MoaF's weekly roundup

V is back!! I do hope that if you hadn't already gone down to the bookies re predictions, you will, sharpish!!

Theo Walcott (bless his cotton socks) scored a sensational first goal for the Gunners, but the agent provocateur aka John Obi Mikel saw that little Theo's best game in a Gunners shirt was overshadowed. This is a heartfelt appeal to Kanu, speak to your countryman and tell him that he's in danger of not fulfilling the potential he so clearly demonstrated at the FIFA under 20 championships in 2005, along with a certain Lionel Messi. Is it any wonder that Emmanuel Adebayor was incensed after what was clearly a case of mistaken identity - how the linesman could confuse Adebayor with Emmanuel Eboue is beyond me, given their VERY different hairstyles. And the FA want to charge him for his reaction to their injust action - go figure!!

Lewis Hamilton is clearly a guy in a hurry so how about him to pip Fernando Alonso to the F1 championship in his first season in F1

Predictions for this week:

• the Spanish Matador to defeat the Swiss Maestro in Dubai (scratch this after Nadal's defeat yesterday)
  
• Jason Gardner to win his 4th European Indoor 60m title

Doesn't Helen Mirren exude class? Her acceptance speech epitomised what she's all about. Hats off to Forest Whitaker too and his acceptance speech was a reminder to us all that dreams can come true if one learns how to fail successfully.

Irreligious and proud to be

Imagine no religion,
it's easy if you try.
Nothing to live or die for,
above us only sky.
Imagine all the peoples,
living life in peace.

You may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one.
I hope some day you will join us
and the world will live as one.

These are the lyrics to John Lennon's seminal song, Imagine, and the words are as relevant today as they were back then, maybe even more so.

The Sikhs felt that Indira Gandhi, the original Iron Lady, had insulted Sikhism by ordering the Indian police to storm their holiest shrine in Amritsar - she died in a hail of bullets fired by two Sikh bodyguards on 31st October 1984. Mahatma Gandhi (no relation to the former) was assassinated by a Hindu fundamentalist, on 30 January 1948, opposed to his idea of granting the sizeable minority Muslim population the same rights as the majority Hindu population. The bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-salaam on 7th August 1998, September 11th 2001 and the monumental folly that is the invasion of Iraq were faith based initiatives. Ariel Sharon, with a posse of riot police, provoked the 2nd intifada in September 2000, by stomping around Temple Mount, the 3rd most important Islamic site after Mecca and Medina. In the name of Christianity, the slaves taken from Africa to the Americas and the West Indies were whipped to within an inch of their lives if they failed to accept their massa given name. Acceptance, meant repeating the name after the massa and once that particular resistance had been broken, the real brainwashing began. From the Crusades in the Middle Ages to the ongoing civil war (an oxymoron if ever there was one) in Iraq, religion has been at the heart of virtually every major conflict.

This is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the New Statesman,

".....No one is a Christian or Muslim at birth; people are made so by the community they are born into, or which they later join. They can choose not to be Christian or Muslim, and can convert to another faith or none. But they cannot choose to be other than ethnically white or black. Ultimately, membership of a religious group is a voluntary matter - even if the coercive effects of brainwashing in childhood and social pressure to conform can make opting out difficult. This puts all religions on the same footing as political parties and other voluntary organisations: they are self-selected interest groups, defined by belief, aim and personal conviction......"

Gone too soon - shoulda, woulda, coulda

I did wonder how you were doing at university,

I meant to ask MK how you were settling in,

but like most things, I kept putting it off,

so it was a HUGE shock to learn that you were no more.

Over 7 years have gone by since your untimely demise,

I often look at your picture and ask myself why.

But what your passing has taught me is to dispense with procrastination,

appreciate one's friends and don't hesistate to show them affection.

To fulfil my not inconsiderable potential, is the right thing to do,

as it would be a fitting tribute to the person that is you.

You were so full of joie de vivre, I still can't quite believe you're gone,

and what's even more incredulous is that you never got to turn 21.

Someone told me the reason you left so soon is because you were too good for this world - I agree.

