What a long, boring day… 3 long lessons with basically nothing to do.
Worst is the English C class I had in the afternoon, I have to write an academic paper, 6 pages and I have no idea on how to start.
My topic is about how the evolution of martial arts of the 20th and now 21st century has gone.
But where to start, how to find and construct the information is the biggest mystery…I have no idea.

I wanna especially take up the topic about MMA and the UFC.
Personally, I am no fan of MMA, also known as mixed martial arts, and when I watch the UFC matches… I get like…what the fuck is this?

In my opinion MMA is nothing but brutes just pounding the living fuck out of one another with ruthless kicking and punching, and then they know some good wrestling moves on the ground…but nothing more, no technique, no dicipline and most importantly; no honour.
This isnt real martial arts, for there is no ART in this sport, or blood sport as I call it.
No, I prefer the traditional Wushu and all those other traditional east asian martial arts, which I feel is the true artforms of combat and selfdefense.

I would like to give a tip for a good movie; ‘Wushu’ from 2008 starring and directed by Sammo Hung, produced by Jackie Chan and introdcuing the rising wushu stars Wenjie Wang and Fengchao Liu, seen on the above pic with Jackie himself.
Great movie about a bunch of kids growing up at a wushu academy, learning about life and wushu when they ultimately must use their power to defeat evil.
It is kinda B, but the acting is good and very, very well choreographed, and the Wushu competition scenes are breathtaking.

Though, to change to another subject from all the violence; I created a little but very nice playlist on Spotify, filled with some of my personal favorite love songs ^^
-So just download the playlist HERE and enjoY~~

Hottness~~

Far future universes need machines and technology that makes the average spacefarer’s life easier. Everything from the robots to computers to weaponry and vehicles, the future should feel exciting with tech everywhere. Ideal for any setting, Mech Tech ‘n’ bot is your supplement series to making your game feel futuristic.

Ships streak across the sky, carrying cargo and passengers within a solar system. Fighters battle pirates and other disasters of space. This indispensible tech keeps the wheels of commerce flowing from outlying bases and outposts to major worlds. Fighters and Small Ships details these support vessels for your game, making your universe come alive.

Mech Tech ‘n’ bot: Fighters and Small Ships is the latest release from Jon Brazer Enterprises for the Traveller system and is available now in Print and PDF. Check out our other products at our PDF store and our Digital Print Store.

“Traveller” and the Foreven logo are Trademarks owned by Far Future Enterprises, Inc. and are used with permission. The Traveller Main Rulebook is available from Mongoose Publishing.

Happy Holidays and Happy Gaming.

With Thanksgiving upon us, there is a short lull in mixed martial arts action that gives the opportunity to visit the top 10 pound-for-pound list. Here’s how it breaks down from 5-1. . . .

November 24, 2009 by Ares-mma.com staff

5. Jose Aldo, Jr. (WEC Featherweight Champion)

Jose Aldo, Jr. is a 23-year-old fighter who is undefeated since 2005 (9-0). In his last fight, Aldo defeated Mike Brown for the WEC featherweight title in a dominate performance. Aldo has appeared to be a virtuoso mixed martial artist. Mike Brown had two outstanding performances against former WEC featherweight champion, Uriah Faber. Aldo made Brown look like an amateur. Aldo took Brown’s back and finished the fight by dropping punches on Brown while Brown was locked in rear mount, reminiscent of Matt Hughes’ technical knockout stoppage of Royce Gracie at UFC 60. Aldo is an explosive striker; his last four fights have lasted a total of five rounds. At only 23 years of age, Aldo may soon grow out of the featherweight division and move into the UFC lightweight division. Jose Aldo, Jr. is the #5 mixed martial artist in the world pound-for-pound.

4. BJ “The Prodigy” Penn (UFC Lightweight Champion)

BJ Penn is undefeated in the lightweight division since 2002. Penn has lost 4 fights since 2002; each loss has come when Penn has fought above the lightweight division against naturally larger fighters. In January of this year, Penn lost to Georges St-Pierre when Penn challenged St-Pierre for his UFC welterweight title. Since then, Penn returned to the lightweight division and successfully defended his UFC lightweight title against number one contender Kenny Florian at UFC 101 last August. “The Prodigy” is a fitting moniker for Penn. Penn has elite boxing and jiu-jitsu skills. Penn has outstanding takedown defense, but his overall wrestling skills leave something to be desired, as does his stamina. All things considered, BJ Penn is a dominate UFC lightweight champion. Penn is the #4 mixed martial artist in the world pound-for-pound.

3. Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko

The sole blemish on Fedor’s record came in December of 2000, when his opponent landed an illegal elbow that cut Fedor and prevented him from continuing in the fight. The elbow was ruled accidental, and his opponent was given the win. Fedor is a phenomenal athlete. At only 6’0” and 230 lbs, Fedor is a relatively small heavyweight by today’s standards, but few doubt that he can compete with (or even dominate) the new wave of MMA heavyweights. Fedor’s focus is uncanny; he takes everything that is brought to him in a fight as if he had seen it before. Fedor’s one-punch power is serious, albeit not absolutely devastating, but when Fedor’s punching power is coupled with his ability to put combinations together, he is the most dominating striker in the world. Fedor still competes actively in Sambo, and his Sambo skills have translated to MMA in a scary way. Fedor’s fighting skills are nothing short of great. Fedor Emelianenko is the #3 mixed martial artist in the world pound-for-pound.

