The Politics of Innocence

In follow up of the post I wrote yesterday, I woke up to the news that the poor woman who had been raped, died, in a Singapore hospital after more than 10 days of fighting for her life.

While the concerned citizens will grieve and continue their protests for justice, the politicians of India will heave a sigh of relief. Their plan has succeeded.

"Plan?", you might say, "how did it work? They had taken the girl to be saved, and she died, didn't it not work?"

But that's the thing, the government conveniently sent the girl, the entire basis for the protests - the martyr - to another country. What this did, is that it that it disconnected the girl from the cause she has unknowingly created.

The government made the decision to airlift the girl despite her severely critical situation to give her a better medical attention. Personally, I find that doing this, as a government decision, is a declaration that Indian medicine is unable to save a life.

It's really disgraceful.

As I said, the main reason, the unspoken reason, is so that if something went wrong, which did go wrong. The girl was being cared to by foreign doctors, in another nation. Excusing the government from nearly all the blame. Their 'face-value' decision of sending her to a foreign hospital will be criticised, but it will still be labelled as a 'smart-decision'.

It's a shame that this has happened, however, as far as the cause for justice goes, the next few days will be most critical.

People had already labelled the protest as having already hit critical mass, which means with events like Christmas, and now New Years holidays would send people home. With the womans death, Protesters will soon grow disillusioned and pack up for home.

The fact that the girl is dead means that the singular driving force for this protest is now gone.

The Rape of India

I'm sure you must have heard of that rape that occurred in Delhi. I mean, who hasn't heard of it in India? (Unless they are some sort of nomad with no form of communications, etc.) For those of you who have been unable to hear of this event:

A week and a half ago, December 16th to be specific, a woman and a male companion were assaulted on a bus in Delhi between 10pm to midnight. The woman was raped brutally, both were beaten with iron bars and thrown out of the bus. Today, the woman is in Singapore in a fight for her life. The 6 accused have been arrested, one of them confessing and requesting punishment. However, this has started a wildfire amongst the people of Delhi.

Apparently, a rape occurs in India every twenty minutes. I may be wrong with the number, it may be more, it may be less. But the message is the same - that a so called 'future-superpower' still has one of the highest rape rates on the planet.

It's been a while since this happened. I'm sure that those of you who have been following the protests, and the discussions about it have seen people voicing their opinions, etc. I've waited, not for any other reason, but just to see what happens.

So what has been seen?

Mirror Mirror

In 2011, the year was defined by a series of protests that became known as the Arab Spring. These protests, were demonstrations condemning the current administration of various countries, most notable, Egypt, Libya, and today, Syria.

The protests in India were given national attention that was so massive, one might be convinced that India was heading into it's own Indian Winter. Sadly, we can all laugh nervously at the fact that we were soundly tricked by the media.

As a photographer, I know how easy it can seem to make a crowd of hundreds seem like a crowd of thousands. The Delhi protests had a couple, maybe several, hundred people, but that is IT.

The cynic in me reminds me of such a idealistic concept, that a hundred people can change the thousands of corrupt that rot India from the outside in.

With every protest, there are people that use it as an opportunity to beat some one or another and then get away in the confusion, and that was seen when a constable doing his job was attacked, but a seemingly peaceful protest.

What I really want to bring to light here is how hypocritical it is for India to call itself a democratic nation, for the Prime Minister to call for calm and peace, and for the Chief Minister of Delhi to say, and I quote "I'll do anything to help this girl". Why is it hypocritical? Because when all this is happening, the Police attack the protesters. On the very first day of protests, they were not prepared and they returned with a response that was adequately labeled, a 'knee-jerk" reaction; the police fired water cannons and lathi (bamboo sticks) charged them.

Can you imagine! Peaceful protesters being beaten by the police for the message they carry!

Hang on a minute, that did happen. It happened when India was in it's quest for independence, when those desiring freedom, underwent the pain necessary for a brighter tomorrow. I guess the dream of a Free India, died when Gandhi did.

Masses equal Might

Speaking of Gandhi, and the freedom movement. Let me elaborate to any would-be-protesters, why these demonstrations will never yield any fruit.

It's because, these protests lack the people that matter

Some will turn and say, "but we all care! we are voters! we matter!"

You don't. Deal with it.

India has a federal government, that means state and central governments. If a hundred people protest, it has no impact, because the country doesn't care. Yes, all us middle, and upper class people care. We can empathize with these protesters, with the family of the raped woman, with the victim herself. None of us want to be there. That is why we will condemn it.

However, if you see that a protest is happening, few of us will attend. Instead, we will sit indoors, watching on our plasma TV's, or angrily tweet about the injustice that is happening.

That is why we are the 1%. And you know what? The 1% doesn't count for fucking shit.

The lower classes, the less economically developed, they are the masses. They are the people who matter. They are the people who win elections.

They are the people who won us Independence.

If Gandhi, Nehru, Congress and the Muslim League has just had those followers that they did, they'd have never succeeded. What won the struggle was when the common man stood up and said, "Enough of this shit."

The only way for a protest to be truly effective, is for it to hurt politicians where it hurts. In the Vote Bank. If you get all those people who believe the politicians lies of equality, technology and wealth to actually protest in true outrage; then you will have results.

Hundred of protesters get beaten and news is ablaze with it. Does a farmer give a shit? No. But tell him that the same politician who isn't doing anything to make the streets safer for women, is also responsible for his plights, whatever they may be, crop failure, poor subsidization, substandard seeds, it can be anything. You give them something to connect them to your cause and you have a stronger cause.

