Categories
Economics Politics & government

[16] Of welcome the Euro

This coming new year will be another year with full of surprises. Once the clock marks midnight, the most enthusiastically awaited event for the European, the E-Day will be launched. It’s the launching of the Euro, the so-called rival to the United States Dollar.

The Euro was actually introduced in 1999 but its usage, up to now, is limited to financial transaction only. After two years of waiting, the Euro will finally emerge in the daily life of 12 European countries’ citizens. The Mirage 2001, Ford and Playstation 2 will be paid in the new Euro, not in Franc, Lire or the Deutsche Mark anymore. The new currency will be the glue that unites the European Union’s members as one and makes them more competitive in the game of globalization. The E.U. leaders smile victoriously as they now have another common ground to talk about Europeanism (if that term ever exist).

While they are embracing for the much-awaited changes, the whole world including the Europeans themselves are cautiously observing the situation and hoping the launch of the Euro won’t hurt the European themselves. The American perhaps hope the new project will be a folly and while the Asian countries hope that they will have an alternative to the Dollar. Such a huge change may help catalyst a lot of events and thus, opening up numerous paths into the future for everybody worldwide. If the usage of the Euro is successful, it may encourage dozens of regional currency. One of such region is Southeast Asia, held together by the ASEAN, an EU counterpart for 10 developing nations.

However, for the European citizens, the pizzeria owner in Italy and the pub owner in Germany will be reluctant to accept this change. The conservatives fear that their country identity will be lost forever. The Franc has been synonym with the Frenchmen since the dawn of the French Empire. Once the Euro takes over, the will be no more Franc that will be related to France. The French will for certain lost a French identity. I see this currency conversion is similar to the lost of the New York World Trade Center in September. As the Twin Towers crumbled down to earth, the American lost part of their soul. Surely, the magnitude of the lost of the Franc to the common Frenchmen is as huge as the lost of the Twin Towers to the Americans. For the Germans, the pharse “eine schnelle Mark machen” (in English, to make a fast D-Mark) are senseless without the Deutsche Mark*. It seems to me that Europeanism is sacking each and every distinct Europeans’ cultures.
While I’ll be celebrating the New Year in Chicago, I will certainly remember that on the eve of first January, the Europeans are betting their head for a better future. It may turn ugly but let us just hope that the Euro will be a good development for us. We don’t need another folly that will affect the whole population of Earth. We don’t need to suffer more than we do.

nb – The words marked by ” * ” is taken from Andreas Purkott’s entry in EUROTRASH.
Visit the official Euro site for the E-Day.

Categories
Personal Travels

[15] Of waking up in Minneapolis

I woke from a satisfying slumber at nine in the morning at Madison after a long journey from Minneapolis. As I regained consciousness, I found my friend’s place as quiet as a library. I struggled to open my two weak eyelids, trying to stay awake. The eyes couldn’t be stimulated by the lights of sweet morning; my iris was trying to adjust its radius, adjusting itself quickly to allow the retina to receive the right amount of light. The muscles felt so refreshed but still, it was expectedly weak.

I tried to get up from the comfortable airbed but all the fight against slumber looked useless but yet I succeeded. I stood up, seeing blurred images, still trying to pull out my consciousness from somewhere in this world. I opened the room door and saw two of my friends sleeping in the living room. I know they were exhausted from the travel. The journey is not over yet however. In front of us, in the time dimension that is irreversible, lays more than 24 hours of drive. I wandered around a little bit. I couldn’t find my other friend. Perhaps he’s out. Nothing else to do, I returned back to bed that I’d slept on and sat on it. The pillow looked so tempting but I must continue my fight to stay wake. I stood up again and sat on a chair in front of a computer desk. I keyed in a few commands into the computer and made Winamp to play a long list of mp3s.

Heaven, it’s so comfortable here. It is making me to not wanting to travel. I just want to stay here and just rest. Back in Minneapolis, before I closed the car door, there was a small voice inside my head saying “Hafiz, don’t go. I know you’d like it here. Just stay here. Let them go and suffer the exhaustion…” I didn’t succumb that voice as I know I was the one that said in Ann Arbor in the first place “I must get out from here for at least for awhile”. Thus, I pulled the car door and say “Alright, let’s go”.

Now, here in Madison for the second time, I really don’t want to go into that Ford Taurus and head straight to Indiana. The journey would seem to take forever. The journey will make me entangled into uneasiness. A scenario change from a cozy padded chair to the ever-moving seat in a vehicle makes me feel unpleasant. After a blink of the eyes, my mind went though time, remembering vividly some time in the past, the virtual confession I’ve made inside a sleep. I am a conservative. I am. No matter how much I hate to label myself with that, I can’t lie to myself.

Maybe, that’s why I hate changes so much. I’ve tried so many a time trying to prevent changes but too often, my acts were useless. Some changes can’t be stopped. A person just can’t force the world to move aside with brute forces. A person just can’t push the Great Wall with both of his hands. Even Sir Isaac Newton declared that there is no work done by that action. Knowing this, why I’m still swimming against the current? Again, I know the answer.