2. Georges “Rush” St-Pierre (UFC Welterweight Champion)

In his 21-fight career, George St-Pierre has only 2 losses (Matt Hughes and Matt Serra), and he has avenged them both. The UFC welterweight division is arguably the most talent-rich division in mixed martial arts, and St-Pierre has cleaned it out. If the UFC is unable to acquire Jake Shields or Nick Diaz, St-Pierre may need to move up to the middleweight division in order to find fighters to challenge him. St-Pierre is the best wrestler in mixed martial arts despite the lack of an amateur wrestling background. He may represent Canada as a wrestler in the 2012 Olympic Games. St-Pierre is also one of the most dynamic strikers in MMA. St-Pierre’s only weaknesses may be his relative lack of boxing skills and the lack of his ability to take a punch (Serra stopped St-Pierre with strikes). Georges St-Pierre is the #2 mixed martial artist in the world pound-for-pound.

1. Anderson “The Spider” Silva (UFC Middleweight Champion)

In his last fight, Anderson Silva looked like Neo in The Matrix when he easily stopped Forrest Griffin by knockout in the first round. Silva is undefeated in his last 11 fights, and he is undefeated in the UFC octagon. Because he has cleaned out the UFC middleweight division (dominate wins over Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, and Dan Henderson), Silva has fought in the UFC light heavyweight division in order to find worthy opponents. Now that the UFC has acquired Vitor Belfort, a fight between Silva and Belfort for the UFC middleweight title has been scheduled for February. With a win over Belfort, the UFC will need to look to the elite fighters in the light heavyweight division in order to find an opponent to test Silva’s skill. UFC President Dana White has said that Silva will never fight in the UFC heavyweight division, but if Silva is able to run through the light heavyweight division as he has the middleweight division, heavyweights may be the only fighters in the world that can test Silva’s prowess in the octagon. Anderson Silva is the #1 mixed martial artist in the world pound-for-pound.

November 23, 2009 by Ares-mma.com staff

With Thanksgiving upon us, there is a short lull in mixed martial arts action that gives the opportunity to visit the top 10 pound-for-pound list. Here’s how it breaks down from 10-6. . . .

10. Thiago “Pitbull” Alves

Before Thiago Alves got his title shot against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 100, he was coming off 7 consecutive victories – his last three over contenders Karo Parisyan, Matt Hughes, and Josh Koscheck. Alves is one of the biggest and strongest welterweights in the division. He is known primarily as a striker, and his ground game was considered a weakness before he demonstrated outstanding takedown defense against both Hughes and Koscheck, both former Division I All-American wrestlers. At UFC 100, Alves was able to compete with St-Pierre for all 5 rounds before losing a unanimous decision. Alves has a loss to Jon Fitch, who did not make the cut, but that loss came over 3 years ago, and Alves has improved his game at a faster pace than Fitch since then. Thiago Alves is the #10 mixed martial artist in the world pound-for-pound.

9. Nick Diaz

Nick Diaz might be the most technically sound fighter in mixed martial arts.  Diaz has won his last five fights impressively – stopping all 5 opponents.  Diaz is a Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt, under Cesar Gracie, and Nick Diaz has outstanding boxing skills; he has been training under former world boxing champion Luisito Espinosa.  Diaz has been competing outside of the UFC since November of 2006.  There seems to be a personal conflict between Diaz and those in power in the UFC, but in time, maybe MMA fans will get to see a matchup between UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz. Nick Diaz is the #9 mixed martial artist in the world pound-for-pound.

8. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)

Lyoto Machida is the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion and would be higher on the list, but in the fight business you are only as good as your last fight. Machida was given the decision against Shogun in his last fight, but Shogun controlled that fight. Before his fight with Shogun though, Lyoto Machida was undefeated (15-0) with quality wins over Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans in his previous two fights. Machida’s karate style seemed to be a puzzle that could not be solved. Every fighter who came against Machida was walking directly into a buzz saw. With a convincing win over Shogun in their rematch in May of 2010, Machida could leap directly back into the top 5. Lyoto Machida is the #8 mixed martial artist in the world pound-for-pound.

7. Brian Bowles (WEC Bantamweight Champion)

Brian Bowles is the reigning WEC Bantamweight Champion. Bowles is undefeated (8-0), and his last win came against Miguel Torres at WEC 42. Bowles stopped Torres, and took his title, with a first round knockout. Although Bowles is only 8 fights into his professional mixed martial arts career, the first round knockout of Miguel Torres propels him onto this list. He is the undefeated WEC Bantamweight Champion, and until someone proves otherwise, Bowles is the #7 mixed martial artist in the world pound-for-pound.

6. Brock Lesnar (UFC Heavyweight Champion)

Mixed martial arts had never before seen anyone like Brock Lesnar. He is an athletic 6′3” and 280 lbs (has to sweat down to make the UFC’s 265 lb heavyweight limit). Lesnar was the 2000 NCAA Division I National Champion in wrestling, and those skills have begun to translate to mixed martial arts in a way that has have become scary to the rest of the UFC’s heavyweight division. Lesnar’s dominating performance at UFC 100 over Frank Mir has quickly become a thing of legend. Frank Mir is a big, strong heavyweight, who is skillful on the ground, and Lesnar was able to take him down and force him into a completely helpless position before landing devastating punches over and over again. Lesnar currently has a serious illness that has rendered him unable to defend his UFC heavyweight title. Until an official announcement that Lesnar will no longer be able to compete, he will remain on this list. Brock Lesnar is the #6 mixed martial artist in the world pound-for-pound.

Check Ares-mma.com tomorrow for 5-1 of the top 10 pound for pound list.

As our last preview of Mech Tech ‘n’ bot: Fighters and Small Ships for the week, we’re displaying two more pages. Today we’re showing the two page spread for the Proxima P Series Torpedo Bomber. Designed to be sold to less advanced worlds, this series of bombers have been used by less advanced worlds to repel invaders and protect defenseless citizens. Click on the picture below to see all three variations of this low tech space craft.