Mice among Men

The Prime Minister, the Home Minister, the President's Son, the Chief Minister of Delhi and the Congress Leader of Andhra Pradesh, all have one thing in common. They are pathetic, awful, horrible, worthless, useless politicians.

Politicians used to be known for having some degree of integrity, that they actually gave a damn about they country that they are representing, but every day India gets to see that the driver of the car is nothing more than a perverted old man whose been getting fat stealing your chips, and he's gotten so obsessed in doing that, that he's forgotten to drive.

The Prime Minister: The leader of this nation, but has been time and time again accused of being a puppet of Sonia Gandhi, leader of the Congress Party. I can understand that he isn't a politician, he's an economist, but I've never seen a man act like such a pansy. During a speech on the rape issue, he ended by commenting, 'teek hai?" (Hindi for "OK?") The comment is said to have been made towards the camera man, but all it does is show that the PM was in such a rush for the speech to finish that he couldn't wait to get an all clear signal. He's been trying to show his empathy with the protesters by saying that he has daughters too. All I can say is that, he should grab every single Parliament Member who has a daughter, or who has a wife, or who has a mother and ask them a very simple question.

If it was your daughter/wife/mother would you not want to make the world safer for them and punish the guilty?

I'd be amazed if any of them said no.

The Home Minister: what a clown, he made the mistake of comparing peaceful protesters to Maoists. This is a man who isn't simply representing a party in the Lok Sabha, he actually holds a position in the cabinet, a damn important one too!

The President's Son: This guy should seriously leave politics right now. To be the son of the President is one thing, cause everything you do or say is going to be useful to the media. But to turn and crack rude comments on the protesters is just political suicide. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20852513)

The Chief Minister of Delhi: This woman is responsible for the city of Delhi, a big responsibility no doubt. However, when being interviewed, she was having mood swings! In one interview, she was emotional, and in the other she wasn't! To top that off, she wasn't even taking the blame for it, but rather shifting the blame to the police! Nothing is worse than a politician who isn't woman enough to take responsibility of her shortcomings and overcome them. It's an act that voters appreciate and would make people feel safer.

The Congress Leader of Andhra Pradesh has really made a complete ass of himself and is proof that politics in India has fallen tremendously from the days before Independence, where men and women spoke with integrity and passion for causes they felt mattered for a nation.
This buffoon said that "Just because India achieved freedom at midnight does not mean that women can venture out after dark. They should ensure that they do not board buses with few passengers,"

Yes, he said that. He followed by commenting "Although it (Delhi gang-rape) was a minor incident, Soniaji made it a point to meet the protesters when they called on her,"

I mean, how much of an idiot do you have to be? to be that stupid about your job, to be that thoughtless and that emotionless as a father.

But that is the case here. Rape is hardly considered with the seriousness it should be treated with. People are unable to comprehend the horrible nature of rape. It's a sociological issue, and it will take ages to remove from our culture. That is a shortcoming that India can, and has to live with.

What we, what you as a citizen of India, do not have to live with, are inadequate and uncaring politicians. Are they helping India? No, they really aren't doing anything that will change the world. They are doing what they want to do, when they want to, and making enough money to never have to work again.

The saddest thing about this all is that we can't even do anything. I'd say, 'Don't Vote for them' but, the system is so fucked up that we can't even do that. We have to vote for someone. There is no abstention system in elections here, that sounds pretty backward doesn't it?

If there was a spirit of India, and if it was visible. I do believe that it would be a spirit that has been violently and continuously raped for the last 65 years. Raped by corruption and these pathetic excuses for human beings that exist as our politicians.

The rape in Delhi is nothing new, and it is fast on its way to becoming just another story for the media to cover and remember from time to time.

If we all believe that change needs to come to India, it needs to be with a resounding conviction that is echoed from the sweepers on the roads, to the drivers, to the police officers, to the college student, to the businessman, to the CEO's. People need to believe in the need for change so much that they will all, at their own will, not at the behest of some political party, stop the country. Stop the country, hold it ransom to the government and tell them.

"We'll let it go, when you change some things around here."

"People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people."

" - V for Vendetta

The Decline of Parenting

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in a Canon Service Center (had to get something fixed for my camera). While I was waiting, I noticed a family sitting on my right, a normal family; father, mother and young daughter, who had probably just learnt how to walk a few weeks back because the girl just would not sit still!

The kid was keeping herself busy by running to empty glasses and picking up their coasters and waving them around, you know, kid stuff!

The parents got a bit worried when the child picked up a glass, so they naturally stopped her. Thus the child immedately became more interested in the glass and kept running to pick it up.

After a few rounds of the child running, the parents grabbing her, etc. The father seemingly gave up, he put his hand into his pocket and removed his phone, turned on some nursery rhyme app and gave it to the kid.

Immediately the child was engrossed with the app and didn't move for the rest of the time I was there.

This simple act, of pacifying a child, scared me. Very simply, because the parents hadn't really done anything to stop the child, they'd don't nothing to make her learn that what she was doing was wrong.

I thought about this a bit more and realised that with technology that is available today, Mothers and Fathers are no longer 'Parents' for they have given up the basic lesson of Parenting, and that is to teach your child.

If any readers who were either children in the 90's (or below) or who had children before the 2000's, I'm sure you've seen the change. Now, children are not taught the value of products, they are simply pacified.

It's become a chore to properly bring up a child with some sort of value system.

Don't criticize me, because it's true. Parents today are much more content with buying their children an iPhone, or a Blackberry rather than make the child understand the importance and value of that phone.

Yes, there is massive amounts of peer pressure, but you know what, that will always be there. If you don't think you can handle your child coming to you and asking for a Rs. 40,000 phone, then don't have a child - you'd probably save a lot of money.

