What a coincidence: the question I’d have done

…is the one bearing the same title as a previous post. But if you have not read that, there should be no excuse why you have not read this too–it was printed in the ST the day before the paper!

Jun 27, 2010

Did colour, class play a part in French team’s fall?

Paris – Race, religion and football is an explosive mix, and in France, the fuse seems to have been lit. After its national team were booted from the World Cup without winning a match – amid scenes of indiscipline and incompetence – there were political calls, led by President Nicolas Sarkozy, for an overhaul of French football. But there is a more troubling aspect – a focus on the lack of patriotism from a team with many players who are black or brown, descended from immigrants and who grew up in banlieues (suburban ghettos). Critics see a bunch of ‘thugs, scum, spoilt brats, trash, mafia, traitors and guys with chickpeas in their heads instead of a brain’. Suddenly the ‘black, blanc, beur’ (black, white, North African) winners of the 1998 Cup – beacons of integration – have become a symbol of the ethnic and religious divisions plaguing French society. Fadela Amara, a junior minister of Algerian descent, warned that the reaction had become racially charged. ‘Everyone condemns the lower class. People doubt that those of immigrant backgrounds are capable of respecting the nation.’ Is this all an overreaction to what is just a game of football? One young fan told Le Monde newspaper: ‘When the team win, the players are French. When they lose, they are Africans with French citizenship.’ Or is this also about social segregation, of post-9/11 religious poison? The reality is complex. Take left-back Eric Abidal, whose parents are from Martinique, who converted to Islam on meeting his wife of Algerian descent, and who once said of his decision to not sing the French national anthem: ‘I read the words in detail and I don’t feel represented by this hymn.’ Abidal is not alone in being a Muslim convert. Nicolas Anelka, sent home after calling coach Raymond Domenech a son of a whore, has also adopted Islam, as did Franck Ribery on meeting his wife Wahiba. Abidal lived in one of Lyon’s most deprived areas. Ribery was raised in a run-down council estate in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Anelka spent his childhood in a so-called quartiers difficile (difficult quarters) outside Paris. Romance in the projects happens with those who are there. But some have pointed a finger at Ribery and others for ganging up on players who do not share the same religious persuasion and poor suburban background. Yoann Gourcuff, the creative 23-year-old who is regarded as the natural successor to Zinedine Zidane, the hero of 1998 and of Algerian descent, is central to the internal strife, reported The Irish Times. Intelligent, clean-cut and good-looking, he enjoyed a comfortable childhood in Brittany where his father, Christian, the respected coach of Lorient, ensured he received a rounded education. But some in the team envy the attention he receives from the media. They regard him as arrogant and pretentious because he reads books and expresses himself eloquently when analysing a game. In last November’s World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland, Domenech told Gourcuff he was the playmaker and free-kick taker. Thierry Henry, also of immigrant descent and who grew up in the tough neighbourhood of Les Ulis, and Anelka decided otherwise. Henry took all set-pieces, and the pair constantly dropped deep, slowed the play, getting in Gourcuff’s way. After the 0-2 loss to Mexico in the second group game in South Africa, Ribery and Gourcuff reportedly came to blows on the plane ride back to their base camp. That was not the first time Ribery and Gourcuff got into a fight. Ribery was accused of bullying Gourcuff, ridiculing him when he did not join his French teammates on a players’ night out at a Paris ‘gentleman’s club’. Last Sunday, Ribery broke down on the set on the popular football show Telefoot while Domench was being interviewed to deny he fought with Gourcuff. In tears, he promised ‘we’ll do everything to win’ against South Africa. Any credibility Ribery had was lost within hours when the team boycotted training to protest Anelka’s expulsion. According to the newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, right-back Bacary Sagna and Gourcuff wanted to practise, but they were prevented from exiting the bus by several players, including Ribery. Captain Patrice Evra, of Senegalese descent, and Abidal, were reportedly the others who led the protest. Fascinatingly, Germany’s football team are the new face of integration. A country which, until quite recently, refused to give citizenship even to the German-born children of immigrants, now finds itself represented by players of Bosnian-Serb, Brazilian, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Polish, Tunisian and Turkish descent. To blame all of France’s problems on race will be a mistake. Domenech was a disaster, a little man in a big job. Why the French Football Federation did not sack him when he lost the faith of fans and players after the debacle of Euro 2008 – when France’s exit in the first round was greeted by Domenech proclaiming his love for his girlfriend on television – will remain a sore point. But in football as in politics, it is easy to find scapegoats, and harder to identify the institutional failings that have brought on a crisis. As Emma-Kate Symons, writing in The Australian, argued: ‘Football stars are only as good as the cynical system that produces them.’ NYT

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Just to pick at a similar fault, or if you wish, a fruit of envy, why did the editor choose to describe these Singaporeans as Chinese when they are already Singaporean citizens? What is the editor’s intention?

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Till the next time, smell you later!

Keep$it$Reel

Been to Universal Studios Singapore last weekend and it was a marvellous sight. I think it’s the first time I’d ever been to a theme park–unless of course you consider this place we live in to be one big theme park! It feels otherworldly. Although some say it is nothing compared to the original US in the US of A, I have no qualms about it. Haha! I’m just awed as it’s my first trip to a theme park. One thing’s for sure, with money, you can go places.

Not gonna be posting all the pictures here, but just one philosophical picture which I could ponder over for a long time:

That’s a fast-food restaurant in Far Far Away in US. The queue bollards and barriers brought back memories of Shrek (the first movie): the whole idea behind Shrek is supposed to be “anti-pop”, and in that movie, he goes running tangential to those lines, dragging them with him. The irony is that such structures are everywhere in Far Far Away in US that it makes me wonder if Shrek has indeed sold out. In fact, the whole theme park is the antithesis of his existence because he and the whole story are what the theme park is not. He used to poke fun at such things, but now he is part of the joke–merchanise and all. He realises that he is marketable! And that marks the end of the noble intent and the regeneration of capitalistic ambition. Don’t get me wrong. I still like Shrek. Shrek is still fun! I bought quite a lot of Shrek-stuff from US. Such transformation is just part of life.