When I turned 30 (it was a while ago!!)

Today I'm 30 so I thought that I might do a broadcast,
but instead opted for a multicast,
which will sometimes tend to unicast
and this reference to my metier will be the last.

If you're wondering why you received this message,
it's your importance to me that I'm trying to acknowledge.
You've either inspired me or
made me strive to be the best that I can be.
Or perhaps it was lifting me up when I was down
or when I was little, carrying me high and twirling me around
or while pondering how to end a relationship
you digressed and came up with practical furniture rearranging tips

As I sit in my car, it's raining outside,
but the elements aside, it's been an exhilarating ride.
So thanks for the good times, for being there and the memories
consider yourself to be evergreen trees.

If you think I've been verbose, well heh,
it is after all, MY BIRTHDAY!!

Deconstructing Emimem

So tell me, do tell me what all the fuss is about
Yet another rapper spouting homophobic & misogynist words from his mouth
He's certainly not the first so why all the furore?
Is the fact that he's white and not black significant in some way?

His lyrics are full of profanities
which can obscure the underlying message he's trying to achieve,
and yet in the case of the quite exceptional Stan
the gratuity of the profanities is somewhat toned down.

So where will his inspiration come from when his anger eventually abates,
when he's patched things up with his mum, dad & Kim, and when he can't find anyone else to hate
As one grows older, the excesses of youth are toned down,
he's only got to look at Dr. Dre who's considerably mellowed out.

He's layed into Will Smith, criticising his music as being too happy
But who's the one dimensional character here, Big Will or Mr. Snappy?
A mon avis, Mr. Smith's the more versatile of the two,
which other rapper peppers his lyrics with words like serendipity & by so doing educates you?
But I'll leave the last words to the guy formerly known as the Fresh Prince,
who on hearing of Emimem's diss said, "lets talk in 5 years."

I wrote this in 2000 - somewhat prescient don't you think?!

Would you still be around?

I still have the photo and the letter you sent me and I often wonder if you'ld still be around if I had responded. It's funny because I didn't feel we were that close and yet you chose me. I often wonder if I should tell your family, especially your brother, but my fear always stops me. Admittedly it was a very long time ago and I'm so far removed from the person I was back then, but I am haunted by my inaction.

Your brother is doing really well, he has 2 very beautiful children and he has had a positive impact on the lives of countless of others.

I hope that when we meet again, I'll be able to tell you how sorry I am for letting you down.

What is Success?

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;

This is to have succeeded.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A child's perspective

2001 was when I realised that to an employer, an employee is nothing but a pawn on a chess board and extremely expendable. It was a very rude awakening for me and I spent the second half of the year going through the motions. The employer paid lip service to the slogan "Abcde is an equal opportunity employer" - that was so not true! When it finally twigged that fighting for civil rights wasn't part of my job description, I "opted" for voluntary redundancy. I used the redundancy package to fund my MSc so some good came out of it, but because I saw myself seeing I out my career with them it took me a bloody long time to get over it.

Redemption came in the form of a 7 month old baby and I wrote the following for her,

Who would have thought that spending 2 weeks in your company could have such an impact,
but I'm still basking in the after glow and it's 3 months since I've been back.
I'm rejuvenated and as I told your mother, you've given me a second wind,
I'm tapping into my not inconsiderable potential and thinking ambitiously about things.

I've learnt a lot from you and I've quite take to the no sense of permanence concept,
but I definitely feel there's a lot more to you, like superior intellect.
I've captured your uplifting smile on film and it's as if I've bottled the sun rays,
I can look at you beaming at me morning, noon & night and you ALWAYS brighten my day.

So if at ANY time in the future you need me to return the compliment,
please don't hesistate to look me up, I can guarantee that your time will be well spent.
In the meantime, please try and stay as lovely as you are,
I know it will be a tall order as you graduate from baby to toddler

You're 6 in May - I hope to be there.

BTW, apologies for eating into the quality time you were enjoying with your mother yesterday, but she is after all, my godmother - I promise not to call her too often.