Parents don't seem to realize that this indoctrination to technology and screens is ruining their youth. They'd much rather get an Xbox or a phone than to get a cycle.

Something that my grandparents have noticed is that, Children have stopped writing. Schools now drive home the importance of using computers so much that my grandmother worries that one day, children will stop writing with pen and paper.

It's a terrifying future, and a disturbing notion to realize that we are becoming so reliant on technology that we can't even tell our own children a small song to keep them occupied.

I can't imagine what would happen if the world's technology stopped working. How would parents of the future cope with the overwhelming task of actually telling their children that they can't get them the iPhone 20 because technology doesn't work anymore! Imagine if suddenly parents had to come up with a bedtime story from their own imagination!

I think the prospect might make them rethink having a child - and that is a future that should never happen.

The Importance of Empathy

I've been a subscriber of a Youtube Channel, RSA.org. It's an NGO that has talks and NGO stuff... what I really find interesting however, is what they do with Cognitive Media, a media company based in the United Kingdom.

What Cognitive Media does, is that it takes the talks and essentially animates it. They have ten minute clips of a lecture and draw an entire story that is connected to the talk. It is truly quiet amazing as I've found it allows listeners to not only be engaged visually, but mentally too!

There is so much I have learned from those 10 minute videos that I might have never learned in college or school. You don't know the lecturer, but all of them are passionate about their topic which sends the message even more effectively, than and the BRILLIANT art that is done.

RSA Animate: The Power of Outrospection

This is one talk that I found rather interesting as a photography. A line that is often thrown at photographs of sadness and despair, of poverty and starvation is the seeming lack of empathy that the photographer seems to have.

To that, I feel that it is the empathy that the photographer has with those subjects that allows them to take such marvelous photos. You will never find a photographer who has not been moved by a subject they have photographed. They might not run around screaming it, but it touches them. It is what makes them take their job even more seriously. They are trying to allow you to empathize through space and time with that starving child, to empathize and help.

What do you do on the other hand? You dodge the question, you try and look at it from a perspective it wasn't supposed to be seen in, all to protect yourself from the chilling fact that you don't feel for the starving child in the photo, you'd much rather ignore them. They are at the end of a day, a face in a photo. Photographers who publish such photos on the other hand, have names, email addresses, fan pages, making your quest to criticize them much much easier.

The next time you see an photograph that depicts strong emotions; desperation, starvation, sadness, joy, happiness, or simply, indifference. Empathize! Try and see, try and feel for the person on the other side. You don't have to do it with a time limit, you don't have to do it with a bunch of friends. It's a personal connection you are forging. If you can do it with a photograph, you will be able to do it with a character in a movie, a person in a book and finally, you will be able to empathize with the people you know. With the people that surround you, and the people that have less than you.

Once you have done all of that, then try and criticize that photographer for taking that photograph.

The Hurdle

Tomorrow is my Birthday,

I turn twenty.

I must say, I feel that the prospect, the concept of getting older has really rattled me. I posted a long winding status on facebook about how it seems, to me, that in 20 years. I should have achieved something more tangible.

I've gotten comments, and most of them, honestly don't seem to understand what I was trying to say. I won't go into it. That's not the point of this.

With every passing year, the world gets smaller. I meet new people, I learn new things, all of them making my knowledge base wider and robbing the world of the last vestiges of mystery it clings to. I'm learning, through aging. which is good.

This is going to go back and forwards a bit, so bear with me.

After a bit of thought towards what I've done in the two decades I've been on this earth, I can say that I've not done a lot. But it must be said in the same breath that I haven't just sat on my ass doing nothing. (well at least I haven't in the last two years)

I started a blog, I began taking photos, I've helped people with their individual problems, I fell in love, and started writing a book (not in any specific order) I tried to make up for time lost and was greeted with comments of how I did so much. It made me glad that I was doing, what I did.

But a new decade has it's new opportunities, it's new problems, it's new dangers and thrills. I must say, I'm hesistant to jump in. Maybe it's like a cold swimming pool... Maybe I just have to jump in.

Sadly, I don't think there is anyway for someone to slowly edge into a new year...

The gamer in me keeps hoping, keeps hoping that at each birthday, a magical light will surround me, and a voice will announce "LEVEL UP" and suddenly, I'll be better off for the next year.

It's a hard truth to know that that doesn't happen, but rather that you have to run into the new year and grab it and scream at it "I AM IN CHARGE!" (throw a few swear words in, it can't hurt)

My blog is honestly something I am quite proud of. I looked back, and wow.

I mean, Wow.

I think it's safe to say that my writing style and grammar has improved, considerably.

Something that I've been seeing in plenty of comic books is the fact that being small is no longer enough. It's time to go big.

Twenty is a pretty big number. So I think that it's time to go big with everything else.

In the coming months, I'm going to launch a company, something that is my own design. (been planning it since October, this seemed like a good time to announce it)

I can't wait to share it. It will act as a platform for me to explore my photography, film-making and anything else that I wish to do. Sky's the limit.

I guess it always was the limit, maybe, just maybe, age is giving me some wisdom!

That or it's my wisdom teeth...

Twenty approaches.

I think it's time I look forward to meeting it.

It is after all,

The rest of my life.

See you on the other side.

She was family

Today, someone passed away.

I feel cheated that I never had the opportunity, the privilege to know her when she was as young as she was today.

Growing up in Hong Kong, my grandparents lived a huge distance away in India, and she was the elder of our little community. She was someone who just got love, she never needed to ask, never needed to want it.