I’m just scared of life. I’m afraid of the consequences. I can’t blame myself for that. My life is shaped by experience. I learned from experience, much like everybody else who is trying to achieve a better life. However, I’m different. While trying to reach a better life, I’m trying to hold everything else as constants so that I can just focus in one main direction. It’s a hard thing and I even starting to think that what I’m doing is a vain act. Life is so hard but here I am; better off from millions of others. Yet, here I am, complaining, hating changes. Why I hate it so much?

Unfamiliarity, uneasiness, instability, ignorance, incapability, dissatisfaction. I’m afraid all of those words. There are more but in a way or another, it has the same negative meanings.

Yet, as I traveled on the interstate freeway, my surroundings were painted with the clean white snow; the skies were the unimaginable elvish blue. It was a beautiful sight. And it was caused by a change. A scenario change from the metropolis of Minneapolis to the countryside of Madison. Maybe, this is the reason why I must endure changes, for better or for worse.

Categories
Politics & government

[14] Of the angels and demons of war

“Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken

But you see it’s not me, it’s not my family
In your head, in your head, they are fighting
With their tanks, and their bombs
And their bombs, and their guns
In your head, in your head they are cryin’
In your head, in your head, Zombie, Zombie
In your head, what’s in your head Zombie

Another mother’s breaking heart is taking over
When the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken
It’s the same old theme since 1916
In your head, in your head they’re still fightin’
With their tanks, and their bombs
And their bombs, and their guns
In your head, in your head they are dyin’

In your head, in your head, Zombie, Zombie
In your head, what’s in your head Zombie “

Listening to certain music will certainly make me think of a unwanted situation. A situation where war is everywhere; peace is nothing but a vain hope.
War is humanity greatest enemy. It kills lives unnecessarily, without mercy, without a second thought. Nevertheless, human long history has been tainted with blood. The red cold blood.

Can you imagine a child, who knows nothing of the cruel world, hugging her dead father body in the middle of a crossfire between two different group with different ideology. Both sides keep on firing; the child keeps on begging her father to wake up, hoping that her father will open his eyes and bring safety to her. She will keeps on hoping haplessly in the middle of the battlefield. The war will continue on. The firing will not stop. Never, ever.
Will you cry? Will you be indifferent? Will you be moved to run toward that child and pull her over? Will you say to yourself, “It’s too bad but I have my own life to live”? Or will you stop the war?

I myself am not very sure what I would do in that situation, seeing a child in the middle of a war. Of course, I, right now, in Minnesota, in a comfortable friend’s house, in front of a state-of-the-art laptop, knowing that I am safe here, knowing nothing of the real pain of war, will say, “Stop the war!!! For pity sake, cease firing!!!”. That’s a typical peace loving human. A peace lover will say anything but I doubt that I will ever go into the fire zone, run to the child aid, risking my precious life. In my opinion, most of the typical peace lovers will join the anti-war rally in the middle of the street but will be reluctant to join the people who are in the battle zone. I, myself included. By saying this, I’m not denying that there is somebody out there that really has the courage to fight for peace. To them, my uttermost respect.

However, isn’t fighting for peace, with M-16, Ak, etc. is an act of war itself?

In order to save the child, we send a bomb to both sides, killing all, including the child that we are going to save.

Peace, to achieve peace, we commit the crime of war. To let peace prevail, we force peace onto war. Isn’t that an act of war itself?

Maybe, right now you are thinking that I’m a person that thinks this is a world that just consists of black and white. Grey area is a non-existence. Well, in a way, I’m including the whole colors of this ironic world. Peace and war, they are two different terms describing one, single thing. Peace and war, they co-exist with each other. They are symbiotic to each other. Peace and war, they are yin and yang. Omnipresent, ominous.

In a battlefield, two sides, one is a rebel group, fighting for their state’s independence for the oppressive central power. The other is the government force, trying to preserve the integrity of the state for being torn apart by the cruel rebel. A girl, weeping in front of a dead body, innocent. The rebel, fighting for the future of their children. The government, fighting to preserve peace. The child, innocent, just wanting a peaceful life.

Will we help stop the war?

Will we help the child without any regard for our live?

Will we sit back and think who is right and who is wrong first?

There is a reason for peace. There is a reason for war but the fight is not merely between good and evil. It’s a combination of both. No sides are purely a devil, purely a saint.

Categories
Books & printed materials

[13] Of Lord of the Rings

“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-Lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in darkness bind them,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings.

The Lord of the Rings.

