co-existence 

"One day, God willing, the whole world will be an Amsterdam"
Amin Maalouf, Balthasar's Odyssey

freedom's revenge 

"Either these so-called “artists” really see things this way and therefore believe in what they depict; then we would have to examine their eyesight-deformation to see if it is the product of a mechanical failure or of inheritance.

In the first case, these unfortunates can only be pitied; in the second case, they would be the object of great interest to the Ministry of the Interior of the Reich which would then have to take up the question of whether further inheritance of such gruesome malfunctioning of the eyes cannot at least be checked.

If, on the other hand, they themselves do not believe in the reality of such impressions but try to harass the nation with this humbug for other reasons, then such an attempt falls within the jurisdiction of the penal law."

the eternal city 

"A man who had been to Rome was a man of importance. Every night at the cafe our questions were the same. If the women put out, if it was true that Mussolini screwed six times a day, and if at the zoo there was still a chimp who could say 'Hello. Where are you from? Up your Ass.'"

The sign of four

They operate in groups of four. Large explosives that require rucksacks for concealment. To ensure the success of their mission, it helps if the location is one where the presence of such bags will cause least alarm. A public area, with lots of people. They want a blast, and a location, that will imprint itself on memory, that will affect people's lives, that will make everyone sit up and take notice, and fear.

Prediction: The four primary airports of London. Heathrow. Gatwick. Luton. Stansted.

Analysis: A young man arriving at an airport with a backpack. No problems in getting there, no problems standing out once you reach there. You do not have to go through any security clearance to get into the airport - only once you have checked in and go into the departures area. There can often be huge queues and crowds of people waiting to check in. Completely open area, lots of people area about, nothing to restrict the force of any blast. Just wander in with the backpack and join a queue. The alternative would be the arrivals hall. Less crowds, but perhaps less security too.

Disclaimer: The above is pure speculation. We don't know any terrorists, and we do not advocate the course of action described above.

The great philosopher

Akbar the Second, may he be praised by doe-eyed beauties and bearded theologians alike, may he be rewarded with many grapes in the perfumed gardens!

This is the typical internet rubbish you get:

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them
fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit
was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The
two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit
with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop,
that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took
heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down
and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again,
the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He
jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the
other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to
them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the
entire time.

There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging
word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it
through the day.

A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes
to kill them.

Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your
path. The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understand
that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak
words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in
difficult times.

Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.

---------------------------

Now I get the above too, but I get brilliant Akbari insights as well:

First of all , who are you? Oh its you...the tax guy.

Secondly, the story (above) is not logical....you see when the second frog jumps out of the pit, and the rest ask him 'did you not hear us'? and he replies 'he is deaf'. If he is really deaf, then how the hell did he understand their question in the first place!!!!!

If the frogs have already fallen into a pit. then how could the first frog fall further in a pit. Did he fall into the pit of the pit? Or was he jumping on a ledge before he fell into the actual pit?

Please don't be discouraged to the answers to the above questions. My tongue should encourage you not discourage with the quest for truth. :P

no pretty girl in londonistan?

In the Antipodes, cricket matches are attended by scantily dressed beauties. In Desh, cricket matches are attended by beauties in colourful attires - Amar tells me this is the case even in Pakistan! In Londonistan, if TV coverages of the Ashes are any guide, cricket matches are attended by middle aged white men in grey suits.

moonshine

Night (Secret Island, 2005) 


Night 2 (Secret Island, 2005) 


Night 3 (Secret Island, 2005) 

in a world of sorrows,
hope becomes a must.
life may be suffering,
but in death we trust.

the veil of illusion

Horizon. The line at which the earth and the sky appear to meet.


(secret island, 2005) 


(secret island, 2005) 

terror in london 2

It's never the openly loathing the West and its infidel ways skull-cap with a fistful of beard. More often, it's the clean-shaved professional with an appreciation for Belgian chocolates and European colas.

And for Amar's comment about why the Jihadis would want to target their own brothers, maybe they don't view the rest of us as brothers. What of these Arab analysts - liberals, socialists, Marxists, atheists, humanists, feminists, whores, buggers, queens, dopers, junkies... a real rain will finally come and wash all the deviant scum off the Arab street. And the wretched ones of Banglatown, what of them? Heaven awaits if they were pious, and if they were not, then the eternal damnation is just. And as for the ISI playing holi in Connaught Place, I don't know the exact numbers, but I suspect Jihadi violence may have killed as many Pakistanis as Indians.

The mainstream Western media and London bloggers contrast the stoicism and poise shown by Londoners with the hysteric Yankees during the Anthrax or Washington sniper scare. Maybe Amar can comment, he is after all in the Realm.

Finally, Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo reports that 'Bangabandhu's youngest daughter survives the terror attack' - hmmm, maybe it's not the Jihad international, maybe it is the misguided Bangladeshi army officers trying to end a 30-year old feud.

terror in london

While it's way too early to say anything, according to some talking head on my TV screen, the number dead might be less than in Madrid or Bali. If so, are we witnessing a change in tactics by Al Qaeda? And what will be the fallouts? This will probably be good for Blair, I would think, politically that is. Meanwhile, the emergency services in London appear to be extremely efficient.

Amar: If perpetrators are Al Qaeda or related, an odd selection of targets. Liverpool Street Station is at the edge of Banglatown and the City, and Edgware Street is closer to being the Arab Street of political analyst fantasy than any street in Cairo or Damascus. Why target your own brothers and their territory? It's not like the rest of London (or indeed Europe) was out of bounds.

The ISI celebrates Holi in Connaught Place, not in Chandani Chowk.

Amar: Nice of them to target places I am quite familiar with. I have been at each of the bomb sites sometime this year. Alas, if only they had got the timing right!

AA talk

Amar: I think someone at work is trying to murder me. There was a staple in my coffee. Cool.

Anthony: Cool. What did you do to earn it?

Me Abrode

(secret island, 2005) 


Residents (secret island, 2005) 

Variations on a theme - Kipper

( secret island, 2005)

lots of rich people in india

Brad DeLong, quoting Financial Times, says that by the end of the decade there will be over 130 million people in India with a per capita income of £2,439-£12,500. To put it in perspective, other than the petro monarchies, Israel and Taiwan are the only two countries with per capita income of that range that are not in the OECD. And there is only one country in the OECD with more than 130 million people - the US.