But there are also some who stick to their guns:

I’m not trying to sell South Park because I do not like the foul language and references. But they have remained rooted in their critical satire tradition that it makes Shrek less of a social commentary.

Some censor themselves by design (like Shrek) while others have to be reminded (but I still can’t believe this is censored):

May 18, 2010

Flag artworks removed

By nicholas yong and deepika shetty The Opera Gallery in Ion Orchard has had to remove three artworks on display, as they breach regulations on the use of the state flag. The works in question are two sculptures by French artist Laurence Jenkell and an acrylic on canvas work by Swiss-born Greek artist Stelio Diamantopoulos. All three use the Singapore flag prominently and had been on display since the beginning of the year. They are priced between $30,000 and $112,500. The National Heritage Board got in touch with the gallery yesterday morning and advised it not to display the artworks. When contacted, a gallery spokesman told Life! it removed the artworks after receiving a call from the board. One of Jenkell’s coloured plexiglass sculptures features the Singapore flag on what looks like a piece of wrapped candy (above). Flags of other countries were used similarly. The other shows the flag on a heart-shaped sculpture with spears running through it. They were created last year as part of her message of spreading joy through art. They are included among 190 sculptures to be displayed in the French city of Cannes during the G20 meeting there next year. The third piece, an acrylic on canvas artwork by Diamantopoulos, features a profile shot of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on a Singapore flag. A spokesman for the board told Life! that while some may view these artworks as creative interpretations of Singapore’s national symbols, there would also be others who would take offence and regard them as disrespectful of the flag. Ms Cheryl Koh, deputy director of corporate communications and industry promotion at the board, said: ‘Our primary concern is that the national flag is treated with dignity and respect at all times.’ According to the Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Act, the flag may not be used for any commercial, advertising, furnishing or decorating purpose, unless express permission is granted by the authorities. The Act also states that no person should disrespect the flag, or produce or display any flag which bears any graphics or words superimposed on the design. Ms Koh added: ‘We have therefore advised the Opera Gallery not to display these artworks that are in breach of the Flag Rules, especially in the lead up to the National Day celebrations period. ‘They have also been advised to make a formal application to the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts before displaying such items.’ Lawyer Nicholas Narayanan, a partner at law firm Nicholas and Tan, noted that anyone who contravenes the Act without a ‘reasonable excuse’ is liable on conviction to a fine of up to $1,000. This is not the first time that an artist has contravened regulations governing the use of the flag. In 2003, Singapore painter Justin Lee Chee Kong was told by the Media Development Authority to exclude his work, titled Flag, from his exhibition at Utterly Art gallery. The work in acrylic on canvas showed the Singapore flag with hundreds of the Chinese character for double happiness (xuang xi) on the red panel. The reason given then was that the flag is a national symbol and ‘no words or graphics should be imposed on it’.

Some prefer to fight it out with the authorities, like William Wallace would: “They may take our lives, but they can never take our freedom!”

Crying at other people’s misfortune

I like the way some people cry at other people’s misfortune. Looking at the toppled BMW makes some guffaw. Looking at how the foreign workers helped to push the expensive-looking car makes some snigger.

I think those foreign tourists are not those kind of people. They are just seeing the lighter side of things perhaps. I suspect they love Tokio Hotel’s Monsoon.

But nothing beats NTUC Income when it comes to such Misery’s Business. To a huge extent this is more cruel than posting ‘bad’ pictures of celebrities like Paramore’s own Hayley Williams.

This advertisement came after many pages of reports on the flood. I think the thing with insurance is that they may pay for your damages now, but ultimately you are paying for it later on with higher premiums. It doesn’t matter which company that is. But please, correct me if I am wrong and I do hope I am wrong on this one so that I know which is a better deal! Anyhow, if I were the owner of that car, I’m sure I would not go “Hey guys, look! That’s my car! Isn’t she pretty in the mud?” I wonder whether NTUC Income is ready to shoot an advertisement featuring a teacher with a bloody papercut in an attempt to sell their accident policies. (No offence to NTUC, but I think you need to hire someone to check the pragmatics of your ads [ahem].)

And I sympathise deeply with Wendy’s, whose staff (I read) heroically brought the customers to dry land, and towels were kindly handed out by Espirit. Wendy’s was only three days’ old. Liat Towers’ Hermes and Massimo Dutti ought to have their very own “Wash Out” Sale! Everything Must Go With The Flow!

 This ad was at the back of the page of the final report on the flood. And I thought they were really having a “Mud Down” Sale.

In the same issue of the Straits Times, this simply caught my eyes, especially after Spain just lost 0-1 to Switzerland. Nadal must be cursing Federer at that time. Oh, wrong sport.

 (Blurry image a result of my incessant laughter.) My new knowledge of Spain’s political problems gave this a new level of amusement. Real Madrid versus Barcelona. How appropriate! (Check out my previous post.) If you want your very own political fritas deathmatch, head on down to the NTUC Fairprice and grab your very own edible voodoo dolls!

Pun is fun and other news

GREEN FINGERS–One disastrous spill the Yanks won’t complain about

That’s the headline and it’s subtitle in The Sunday Times (Britain’s, not Singapore’s). That’s some news in the news: of course for those of you not concerned about the oil spill–America’s, not Singapore’s–and the World Cup, you won’t have a clue.

And here’s a picture taken off xinmsn:

Wayne Rooney’s the chap in white. It’s amazing the amount of privacy these guys get at the Lost City golf course, chilling out. That’s Pee on the Rocks, perhaps a new cocktail blend at a bar near you.