I first read the book just before I was admitted into the University of Technology, Petronas in 2000. It took awhile for my poor eyes to read the end of the book for I was quite busy trying to adapt to my new lifestyle. Only when I was settling comfortably in Shah Alam did I managed to finish that great Tolkien work. The book truly change my ways of writing. I started to write by describing everything with beautiful words; my vocabulary was dramatically improved by leap and bound; my imagination was being lifted to the young blue sky. The Lord of the Rings is the one book that change my entire interest in literature. Before this, my mind was only focusing on sci-fi and nothing but sci-fi. After flipping more than 1000 pages of that dark green book, my heart was opened to other genres. I started to look around for good books instead of looking around just for good sci-fi. I have defended Lucas’ before and now, I shall stand firm like a wall for Tolkien’s.

The Lord of the Rings is not just another fantasy book where sword and magic rule the world. It’s more than that. It’s a book that shaped our lovable creatures – the drawves, the elven, the orcs, the goblins. Only one creature remains unknown, that is the Hobbits but with the movie running at the cinema, I bet that the hobbits will be made famous.
The Lord of the Rings is not just another book that is being published just because it is nice to see that book up on the shelf of a bookstore. It’s more than that. It’s a book that teaches us the meaning of friendship, honor and loyalty. It’s about responsibility.

In an ironic way, Lord of the Rings does reflect our life in a certain way. The book was written to reflect our life. The Fellowship of the Rings, the first part of the Lord of the Rings which is wrongly recognized as a trilogy, tells us the meaning of trust and friendship. A broken trust will end with a shattered friendship, just like what happened when Boromir of Dethenor tried to steal the One Ring from Frodo, the ring bearer.

Although Boromir greed was not caused by his own but was caused by his noble desire to help Gondor to defeat Mondor, he had broken his pledged to protect Frodo, from himself. Thus, the Company was ruined miserable, for a while at least.

Lord of the Rings teaches us the meaning of courage in the mist of a lost. A daughter of a fallen king rushed to defend his father from the deadly Sauron’s, forgetting the danger that lurks at every corner outside the gate of a great city. Sam Gamgee rushed into the Orcs fortress alone to save Frodo although he has the knowledge of failure he will face. It teaches us the meaning of true friendship.

Lord of the Rings teaches us no matter how small we are, responsibility must be carried out regardless of the consequences. Frodo, despite being a small and timid hobbit, volunteered to carry the burden of a ring bearer while others quarrel against each other.

The Lord of the Rings. It’s not just another classic…

Have you seen Boromir the Tall,
He is at grieve and I tarry…

— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings.

Categories
Sci-fi

[12] Of space elevator

I had my Chemistry 130 final exam just now. I wasn’t hard after all. I should have concentrated on Calculus instead of Chemistry. Well, hope I’ll get an A for my Chemistry.

I haven’t sleep since last night. I’m still awake but slowly losing my consciousness to oblivion. I wonder if I’ll miss my Friday prayer. Today may well be the last day of Ramadhan and the possibility of tomorrow being announced as first Syawal is an acceptable assumption but being the person I am, I don’t really care about it. Back in Malaysia, I have never been excited about First Syawal. To me, it’s just another normal day with some celebration that I don’t really care much. The only thing about it is getting a few hundred Ringgit from my parents and wearing my Baju Melayu.

I am falling into the abyss of slumberland. I won’t allow myself to fall into the abyss alone. I will try my best to drag you with me.

Have you ever heard the term “Space Elevator”?

It was first introduced to the world by a Russian scientist back in the 60s (I think). It’s a fantastic method of transportation to space but has been ignored and regarded by the world community as science fiction. Space Elevator is, much as the name suggested, an elevator. A huge elevator, with a ground base on Earth, connected to a synchronous satellite orbiting the planet. The main reason that make the idea is not feasible at the moment is because of the connector. The connector that needs to be built must be strong enough to withstand against any gust of wind and more importantly, the stress exerted on it. At the present time, there is no such material that is strong enough to make the construction of the Elevator possible. While the connector is an integral part in the construction of the Elevator, the ground base will be the main attraction of activities. The ground base will act as a station, much as a railways station. The ground base must be built on a highland near the equator in order to make full use of the Earth’s magnetic field. (This part, which is starting to go into advanced Physics, it is too complicated for me. Therefore, I will not try to explain it further.) The rationale behind building the Elevator on a highland is that the connector that needs to be built will be shorter, thus cutting down cost dramatically.

Meanwhile, the synchronous satellite will act as a another station in space. This satellite may serve dual purpose. One, as a railways station and two, as a space station. With this dual ability, the need to build many space stations such as the Skylab, Mir and the ISS will be eliminated.

Although the building of the Elevator will consume billions of dollars, the long-term benefits far exceed the cost and the liability of the construction. Imagine, a near 100% efficient kind of transportation that use little electricity to be operated, a vehicle where its energy source comes mostly from kinetic and potential energy and, limitless inter-space traffic… Space will be ours for certain.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke wrote a critically acclaimed book about the Elevator. The title of the book is The Fountain of Paradise. Read it. It’s a good layman introduction to Space Elevator.

Zzzzzzz…