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New cricket star, Adrian Barath....Defiant and Defining

11/30/2009

    A disastrous Test match at the Gabba by the West Indies was highlighted by the scintillating performance of Adrian Barath. He showed his senior teammates, including especially his under-performing captain Gayle, how to play the game in the face of the collapse of all around him. He made his maiden century in his first Test match, in what used to be the glorious"West Indian" way, with late cuts, off drives and delicious "walking down" the wicket and lofting over the fielders heads. He was unafraid to take on the Aussie''s attack and frustrated them time and again. He hit 19 fours, and only three threes, three twos and five ones and played the other 100 balls with a strirght and defiant. full=faced bat.
    It was 10.52 pm( in Montreal), when he drove the ball for four and brought up his 100. The savvy Aussie spectators gave him a standing ovation, licking their lips in anticipation, awaitng the next match on Dec.2. His teammates also applauded, but in discomfort, wondering how this 19 years old could do what he did when they failed( with the exception of Dowlin and Ramdin), so miserably. He was polished. He was poised. He was beautiful to watch. It was one of the most enjoyable batting display that I have seen, made more extraordinary by the collapse arouind him. He made the Aussie attack look ordinary and his eventual dismissal was, at best, a border-line lbw.
   His 104 will stand out not only as one of the best maiden century but one of the best period. Bravo Adrian, we are anticipating a glorious future.

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Israel is a law unto itself.

11/19/2009

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     Once again it has thumbed its nose at the world and do as it pleases,                         not only keepimg the Palestinians in an open prison, where there every day is a nightmare of abuse and denial of the merest human rights but stealing their land and demolishing their homes.. Not satisfied with keeping hundreds of thousands in abject poverty and deprivation, with its many restrictions on goods, work, travel, water electricity, and the destruction/ bulldozing of homes. they continue to steal more and more land to expand settlements and then they have the temerity to accuse the Palestinians of not willing to discuss peace.
      They steal your land, demolish your homes, abuse you and your children with draconian restrictions, deny access to tarvel, to electriciy and water, rob you of any dignity, while the "settlers" live in luxury, in subsidized homes with swimming pools, air conditioner, beautiful and verdant gardens and the other amenities for comfortable living. What other country/ government can do this and get away with it? Not a single one, not Iran, not North Korea, which are constantly condemned and punished when they are seen as not "behaving" themselves. International laws and United Nations Resolutions are ignored and while the West wring its hands in despair, the Arab world "bray" loudly and threaten, but it is mere whimper.
     The Palestinians are to be blamed also for their failure to present a common front. This divisiveness has played into Israel's hands, and they exploit fully. Obama gave hope in Cairo, but so far that is all. It is time for the United States and Europe to show some courage and call Israel's actions for what it is ......thuggery and thievery, but that is not going to happen. So the sufferings and the deprivation continue for the Palestinians.
    Oh, what a world!!!!!

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America\\\'s Military and Media Farcical Heroes...Sic transit gloria mundi.

11/15/2009

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    Jessica Lynch, was wounded and captured in Iraq and immediately there was a rush to create America's newest heroine. It helped that she was pretty and blonde, a perfect 'poster girl" for a war that had gone so badly and for a president that was in need for some "good" news. Recriutment was down, the casualties rate was soaring and all seem to be going bad and along came this opportunity and it was seized with breathless eagerness. The half-truths and outright lies came pouring out to make her what she was not...a genuine heroine. She was the courageous "Amazon" who fought off the Iraqis, even though she was badly wounded, until she was eventually captured...horrors of horrors, those evil Iraqis were going to have their "way with her". She had to be rescued and she was (as all America, led by the cheer-leading and droning CNN, held their breaths and tied yellow ribbons and collectively prayed for safety), and brought home triumphantly. She got the requiste parade and media stardom. It was all lies. Yes, she was wounded and she was taken"captive", but hold on. She was taken to a hospital, where she was protected by the Iraqis and their doctors, risked their lives to save her, but that was not so " sexy" a story. The fable was revealed later on and she faded into oblivion.
     Next came the story of the famous football player, who gave up his lucrative life and his stardom in the NFL, to serve his country. Tillman was his name and he indeed could have been a genuine hero, but he got killed in Afghanistan. Another media and military tale was perpetrated. He was given the Silver Star for heroism and the story of how he sacrificed himself to save his fellow soldiers took to the air, aided and abetted by the military and the media,again led by CNN an the unctuous Wolf Blitzwr. His family, much to their credit, wanted answers, because they were not satisfied with the skimpy details served up by the military. The truth came out by "drips and drops". He was not killed by the enemy, while fighting them off. He was killed by"friendly fire". Gen, McChrystal, now in charge of the troops in Afghanistan and whose recommendation for 40,000 more troops are being considered by Pres. Obama was front and certer in the cover-up and lies. Once again, a straw hero was built up and blown away. The sad part of this, is that Tillman was a real hero...making the ultimate sacrifice for his country,. He was a true patriot, but now his image has been stained by the military and the fawning media.
     Now for the dastardly action at Fort Hood, where unsuspecting soldiers and civilians were killed and injured by one their own... Major Nidal Hasan. Once again there was a rush to find a hero and a female officer fit the bill. Led by the " ubiquitous Wolf" of CNN and trumpeted by other media outlet, she was given the "mantle of hero" and the befuddled military went along with the story.. But hold on, there was another police officer, an African-American veteran of 25 years, who responded and ran to the aid of those under attack. By the time he came face-to face wit Hasan the "white" female officer was down, shot a few times. He immediately engaged Hasan and brought him down. It would take days for this information to come out, and when it did, it barely got any coverage...he had spolit their hero-making story. What a farce.
     These are only three instances in the many hundreds of cases where for social, political, military and racial reasons, false heroes, through no fault of their own, were foisted upon a gullible nation starved for heroes. For instance, it is only now, 60 years after the fact, that the exploits of the" black" Tuskegee airmen's in Europe, or the heroism of the Navajo code- talkers in the Pacific, during WW11, are being revealed and this only after Hollywood had made movies of them.Where are the Sgt. Yorks and Audie Murphys, real heroes?
    In the age of media saturation, of 24 hours "news", of cable "news", a lot of harm is being done. some intentionally because of media agenda, governed by ideology or for ratings or because of incompetence and laziness by so-called reporters who are merely "media personality". Bring back the "inked- stained" professionals, but I guess they are not cute or photogenic.

