Life, Dreams and Reality -- Sohel's Blog

Can prose depicts the depth of pain better than poetry? There may be debate to be settled, but the fact is poetry touches the heart, brings in humane perspective in cadence and rhymes, even a translated poem can stir a rigid soul. A few lines of poem written by an Afghan poet unravels the continuous blood and death saga in the land where wars and violence seem to have no end in sight. I'll ask you in the presence of God, That in order to go to heaven Why did you orphan my children? Why did you widow a sick woman? Why did you kill the son of an old lady? Why did you kill the only brother of a weak girl? Ahmad Fawad Lamay Here is another example from Pasto poet Zarlasht Hafeez describing "burnt hearts", "tears" and "sadness": "The sorrow and grief, these black evenings, Eyes full of tears and times full of sadness, These burnt hearts, the k...

A new administration is in place, replacing the old tactics of fear with reasons for hope and peace. How truthful ans sincere these gestures are from Obama and his government, only future events and responses will reveal. James Wood is a gifted writer whose book reviews and critiques are widely embraced as contemporary gems in the midst of tabloid referenced information overloads. Here are a few of his observations, answering to readers' questions, delineating the remarkable similarities between George Orwell's 1984 and immediate past Bush groups of brazen hawks. "Do you think there is any similarity between the government’s use of language in “1984” and the use of language by George W. Bush and his Administration? Dennis Cohen Rereading “1984” and the essay “Politics and the English Language,” I was struck by the new relevance of Orwell’s analysis. Think about how the kind of political euphemism that repelled Orwell has become rampant in the last few years—“collateral d...

The world cannot have enough of Susan Boyle, it seems. Network interviews with top most journalists, cover face in magazines and newspapers, these all came like thunderstorm for this seemingly unassuming woman. Tom Bergeron ponders the sad mechanics of these sudden adulation and very possible abandonment in a short while when another epic drama, or trauma grip the world attentions from pure entertainment: "Ms. Boyle’s experience seems to suggest that people are willing to overcome their prejudices and see the world anew. But those same people can turn back into snarky snobs just as easily.....The truth is, more often than not we look only for what we expect to see...........The real problem is that too often we don’t have the courage to sustain wonder". Article Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/opinion/25bergeron.html

This video clip should be seen beginning to end to witness the transformation from derogatory judgmental looks and gestures from the audiences and judges to standing ovations and cheers by the same audiences listening to and witnessing Susan Boyle's stunning performance. The song that Susan had chosen was precise for her moment of glory: "I dreamed a dream......" Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Oliver Childs, a spokesman for Cancer Research UK, said: "Tea drinking is part of many cultures, and these results certainly don't point to tea itself being the problem. "But they do provide more evidence that a regular habit of eating and drinking very hot foods and drinks could increase your risk of developing cancer of the oesophagus." Disturbing news. New studies, new findings. Hot, hot tea is bad, not too hot is cool. We all die in one way or other, now that's the point to drool. Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7965380.stm

The deaths of Border Guards in apparent tortures should be investigated. After the horrendous massacres of army officers, their relatives and others in the last week of February, Bangladesh has fallen into the trap of closing eyes to any kind of tortures befalling on BDR members who were detained for the alleged involvements in the massacre. The brutal murders of army officers were reprehensible and were condemned wholeheartedly by all the civil quarters, however, Human Rights Watch rightfully observes that "the government should resist demands and threats from the army for summary justice and ensure that all those detained are treated properly." Amnesty International says , "The exact number of BDR personnel held is not known but government sources have put the figure at more than 400. Little independent information is available about the circumstances under which the detainees are held, or their treatment in custody. In the vast majority of cases, family members hav...

Taken from Nowshin's page, this video gives a prime example of a radical fundamentalist who is doing great harm to his nation and creed than benefit. There should be more awareness and resistance to hatred spewers like this hideous creature who boast himself to be a human being without having the shred of universal humanity left in his heart.

Another hypnotizing song from AR Rahman, the maestro, whose brilliance is evident in this mesmerizing melody from Delhi 6.

1 e4 e5 2 f4 Bc5 3 Nc3 Nc6 4 Nf3 exf4 5 d4! Bb4 6 Bxf4 d5 7 e5 Bxc3+ 8 bxc3 Be6 9 Bd3 h6 10 0-0 Nge7 11 Rb1! b6 12 Qd2 0-0 13 Bxh6 gxh6 14 Qxh6 Ng6 15 Ng5 Re8 16 Rxf7 Bxf7 17 Qh7+ Kf8 18 Qxf7# (1-0) From Irving Chernev's Logical Chess: "The danger in playing plausible but perfunctory chess is finely illustrated in this game. Blackburne, who played this and seven other games simultaneously while blindfolded, relied on order and method to achieve victory."

"We are setting in motion processes now that will lead to sea level rises for centuries to come. They will burden many generations coming after us .” Maybe, long from now when our generations are all gone, historians of future generations will portray us as uncaring and uncouth bunches who ransacked and pillaged the word and its resources like ravaging thugs, without remorse. Perhaps, the war hating theologians or evolutionary scholars will utter the words of disrespect: "holy good riddance!" World will be renewed with new vigor. In new ages not foreseen and conceived with our tunneled imaginations, new generations of human beings or other more advanced species will emerge to replace past's destructive ignorance with caring knowledge and renewal of life. It wouldn't be so gloomy world after all when we are all perished and new life sweeps away our misdeeds. Perhaps, our decaying bones or evaporated "soul", fossilized or otherwise, will be reverberated f...

