A Selfie

I used to wait for good things

Now I just expect your call.

I used to sit around having fancy dreams

Now I just think of you and recall.

I may not see you everyday

But what I feel seems here to stay.

The timbre of your laugh is so pleasing

I can feel all my tensions easing,

The thought of you so appealing

I'm just loving the feeling.

I pray these months turn into years

And all my hopes don't turn into fears 

The True Enemies of Palestine

Hamas' activities in Palestine are truly the handiwork of mindless extremists. Israeli treatment of the Palestinians has been despotic and oppressive. However, the real culprits in the Palestinian conflict are the Arab nations who have continuously funded and promoted armed insurgency in Palestine. They are fully aware that these extremist groups have no hope of either eradicating the Israeli state or winning back land through military means. Yet they continue to fund and push for armed insurgency in the region. 

The Arab nations funding Hamas have two primary objectives:

(1) To show the world that the Israeli state is oppressive and illegitimate. They count on the fact that the Israeli response to shelling and bombings will be repressive and genocidal. This will highlight their claim that the Israeli state is evil. In doing this, Hamas is used as puppets and the people of Palestine are exposed to grave danger and virtual eradication. 

(2) It is in the best interest of these Arab nations for fighters in the Palestine region to remain there fighting the mythical beast that is the Israeli state. These wealthy and self indulgent Arab nations are aware that should peace be achieved in Palestine there will be huge number of battle hardened Islamic extremists in need of a new subject for their righteous wrath. The fear is that these rich Arab nations will become the new enemy due to their impure lifestyles and oppressive regimes. This was the very problem they had with Saddam Hussein and his regional power grab. 

As ever the real victims in the Palestine conflict are the Palestinians who are having their lives, society and land destroyed. They are victims of the Allies who took their land, the Israeli state, Palestinian extremist organisations, the West, who blindly support the Israeli state; and Arab nations who are funding a fruitless military insurgency. 

The Bottom Line

There are times when you've got to take a deep breath, crack your joints, loosen up; and step to the toilet and take a huge dump. You may have to strain a bit. It may smell a lot. But that's just the way shit goes down.

In this life we are continuously torn between the expectations of others and our own painful realisation of our all too real inadequacies. Very often in these situations truth loses out to embarrassment. It's not that we don't know we can't do what's asked of us but the acceptance and acknowledgement of that sends us to a place between trauma and psychosis. It dredges up all sorts of historical guilt stemming from times we should have done something but didn't. It also challenges our fragile and desperate aspirational image of ourselves.

Ultimately the question becomes does duty trump honesty. For politicians, the wealthy, and celebrities this question is easily answered. They are almost pathologically impelled to put self interest first. The rest of us have to answer to whether we are really that shallow and selfish. This is a true test of our mettle. And maybe for all humanity. 

When Self Defence is Genocide

The history of the Israeli nation has been a turbulent one. However. it shouldn't be conflated with the biblical history of the Israelites. The Israeli nation was carved out of occupied areas of the Middle East by the Allies following the defeat of the Nazis. It provided a haven for settling Jews who were displaced during the holocaust. There have been numerous violent battles and clashes between the Israeli nation and its Arab Neighbours. These date back to the 'six day war' in 1967, through a long running battle with the PLO; to present day clashes with Hamas. Throughout all of this there have been ongoing episodes of bombings and shelling by insurgents. The most recent outbreak of violence is being described as a campaign of self defence by the Israeli nation. However, what triggered it was the abduction and murder of 3 Israeli youths along the Gaza Strip. This was a heinous and horrible crime committed in an effort to provoke the Israelis. As despicable an act as it was it was still a crime and should have been treated as such. A joint investigation by Israeli and Palestine authorities should have been undertaken. And hopefully the culprits brought to book. What is clear, is that the bombardment of residential quarters in Gaza wasn't an appropriate or proportional response. This seems to be an act of retribution rather than of self defence. To date there have been over 300 Palestinian deaths and around 15 Israeli deaths. Most of the Palestinian casualties have been civilians, and a quarter of them children. If Israel's objective is to disable Hamas; the slaughtering of children and civilians does not seem to be the way way to do that. Nor does it seem the path to a lasting peace or any kind of peaceful resolution. It is about time the Israelis were called to account for the slaughter of Palestinian children and civilians in the name of self defence. There is a need for it to defend itself but an all out assault on residential neighbourhoods is not self defence. It is a callous disregard for Palestinian life and a deepening of an already deeply driven wedge.

I Will Not Lay Down

Each morning I wake & see a struggling soul

Everyday I look upon the world & see an incomplete whole

With each step forward I face the chasm

Each new experience is like a spasm

Yet I know I must find my place

Even amidst all the empty space

So smile or grimace 

Joined together or in solace

I'm taking my stance

So life, come let's dance!

Barcelona (Not So Much Tiki Taka, as) Taken Apart

Barcelona really lost their way in the Champions League when they lost away to Celtic after over 80% possession. The warning bells were ringing loud and clear during the 1st leg away matches at AC Milan and PSG. Despite that Barcelona chose to go to the 1st leg away tie at Bayern without a defensive strategy and started an unfit Messi. Both arrogance and managerial inexperience promptly led to a Munich bloodbath. A more experienced manager might have taken the bold step of setting aside the much vaunted attacking philosophy and opted for a more defensive approach to shore up the obviously creaking defence that was literally on its last legs. Truth is, even under Guardiola Barca struggled tactically. Hiddink, Mourinho and even Di Matteo managed to shut them down to good effect. Hiddink's Chelsea only lost to a last minute Iniesta goal. If ever there was a need for a rethink and to adopt a fusion of tiki taka with more up to date defensive tactics now is the time. The sight of Puyol and Mascherano playing in defence in front of Valdez has not been a good look for tiki taka.

Real Justice

Following Conrad Murray's conviction Michael Jackson family and fans can be heard to yell that justice has been done. And in truth the court has certainly handed down a guilty verdict. But who has this version of justice really served.

From what we now know Michael Jackson was prone to using a range of sedatives, including propofol, to aid his sleeping. It was not Conrad Murray who introduced or recommended it to him. While it is true that Murray did illegally procure it for him, it was Michael Jackson's choice and decision to use it. It is unlikely that he was unaware of the dangers in using it.

However, Murray was the architect of his own downfall. He knew the procurement and use of propofol were illicit but did not exercise better judgement and integrity in deciding whether to enable this dangerous practice. He claimed to be a friend of Michael Jackson and did nothing to stop him continuing to put himself at risk through rampant prescription drug use. He also did not exercise better professional judgement in ageeing to administer dangerous and unnecessary medication.

Had Murray not complied would Jackson have found some other doctor who would have? Most definitely, yes! But the decision was Murray's to make and he made the wrong call. Maybe his inattention contributed to Jackson's death on the day. But in all truth Jackson was his own grim reaper. Murray was merely an accomplice. And as it turns out the classical fall guy.

So exactly where have the scales of justice fallen here? Murray has been called to account for his bad professional practice. That is rightly so and just. But is this justice for Michael Jackson and his family? I doubt it. A lot of them could probably have done a lot more to prevent him meeting the demise he chose for himself.