Her children, her grandchildren loved her ever so much, and if you had known her, you would have too. There was that infectious characteristic to her. You met her and you would always remember her.

As I grew up, she was family, she was our grandmother. People who are that special, are family, and you can never have too many grandmothers!

She was someone who whenever we met, I would feel like I was coming back with something, a new thought, a revived feeling of life. I guess that's just what she was, an ocean of life, you could be the saddest person in the world, but chatting with her would just reignite that spark of life in you and remind you that you have so much of it in you, that squandering it is a crime.

Sharing the gift of life does not diminish it, it simply overfills the vessel. I hope, I pray to god that I am able to have even half the life that she has when I last saw her.

With her passing, I mourn in a special way, a way I think she would have wanted us to remember her. With a smile on our faces, with fond memories in our minds and our bodies filled with life.

For that truly is the greatest legacy, to not only touch so many lives, but to be an integral part of them. Even though she has left her body, she has not left our hearts, our souls and she never will.

I truly feel sad today, I mourn for my fathers mother, a woman of amazing character and similarly filled with life, who passed before I could understand these things, and because this remarkable woman passed away without me getting a chance to talk to her one more time, to tell her just how much she really meant to me.

She was family.

Skyfall - The Return of the Bond Franchise

Sam Mendes's Skyfall is the latest iteration of the now, 50 year old James Bond Saga. And if I may say so, it’s one of the finest James Bond movies in recent years.

For me, there was a huge difference in the audience from the time they entered and the time they left the hall. Before we entered, they were excited, the thrill of a Bond movie having got them eager for the latest installment. After however, they were largely uninterested if not disappointed, with some people saying it was a waste of time. I thought it was brilliant!

What do we expect from an action movie? Fights, explosions, women, more explosions and a contrived plot.

Thankfully, those people who liked Skyfall will realize that Bond isn't an action movie, it's a Spy movie. Spy movies are nitty, gritty movies where there are intense action sequences followed by character and plot development, they rely on a story being told rather than just having a unexplained loose-end blow up (Yeah, I'm pointing at you Transformers 3 and Avengers)

That is what Bond is all about, fighting a personal battle, it's not about the fighting an omnipresent organization, leave that for Jason Borne. Skyfall finally brings us to where 007 should be, England's Greatest Secret Agent.

If I may say so, Daniel Craig has had a relatively poor term as Bond so far, he started off as a brilliantly in Casino Royale (which again, relied on building the plot rather than action sequence after action sequence) but he was turned into a British action hero and made a fool of with Quantum of Solace.

Personally, I feel that it's nicer to look at QoS as the ugly stepchild of the franchise and simply ignore it. Because when you do, there is a beautiful connection between the two films. (I think Sam Mendes and I think alike!)

At the end of Casino Royale, Bond has seen the love of his life die. He is a broken package, this is echoed in Skyfall he seems to have grown weary of his job as a government hitman and has begun drowning his sorrows in guilt and booze. He longs for something more meaningful, perhaps something less cloak-and-dagger, and something that has some truth to it.

As we've all seen from the trailers, Bond is presumed dead after a failed mission in Turkey, but we all know that a good agent can't be stopped, and after 3 months, Bond comes back. "Why?" he's asked, repeatedly (as if to drive home the point) why would he return when he was out clean?

It's because he's a spy, and (as lame as it may sound) a Son of England; he is loyal to M, so when a crisis looms, with her as the target, Bond is quick to return, essentially resurrecting himself to protect her (that's loyalty!)

Craig's Bond as mentioned is not a perfect Bond that we've all grown used to seeing, he is a man who does what he does, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't mean that his choices don't affect him.

Javier Bardem's portrayal of the villain is superb; the character, Raoul Silva, is so effortlessly intimidating that it's easy to be caught off guard. He doesn't bleed blood, he doesn't have weird scars or fetish's, he is a man who has been betrayed, and he's been planning his revenge for a long time. Bardem's character, might have possibly not been that interesting had it been portrayed by a traditional Hollywood actor, with a clear British, or American accent, Bardem brings the exotic touch of a Spanish accent to the character, that with the blond hair sets him apart from the other Bond villains. Another lovely thing to see with this character is that he doesn't tell Bond his entire plan. He keeps the game going by having a plan and having Bond chase after him, this makes for some interesting twists and turns in the plot. (and please note, that his character is not gay)

Something that this film has been pointed out for lacking is a good Bond Girl. Every 007 movie has certain female characters, you have Moneypenny (last seen back when Pierce Brosnan was wearing the Tux), there is the woman that Bond sleeps with which the villain promptly kills to antagonize Bond (cause even though he's a player, he's human) and then there is the strong 'Bond Girl' who helps James foil the dastardly plot before succumbing to his charms. Skyfall breaks this trend, as they have the woman that Bond sleeps with, that's clear, but the character that we all believe is the 'Bond Girl' - Eve, lacks the chemistry and strength necessary for a Bond Girl. Sure there is a huge amount of innuendo and she accidentally almost kills him, but that's about it. She’s doesn't click with him.

Judy Dench on the other hand, is M, the entire story revolves around her, she is possibly the only important woman included in this movie, which is why I believe that while Mendes doesn't say it, he has very clearly made Dench his 'Bond Girl' in spirit.

The movie is a bit long, clocking in at nearly 2 1/2 hours; however, it is filled with enough content to keep you content for the entire movie. There might be a point where the average viewer will get bored and want a fight sequence, my advice is to have patience and listen to the dialogue. Some of it can be very important in developing characters with tiny little aspects that you might miss, had you been texting in the movie hall.

