The Overpass

Lebanese oud player, composer, and band leader Rabih Abou-Khalil has long been a favourite of mine. His work marries traditional Middle East forms with Western jazz ones. His music pulsates, drives listeners into an Arabian mysticism that conjures familiar phrasings whilst taking them on explorative journeys shaped by eerily-simple or bafflingly-complex singular voices that rise out of the tight, collectively expressed themes. 

Seeing one of his larger ensembles live, which included trumpetist Kenny Wheeler and bassist Steve Swallow, remains one of the more memorable concerts I've attended out of the thousand+ experienced, this also being true for the centuries-old musical tradition embodied in the Moroccan trance music of the Master Musicians of Jajouka. Music that liberates. Profoundly.   

The album I'd like to draw your attention to, his 2007 Songs for Sad Women, features a stripped down ensemble of only four musicians, with Rabih Abou-Khalil on oud, Gevorg Dabaghyan on duduk, Michel Godard on serpent, and Jarrod Cagwin playing standard and frame drums.

The whole album is worth a listen—as for the rest of his discography—but it's the chart titled "Mourir pour ton décolleté" I wish to share.

In this particular piece, it's the duduk voicing that gets me (starts at ≅ 3:35); it's absolutely hauntingly beautiful. It has a way of reaching inside me, completely disharming me, making my heart swell with a generalized sense of melancholia that manages to simultaneously fill me with a deep sadness and joy.  

French avant-garde jazz and classical music tubist, Michel Godard, adds an important, resonant layer, playing the tuba's precursor on this album, a serpent, named as such for its—you guessed it—serpentine shape.   

No matter how many times I've heard it, I still get goosebumps.

Music so beautiful it hurts to hear it.

Anouar Brahem's 1998 Thimar, with jazz greats Dave Holland and John Surman, is another such album.

If I'm not mistaken, the duduk air is from a traditional, folk wedding song. I'm pretty sure I've a source recording in my archives that dates from the 1930s, but I wasn't able to locate it quickly, and if I dive too deep, I'm not coming out of there for hours and I've things to do and prepare...

The album is a type of protest against the regional radicalization that saw women's rights being reduced, including the right to dispose of their bodies and to dress as they wish. The title, "Mourir pour ton décolleté" directly translates to "Dying for Your Cleavage", which is to be understood as "dying for your slightly unbuttoned shirt."

Given the times and the events in the region, nothing seems more appropriate: 

Guitarist Bill Frisell in concert with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston.

I'm a huge fan of Frisell's music and ingenuity, his careful phrasings, and improvisational skills; his live looping techniques and solo works are entirely responsible for my guitar hobby. He's also opened up a tonal dynamic previously not expanded on through plectrum instruments, and creates rich tapestries and atmospheres that make it equally valid to describe him as a sonic sculptor, but all's done gimmick free. Pure self expression, heartfelt and honest.

Times have changed, and digital led to an oversaturation, but those in the know will be hard pressed to disagree: Frisell is our time's Miles Davis, his contribution to the world of music is immense, having inspired countless musicians (Eddy Vedder of Pearl Jam names him as his greatest influence, for one) and a slew of emulators. But there's only one Frisell.

He's also the musician that's most in demand; you've probably heard him play on one album or another without being aware.  

I never tire of hearing him play. I've been following his career for 30 years now, had the pleasure of seeing him live nine times, and with 118 albums with him as leader (studio and live recordings) or on which he's featured, he's actually in second place for the artist I've the most albums of (John Zorn comes first, Fred Frith third; there's a fair bit of overlap between the three, though, Zorn's wildly avant-garde, quick-change Naked City, along with Wayne Horvitz and Joey Baron being my entry point to these musicians).        

He has a knack for surrounding himself with superbly expressive musicians that just "get" his music, whether his own compositions, of which there are many, or the various covers he's made a part of his 'standards', this being true across the various ensemble sizes he leads.

I was deeply disappointed when he moved away from his original trio with Kermit Driscoll and Joey Baron (what became of Driscoll is sad; wonder if he's still in jail), but Tony Scherr and Kenny Wolleson brought a different dimension that saw me being disappointed to see a gradual transition toward Morgan and Royston. But they, too, bring a different dimension. Royston—his snare work is something else—brings Baron's angular accents to Wollesen's lyricism.

And no matter how many versions of the same tune I've heard Frisell and band play, each one offers a unique experience. That's because Frisell, along with those he includes in his projects, all seem to excel in one area, this being what makes all the difference: listening. He doesn't force musicians to play his music, his way; the charts played merely serve as common ground for the musical exchange and conversation taking place, personalities and moods, the musicians' and crowd's, all factoring in.

Listened to this concert four times already; probably will listen to it again. Felt like sharing it.

The second half is sure to be more interesting if not a jazz fan, in which case I'd recommend starting at around 48 mins, and to then expand your listening range, moving away from that electronic-drenched, pop garbage.

His take of Burt Bacharach's "What the World Needs Now is Love" (near end) is simply gorgeous. And the "You Only Live Twice" Bond theme encore managed to surprise me.

Hope you enjoy.

A collection of some of the grabs I've amassed that, unquestionably, present some of the propaganda that was shamelessly repeated since 24-Feb-2023.

Plenty more. I'll probably post more, including "nuclear war threats."

It really is sad to see how obsessive and incompetent the Indian mainstream media are.