Proxima P Series

This week is going by much faster than I had been expecting. Since I missed a preview yesterday, I’m giving a supersized preview today. Instead of just sharing a stat block, here are two pages of the book with both stat blocks. Click on the thumbnail below for the full size image. Enjoy.

Guardian Industries: Kraft Interceptor

Mech Tech ‘n’ bot: Fighters and Small Ships will be available from Jon Brazer Enterprises on Monday Nov 23 and can be purchased from our Digital Print store or for PDF download from DriveThruRPG.com.

This is a great video about the advancement of nutrition science by the Army’s Quartermaster Corp during WWII. As a former officer of the Quartermaster Corp, I remember sitting through the Food Management portion of the Officer Advanced Course at Fort Lee, Virginia. Very interesting stuff and surprising how little has truly changed in all this time!

TRACKLIST

1. “All My Life”
2. “Best of You”
3. “Everlong”
4. “The Pretender”
5. “My Hero”
6. “Learn to Fly”
7. “Times Like These”
8. “Monkey Wrench”
9. “Big Me”
10. “Breakout”
11. “Long Road to Ruin”
12. “This Is a Call”
13. “Skin and Bones”
14. “Wheels”
15. “Word Forward”

Pass: FOROPANTERA

Twinsai from Krown Industries

Throughout the week, Jon Brazer Enterprises will be releasing previews for Fighters and Small Ships. This 16 page supplement details six different class of ships, each with several variations. Each ship receives a two page spread with two or three stat blocks, detailing the ship in different configurations. For the first preview this week, we bring you the cover art. Check it out and share what you think.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Sitting ankle-deep in the last twenty-four hours of a week that will not be easily forgotten. Waiting for little claws to scratch holes in the side of my brain… little feet to scurry across my consciousness.. waiting for a noise, anything, something…. just to make it alright.. because this week was bleak and no amount of Bon Jovi up loud on a weekday “morning” (late Afternoon) while in a dressing-gown eating coco-pops moons and stars is going to fix it. He is out there somewhere… beneath a leaf… very wet.. squeaking curses and looking round for options… im just waiting.

The week started just like any other – with a Monday Morning. I was riding a freshly rolled wave of rediscovery – I had once again found myself listening to the tried and tested power ballads of Bon Jovi, and for the first time in a long time there was no amount of shame or secrecy to come with it… It seemed i was “old” enough now have no shame… yet “young” enough to realise. 

It was a reading week: for some this means a chance to catch up on work, get an essay done and get ready for any tests to come, for others it’s a holiday, a mid-term, a reason to go out get drunk and forget everything to do with college. For me it was simply a disaster. I wanted to do the work, get the essay written, read that book… but instead i was waking up with the moon and sleeping at sunrise… playing internet games and watching shit movies… shit SHHIT movies (Saints and Soldiers – watch at your own peril).

And so the week kept to the usual 7 day routine, by the time I found myself watching re-runs of Top Gear and inspecting the lint that had collected in my belly button, the week had decided that it would suddenly be Friday morning. The previous few days had not really come to much, and the period between Monday and this most fateful moment in the earliest hours of Friday can be summed up in very few words; sleep, broke, Bon Jovi, Dressing-gown, Top Gear…and… broke. This mid-semester melt-down I guess was to be expected, and I knew I had fallen into it’s vicious circle by the time i was huffing and puffing at football on Tuesday night. It was clear i wasn’t far from a complete shut down.

…….

The first scratches went by unnoticed… i now wonder what it was like before i was fully accustomed to the noise, before I would stop still and prick my ears at any hint of a noise between the walls. It was only after a few minutes of this weird clicking underneath the hall floor that i decided to investigate…. when the reality dawned that little creatures were now living below the floors i was fairly amused and content to say the least. At least i was happy i wasn’t going mad, my mother could hear it too. A mouse, “just” a mouse. It was nothing to get too bothered about, it would scuttle along downstairs… staying warm over the winter and then leave and everyone will be happy.. right?

I was happy with that thought, it was only as i was settling down for another late mornings nothingness that it dawned on me that my relationship with this mouse was going to be far more personal. The blur of this tiny creature making a break for my bedroom door and then retreating back beneath my bed was enough to freak the living shit out of me. The fucker had invaded my room, had broken that unspoken barrier and infiltrated my sanctuary and made me feel like an alien in my own world.. the little hairy fecker.

At first i didn’t want to kill him. My first sights of the thing, and his tiny thumping body was enough to tell me that he was freaking out as much as me. He had found himself trapped in this awful position and had no way out, some big human shining a torch in his eyes, surely he’ll just let him get on with things ad harmony would be restored…surely!

And as i shone the light in his beady little eye i devised a cunning plan to trap him and let him go. Blocking up the gap beneath the bed with any clothes i could find i cut off his options.

Checking my watch- the hands were pushing 3.30am – and this was supposed to be an early night, an attempt at salvaging the end of a long unproductive week – god damn! This little fucker is messing everything up!

I was in a weird state of limbo -  Every moment i took my eyes off it i was afraid he had run off somewhere… into one of his little holes.. there were times in that room that i had no idea what i was doing… sitting completely still waiting to hear him do something…wondering how i had found myself in this position; bent over on my floor with a torch shining from between my teeth, jamming pairs of pants beneath the bed and moving furniture to give me the best possible access to the it… I looked around.. after 4am now… the room a mess, a weird silence in the house.. trying not to wake anyone up… but determined not to lose this opportunity to sort out our “mouse situation” in the most humane fashion. I had reached new lows.

My attempted capture had failed.. he had run off with my cheese and was happy to eat it in front of me, safe in knowledge that i was unable to do anything to stop him. I was insulted, hate boiling up in me… pure.. tired hate… i despised this creature who was stealing my sanity. I wanted to suck him up in a Hoover and burn the bag… i was happy to do anything that would remove this thing from my existence.