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11/15/2009

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War.

11/11/2009

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"War is hell " ( Sherman), and the young men and women who bear the brunt of it....killed, maimed and scarred sacrificing, in order that a better world would emerge. That has not been the case and we go back to war under many guises and they are called upon to sacrifice again. There are wars that are waged for profit, be it resources/greed ( in Africa right now...the gold , diamond, oil etc) or land ( Palestine)or for some real or imagined wrong or slight ( the jihadis in Pakistan/ Afghanistan/ Yemen/ Somalia), or in order to gain " a better life" ( Columbia) or for revenge ( Bush's invasion of Afgahanistan and Iraq after 9/11). There are always "justifications", but too often they are merely excuses to cover up the real intention.
No one wins in a war. There may be temporary gains, but in the long run, everyone loses. Sun Tzu, noted that " to win without fighting is best" ( The Ar of War)...use negotiations/ diplomacy, economic means etc. but there is little support for this...Obama is trying with Iran, North Korea, but the "hawks" and their corporate buddies are out for blood. Money/ profits have to be made and the manufacturers of weapons are concerned for their "bottom line". Obama's deliberations ( like Carter's emphasis on human rights) are anathema to them. Rush to arms is their mantra and to hell with the consequences....death and destruction to fuel other wars and more profits for these "merchants of death". The world is fortunate that there is an American president who is not "gun happy". It would be easy for Obama to send more troops, to "nuke' Iran and North Korea and put missile shields in Eastern Europe, start a new cold war with Russia and China , and continue the useless Cuban policy, but his sober approach is what we need at this time and on this day, when we are honoring the millions, both military and civilians, who have been lost to the hopelessness of war.
It is not easy being a peacemaker, especially when you are faced with what Eisenhower called "the congressional, military- industrial complex". LEST WE FORGET, has become a shallow refrain, which we trot out every November 11, and then forget.

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Cricket, Lovely Tendulkar

11/5/2009

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     For all you cricket lovers out there, I have just watched the "Little Master' at his cricketing best. He was masterful, cutting, slashing, sweeping, squaring, driving and hoisting for sixes. He played all the strokes in an unforgetable batting exhibition......the best in one day cricket. He made a superb 175 and nearly took India to victory singlehandedly. He walked down the wicket and hit sixes. He square cut for fours. He drove through covers with abandon and he ran the singles like a teenager.
     He has played this game at the highest standard for twenty years and he is still having fun, delighting the cricketing world with his genius, even as he frustrates the opposition. He has over 17,000 runs in ODIs and over 12,000 in Tests and he keeps going on. He is 40 and he is still fresh. He puts his younger teammates to shame.
     I have been watching cricket at the highest level, from the time my father took me to see the Indians play the West Indies in the early fifties. I have seen many of the "greats", and I have seen many great batting innings, but Tendulkar is incomparable, for his genius, his polish, his modesty,his strokes and his longevity. At a time when many are retired, he keeps playing and if anything he has become better with age. It will be a sad day, when he finally decides to "hang it up". I will treasure the memories, waiting for someone else to measure up. The team let him down today and perhaps that is good, because it further highlighted his awesome performance.
     WOW, WOW,WOW.....175..... magnificence personified.

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fig 2-b My Father and Mother to whom I owe everything

"Ecce Homo" ("Behold the Man"), Antonio Ciseri's depiction of Pontius Pilate presenting a scourged Jesus to the people of Jerusalem.

fig 1-b

figure 1-a

F. Goya
Two men fighting with clubs
circa 1819-1823

The Black Paintings Period

(Fig 2a) The Death of Innocents

Author

Ishwar R. Prashad recently retired from over 47 years of teaching.

He taught Political Science variously at Dawson College, Loyola College, Algoma University College, Sir George Williams University, Concordia University and Vanier College.

Previously, he taught for nine years in Port Mourant, Guyana.

He became Principal of Corentyne Comprehensive High School at the tender age of 21. During this time he turned down Scholarship offers to study overseas in England and the U.S.S.R.

He chose Canada and after graduating from Sir George Williams with a B.A Honours with Distinction, he accepted a Fellowship to complete his graduate work at McMaster University. He completed his first two degrees-Bachelors and Masters- in three years.

His last position was as Co-Ordinator of Political Science and Economics at Vanier College and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Concordia University.

He is married to the former Juliet Ramcharan (Library Supervisor, McGill University) and together they have three children – Indra R. Prashad, P.Eng. ,McGill (Presently Manager, Ontario Safe Water Drinking Agency), Ishwar R. Prashad Jr., B.A ,McGill (Presently, President, Kismit Gear Inc.) and Rabindra Y. Prashad, (Presently, Artist and Chef).They are the proud Grandparents of eight grandchildren-Miranda, Kamal, Ayesha, Élan, Anĵa , Étienne, Chloé, and Jasmine.

New cricket star, Adrian Barath....Defiant and Defining

Israel is a law unto itself.

America\\\'s Military and Media Farcical Heroes...Sic transit gloria mundi.

War.

Cricket, Lovely Tendulkar

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