As mentioned, the plot has thankfully moved from the horrendous one of Quantum of Solace, where Bond fought a faceless organization, and has replaced it with a single foe. Again, as I've mentioned, this is where the Bond films excel, they create a connection between the protagonist and the antagonist that makes their cold wars and hot battles all the more epic.

My advice, watch the movie! Don't expect a Michael Bay film, expect a film that requires some time for you to listen and realise what the characters are going through, because that is what completes a successful film. Not crazy effects, but characters that are memorable and identifiable.

Halo: Forward Unto Dawn

I've been meaning to write about this web series, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, but I thought I'd wait till it finished before casting my vote. It's Unfrigginbelievable

FUD (I'm abbreviating) is the larges venture by Microsoft into the live-action segment, costing around 10 million dollars to produce, it was filled with a bunch of Hollywood actors and produced like an honest to god, 100 million dollar film. They got Daniel Cudmore (Collosus from X-Men: Last Stand) and Anna Popplewell (Susan from The Narnia Films) to play key roles with Cudmore filling the armour of Halo's Master Chief.

343 Industries marketing campaign for this new video game trilogy is simply remarkable. Halo is a video game, however, due to the series immense popularity, Microsoft dipped and then plunged the series into different media types. The first media that Halo reached was in the form of Novels. These novels provided much needed filler material that connected the Origins of the Chief, to the First Halo and finally the gap between Halo 1 and Halo 2. It was necessary, it was good. Then, the franchise got even more popular, being described as the Xbox's signature title, it became the baby of Microsoft's Xbox.

We all know that babies are indulged, and Halo is no different, over the 10 years of the franchise, it has seen the creation of: Books, Comics, Action Figures, Board Games, Fan Made Machinima, Anime and it was even tabled as a full fledged Hollywood movie! (To be produced by Peter Jackson, thank god that didn't happen) So what makes this so different? What is 343 Industries doing that is so different?

While the books, comics, films, etc were not essential, but more of additives so that true Halo fans would be able to further understand the back story of characters, 343 has made these 'additives' a requirement to understand the story. By linking a novel and the main game directly, it makes the novel an essential read for one to understand the changes in the game (properly that is, I'm sure they've explained it sufficiently in-game). Personally, I find that this is a brilliant strategy, Microsoft got well known sci-fi authors to write the new Halo books, and considering the fan following that sci-fi works accumulate, it would have certainly resulted in new customers for the Halo franchise. Add the field of Live Action and every single filmmaker who loves video games sits up and takes notice, because their dreams have just been made real. It's a brilliant approach cause it consumes the market, it builds the hype for the product even more, especially when you realize that since the first Halo came out 10 years ago, there are new customers entering that special video-game age, so such a strategy is perfect to draw them in.

Enough about that, let's look at Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.

*********POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERTS********

FUD is a 5 episode web-series hosted by Machinima Prime, unlike any other Halo Live Action stuff, this was all done by Microsoft, so it's official.

FUD follows Thomas Lasky, a Cadet in the Corbulo Academy of Military Science, (A sort of Halo Westpoint) He and his squad, are not the most cohesive unit, primarily because they are the sons and daughters of high ranking UNSC Personnel. This means that while other cadets have worked to be there, these are the special ones. The squad is interesting as plenty of them show a high amount of arrogence and disdain towards the war the UNSC is fighting (against rebels) and more importantly at the fact that their parents haven't been with them because of the military.

Lasky is not the biggest screw up in the squad not by far, he's the protagonist for one reason only, he's not motivated, and despite having leadership skills, he is hesitant to take them on. The series looks at this, and show how, over the series, he changes as a person and becomes someone he needs to be. He's helped along this journey by his best friend, Cadet Silva (played by Anna Popplewell) who is one of the best cadets, but not really cut out for leadership.

The first episode gives us the lay of the land, we are introduced to the cadets and how Lasky isn't everyone's best friend, in fact he's screwed up plans due to his inability to place faith in his commanders (he's right at making the call, but that's not the question)

The second episode shows us how there is exceptional desire to see this squad become strong as they are all full of potential and none of them are seizing it. Lasky is continuously berated for his errors and his past resulting in a scuffle where he kicks the snot out of his rival. He is reprimanded by his CO, however, the words that are said leave a faint impression on him, as he makes a decision that will change the way his teammates look at him.

I won't say what all happens next, but eventually, the Master Chief comes to pull the squad out of a particularly tough spot. I swear, the first time you actually see the Chief on screen, you are spellbound. The fact that he was actually there, not animated, not CGI (same thing no?) but a real person, in a real suit (a rubber one, but that's not the point!) was amazing!

Did you know that in the books, the Master Chief is supposed to be 6ft 7in, the actor who plays the Chief, Daniel Cudmore, is the same height! I saw that and the gamer geek in me flipped out. Slowly FUD is moving from a simple web series to Halo on film.

The story of FUD is perfect. By the third episode, you know all the important characters and their personal struggles, but it's still not what you'd want in a live action series based on a FPS game, you want explosions, you want the Covenant and war! We all love war, it's why we play the game. FUD takes your expectations and openly mock you as they show you all of this, but from the eyes of fresh recruit. The horror of war, and the despair that is seen as each character falls and the relief when the Chief enters.

The Covenant was done in an intelligent manner, with the 3rd, 4th and 5th episodes all taking place in the night, the ability to see any animation flaws are hidden, and it also simulates the fear that would be there when being chased by a stronger, more advanced race through a dark forest. By emphasizing on the voices, weapons lights and armour lights, FUD does complete justice to the mysterious, sinister nature of the Covenant, although I was sort of hoping for more Chief/Elite action.