I could hear noises again.. something strange was happening this night and the mouse was only the beginning of it. The scratches on the walls ere getting into my head… i was begging for sleep and peace.. I imagined the mouse population was plotting against me.. and then the lights went.

At first i thought it was just my room, as if the mouse secret police were about to come crashing through the windows and fill the room with tear gas, apprehend me crimes against the mouse population. Yet i noticed a lack of any light… not even from the street, and it wasn’t long before I found myself struggling to see anything at all… the world had stopped breathing.. and every light had been extinguished for as far as i could see (which wasn’t very far at all). I naturally dived for the camera and began documenting this most incredible event – as far as i was considered i was the only thing on earth, buildings and whole civilisation had simply disappeared right in front of my eyes. Faint car noises and head lamps plunged through this fresh darkness… struggling to find their feet, moving daintily through the black. Above me the earth was reunited with the universe. For the first time i could remember the stars extended from the darkest point in the centre of the sky right to the horizon where the city would usually burn away the darkness. Yet at this moment as i sat silent in my open window the world was truly asleep.. and space bled into our atmosphere and we were silent, we were now moving around a sun… we were now finding our way beneath a universe of suns, me the mouse… we were all in the same boat and simply reduced to animals with our senses.

At this point the opportunist photographer in me had struck gold – i was clicking madly, finding new ways of seeing the world around me – i was fuckin’ extatic.  The mouse hunter side of my persona however had failed – Failed Royally!

By the time the world had coughed and chugged back to life… it’s first breaths spewing light back out into the universe the mouse had dissappeared. I once again felt trapped… violated. I stood still – very still. Barely breathing… listening hard – very hard – the sort of listening that reveals a low ringing and makes you woried that all that loud Bon Jovi was some day going to turn me fully deaf.

And then i heard it, that scratching.. he was in the wardrobe.

My mother was awake by now and the light had allowed me to read my watch…. 6am. I was truly convinced that my life had hit rock bottom. Not only was i once again at the end of a long pointless day bumming around the house, i was now trying desperately to corner an animal that was proving to be both far faster and more intelligent than me. At this point i was in no mood to compromise, disturbing the little critter from his hiding place I jetisoned the contents of my wardrobe in his direction as he darted around my room. Books, pants, bags and lamp shades all flew in his general direction. It was futile, and even when he dived to scramble past the clothing barrier under the bed my attempts and pumling the tiny turd through the clothes was to no avail. He was simply to fast for a run down insomniac like myself. returning to his familiar position beneath the bed, i lay motionless on my side on the bedroom floor, torch in hand, one eye closed so as too peer accurately through the small gap beneath the bed. We were conversing with our eyes, like two boxers in our corners during a fight. I had respect for him now, it was not going to finish this way… and the 7 and half hours of this Friday had gotten the better of me. I blocked up the rest of the gaps and made for the couch.. Round one to the mouse.

The next morning he was gone, however traps had been bought – he would be back. My twittering had gathered a crowd on the internet.. other than the reality of the situation that i had truly gone absolutely bonkers there was a debate as to what to do with the “poor little thing”. I had expressed my intention to kill and some agreed while others believed he deserved a chance. At this point I can’t honestly say that i knew what i wanted to do… all i wanted was my life back on track and this miniscule mop of hair was between me and normality… it was him or my sanity.

So the traps were set and I went on with my life. Though part of me knew he wouldn’t be back.. he knew that my room was no place for both mice and men. Yet as i lay awake on Saturday morning (because Saturdays come after Fridays I believe) at 4.30am, i could hear him scratching at the wall and moving from place to place. Getting on with his life i suppose, he probably didn’t even like it here, it was dusty and old… and the humans played awfull 80’s rock up way to loud while he tried to sleep! But he had probably decided it was best to stay rather than brave the cold and find somewhere better. And now he was only out of an attack from a hairy human.. and probably petrified to do anything. As i lay there i wondered what i would do If he did hit a trap.. would he die? Would he be stuck but alive? Would I care?

Saturday happened, and eventhough I ventured from my home this time i still felt it was yet another wasted collection of minutes and seconds. And only a short two hours ago I was slipping into bed at the early hour of 1am… an attempt to do what i had failed to do the night the mouse arrived. Just before bed I had consulted Yahoo to see what is the best bait for a mouse. It said peanut butter, I read sticky sugery spread and within minutes marmelade was applied to a mouse trap. This time though i decided to put it in the hotpress, the place where i thought the mouse had first made it out from the wall and into the “human” space. I left it down and closed the door.

Lying in my bed, i sort of knew i wasnt going to get to sleep very easily. I was half listening for a noise.. half thinking about our chances against France in the second leg of our World Cup qualifier… thinking about music…about what i could be doing if i wasn’t in bed… about how i was never going to wake up at 9am even thought the alarm was set…

Snap!

I was suddenly focused on one thought. Holy Fuck i got him. I was deadly still, I didnt know what i was waiting for, i didn’t know what to expect… a noise? There was nothing, and i didnt even hear him walking around… I eventually rolled out of bed and threw on some clothes..

I cracked open the hot press door. My eyes adjusted to the light, on the floor i could see the trap had snapped and lay upside down… a small trail of marmelade led to some blood… and the blood led to a small hairy mouse. He lay on his side, a small smatter of blood was behind his back. He was dead.

I closed the door and announced the news to my mother before going to get a bag and some kitchen roll to mop it up. The second i heard the snap i had felt both regret and relief… and as i opened the door I wondered if it needed to come to this.