It might go down well with an expensive plate of rice at this coffeeshop in Clementi:

For the record, I was not struck by aghast when I saw it. I was just giggling because it’s funny (to me only; no one else ‘saw’ it, or no one else cared). I have nothing against the misuse of the language by people who have not attended English lessons in school. (Of course, there is something else in the picture that is funny!)

As chance would have it, I found this letter I sent to the ST a few years ago. It wasn’t published, but I received an explanation from the editors (if you want to know, read on carefully) so I was at peace. I thought I should publish it here, a movement inspired by the artists whose writings have been rejected by the authorities for various reasons.

JC vs. Poly: the secret remains

I refer to the article by Miss Adeline Koh, “It’s no secret who’s better”

(ST, April 24).

In the article, she acknowledged that what she had to say might be “blunt”

and “politically incorrect”. It gives the impression that she was writing

subjectively.

However, if an opinion with such subjectivity would be published, the onus

is on the writer to balance her argument. In trying to do so, she furnished

“facts” for her claim that JC students are better than polytechnic students.

The first fact does not show that one is better than the other. The entry

requirements to the institution of higher learning at most reflect the

quality of the students who took the O-level examination or the equivalent.

If one were to raise a comparison based on this fact, the result would be

erroneous. Instead, a better gauge could be to consider the

“value-addedness” of the students after they graduate from JC or

polytechnics. For instance, how well have the students contribute to society

or how well have they matured in terms of capabilities.

Sadly, this may also prove inconclusive. The various reasons to why this

is so have been mentioned by the other authors of YOUTHink (Farah Aziz,

Marcus Chia and Ooi Jian Yuan).

Her second fact does not show one is better than the other either. The

preference of the Public Service Commissions (PSC) for awarding scholarships

to JC students at most shows the limit of such an institution in determining

what the best is. Perhaps the motivation for such a choice is affected by

the type of talent PSC wishes to groom (the subjects and areas of study).

Thus there is no issue of superiority or inferiority.

From another angle, perhaps PSC can consider equivalent awards for

polytechnic students as well (if this has not been planned for yet). If the

best is constantly cropped from the ‘better’ batch, will the best of the

‘lesser’ batch ever be discovered and recognised in Singapore even when they

are truly as good as the former?

The opinion that is without examination of the facts upon which it is

built must be taken with a pinch of salt by readers.

It is still a secret who is better.

*

Sometimes the one and only broadsheet in Singapore tries to pander to the taste of the mass too readily, and in the process, they might have somewhat sensationalised the news in some little ways.

Online racism: Self-help instead of relying on police
June 14, 2010

THE recent vandalism of Tampines Junior College’s Wikipedia page was designed to offend, and offend it did. However, reactions should be proportionate.

Your report (‘JC students branded ‘dogs’ on Wikipedia’, last Friday) quoted me correctly as saying that people should take a public stand against offensive speech. However, it may have given readers the wrong impression that I was one of those for whom the incident ‘sparked concern’, in the words of the report, about the Internet as a vehicle for hate speech.

The Web has been used for ill as well as good for more than a decade, so this incident does not break new ground. Rather, the main concern that I expressed to your reporter, which unfortunately was not conveyed, was that Singaporeans seem to be turning to the police as an automatic response to offensive speech.

While this is their right, the cumulative effect is surely unsustainable. Better to rely on the police only against hate speech that instigates imminent violence. Wikipedia can be edited by anyone, so netizens who spot offensive or inaccurate content should simply clean it up themselves.

Indeed, the junior college’s entry was corrected by users even before The Straits Times report appeared. Netizens can also speak out to marginalise offensive speech.

Thus, instead of going into a moral panic, we should promote media literacy and community response when dealing with offensive speech. Constantly relying on police action is a sign of helplessness, not strength. If we believe in Singapore’s core values, we should be ready to defend them ourselves.

Associate Professor Cherian George

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I have to agree, sometimes we can’t expect the police to do everything (but I have always had the tendency to be a vigilante). But the last time I called the police to report on offensive speech, it was part of a bigger plan to sue the other party. The police report is not an end in itself. It is always important to know the law because there are a lot of people out there who do and they know the loopholes so that they can use them in unscrupulous ways. You need to know the law to protect yourself.

I contacted the HR department of my employer to find out when my bond officially ends. A couple of friends had done so many months ago. One broke into a spate of vulgarities upon hearing the ‘misinformation’ (according to him) while one broke down and cried non-stop (according to her). I broke into a laughing fit. Thankfully this was over email. So I replied with the knowledge of the relevant clauses on my contract and am waiting for their response tomorrow. Everyone should attempt to write in clear and unambiguous language so that you yourself will not be confused.

What an expensive car! No wonder Audi drivers are snobs! If they can afford an Audi, they can afford a roll of COE’s like how we can all afford an attractively priced roll of toilet paper at some public toilets. By the way, in case you are wondering, this advertisement was put up by Audi, not Audi’s competitors in an attempt to mock their pricing policy.

Oh wait, I think Audi meant to say that the COE is indeed expensive, but considering the magnificence of the car, the COE is worth it.

(If anyone from Audi is reading this, please consider hiring me for future ad-writing. According to my calculation, my bond unofficially [as yet] runs out in a few days’ time!)

Check out this clip–there’s a lot of action in these toys (this is not Toy Story by the way):  

(I chanced upon this here: http://thatspunny.blogspot.com/2010/05/wuthering-hype.html)

Speaking of toys, newspapers, puns, fun and buns, I guess the appropriate way to end this post is this:

Gender play!

Let’s kill cute little creatures for food

This article set me thinking of a few things–Taboo, what we eat and the process of eating, and where censorship lies in a democracy.