The only problem, the absolute only problem that I had was that 343 allowed Spartans faces to be seen. Half the joy of the characters of Spartans was that they are faceless warriors for the players to identify with, by giving them a face, you have created an identity that this Spartan looks like this, and what for? Just so that 343 can show the seeds of doubt as to the age of the Spartans, why they are near child soldiers and not full grown men and women. Perhaps this fits into their story behind the Spartan IV's (yeah, that's happening) or it contributes towards something else that is yet to be revealed.

At fifteen minutes an episode, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is the best think you could watch on youtube as you count the days to November 6th and the launch of Halo 4. In Halo 4, you will see the return of Tom Lasky on the UNSC Infinity, and while no one knows the role of his character in the game, Forward Unto Dawn certainly tells you where he gets his courage and faith from.

I'd suggest you watch it, even if you aren't a Halo fan or a Gamer, there is something truly spectacular when you have someone whom you've played as for most of your childhood appear real. Forward Unto Dawn is that awesome, and so, so much more.

Episode I
Episode II
Episode III
Episode IV
Episode V

Enjoy!

Post Midnight Ramble: Time, Faith and Life

DISCLAIMER - The following is a POST MIDNIGHT RAMBLE and may make no sense to most readers. Inconvenience should be regretted, but it isn't.

A very important lesson that my father tried to teach me as I was growing up, even now. Is that Time is always moving.

It seems like a rather obvious statement. If you take the time to look a bit closer, the message become much deeper.

Time is always moving. So you must keep moving with it. To hesitate is to lose time, time you will never get back again.

What I understood from my father was that every moment is precious, and every decision you make is important. Putting something off for later, may give you a moment of joy. However, that's it then - the moment is gone.

While I confess to have tried to not pay attention, the mind is a better listener than one might like to admit. In these moments of clarity, one can realize where certain thoughts have been lifted from. My personal quest to try and make each day well spent is a delicate mixture of my father's philosophy and a line I heard from someone that 'One's day is not complete until they feel that they have used it to it's full'.

I guess that's why I'm writing this post so late. The thought has sparked, it is something that I could delay until tomorrow, however that would deprive me of another task I could do then.

More significant to me however, is how that line has really influenced me. I try my hardest to get the most done each day, now if that involves doing things that I have not been asked to do, is irrelevant, all that matters to me, is ensuring that it's not going to come up sometime later and bite me.

This work ethic is flexible however, as it is completely dependent on a personal sense of prioritization. Because when it comes down to it, assignments can be pushed as late as one can, however work will always come first.

Where do friendships come into play though? Again, it's dependent on the prioritization factor. If as an individual, you are happy going by your day and spending time with those who come up in that day, it is a perfect philosophy. The only thing that matters in all of these things is that one must be happy with their choices.

Even if these choices start off bitter and horrible. You must trust your own judgement, if you made a painful decision, you must have thought it through. There will be pain, there will be wishes to reverse it. To get back lost time/misspent time, however, faith is what will get you to the point where you can stand tall and continue living.

There is no such thing as wasted time in my book, everything happens for a reason. It may not be evident, it may never be, but as the saying goes, "God doesn't play with dice" neither should we. Our decisions are made to improve our lives. If the decision is a bad one, it will teach you for the future. if it is a good one, well then it's a good one! don't expect a pony!

What I'm trying to say, is that, if life takes a turn for the worst, don't despair, don't beg for a do over. There is a greater game at play, if you made a bad decision, life will sort it out. If something is supposed to happen, then it will happen despite your mistake.

'The Killing Joke' - Classic or Just Popular?

Critical Analysis of a Classic

Batman – The Killing Joke (1988)

When one is given the opportunity to take a publically perceived classic, and analyse it, the mind immediately aligns itself towards typical examples of Movies, Music, Paintings and the other usual suspects. However, of late, I have begun to realize the amazing art-form that exists in the realm of Comic Books. Let me elaborate, when I use the term ‘Comic Book’ I am referring to what some would consider ‘Graphic Novels’ not cartoons like ‘Archie’ and ‘Tinkle’.

The ‘Comicsphere’ is much larger than anyone would be willing to even imagine, with independent projects to successful publishing houses, there are no shortage of Comics today. The challenge is finding one which is considered a ‘Classic’. The connection of the phrases; Comics and Classic immediately brought one subject to my mind, and that was Batman. However, there is a saying that it’s the clothes that make the man, and indeed, Batman is who he is, because of his rogue’s gallery – the most popular and well known being the Joker. It is with that reasoning, that I chose ‘Batman – The Killing Joke’. (Moore, 1988)

           ‘The Killing Joke’ was described by IGN as “the greatest Joker story ever told” (Goldstein, 2005). Not the best Batman book, mind you, but the best Joker story. There is a reason for that. When Brian Bolland was given the opportunity to have a book of his own choice, he chose the Joker and to write the script for that was arguably the best comic writer, Alan Moore.

          What makes the book so brilliant is not simply the story that it tells, but the way it is told. The decision of the team to expand it from the regular 32-page one shot issue and make it a 50 paged Prestige Comic allowed Bollard the artistic liberty to spend more time on the subtler details of the story when it comes to setting, artwork and colours. The script that Moore wrote complemented this as the story is able to move through parts that are slightly irrelevant with no dialogue. However, when the story is in motion, Moore’s writing is exemplary, it is engaging, and does something that books today cannot even do, it makes the reader think.