It didnt occur to me at first that the mouse was now standing upright.. but eventually as i moved my hand closer i realised that he was alive.. he wasnt moving, and there was clearly a bit of blood on his back but he was definitely alive. I moved my hand in never the less, hoping at least to release him into the wild somewhere far away. Yet as i moved in he revealed he could run, and at the last moment he over came his initial shock and scuttled drunkenly past my feet and back into my room.. behind my shelves and then into the corner.

My mother had joined me at this stage, and we closed in on the petrified prisoner. It was either my slow reactions or my lack of conviction that allowed him beneath my bed once again. And so we found ourselves back to this familiar setting.. in our corners.. ready for round 2. But this time things were different. He was injured.. ready to be knocked out.. suffering and in pain… wonering how he had found himself in this mess… I was left with no choice but to move in for a final punch.. finish it before it is all drawn out.. and with a jab of a metal pole I thought i had finished things.

Yet still he stood!

At this point i had only admiration, if not a bit of frustration too. And eventually my mother and I trapped him under an upturned waste paper basket.. we had him now.. and my mother decided we should drown him.

I found this a little strange yet more so that she should do it with a hose… surely you would need to submerge a mouse rather than simply sprey him.. yet sprey she did… and as i expected he was wet… but not drowned…

If anything it had made things worse! He was now bleeding… stabbed.. wet and cold… and trapped.. he was still alive though and Icould see he had not been injured as bad as i thought, i think i missed him with the metal pole (missed by accident… or on purpose… well thats a subconscious thing…). But he was truly a broken mouse by now..

I convinced my mother to bring us out in the car at 3 am to let him free far enough away from the house so that he would not return on his own. It was only as she was backing the car, extremely slowly, out of the drive that i realised she wasnt 100% up to the task, and as we eventually moved up the road.. me in the passanger seat with basket/canvas (we used to canvas to block off the end of the basket) and the mouse within… my mother revealed she had a full bottle of wine working away at her liver!

So there we were… my mother, the mouse and I driving drunk through a residential area.. and it occured to me that perhaps we should have just killed the mouse instead of killing us all! But we kept going.. the mouse wasnt moving so much now, i hoped it was because of fear.. but we rounded to the far side of the block and i exited the car… lifted the bin and lightly threw the mouse free into a bunch of leaves… he sniffed a little but didn’t move.. I expected him to scamper away as fast as possible.. but instead he slowley limped towards the leaves… he was wet, injured and bleeding, probably hungry, and now out in the cold with no shelter. I quickly realised that I was essentially killing him very slowly, and instead of simply doing one or the other, caught between two minds i had reduced his existance to nothing with the intent to kill but not the conviction.

And so hear i am wondering if it will return, and if it does will i be relieved or annoyed? Will I accept it in my room or simply trap him again and this time kill it and kill it good.

I expect to hear the noises anyway, there must be more of them here.  And there probably will be more in the future.

And here I am at the arse end of the week, with nothing to show for it except a half dead mouse and a hotpress that smells like marmelade.. I feel guilty but happy… relieved but sorry… satisfied but empty.

I wiped the blood up from the floorboards where the trap was sprung. It had dried in already… i had to scrub hard. Then i wiped my hands clean… and tried to get it out of my head.

Perhaps this will finish it up.. get it down in writing.. and let history swallow it up. Yet i cant help feel that this event will resonate a little… pop its bloody head up every so often..

And the clock ticks 5.30 and here i am… burning into a 7th day of nothing.. waiting for a Monday morning, because thats how the week always starts.. wishing i was still in bed! And all those good intentions to sort it all out, wake up early and fall asleep before midnight like all the normal people with burn up in the sun…

 ”the best layed plans of mice and men often go awry”

Farhan Bokhari, Islamabad

China has agreed to sell Pakistan at least 36 advanced fighter jets in a deal worth as much as $1.4bn, according to Pakistani and western officials.

Beijing will supply two squadrons of the J-10 fighter jet in a preliminary agreement that could lead to more sales, said a Pakistani official. The official said Pakistan might buy “larger numbers” of the multi-role aircraft in the future, but dismissed reports that Islamabad had signed a deal to purchase as many as 150 of the fighter jets.

Defence experts described the agreement with China as a landmark event in Pakistan’s defence relationship with the military power. China’s transition from a manufacturer of low-fighters to more advanced jets comparable to some western models is seen as evidence of Beijing’s increasing strategic clout in Asia.

“China is developing a real capacity to produce and export its arms. At one point, the Chinese were dependent on imported Russian technology, but obviously China has advanced significantly beyond those days,” said Marika Vicziany, Professor of Asian studies at Monash University in Melbourne.

“This agreement should not simply be seen in the narrow context of Pakistan’s relations with China,” said Abdul Qayyum, a retired Pakistani general.

“There is a wider dimension. By sharing its advanced technology with Pakistan, China is … also saying to the world that its defence capability is growing rapidly.”

China has supplied Pakistan with fighter jets for more than three decades. But Beijing has seldom supplied Pakistan’s air force with advanced fighter aircraft. Islamabad turned to France for Mirage fighter jets in the 1970s and to the US for F-16s in the 1980s.

Pakistan has a fleet of 45 F-16s built by Lockheed Martin. The Pakistani air force is using the fighter jet in its campaign against militants in South Waziristan.

The US has agreed to sell Islamabad another 18 new F-16s and Pakistani officials also expected the US to supply about a dozen older versions of the aircraft.

Over the past decade, China and Pakistan have collaborated on building their first jointly produced advanced fighter jet, known as the JF-17, or “Thunder”. Pakistan is expected to roll out the first domestically built version of the Thunder within weeks.

Pakistan’s air force plans to purchase at least 250 of the Thunder fighters over the next four to five years.