Row over dolphin film

Jun 12, 2010 (ST)Tokyo – Controversy over The Cove, an Oscar-winning documentary about the annual dolphin hunt in a Japanese village, has widened into a debate over free speech in the country.Three theatres last week cancelled screenings after they were swamped with angry phone calls and threatened with noisy protests by nationalist groups. It was banned on a United States military base in Japan as too controversial, and 23 other theatres are still deciding whether to show the film, said Japanese distributor Unplugged. After the cancellations, a group of Japanese journalists, academics and film directors signed a letter urging the theatres not to back down and saying the issue ‘underlines the weakness of freedom of speech in Japan’. Freedom of speech is guaranteed in Japan’s constitution, but many Japanese are wary of unruly demonstrations. On Wednesday, over 600 people crammed into a civic hall in Tokyo for a rare chance to see The Cove, with lines forming hours before the doors opened and viewers spilling out into the lobby to watch via a video feed. Outside of small private showings, it was the first time the movie has been screened in Japan since October, when it was shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival. The event had originally been planned to discuss the movie, which shows bloody scenes of a dolphin slaughter filmed by hidden cameras and portrays local fishermen as rough goons. But instead the event focused on the theatre cancellations, reflecting the changing debate around the film. ‘Protesters only threatened to do bad things, and then theatres got scared and pulled out,’ said Mr Hiroyuki Shinoda, chief editor of Tsukuru magazine, which organised the showing. Mr Shinoda, who signed the protest letter last week, urged those present to contact theatres and ask that the movie be shown. Right-wing groups consider the movie to be anti-Japanese, saying that dolphin hunts occur in other parts of the world and that any portrayal of animals being slaughtered for food would be bloody and unpleasant to watch. In Taiji village where the hunt occurs, the local government and fishing cooperative defend dolphin hunting as a local custom with a long history. Associated Press

It seems like China and Singapore, and some other countries who censor politically or socially disturbing films and materials, are not the only countries who feel the need to control what the mass gets. But this isn’t a foregone conclusion yet as the Japanese are still debating over it. This is one bloody show that will churn in your stomach the meat you ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Will people who watched the film sympathise with the plight of the dolphins and think the same of chickens or cows or pigs or other creatures? Why is it fine to eat some animals and not others? Is it fair to argue that some animals are smarter than others so they deserve to be spared?

And who remember the Scandinavians who hunt and eat sharks from an episode of Taboo (albeit rotten ones)?

Anyhow, I thought this line from a song sounds familiar! I came up with that observation some time ago, but it is gladdening (or sickening) to know that this isn’t just happening in Singapore (if you would trust such songs to convey any real social commentary!)

Eatin’ at McDonald’s because Subway is pricey – Spose’s I’m Awesome

For the record, Burger King’s got really good deals now at just S$4.95!

And here are more irrelevant lyrics from that song (the non-vulgar parts):

i’m drivin around in my mom’s ride
i’m awsome!!!
a quarter of my life gone by and
i met all my friends online

i can’t afford to buy eight ball
and i talk to myself
on my facebook wall

futher more i’m cornier than ethynol
cheesier than provolone

Justice and Video should marry

Well, not quite yet at the World Cup 2010, but I’m pretty sure there will come a match where the age-old argument will rise again when one team cries “injustice”.

But currently Mexico trails 0-1 to South Africa. Too bad Mandela had to attend his great granddaughter’s funeral: she was killed on the roads while travelling home from the World Cup concert.

GOAL!!! The Mexican Marquez from Barcelona has equalised!!!!!

…The World Cup is a celebration of soccer as the great equaliser – John Carlin (TIME, June 14-21, 2010)

Well, back to serious stuff. I think Small Claims Tribunal has been hiring one too many freaking jokers as law consultants. Well, sue me for saying this, but yet another stranger had another bad encounter with these supposedly fair and just officers of the law. If only there were video-evidence of such anathema to justice.

And when I was on my way back from my regular June jog, I heard a bunch of young motorists discussing how to bribe inspection officers (in Singapore) with regard to their modifications.

But seriously, back to serious stuff: the World Cup. It’ll be interesting to see what Spain–or, dare I say this, Catalonia?–does:

A Team United Has Fans Divided

By Bobby Ghosh / Barcelona (Jun 3, 2010)

Forty-five million Spaniards drew a collective breath at the news on May 2 that Xavi, the playmaking genius of FC Barcelona, was carrying an injury that might prevent him from playing in South Africa this summer for Spain’s national team. His club coach said Xavi, 30, had a 3-cm rip just above his left calf muscle; if aggravated, the tear would require surgery, ruling him out of the World Cup. But with the Spanish league in its final stretch and Barça needing victories to stay ahead of archrival Real Madrid, Xavi opted to keep playing. “He is committed to this club,” coach Pep Guardiola said at a press conference. “He is an example for everyone.”

Not everyone was pleased by Xavi’s devotion to his club. “I thought to myself, We don’t need him to be an example. We just need him to be fit for South Africa,” says Sergio Soto, a pharmacist’s assistant in Madrid. “Because without Xavi, our World Cup dream is finished.”

Spain had to wait a nerve-racking week before it could breathe easy. Xavi (few fans know his full name: Xavier Hernández i Creus) played his last game of the season for his club on May 8 and emerged without further injury. Speaking to TIME shortly afterward at Barça’s training complex outside the city, Xavi says his countrymen needn’t have been on tenterhooks. “I know my own body,” he says. “People all over Spain were worried, but I’m all right.”

It’s not unusual for soccer-crazed nations to get exercised over the well-being of their star players — all of England winced at Wayne Rooney’s groin strain, and Germany felt the pain of the egregious tackle that ended Michael Ballack’s Cup hopes. But Spain’s agonizing over Xavi tells a deeper story, one of soccer rising above politics and bridging ancient divides.