         Moore’s story has also been heavily commented on, while feminist activists attacked him on the seemingly ‘weak’ portrayal of Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl, the only female character in the Batman series. Barbara is shot in the stomach (eventually paralysed from the waist down), stripped and photographed by a deranged Joker who, upon being asked why coldly replies, “To prove a point”. This senseless act at the time makes no sense to the reader; however, considering the deeper themes and messages of the story, it plays perfectly into the overall concept of the comic.

Alan Moore fans, did not appreciate this comic as they drew comparisons to Moore’s other work, ‘V for Vendetta’ and ‘Watchmen’ which are both publically and critically acclaimed. However, there is undeniable praised to Moore for the delivering of a story that eventually kick started the ‘thesis – anti-thesis’ relationship between Batman and the Joker. The reason for this is that ‘The Killing Joke’ marks a turning point in the relation between the two characters. This is seen by Batman’s realisation that the two of them are destined to remain on a consistent collision course, while the events of ‘The Killing Joke’ make the anger the Dark Knight has for the Clown to move to a personal level. This is seen to continue in later comics, as the Joker would progressively ensure that he causes Batman as much despair as possible.

The story is downright disturbing with its dark theme; the limits of one’s sanity and the nature of madness. The Joker’s ultimate objective to drive Commissioner Gordon insane by traumatising him and showing him nude photos of his daughter, who passes into shock as she is photographed, would be enough to drive any person, any father insane. But this is where Moore introduces another underlying concept that madness does not exist in everyone. It exists in some of us as a way out from the reality that we cannot face. Moore’s grasp of deep and complex psychological concepts as commendable as the dialogue used to convey it to the reader.

As a comic, ‘The Killing Joke’ has perhaps the least focus on Batman, it is at the end of the day, a Joker comic, an origin story of sorts as the Joker seemingly reflects on his own personal ‘bad day’ that drove him insane. The comic successfully expands the characters in the Batman series, details that shaped the characters for the three decades and longer.

Interestingly enough, while Batman fans will proudly state that this is one of the best comics, its creators do not feel the same way. Bollard never got to complete his artwork and was disappointed with the final product. Moore, sulked about the fact that he did not like The Killing Joke, his reasons were that it’s a very character oriented story, “there’s no important human information being imparted” (Khoury, 2003) and thus the reader doesn’t take anything back from it.

When Moore was asked about the role of Barbara Gordon in the comic, he replied stating that when he approached his bosses to ask for permission, he was told to “cripple the bitch”. (Lonely Gods, 2012) While an extremely cynical statement, it is a theme that was only echoed in the following years with the “Women in Refrigerators” phenomenon that was seen in 1994. In retrospect, however, I feel that it was a decision that allowed the character of Barbara Gordon to grow from just another sidekick and become a character of her own.

However, seeing the displeasure that both the stories creators had in the final product, should ‘The Killing Joke’ be considered a Classic? After all, if Beethoven was to ridicule his 5^th Symphony, would we stop recognising it as the epic work that it is? The answer is that we would not let the words of the works creators dissuade us from our personal opinion. The Killing Joke may not be the best Batman comic, but it has an extremely unique style with regards to how the story progressed and the central character being the Joker and not the Batman.

While ‘The Killing Joke’ would be chronologically considered as a fairly recent work, it is in fact a very old comic in the ‘Comicsphere’. ‘The Killing Joke’ can be considered as one of the being a part of the Modern Age, or more fittingly, part of the ‘Dark Age of Comic Books’, an era where comics began getting darker and involving more personal stories for the Heroes often pushing them to the brink of their functionality, while villains grew from ‘bad people’ to sociopathic lunatics. This is where The Killing Joke broke ground as it truly established the relation between the Joker and the Rest of Gotham. He moved from the laughing criminal to the demented schizophrenic whose lust for killing is senseless and uncontrollable; this paradigm shift is what makes ‘The Killing Joke’ such a timeless classic.

Stories about Heroes are a dime a dozen, they have thousands of pages to show their characters and grow as individuals, their Rogues, however, are not privy to such an option. Their journeys, though much more intense and thrilling than any hero, are forced to have their stories told through the life of another. ‘The Killing Joke’, in this sense, reintroduces the Joker to Batman readers, turning him into a character of his own by giving him a human side, a trait that had seemingly been absent from the character since his introduction in the 1940’s. ‘The Killing Joke’ as I have said is not the best Batman comic, but it is undeniably the best Joker comic and certainly a comic that many have tried, and failed, to duplicate in dialogue, artwork and plot. I feel that despite the displeasure the creators have shown towards the comic, it still is a classic. Because a classic is a work that will be remembered for its originality, its unique style and the amazing impact that it had on the comic book world.

Post Script: Got a 14/15 for this assignment, if you feel that I've left something out, please comment!

Batman #13 - Knock Knock

After a year of absence, Batman #13 marks the return of the Joker to the DC Universe, and simultaneously kicks off the start of the newest Bat-Family Crossover Event titled 'Death of The Family'.


One year ago, Batman fans were left in horror as at the end of Detective Comics #1, as an incarcerated Joker had his face delicately removed and nailed to the wall of Arkham Asylum. But while the later issues of Detective Comics followed the 'Dollmaker' the man responsible for removing the Jokers face, the actual fate of the Joker was left vague and unanswered.

In reality, Detective Comic readers knew that the Joker was alive with him staring at his face from the shadows saying "That felt... Fangasmic", the denizens of the DC Universe crafted their own rumors. Some said that the Joker was dead, murdered by Batman or the GCPD and the face was a macabre trophy. Batman knew that the Joker had gone for good, but then again, he couldn't really dwell on it as he was drawn into his next crisis with 'Night of the Owls'.