Experts see the new Pakistani focus on China as evidence that Beijing is trying to expand its military power.

“Countries like Iran and possibly some of the Middle Eastern countries would be keen to deal with China if they can find technology which is comparable to the west,” said one western official in Islamabad.

“Pakistan will work as the laboratory to try out Chinese aircraft. If they work well with the Pakistani air force, others will follow.”

Source: http://pakistankakhudahafiz.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/pakistan-in-chinese-fighter-jet-deal/

Don’t forget to watch them fight this Saturday!

Last week, I published a post regarding Remembrance Day.

This week, I came across an article by BBC regarding the over 1.3 million African troops that helped fight Nazis and Fascists. The article, written by Martin Plaut, BBC Africa analyst, shows Africa’s contribution to World Peace during the Second World War by fighting aggressive invaders with in Africa and even going to Europe fighting the Nazis and the Fascists.

Thanks to Martin Plaut and the BBC for brining this to its readers’ attention. I hope that the West will remember Africa’s forgotten soldiers and patriots, who fought for World Peace side by side with peace loving nations.

Ethiopian Patriot Jagamo Kello (shown in the middle) left home at just 15 to fight Italian invaders
Photo Circa 1936

Martin Plaut says,

“The 70th anniversary of World War II is being commemorated around the world, but the contribution of one group of soldiers is almost universally ignored. How many now recall the role of more than one million African troops?

Yet they fought in the deserts of North Africa, the jungles of Burma and over the skies of Germany. A shrinking band of veterans, many now living in poverty, bitterly resent being written out of history.
For Africa, World War II began not in 1939, but in 1935.

Italian Fascist troops, backed by thousands of Eritrean colonial forces, invaded Ethiopia.
Emperor Haile Selassie was forced to flee to the UK, but others, known as Patriots, fought on. Among them was Jagama Kello. Fifteen years old at the time, he left home and raised a guerrilla force that struck at the Italian invaders”.

Africa’s WWII Forgotten Soldiers in Graph

The sad part is Eritrea had 60,000 colonial troops that took side with Fascist Italy and attacked Ethiopia while the rest of Africans helped the British and Americans.

As you can see from the image above, Africa had four major colonial powers at the time:

• Britain
• France
• Italy, and
• Belgium

Ethiopia was / and has always been free from Colonialism and the 30,000 Patriots depicted on the graph are those actively participated in the defeat of Fascist Italy either with in Ethiopia or abroad. Other sources say that the 30,000 figure is way too small and estimate it to be 100,000 plus.

Ethiopia has been one of the leading countries in the UN’s peace keeping activities in the 50’s and 60’s. Ethiopian soldiers did go to Korea in early 1950’s and Kongo in early 1960’s to help out with peace keeping in those countries. Most of the Ethiopian soldiers who went to Korea and Kongo have passed away, but their legacy lives forever.

I believe nations like South Korea have a moral responsibility to help Ethiopian soldiers who were there for them in times of war. If the soldiers have died, then South Korea should help the children of those soldiers. This could be done in many ways, like giving scholarship to some universities in Korea, opening an elementary school and/or library in Ethiopia, paying a small monthly stipend to those soldiers who are still alive or their surviving family members.

On a different note, the Ethiopian governments past and present have not done much for fighters like Jagamo Kello, Abdissa Aga, and many other patriots who fought hard Fascist Italy. It is true that some have been recognized, like Balcha Hospital in Addis Ababa (named after the great warrior Balcha Aba Nefso), Belai Zellekke (a street named for his bravery). But, generally, most of the patriots have been forgotten by the government; no schools, no streets, nothing in their names.

I believe that Ethiopian historians at Addis Ababa University can bring names of forgotten Ethiopian patriots to the attention of the government for a recognition. and I hope that the time will come when all patriots will get the much deserving appreciation from the government.

The full BBC article can be read here

Have a great weekend.

My next article will be posted on November 19, 2009

With Mech Tech ‘n’ bot: Fighters and Small Ships being released soon, I probably should discuss the design philosophy behind the book. My philosophy had two main sources for inspiration: modern cars and airplanes. When Boeing makes a 737 they customize it to their customer’s needs, but they tend to fall into one of several groups: passenger transport, cargo transport, or military applications. The passenger transport version is fitted with seats, a galley a standardized gangway entrance, and legally required safety features. The cargo variant is fitted with latching hooks to keep the cargo from moving during the flight, sections for large cargo and small cargo, and a standardized gangway to make loading and unloading cargo easier. The military variant could possess a hatch for dropping bombs, enhanced electrical for operating sophisticated radar and other detection equipment, or others depending on its specific use. But all the while, the general design, cockpit, engines, fuel tanks are relatively unchanged. This helps keep the costs down for Boeing while making aircraft for wide applications.

S172 by RenStar

Yes, I know that cargo transports are the coolest and all, but what about fighters. What inspiration was used in designing a fighter? For this, I looked at the Infiniti car manufacturer. When you look at an Infiniti, you know it is an Infiniti. They design a specific look into their cars to make them instantly recognizable. Every commercial has their the single wavy line to help brand the appearance of every model.

Kraft by Guardian Industries

Mech Tech ‘n’ bot: Fighters and Small Ships will be available on November 23 for Print at Lulu.com and for PDF download at DriveThruRPG.com

Jagamo Kello, middle, left home at just 15 to fight Italian invaders

The 70th anniversary of World War II is being commemorated around the world, but the contribution of one group of soldiers is almost universally ignored. How many now recall the role of more than one million African troops?

Yet they fought in the deserts of North Africa, the jungles of Burma and over the skies of Germany. A shrinking band of veterans, many now living in poverty, bitterly resent being written out of history.

For Africa, World War II began not in 1939, but in 1935.