Xavi is from Catalonia, the northeastern province washed by the Mediterranean that historically has had an uneasy relationship with the rest of Spain. Many Catalans see themselves as a separate nation and dream of independence. They speak their own language, Catalan, which sounds to the untrained ear like an admixture of Spanish, French and Portuguese. And like their Basque neighbors, they have a culture and history that have been often at odds with those of other regions of Spain. During the Franco dictatorship, authorities in Madrid sought to stamp out the Catalan identity, often by bloody force. The dictator favored Real Madrid, sowing the seeds for one of soccer’s most bitter rivalries.

In turn, many Spaniards have long regarded Catalans with distrust. In soccer, that translates into a frostiness toward Catalan players, a suspicion that they don’t play for the national colors with the same enthusiasm as they do for FC Barcelona, a club so closely linked to the Catalan identity that its crest includes the Catalan flag. Barça’s slogan, “Més que un club” (More than a club), hints at its political role. Some Spaniards blame generations of Catalan players for the fact that the national team has never won the World Cup despite fielding world-beating talent every four years. During the 2006 Cup, Spain flamed out to France even before the quarterfinals.

And yet in South Africa this year, the hopes of the Spanish national team — known as La Furia Roja, or the Red Fury — rest on a group of Catalan players: Xavi, Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Busquets in midfield and Carles Puyol and Gerard Piqué in defense. (Goaltender Victor Valdés is also on the squad bound for South Africa, along with three non-Catalan players from Barça: Andrés Iniesta, Pedro Rodríguez and the club’s latest signing, David Villa.) The Catalan contingent, products of Barça’s vaunted youth system, has helped the national team sweep all before it in the past four years, becoming European champions and flying up the FIFA national rankings from 12th to first, before being overtaken by Brazil. Now, thanks to the Catalan stars, La Furia Roja will travel to South Africa as favorites to win the tournament. “Catalan players do their best in the national team, and we are proving that,” says Piqué, 23.

In that time span, Barça has won three Spanish league titles and two European championships. “This is Catalonia’s golden generation of players,” says Marc Ingla, a former marketing chief at Barça and a candidate for the club’s presidency in elections this month. “Both the club and the country have benefited from these riches.”

For the players, the distinction is unimportant. “A footballer doesn’t understand politics. What he wants to do is win,” says Xavi. Says Piqué: “As a player, your dream is to play in the national shirt and defend it against the world.”

But Xavi and company can’t expect all their fellow Catalans to see it that way. For some Barça fans, the only “national” team is a collection of Catalan all-stars that plays occasional exhibition games in the region’s colors. “One day we will send a Catalan team to the World Cup,” says Xavier, a university student who refused to give his last name. “Until that day, that tournament means nothing to me.”

That sentiment is shared by the club’s top official. Joan Laporta’s highly successful seven-year presidency at Barça ends this month. He and Ingla have done more to turn the club into an international soccer powerhouse, with an annual budget in excess of $500 million and hundreds of millions of fans around the globe. “Barça belongs to the world,” says Laporta. “Barça is Japanese, it’s African, it’s American.” But is it Spanish? Laporta pauses for thought, then shrugs. “I have no emotion for the [Spanish] national team,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if six of my players are in it.” Some divides not even soccer can bridge.

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Well, some things just aren’t meant to be. Some might say (as Oasis’s song goes) that we will find a brighter day. Good luck to Spain and Catalonia for the long haul! But some people are just not meant to be together, like the Oasis brothers.

Revoking the Marriage License

By Belinda Luscombe (TIME, May 3, 2010)

Barring a last-minute reconciliation, Larry King is about to get unhitched for the eighth time. This despite the fact that his wife, Shawn Southwick, is 26 years younger and about a foot taller than he is. In other words, a perfect match. Nevertheless, it seems likely that the ex–Mrs. King club will soon welcome its seventh member — only seven, because one of the Mrs. Kings served two tours. And Mr. King will be back in the dating pool.

Losing a life partner or two could happen to anyone, but going through seven requires some effort. The vast majority of Americans — about 97% — wimp out and do not wed more than three times. As an octospouse, the 76-year-old King is in rarefied company. Elizabeth Taylor has also hatched and dispatched eight unions. (Recent reports of a ninth have proved erroneous.) So has Mickey Rooney. Zsa Zsa Gabor has been married nine times. William Shatner has an impressive number of exes, as do Billy Bob Thornton and Joan Collins. Like news anchoring, the field of extreme spouse collecting is dominated by women who were once considered very good-looking and men who almost never were.

The official record holder until recently, it’s gratifying to note, was not a celebrity. The late Linda Wolfe of Indiana had 23 ex-husbands, although she admitted she married the last one as a publicity stunt. The other 22 were thus completely, totally genuine and heartfelt, and when last contacted by the press, Wolfe said she wouldn’t mind marrying again. She was hoping for a straight man; on the two occasions she married a gay guy, it didn’t take.

All of which raises the question: How many marriages are too many? Statistics show that more second marriages break up than first ones and more third marriages — about 75% — break up than second ones. Given that trajectory, shouldn’t a referee step in after the third or fourth and suspend play for the good of all?

In no other area of life can grown people flame out so often and so badly and still get official permission to go ahead and do the same thing again. If your driving is hazardous to those around you, your license is suspended. Fail too many courses at college, and you’ll get kicked out. You can lose your medical or law license for a single infraction. Stock analyst Henry Blodgett was prohibited from trading securities forever for publicly saying things he knew weren’t true. So why do people who are committed vows abusers keep getting handed marriage licenses at city hall? If batters and violent offenders get only three strikes, why should bad spouses get more?

