protocol, and the refusal to accept the notion of an International Criminal Court are all things which irked the Europeans and helped to fuel anti-American propaganda.

Now, I'm going to be 100% honest. I'm going to say what I believe is the truth in my own mind. There are many things which the U.S. has done over the past 6 years or so which I did not agree with. The refusal to join the ICC is one of those things which I think was not a smart move. Abu Gharib was pretty bad as well. The Kyoto protocol, which deals with environmental planning and what not, should have been considered. Yes, the U.S. has made mistakes. But then again, which country has not made mistakes? Which country has the media coverage of every thing it does, which country can say it is under the microscope as often as the U.S.? No one. There's no argument about that, I'm sure.

So, is all the anti-American rhetoric justified? Not really. In that video link i've posted above, someone asked a U.S. journalist if everyone walks with M-16 rifles in the streets in the U.S. Seriously? I mean, are there people who actually believe that?

I've lived in the U.S., and I know what kind of people live there. No, we're not warmongers. No, we don't want to dominate the world, even if that's what happened, because we won the Cold War. The Europeans don't feel the need to look up to the U.S. anymore, simply because the EU is coming along nicely(...even if they don't know where it's going) and that western Europe has no threats to existence as it did during the Cold War.

So, where does that leave us? The Europeans, fueled by anti-American propaganda, and yes, all news is propaganda of some sort, have come to hate the U.S. more and more. There are legitimate reasons to disagree with the U.S. foreign policy, everyone is entitled to their opinion. But outright hatred of a country, and claiming they are an ignorant population is what i call a false sense of elitism. I only ask those people which claim Americans (all Americans) are ignorant to reflect on how much knowledge they actually have of the U.S. How often have they come into contact with Americans? Yes, we have Americans who give us a bad name, saying they are better than everyone else in world, but then again - aren't there Europeans who boasted the same thing in the past? Britain, France, Russia, and Germany are all countries which had vast empires at some point over the past 200 years. Mind you, there wasn't the global media coverage there was today. So they didn't have the scrutiny of billions on their asses at every minute of the day.

So, is anti-Americanism justified? Well, let me say this. I believe in moderation. In politics, i'm a centrist, which means I'm not an outright liberal, or conservative, I'm neither a dedicated right-winger, nor left-winger. If someone fails to see both sides of a coin, then they have failed to intellectually develop to a point where they can say they are experts on any issue in the international arena. America has fucked up on certain issues, that's true. But guess what - so have Europeans, the Chinese, the Russians, and anyone else who has been a player in the game.

No one is better than anyone else. In a time of a supposed higher education and literacy rate, we show more ignorance and elitism (a volatile mix) than ever before. If you honestly think the U.S. is that evil, you need only look to the past for a taste of when it helped Western Europe in both World Wars and the Cold War.

Don't paint a person, or a country, with one brush. Anyone who says otherwise is a fucking fool.

Of mice and men.

I'm usually a really patient person, but recently I received an e-mail from my girlfriend which is actually in favor of U.S. troops in Iraq. I loved the e-mail, but then I saw one picture which really, really pissed me off. You can see it right here belowSeriously, how ridiculous and fucking retarded can you possibly be? "Thank God for Dead Soldiers"? "Thank God for IEDs"? What planet are you from? Now, don't get me wrong, every citizen has a right to disagree and oppose a government's policy, such as the U.S. policy on Iraq. Personally, although I don't consider myself to be as right-wing as President Bush and his advisors, I feel that the troops will be needed in Iraq for quite some time to come, because if they pull out, the results would be pretty damn bad. Counterinsurgency operations are intensive and often very long, even up to 15 years. But despite what some Democrats might tell you, the counterinsurgency strategy that General Petraeus has put into place when he took over is doing quite well for the most part. And if any Democrat would like to argue this point, I invite them to do their own personal analysis as I have been doing for my own University dissertation. Yeah, sure, there is still violence between the government and the Mahdi Army which belongs to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al Sadr, but this was bound to happen eventually.

Now, back to the point. You can disagree with the government and its policies, but saying things like those (insert expletive here) girls are saying in that picture is beyond wrong. These soldiers are instruments of policy. If you play the flute, and you're really bad at it, you don't blame the flute - you just suck at playing the flute. Soldiers, of any country, have the courage to step up to the plate, and defend their country for their comrades and countrymen. They deserve more respect than that. They are the real men and women who make their countries secure from potential attack. If you wish to disagree with the war in Iraq, do so. But don't bad-mouth soldiers for doing their jobs. If I eat a burger at McDonalds that gives me Mad Cow disease or something, I don't go beat up a McDonalds employee - I sue the company.

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To local stuff. The race for the MLP leadership post is getting interesting with no less than 5 candidates. Personally, I'm rooting for Dr. Joseph Muscat. Why? He's young, a moderate, open-minded, charismatic, and has enough self-confidence to portray his vision, but not too much to make him seem arrogant. Once again, my opinion. The way I see it, he's Malta's Barack Obama - a progressive politician that wants to go beyond partisan politics, which we have more than enough of in this little country.

I've seen and read people saying Dr. Muscat is arrogant because he portrays what they see to be excessive self confidence and not enough humility. I don't really see him that way. If you're running for a position, you have to portray confidence in yourself to show you strongly believe in yourself and your ideals. You don't go to a job interview saying "I think I'm good for this job, but I'm not sure." Come on, when people go to job interviews, they display confidence in their abilities and talents. Its what employers want to see. So why is politics any different? Because you just hate the other party, regardless if its jesus christ himself leading? We've really got to go beyond that mentality, and it seems that the younger generations are doing so, ever so slowly.
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Am I closed minded? Not really. I like the way Chris Rock described politics in the U.S. It really applies to Maltese politics too. Check out the video here.