Italian Fascist troops, backed by thousands of Eritrean colonial forces, invaded Ethiopia.

Emperor Haile Selassie was forced to flee to the UK, but others, known as Patriots, fought on. Among them was Jagama Kello. Fifteen years old at the time, he left home and raised a guerrilla force that struck at the Italian invaders.

Freedom fighters

But for most Africans independence was still 15 years away.

In the meantime, the veterans had to get home and find a job.

Many found little gratitude for their years of service and no work.

In February 1948 veterans from Ghana, among them Kalimu Glover went to petition the governor.

But instead of receiving them, police opened fire. It sparked off an outpouring of anger on the streets of Accra.

“After the shooting, we said we should damage all British things in the city. We got stones, sticks to break down shops. We broke them all down. Those were wonderful days: February 1948, Saturday to Sunday.”

Mr Kebby is convinced that he and others like him helped end colonial rule.

“Every soldier who went to India got new ideas and learnt new things. We came back with improved ideas about life. We, the ex-servicemen, gave this country the freedom it’s enjoying today. We gave this freedom and handed it over to our country.”

Full story from BBC

Hey There,

After a night recovering from ramen paradise, I was ready for more baseball.

The Fighters used to be located in Tokyo and shared the Tokyo Dome with the Giants.  They moved to Hokkaido in 2004 and are the only the team requires opponents to fly in for games.  Their star player is Yu Darvish, a starting pitcher, who starred for Japan in the most recent World Baseball Classic.  He pitched the night before, so we weren’t able to see him.

A former Fighters player of note is Tsuyoshi Shinjo, who used to play with the Mets.  After returning to Japan, he helped the Fighters win the Japan Series.  I remember him because Shinjo appeared to have pointy ears, like an elf or Spock.  My Dad would always point that out.  I also remember him because he was one of the first Japanese players to join the Mets during a time when star Japanese players were starting to come over to the US with more frequency- Hideo Nomo had been successful, Ichiro Suzuki was on the Mariners, and the Yankees had signed Hideki Irabu.  The Mets got Shinjo, who I didn’t think was all that special when he played in Japan, so I thought we got gypped.  I think that Shinjo turned out better than Irabu, though.

The Fighters official name is the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.  Notice the hyphen between Nippon and Ham (Nippon-Ham is a meat packing conglomerate).  Originally, there was no hyphen.  Someone told me that the hyphen was added because people thought they were the Ham Fighters.  I confess that I was one of those people, though by the time were in Sapporo, I believed it more for comedic effect, since my friends and I tried to figure out what a Ham Fighter was.

The Sapporo Dome itself is large and cavernous.  I felt that it looked like an airplane hanger.

Like other teams, the Fighters have cheerleaders, though these cheerleaders dressed more like traditional cheerleaders.  We also found out what a Ham Fighter looks like:

The Fighters won the game pretty easily, beating the Eagles 5-2.  Interesting fact about this game: the winning pitcher was Masaru Takeda and the Hisashi Takeda got the save (no relation).

Dear FIGHTERS,

Jaya Setiabudi

Saya teringat oleh seorang kawan yang menjadi salah seorang pendiri dan direktur ‘koran merah’ dibatam. tahu nggak sih koran merah itu apa? Yah, seperti poskota di jakarta gitu! Menurut Anda koran itu laku nggak? Super laku! Di Batam sendiri, oplahnya bisa bersaing dg koran nomor satunya. Apa yang dijual ? KRIMINALITAS! Beritanya antara lain seperti ini:
“Kakek jompo, MEMPERKOSA cucunya, sampai 7 kali”
“Gadis bisu, DIGILIR tukang ojek!”
Seperti itulah kira2 beritanya… .
Apa sih yang diceritakan? Kronologis bagaimana PEMERKOSAAN ITU TERJADI!
Saat kawan saya sang direktur sms ke saya, menanyakan,” Bagaimana Pak Jaya, tampilan baru koran saya?”
Saya menjawab,”Maaf, menurut saya, bapak akan sangat berperan MENAMBAH KRIMINALITAS di kota ini!”
Meskipun saya bukanlah orang alim, tapi saya tidak akan basa-basi menerima koran ‘BEJAT‘ itu di negara kita.

Penjelasan saya sebagai berikut:
Pada saat kita membaca kronologis kejadian, secara tidak sengaja, kita telah membayangkan dalam benak kita. Ingat yg pernah saya katakan di Entrepreneur Camp ( ECamp), “Alam bawah sadar (yg memberikan reaksi hormonal), tidak dapat membedakan antara imajinasi dan kenyataan!”

Nah, pada saat kronologis perkosaan itu diungkapkan, kita juga akan merasakan ‘kenikmatan’ itu, karena hormon tetosteron (laki2) kita juga akan bekerja. Jika kita sering membaca berita2 spt ini, sama halnya membuat ’stimulus’ (rangsangan) hormonal kita lebih peka thd situasi tertentu (misalnya saat melihat wanita seksi)!
Apa yang terjadi, jika suatu saat ada situasi yang mendukung, misal di tempat yg sepi, ada cewek seksi dan sedikit menggoda? Hal2 yg tidak diinginkanpun terjadi. Inilah yg menyebabkan maraknya tindakan cabul, bahkan di usia belia, dikarenakan sering membaca atau menonton film blue!
Akan menjadi beda, jika yg diekspos lebih ke “HUKUMAN“nya, (Pain) bukan di prosesnya. Misalnya:

“Di suatu pagi yang cerah, bunga yang sedang bersiap-siap untuk mandi, melepas satu-persatu pakaiannya. Saat tak sehelai benangpun menempel di tubuhnya, bersembunyi seorang pemuda tetangga sebelahnya, sedang asyik mengintip bunga dg tubuhnya yang aduhai. Tak tahan menahan nafsu bejatnya, pemuda yang dalam kondisi birahi itu, mendobrak pintu kamar mandi. Bungapun berteriak histeris dan meronta. Saat si pemuda mulai membuka celana dalamnya, tiba-tiba datang dari arah selatan kamar mandi, serombongan pemuda dengan berbekal pemukul, clurit, linggis dan senjata tajam di tangan mereka. Siattt, jlebb, buggg… senjata-senjata itu memukul dan merobek robek usus pemuda bejat itu. Tak berhenti sampai disitu, (maaf) kemaluan si pemuda itupun kena tebas….dst.”