Of course, a lot of people will say this is nobody’s business but the bride and groom’s. Plus, it’s natural. Evolution favors the alpha-male serial monogamist who bonds with a mate until she gets old and is replaced by a more fertile one. Other primates change partners all the time. But other primates also practice infanticide and poop throwing, and we’re not about to sanction either of those. So why are we complicit in allowing people to make big public promises they have demonstrated a chronic inability to keep? When we pore over their wedding pictures in People, it’s as enabling as installing a fun-house mirror in the bathroom of an anorexic.

It’s not that the multiple marriers want to get divorced or hate marriage. It’s that they like it too much, even though it’s not good for them. So perhaps applicants for, say, a fifth marriage license should be required to get therapy. Obsessive clean freaks, for example, are trained to touch something dirty and then wait increasingly long intervals before they wash. Someone like King could be introduced to a tall blonde and then be made to wait 10 minutes before proposing. From there, he could work up to a full hour.

Marital addicts might also be issued a patch, like those that smokers trying to quit use. Instead of delivering a diminishing supply of nicotine, the Matrimonial Rough Patch™ could simulate the emotions of being hitched. After an initial euphoric bonding period, wearers would start to feel irritable, misunderstood and then taken for granted and vaguely repulsed — the entire nuptial cycle, and nobody needs a lawyer.

Then again, perhaps we should just leave the serial splitters alone. There’s a little of Liz and Larry and Linda in every couple; we are all occasionally convinced that we married the wrong person. If King has taught us anything — I mean anything apart from how to wear suspenders with a straight face — it’s that there are plenty of people to marry. The real question is whether you can make it work with the one you end up with.

And if you can’t, well, don’t feel too bad. Especially if you like guys who know the value of a lasting talk show.

When you hurt your best friend…

I really wonder what will happen next. Perhaps now, there’s something else that China can remember on June 4 besides (or instead of) Tiananmen. I just caught this news on TV, actually:

Beijing says North Korea killed three Chinese at border

(Reuters) – China formally complained to Pyongyang, and the incident was being investigated, ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular news briefing in the Chinese capital.

“In the early morning on June 4, North Korea‘s border defense troops fired at some citizens of Dandong in Liaoning province, because they were suspected of illegally crossing the border to trade,” Qin said.

“Three people were killed, and one was wounded.”

Pyongyang has a heavily militarized southern border which sees occasional exchanges of fire, and a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier in 2008 while at a resort in the North.

But attacks on Chinese citizens are rare. The Sino-Korean border, in China’s northeast, is quiet and fairly porous, with a steady flow of refugees and traders coming over to escape food shortages or profit from them.

CROSS-BORDER TRAFFIC

Beijing tolerates the cross-border traffic in part because it is fearful that a collapse of the regime would turn that trickle into a flood, and could one day mean South Korean or even U.S. troops stationed on its border.

It also provides support including grains and energy for the shaky regime. The loss of Chinese life in the shooting may stir up discontent about Beijing’s policies toward its secretive neighbor, although it is unlikely to drastically change government policy.

Qin said China was seeking more information.

“The Chinese side have paid great attention to this incident, and immediately made solemn representations to the North Korean side. At present this case is in the process of being investigated and dealt with further,” Qin said.

Any further information would be released later, he added.

The deaths come at a time of high tension over the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, with the loss of 46 lives. After an international investigation, Seoul said Pyongyang had attacked the corvette Cheonan.

China, North Korea‘s biggest trade partner and only real ally, has declined to publicly join international condemnation of Pyongyang, saying it was still assessing the evidence.

But Beijing is in an awkward position, as the findings of the investigation have been accepted by its neighbors in the region, and South Korea has also referred the North to the U.N. Security Council, where China has a veto-wielding permanent seat.

China fought alongside the North against the United States and the South during the 1950-53 Korean War. (Reporting by Liu Zhen and Chris Buckley; Writing by Emma Graham-Harrison; Editing by Benjamin Kang Lim and Alex Richardson)

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6571W520100608

*

This reminds me of my previous post on Trois, with reference to the Chinese-looking woman. Now, some offence may be taken, especially when the aggressor is N.Korea and not me, particularly because if you’ve been friends for so long and your relationship runs deep, it’s difficult to imagine how you would make such a blunder.

They might be illegal traders, one may argue, but such activities had been carried out for a long time, so why the shooting now? Perhaps North Korea is trying to test the friendship, especially after the torped-sub incident. In any case, what’s the death of three Chinese to China? According to http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6731792.ece, which reported the estimation made by Amnesty International (Hong Kong)–since information on the statistics of the death penalty in China has always been classified information, “at least 1,718 people were executed in China in 2008”. That’s about four execution a day everyday for 365 days.

Talking about predictions and predicaments, I think McKoy Banos may be spared the rod for vandalism, especially with the admission of the SMRT staff that even they thought it’s an advertisement. Even the boy who uploaded the video (Ong You Yuan) on YouTube thought it was an advertisement: “…I thought it was for the Singapore Arts Festival.” (ST, June 5, 2010) Plus, McKoy Banos have street creed, unlike Michael Fay. However, for trespassing, they will likely be prosecuted still. Given the present context, I don’t think it’s caused much public nuisance. It’s not some vulgar graffiti, but certainly, if a rampant growth of graffiti on public facilities take root, it will become a problem. Like this:

That’s why people were worried and complained about these vandalised post-boxes previously. McKoy Banos might be inspired by this gimmick and they probably just aimed to “live life” and “take chances”. But McKoy Banos are not qualified for the Youth Olympic Games as they are over-age. Nevertheless, check out their work:

McKoy Banos in Singapore

My stand on this is that graffiti should have never been institutionalised. Graffiti breaks institutions and rules. By being incorporated by institutions, it sells out.

“The only creative thought one can have in an institution is how to get out.” – Oscar Wilde (?)