Furrowed Checkmate By Mahbubul Karim (Sohel) March 4, 2009 ( Dedicated to the memories of victims from BDR mutiny in Bangladesh ) Into the wild Where gilded leaves of grass Fungi, moss and shredded wood Trespass the land of blitz Mushrooms, discoloured and defrosted By beetle predators Like deflowered umbrella Open to shed rain and snow falling Into the fold of disquiet Have you seen the soaring eagle? Predator? Pursuing a fleeing parakeet Swishing by, gliding thru layer Of deformed cloud and dead cool air When corpses are buried Emblazoned guilty and non-guilty are hanged From ropes of stupor decor Wild ushers in sweeping swap Of clammy gambit Knights, bishops and pawns Sacrificed for furrowed checkmate In middle game of force, time and structure Don’t you mention the endgame! That remains sanctified for the bamboozled sacred

"How to measure or comprehend the terror - or perhaps it's the love - that propels a man to leave his family, quite possibly forever, and climb penniless into a boat to find uncertain work a thousand miles away in a place where he knows he'll be both unwelcome and liable to arrest? For that matter, what hellish existence could send a family fleeing to a refugee camp where conditions resemble, charitably, the 12th century?" For Burmese military junta, they are non-existent, for Bangladesh and Thailand, these are unwelcome refugees. Living in squalid refugee camps where basic amenities for a human life is considered a pompous luxury, the miserable lives of Rohingyas do not knock any palpable sigh from world's collective indifference. Should we just forget the agonies of these men, women and children? Politically marginalized Rohingyas flee their homeland Burma everyday, seeking desperate shelter in neighboring nations, getting on dingy boats crossing high seas to la...

Link: What 3.6 million jobs lost over 13 months look like

"We have been invaded by nothing, by emptiness, by animate dust. The invader appears to have no characteristic other than the ability to reproduce rapidly. It doesn’t hate us. It doesn’t seek our annihilation, our subjection and humiliation. Nor does it desire to protect us from danger, to save us, to teach us the secret of immortal life. What it wishes to do is replicate." Read this story in full from following link: The Invasion from Outer Space

Another brilliant music composition by AR Rahman from Slumdog Millionaire.

If you haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire yet, you have missed one of the best movies of last few years at least. IMHO.

For Rohingyas refugees, this scandalous episode in Thailand where hundreds of them feared dead and dumped into sea and hundreds of them more were let loose in the sea without food or any basic amenities, to starve to death, aren't new. Even the military government in Myanmar doesn't acknowledge the existence of them , "There is no so-called Rohingya ethnic minority group in our history before or after our independence" , and the Thai government has entrusted the very military to conduct investigation on one of its own rank, as if mockeries to justice have no bound, no shame. Here is an observation from The Economist : "while soldiers act with impunity and royalist rioters get soft treatment, the country’s anachronistic lèse-majesté law is enforced rigorously. America and its allies long turned a blind eye to such stains on Thailand’s reputation, because King Bhumibol and his army were staunch anti-communist allies. Recalling that relationship, next month Americ...

Saturday mornings bring that sought after relief after any grueling hard work week for many. World economy's bloom and gloom stories are not appealing with a cup of morning coffee, but can sure provide necessary knowledge to protect one's own and loved ones. The following news story published in The Globe and Mail may not be comforting, however, it can illuminate reality from illusion. "Canada's recession is spreading from the car factories to the coffee shops, reinforcing the case for Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's $40-billion stimulus program and adding to the risk that he may have to do more. The baristas, shopkeepers, financial planners, technicians and consultants that make up Canada's services industries are starting to feel the same malaise that has gripped factories and exporters for the better part of a year, new government figures show. Output by the services sector — which accounts for 70 per cent of Canada's $1.2-trillion gross domestic produ...

While the world economy is falling into whirlwind recession, the abysmal depth of depression not seen since the infamous 1930s, the world doesn't need unnecessary tensions between China and America. "In a written response to questions from senators debating his confirmation, Mr Geithner accused China of “manipulating” its currency and promised that the Obama team would push “aggressively” for Beijing to change its policies. The sharp tone and use of the legally-loaded term “currency manipulation” ricocheted through financial markets as investors shuddered at the prospect of a Sino-American spat in the midst of a global slump." Is there any truth on following speculation? "American policymakers have long pushed Beijing to accelerate the appreciation of the yuan, arguing that China’s exchange-rate policy played a big role in creating the global imbalances and that—both for the sake of China’s economy and the rest of the world—the currency needs to strengthen." May...

Elizabeth Alexander's inauguration day poem was indeed memorable. Her somber recitation of each line describing the mundane, every not so praised events and uplifting the summation of all into universal theme of collective humanity with ease, in her careful selection of words, slowly delivered in a day of January winter while the leaders from past and current look on and the sea of crowds who had come to witness the change and hope over fear may indeed become the symbolic implication of the "Day" when it seemed goodness is still achievable and rottenness and hideous vileness are in sure retreat. Praise Song for the Day............. “Praise Song for the Day,” by Elizabeth Alexander, January 20, 2009 Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each other’s eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darni...