Batman #13 starts with a monologue about how Gotham was due for something sinister as nature seemed to be turning on itself with rivers reversing course and lion cubs being born with two heads. The main story begins light hearted, and almost comical as Commissioner Gordon has staked a day off to any officer to find his packet of smokes in the GCPD.

But nothing good really ever stays good in Gotham, now does it?

I won't go into the integral details of the Comic, to prevent spoilers. However, what I will say, is that the very character of the Joker has changed. (POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD)

Some people would associate the Joker as the Clown Price of Crime, who at the end of the day, is a clown. He is funny, his crimes always 'leave a smile' on everyone's face. However, this is not that Joker. This Joker is evil from his core to his exterior. Since he lacks a face, he no longer has the signature smile, which causes him to visit the GCPD.

As Batman would later mention, the Joker is much more savage than he has ever been, killing mercilessly and brutally, by snapping necks. To anyone who has read Batman comics with fights with the Joker, he usually uses giant hammers, tricks and the odd sucker-punch. But here his deadliness can be compared to that of an assassin, a laughing, joke cracking one at that. And we can all agree that the only thing that is scarier than a Silent Assassin, is a noisy one. (It's much more terrifying to hear the man about to kill you than to never realize until it's already over)

The Joker has gone through another character change, and the writers of this book are making it very obvious by having the Joker revisit his old crimes, (refer to Batman - The Man Who Laughs). They've used similar instances to show that the Joker is not the Happy Clown any more, but something else, something even more terrifying, as he leaves a room not of 'happy' victims but of frowning victims.

The last few pages can only drive home the message of this book, The Joker is back, and he's not who he was. But we are still left wondering what his plan is! As Batman tries to get himself out of another deathtrap, he hears the plan, but while Batman seems to want specifics, we know exactly what the Joker wants. He wants to help Batman return to who he was, a Loner. The only way to do that, is 'The Death of The Family' Quite literally, the Death of the Entire Bat-Family is in the cards.

The Joker has always been unpredictable but the last page is sure to leave the reader even more bamboozled and dying for the next issue.

On a side note, one can only but admire the marketing strategy of DC Comics, this Crossover Comic Event is a brilliant strategy as it keeps events to not more than 3 months and while the main story is contained in the main title (in this case Batman) the smaller instances and battles, what really makes an event are in other titles, so it ensures that people will buy other titles and might possibly get people to become interested in those too. Ensuring that the demographics that read Batman might just start reading Nightwing. Oh and they'd also end up paying for that too, so fans are now buying books that they might have not bought, but are doing so, because they want to know what is happening!

That's it from me. What a comic. Can't believe I have to wait a month till the Batman #14

Happiness

"Be Happy"

It's a very simple statement, one which is both the easiest and the hardest to achieve.

How do you define Happiness? Is it Joy? Pleasure? The simple act of smiling? Or is it the content one feels with their universe and thus, themselves?

But in order to have this statement told to us, we have to not be happy, i.e. we must not be content with our universe at the time. If something is wrong, should we not be told to solve those? Or does the statement of 'Be Happy' involve the confrontation of personal demons with the optimistic objective of possibly defeating them?

I'll be honest with you, that's one scary challenge. That someone would sentence me to face my own personal demons, to plunge me into a battle that I may not emerge from unscathed. Perhaps I'm overpraising. I've been told I do that a lot. But the truth remains that when a person is sad or unhappy, the simple statement of 'Be Happy' and its derivatives are simply terms used by parties that want to see the other happy, but don't want to get their hands dirty.

I'm sure that this has happened in your life, you've seen someone sad, someone who is down on their luck. You are concerned, you want that person to be happy, but you aren't willing to stake your own happiness, brain power and time to help that person reach that point. So you smile at them and say something as simple as, "Be Happy".

Now think for a second. If this person is someone that you actually care about, someone whose well-being is a concern (maybe a minor concern, but still) then is it not worth your time to see how to make them feel better?

Again, no one should feel compelled to be an agony aunt. That is a sad and pathetic solution to very complex emotions. Be there for people when they want to talk, but you know what is the best thing to share? Happiness. All you have to do is find a connection. With a friend you’re bound to have one or two connections, simply cast that line and try and make them feel better. If they shrug off that line, they will never say that you never tried and you can say "Be Happy" knowing that you tried to share Happiness and didn't get a response. It's better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all.

Even someone who seems gloomier than death himself has that spark of Happiness. Gauge them like a Lion assesses prey. See if they are open to outside help, if they are, grab a bunch of mutual friends and yank that bastard out of their sadness. See if they respond to certain things, if you know the person well enough, maybe you can suggest going for a movie or doing something with them that makes them feel better on a much more personal level. Turn that spark into a roaring fire of Happiness.

The fire may simply burn out; it might even carry that person into the next week. But the important thing is that you helped that person, someone that you care about, get away from their problems for the slightest bit of time.

It's a bit tough, but if you actually start looking at 'friends' and think to yourself, do I actually care about this person’s happiness? You'll get rid of the crap friends you have, and emerge with friends that you'd do anything to see them happy, even for a minute.

Happiness is a hard commodity to come across. So when you are happy, you can share it. But when others aren't happy, your tiny spark of enthusiasm can be all they need to get on their feet and push through the rest of the day.

"Be Happy" is such a pathetic concept. Cause it doesn't DO anything. It might actually make the person drop deeper into sadness as they can't get to the level of happiness that they want to reach.

Sad or unhappy people can be screwballs, but it's important to TRY to make them realize their own internal happiness rather than simply PUSH your own external happiness on them.

Try it out; I'm sure you'll get 'Happy' results!