Ever get the strange feeling that not only brilliant Noble Prize winners like John Nash sees codes everywhere they go? That that phenomenon may not be peculiar, but prevalent? U know, like u say an innocent word like 'Magnum (Corp)', and people's mind associate that with 'guns/pistols', and the firearms with 'u know what'. (Smokin' Guns, Holy Guacamole!)
Do u ever wonder if people don't take words at face value anymore? Say, 'wild stallion' is not just a horse in a natural setting, i.e. not in captivity, but whatever meanings or interpretations that the reader choose to project onto it (according to their own experiences), and actually thought that the writer consciously and purposely chose it as a metaphor for 'something else'.
I can go on and on, e.g. 'nose' or 'cheek' can represent other parts of the human anatomy, and it can get to be really mind-boggling, if u know what I mean.
I'm not sure whether it's a test pour moi as a so-called 'comm practitioner' or people who teach comm (and semiotics too, among other subjects) make the worst communicators? Perhaps a lil of both, as someone that I used to be close to, used to tell me:
"You're lazy, Bet, you never even try; someone else would have asked - is this what you mean?"
I didn't realise that communication, which is fundamental to 'successful' or good relationships, requires that much 'work' or effort; or is that why 'sloths' retreat to their 'shells' or 'chicken' don't leave their 'coops'?
Just some ramblings from the safety of suburbia, and speaking of surburbia, which is now popularly symbolised by Wisteria Lane, I have ceased to languish in Longoria and making efforts to sassy up to Sarandon, i.e. linking to some politically correct sites like Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia. Really, these people need all the support they can get 'to be the change we want to see' (correct me if I wrongly quote Gandhi). For fellow Muslim bloggers, you'll be surprised how many non-halal items you've been consuming all these years and should really do something about it.
Another link should be www.antiwar.com. The following is the famous initiative, if you guys (when I use this term, it includes gals as well) missed it:
THE KUALA LUMPUR INITIATIVE TO CRIMINALISE WAR
17th December 2005
THE Kuala Lumpur Global Peace Forum of concerned peoples from all
five continents
UNITED in the belief that peace is the essential condition for the
survival and well-being of the human race,
DETERMINED to promote peace and save succeeding generations from the
scourge of war,
OUTRAGED over the frequent resort to war in the settlement of disputes
between nations,
DISTURBED that militarists are preparing for more wars,
TROUBLED that use of armed force increases insecurity for all,
TERRIFIED that the possession of nuclear weapons and the imminent risk
of nuclear war will lead to the annihilation of life on earth.
To achieve peace we now declare that:
Wars increasingly involve the killing of innocent people and are,
therefore, abhorrent and criminal.
Killings in war are as criminal as the killings within societies in
times of peace.
Since killings in peace time are subject to the domestic law of crime,
killings in war must likewise be subject to the international law of
crimes. This should be so irrespective of whether these killings in war
are authorized or permitted by domestic law.
All commercial, financial, industrial and scientific activities that
aid and abet war should be criminalised.
All national leaders who initiate aggression must be subjected to the
jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
All nations must strengthen the resolve to accept the purposes and
principles of the United Nations Charter and institute methods to
settle international disputes by peaceful means and to renounce war.
Armed force shall not be used except when authorised by a Resolution
passed by two-thirds majority of the total membership of the General
Assembly of the United Nations.
All legislators and all members of Government must affirm their belief
in peace and pledge to strive for peace.
Political parties all over the world must include peace as one of their
principal objectives.
Non-Governmental Organisations committed to the promotion of peace
should be set up in all nations.
Public servants and professionals, in particular in the medical, legal,
educational and scientific fields, must promote peace and campaign
actively against war.
The media must actively oppose war and the incitement to war and
consciously promote the peaceful settlement of international disputes.
Entertainment media must cease to glorify war and violence and should
instead cultivate the ethos of peace
All religious leaders must condemn war and promote peace.
To these ends the Forum resolves to establish a permanent Secretariat
in Kuala Lumpur to:
IMPLEMENT this Initiative.
OPPOSE policies and programmes that incite war.
SEEK the cooperation of NGOs worldwide to achieve the goals of this
Initiative.
Signed by:
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
Prof Francis A. Boyle
Dr. Helen Caldicott
Mr Matthias Chang
Prof Michel Chossudovsky
Prof Shad Saleem Faruqi
Mr Denis J. Halliday
Dato' Mukhriz Mahathir
Dr Chandra Muzaffar
Dato' Michael O.K. Yeoh
Mr Hans-Christof Von Sponeck
[From:- http://www.perdana4peace.org/declaration.html]
On a lighter note, I discovered from the Star recently that a student paper, the Onion, that I used to consume when I was at UW-Madison, is now a 'hit' web-site. These guys, who published the Onion, are really wacky and absolutely hilarious. If u can relate to that kind of humour, that is.
I'm serious about getting a reading/review group together on this blog, something like 'Oprah Book Club' but promoting more local/regional lit/writings, e.g. Pendita Za'aba (Perangai Bergantung kepada Diri Sendiri, how's that as a local option to Covey's or Robbins' motivational or self-improvement books?), Pak Sako (Putera Gunung Tahan), Hamka (Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Wijck), Marah Rusli (Siti Nurbaya), and more contempo works in English by Farish Noor, etc. Wonder if my former reading group buddies/students - Ikmal, Azmi, Nazri, H (nah, Tuesdays with Morrie is just memories now) - are blogging and keen? Of cos, I welcome female bloggers too before I'm labelled a 'whatever'.
Salaam.
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