Trois by Compagnie Une de Plus at the Merlion Park

Just back from the street theatre performance by Compagnie Une de Plus at the Merlion Park. Both the 5pm run and 7pm runs were a demonstration of mathematical artistry married with artistic sacrifice!

The venue somehow reminded me of the Haw Par Villa I visited when I was a child with my parents, because there were just so many tourists taking picture of the Merlion that I thought the only way I could prevent them from reversing into me (I seemed to be invisible in the camera lens) was if I puked the Coke Light distributed to us free (for the 5pm show only). Then again, it’s just one type of tourists who’d caused me such slight discomfort.

The problem with taking photographs or video-shots of any live performance is that you are suddenly detached from the show. I first experienced it at Singfest 08 and I was again reminded of the disjuncture when I tried to aim my camera for a first shot of the performance. I took only two shots of the 5pm show and decided to just focus on the moving and stirring performance, live.

Here’s the first shot of the 5pm performance. As you can guess, the azure sky provided no heat relief for the two Frenchmen in the puppet costumes. It wasn’t that hot, I think; I might be wrong as I just got out of my car parked at One Fullerton just in time for the performance (I was almost late, thanks to all the roadworks at Cecil Street).

There they are, at the end of the 5pm performance–the two Frenchmen, red as lobsters (you can’t really see it here, but believe you me). It’s just one of those sacrifices they made for the sake of art! Bravo! (Yes, someone shouted “Bravo”; for me, I did the Ric Flair “Woo!” as recently popularised by Keane’s Spiralling. Subsequently or consequently, the crowd whistled. It didn’t really matter, because it’s the recognition that counts.)

For those of you who need a summary of the show, refer to http://www.singaporeartsfest.com/eventdetails?action=details&id=10 otherwise, continue reading this post for a narrative accompanying the shots of the 7pm show!

But first… time for my lunch at 6pm at Coffee Bean:

I was too hungry. My mouth moved faster than my cellphone camera lens for this shot–a half eaten bacon and cheese sandwich with a cuppa hot chocolate. Mmmm…

…Preparation for the 7pm performance.

…I think it’s pretty creepy to have the performance in front of an ancestral tablet of sorts.

…I’m not sure if the actor’s praying for all to go well in the last performance in Singapore, but he was certainly cooling himself with doses of water over his head. This is really a performance with risks, as the audience will soon find out. And let’s not forget his partner who’s already in the canvas!

…And here’s the third Frenchman, the stagehand, unveiling the canvas. The show’s about to begin. It’s about five to seven. (And for you Risk Assessment Management freaks out there, here’s one for you–I don’t think they did one but please don’t find trouble with them because if things would go wrong, I’m sure all responsible artists will not find trouble with you.)

Have I mentioned there’s so much Mathematics and Science behind this artwork? Let’s talk about the props (ignoring the sound and lighting this time, but this doesn’t mean they are not important–in fact the sound was very important for the 5pm run because of the noisy brass band at the Esplanade and the lighting was obviously very important for the evening run!) The stacks of boxes taped to the ground were all strategically placed for a reason and you will soon know, while the boxes hanging by the centre pole a la baby mobile (remember this? http://www.americathegiftshop.com/default.aspx#/17) hold secrets, which will also be revealed later. The arms of the ‘baby mobile’ will rotate and the timing of the rotation has to be well-calculated and controlled or the actors’ positions will be hindered.

And so the story goes (at least that’s my interpretation!) As the baby mobile slowly spinned, the paper wrappers around the centre pole slowly unravelled to reveal a Marionette in white–a colour which signifies innocence. (Initially, at the 5pm show, I couldn’t tell it’s a man in a puppet costume.) The ‘baby’ stumbled down to the platform when all the ‘placenta’ was torn off, and the brown Marionette on stilts walked over caringly. (S)he removed two sticks from one of the boxes on the baby mobile and fixed them into a cross to form the rods for puppetry. The ‘parent’ reached out to the ‘infant’, and the ‘infant’ responded to the sways of the crossed rods. The parent ‘taught’ the ‘child’ the ways in life, guiding the child with the movements of the crossed rods, and the child moved along.

The parent saw the need for the ‘teen’ to socialise; perhaps a hint of what was lacking in the teen’s life is the visual fact that the other parent is missing from the frame altogether, so this may somehow be seen as a commentary on the trials and tribulations of living in a single-parent family.

Here’s where the excitement begins–audience participation! The stilted brown puppet sauntered to the audience and tried to select a ‘friend’–or a ‘soulmate’ (that’s my preferred interpretation and again, you will soon know why!)–for the teen, who’s sitting alone. It’s been tough on the actor trying to get a member from the audience to participate in this interactive performance. At this stage I must say I guessed what the blue mat in front of the performance could mean: besides serving as a seating area for the audience, it also symbolises your involvement in the performance. You, on the blue mat, are the direct audience while I, outside the blue mat, am the indirect audience–and so I fondly inferred from what I learnt from Prof Ismail Talib in NUS (whose daughter just graduated from my college!)

There’s nary a chance I would ever be selected. First, that distinction. Second, I’m a guy and I think there would be ‘problems with the authorities’ if any man was really chosen for the full duration of the participation of the performance. For the record, at the 7pm performance, a man was indeed picked by the puppeteer, but after some dalliance, the puppeteer ‘dropped’ him. That’s a nicely added scene to the story, because at the 5pm show, it was slightly different.

The puppeteer had difficulty picking a participant as most seemed lost by his intention with the crossed rods over their heads. It was rather hilarious at how detached (or clueless) they were especially since they were at the front row–but it’s perhaps not really their fault as they had to be concerned with their cameras and their real babies! (Such is the sacrifice of any parents that they can never truly fully be immersed in the world of imagination or risk becoming irresponsible parents [remember this? http://www.gamepolitics.com/2010/03/04/korean-parents-neglect-real-child-virtual-one].) When the crossed rods slowly arced over the head of a Chinese-looking woman, things got interesting. (I’m sorry, but I’m really not sure where she’s from! I can’t call her “Chinese” because if she’s Korean, I could be in trouble, knowing the history behind the two!)