Apa yang anda pikirkan stlh membaca artikel itu? ketakutan melakukan kriminalitas, betulkah? Karena yang diexpose adalah pain atau rasa sakitnya jika melakukan.

Kembali ke pokok permasalahan. ..
Apakah koran itu laku? SUANGAAT LAKU! Siapa pembelinya? MAYORITAS kelompok C dan D!!!!!
Pertanyaan saya lagi, Apakah Koran itu MENDIDIK? Jawab sendiri!!!

Mas J, apa hubungannya dengan “Musik NDESO” yg disebut dibawah?

Begini kronologisnya. ..

FIGHT!!

Musik, baik liryc ataupun iramanya, sangat mempengaruhi fungsi hormonal kita. Ada music yg bisa membuat anda ‘posessive trans’ alias kesurupan (seperti klenongan jawa), saat anda mendengarnya. Bagi para ahli hypnoterapy, musik bisa dijadikan ‘media’ untuk memasukkan ‘program bawah sadar’ ke diri audiens. Saya melakukan hal yang sama saat Anda mengikuti pelatihan Ecamp. Pemilihan ritme music mempengaruhi kinerja otak kita dalam gelombang tertentu!
Saya juga pernah membaca penelitian tentang ‘kelahapan’ makan seseorang, dipengaruhi oleh jenis musik yang disetel saat dia makan. Jadi hati2 juga nyetel musik di resto anda.
Musik ‘cengeng’, sering saya sebut musik ’setan’, akan mengurangi produksi hormon serotonim pada otak kita, yang mengakibatkan kita tidak bergairah. Saat kita mulai berkurang keyakinan terhadap kemenangan kita, otomatis akan mengurangi produksi hormon ENDORFIN, yaitu morfin alami pada tubuh kita, yang mampu menghilangkan rasa sakit, pegel2 dsb. Silakan coba, setel lagu2 setan spt disebut dibwh tiap hari selama 21 hari (penelitian ttg habits). Dijamin Anda akan kehilangan semangat anda!
Apalagi jika anda pernah nonton video clipnya! semakin manjur racunnya!

Musik bukan sekedar suara yang didengarkan. Musik memiliki 38% (ritme) + 7% (kata2) elemen komunikasi. musik memiliki “VIBRASI” dari si musisi ke diri kita. Byk pemberitaan, musik dapat menyebabkan org saling bunuh atau saling cinta. Begitu dahsyatnya pengaruh musik dalam hidup kita! Musik adalah ENERGY!

Musik yg BISA DITERIMA kalangan C-D???
Jaman dulu, ada seorang musisi & vokalis yg lagunya disukai hampir semua kalangan Indonesia, terutama kelompok menengah kebawah dan mahasiswa. Kata2nya LUGAS, tanpa basa-basi, tapi TIDAK MURAHAN dan sangat MEMBANGUN, namanya IWAN FALS!

Menurut saya… jangan jadikan alasan lugas, merakyat atau apapun, untuk menerima musik2 yang menghancurkan mental bangsa. pikir saja baik2, apakah makna musik itu membawa kebaikkan, atau cenderung ke kemudharatan?
Namun, saya juga bukan Harmoko yang bisa melarang musik ini atau anda mendengarkan. Nyatanya, emang kita kekurangan musik2 yg bernuansa motivasi! Semoga lahir malaikat2 musik Indonesia kelak…

Ingat Elemen no 4 dalam momentum: CREATIVITY with MORALITY!

FIGHT!!!

Jaya Setiabudi
Direktur Young Entrepreneur Academy
Founder Entrepreneur Association

This is an article of a fighter

I had to share this precious happy ending for many of the Michael Vick dogs rescued.
Thank God for people who work so hard to help these unfortunate creatures.

But in Memory of Those Not So Fortunate!
Please, help stop dog fighting TODAY . . . 
If only someone had reported this travesty of justice sooner!

As the world’s problems mount, apathy grips our nation…

Maybe it’s time to look at our past, to spark action for our future.

(from NYTimes)
‘Changing the World‘ by Bob Herbert
One of the most cherished items in my possession is a postcard that was sent from Mississippi to the Upper West Side of Manhattan in June 1964. “Dear Mom and Dad,” it says, “I have arrived safely in Meridian, Mississippi. This is a wonderful town and the weather is fine. I wish you were here. The people in this city are wonderful and our reception was very good. All my love, Andy.” That was the last word sent to his family by Andrew Goodman, a 20-year-old college student who was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan, along with fellow civil rights workers Michael Schwerner and James Chaney, on his first full day in Mississippi — June 21, the same date as the postmark on the card. The goal of the three young men had been to help register blacks to vote.

The postcard was given to me by Andrew’s brother, David, who has become a good friend.  Andrew and that postcard came to mind over the weekend as I was thinking about the sense of helplessness so many ordinary Americans have been feeling as the nation is confronted with one enormous, seemingly intractable problem after another. The helplessness is beginning to border on paralysis. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nearly a decade long, are going badly, and there is no endgame in sight. READ MORE

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