So let’s just call her the 5pm woman. She’s really intelligent and game for the performance! I thought she was planted, but she’s ‘real’. And she played to the role, which was remarkable. Perhaps she knew how the story would go. The 5pm woman followed the ‘string commands’ of the parent, and made friends with the teen. She’s really in her elements, successfully bringing out the innuendoes with the way she caressed and kissed (the wooden mask on the white puppet!) I believe her involvement allowed the performance to pan out successfully and everything turned out cohesively.

The 7pm woman was picked randomly too, after the first participant returned to his spot on the mat. She was, to be frank, perhaps held back psychologically by her religion or by the thought of her husband, and she’s rather reluctant. I was looking at her husband for quite a while and he’s pretty encouraging. Perhaps she’s just shy or scared, because she really was scared of the actors!

It took her a while to be ‘pulled’ into the performance, and even when she seemed to enter the show, she suddenly snapped out of it, snapping the ‘strings’, essentially. The brown puppeteer had to engage her a few more times before she moved closer to the white puppet. With her glances cautiously fixed on the latter and on her husband, the 7pm woman sat next to the teen. When the teen tried to get close to her, she jumped away. She was frightened. The brief spell of flirtation, interesting, could be read as one of those uncertainties in the life of a lonely soul.

The teen approached her slowly and sincerely, and held her hand.

The handshake was followed by a mediaeval gentleman’s greeting (bringing the lady’s hand to his forehead after a kiss) before she retired.

Perhaps the parent, watching the interaction from a distance, wasn’t too pleased with the loneliness that s/he now felt; the teen might have strayed too far; the teen might now want the freedom to leave the shelter of the ‘roof’, or the ‘umbrella’, to venture into the blue. Perhaps, above all that, the parent just want to show some concern to the jilted ‘youth’, like all caring parents would. While the ‘young man’ was resting or reminiscing about that moment of abandon, the parent attempted to reconnect with him. The stilted puppet threw a line and hooked it onto the white puppet, and parent and son were now linked by this rope, symbolising the umbilical cord that they once shared.

The parent tried to lift the spirit of the young man, and s/he finally succeeded, but over the period of time, the attachment grew and it’s hard to let go.

The parent started to bind the young man to the centre pole–his ‘home’, and he was restrained by the tie that binds. When finally, by frustration, anger or carelessness, he resisted and pushed the parent away!

 (insert video here [how do I convert .3gp to some other format!?])

And that’s the climax.

The actor in the brown puppet costume took a free fall backwards. His position had to be precise and we’re so glad that he placed himself at the right spot (I’m not quite sure how the actors see through their masks) such that he landed in the heap of boxes strategically placed and taped close to the edge of the balcony of the Merlion Park. The calculation for the amount of cushioning required was rather amazingly precise!

The sound of the crash shocked everyone (I could hear the gasps at 5pm, but as I was capturing the scene on my cellphone for the 7pm performance, I was kind of removed from the crowd, but I thought the gasps were slightly muted–I might be wrong!)

The parent struggled. S/he’d half a life left. Maybe less. With the last breaths s/he wriggled out of the heap and closer to the young man. The young man, who had come to his senses and realised what he’d done, slowly and unsteadily wriggled free of his bondage and towards the body.

But it’s too late.

He was remorseful. If only he could turn back the hands of time.

He retreated to his home and he examined what was their home. He wished the sands of time could filter the hurt and undo his deed.

The sand leaked from one of the boxes hanging from the frame. (At the 5pm show, the frame rotated and that would signify the passing of time, but not at the 7pm show, perhaps ironically, they were running short on time and the frame did not rotate.) And the mournful white puppet slowly retreated further into his ‘room’. The puppet was now free.

As the sands of time flowed and years passed, the young man chanced upon an open-top box by his door. Something was peering through the box. It’s a baby! (Basically as the box with sand emptied, the weight difference caused a little puppet to be raised by rod on the other end of the frame.)

Yet another abandoned child. His child, one presumes. He would care for the child the way a parent would. The big white puppet took the little white puppet and showed him/her the way in life, the way he was taught by his parent. The little white puppet responded to every action of the big white puppet. And one fine day the ‘man’ took his child to his parent he killed, as if it would be a closure of his guilt and remorse.

The grandchild grieved along with the son.

And the two slowly retreated into the sunset.

Father and child looked across the river of sorrow and into a horizon that promises a new beginning with the past chapters closed.

THE END

*

Somehow this last scene reminds me of the last scene from Requiem for a Dream.

Anyhow, here are the Frenchmen who gave their all once again!

I must comment on the programme MC here. She’s done a rather decent job (at least she pronounced “Trois” correctly, which I couldn’t!) But what was more memorable was the fact that she had difficulty with the name of one of the sponsors–the URA–during the introduction of both performances! Do note that this is really not sarcasm. If you know the difficulty I had with the URA, you will now what I mean. (For the record, I still keep the ridiculous email reply sent by a machine/human working at the URA parking offence division over the appeal for my $6 fine.) So I was rather pleased inside that the Urban Re-re-er-duh-de-development Authority was butchered.

But I also sincerely thank them for sponsoring this event–and other shows at this Singapore Arts Festival–so that more people could have access to them!

And here’s the last shot for this very lengthy post!

Lots of people jostling for a picture-perfect moment with the two actors. I think it’s good for the actors to receive such warm reception from people who had or had not understood the show. It’s one of those after-performance antics that members of an audience exhibit that rouses the tired body and mind of the entertainers.

Good night everyone. It’s now 2.22am!

Important Intermission

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