And mean and petty, too, along with single-minded, and disturbingly dishonest?

They really do sicken me at times. Their whole attitude and handling of news… it enrages me so profoundly.

And this is one of those times, mostly because it concerns a topic on which, if Indian, then, screw the facts and down with good sense! Jump to conclusions, yet again, and do spread hate and BS and do harm to others and be arrogant enough to think that India is offering better and a true option, then dare say something as insulting and asinine as: “It’s about time; the Chinese need to be called out and the world needs to see how they debt-trap countries and destroy economies.”

Holy-effen-Christ are you people ever dense and idiotic when you wanna be!

Or just devoid of certain morals and values but who cares? For all’s fair in hate n' war? Or is that ‘love of war’?

How about you try doing your friggin’ job for a change?! Like actual reporters, not members of an anti-neighbour pro-hate gang that automatically parrots manufactured puff and stamps a conclusion that isn’t offered by facts, but, since it’s the lie that's always been told and repeated… and—this is so exciting—it may be the truth this time! This time! It feels so right so it’s gotta be! The proof is there: Chinese debt trap!

Sigh.

Indian news media. They start off with hate and propaganda, then find the news story, as they clearly tend to work backwards, selecting details to fit their hatred, piecing together those that will provide the story they wanted to tell from the start rather than doing their job and setting their hate and biases aside long enough to act like a professional while “on duty”.

We know you hate the Chinese! We know you love spreading Chinese hatred and will make up lies to have an excuse to do so. And we know you feel the same about Pakistanis.

China and PAK. They turn Indians into all kinds of pathetic that flips their ‘crazy, devious, and dreadful’ switch to “on”.

There isn’t one good thing that can be said about any of that considering all the idiocy it fuels which, in turn, justifies even greater idiocy that sees success and greatness in forcing outdated paradigms on the globe. Otherwise, how will anyone know how great they are, ‘cause that’s what counts! Can’t keep boasting about one’s economy if the metrics and scales change and hob-knobbing with #1 suddenly loses all its grandeur and prestige. Because the government that screwed the world and killed the most is just an annoying acquaintance if it can’t keep on doing those? And what, then, is the use of being close to Washington if the Indians can’t flaunt their bestest-ever 2+2 BFFs to Beijing, showing off the bouquet of missiles they brought and see Xi turn blue with envy—Biden and Kamala are the best! So much fun—and who else is there that cares about India enough to exploit it and take advantage of the country in order to help it take down the sleazy neighbour?

There’s no stronger love than a hate that’s shared. And all the damage it does, which, when examined properly, makes the mainstream media people and the hate-bandwagon band bigger terrorists than many they readily label as such.

I'm just ranting. Needed to. At the heart is this story, below, that appeared in the NYT on 12-Nov-2023; it follows this one from 16-Oct-2023: "China Got a Big Contract. Nepal Got Debt and a Pricey Airport."

I don't feel like hashing through all the details so I'll just provide the bullet points and additional references should you need more to be satisfied.

Nepal has wanted an airport in Pokhara since the 1970s as the government was certain that this would boost its economy tremendously.

Nepal, one of the poorest countries in Asia, had sought to build an international airport in Pokhara since the 1970s in the hopes of turning the city into a tourist destination. The airport held a deep significance for Nepali officials, who hailed it as a “national pride” project because it was seen as a gateway to one of its most famous landmarks — the Himalayas.

They approached China and a deal was made. The Nepalese government had signed a USD $215.96 million soft loan agreement with China in March 2016 for the construction of the new airport in the lake city.

On 1-Jan-2023, Prime Minister 'Prachanda' unveiled a plaque marking the official inauguration of the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA).

All were happy, officials gave a speech. And, on record, the Chinese official mentions a few times " flagship project of Nepal-China Belt and Road Initiative" and slight variations of; it's clear that the Chinese were considering this a part of their BRI project.

The two countries had also agreed on additional developments, with at least five of nine of the original projects still being in the plans and works; a Chinese team was already there for the feasibility study & survey of a China-Nepal Cross-Border Railway. 

Meanwhile, Gandaki Province Chief Minister Krishna Chandra Pokharel "urged the Chinese government to transform the loan it provided for the Pokhara airport construction project into grants."

"I urge the government of China through the Chinese Embassy here to convert 75 per cent of the total loan into grants," he said.

On 12-Jul-2023, Nepal Foreign Minister NP Saud decided to reject the claims of the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal that an airport had been built under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Nepal.

"FM Saud rejected the claims while addressing the International Relations and Tourism Committee stating the BRI project hasn't been put into action in Nepal." He feels trapped... were they being fooled and exploited? Oh, my! 

In other words, Saud is playing the Chinese for fools, having suddenly decided that what was said several times months ago wasn't really so... and by the way, let's talk about turning this into grants, not a loan, shall we?

Beijing didn't agree; it sees no reason to simply give that money away, which Nepal wanted, agreed to, and signed the contract. And gimme a goddamn break about China forcing a useless airport on Nepal just to suck it in its trap. Is every bank that provided a loan to a business that failed an evil Chinese-wannabe-debt-trapper?!

Get your heads out of your asses and think like a news person and reporter, not a petty neighbour, perhaps? 

The airport has failed to attract any regular international flights, raising concerns about whether it will generate enough revenue to repay loans to its Chinese lenders. Nepali officials have asked Beijing to change the loans into a grant to ease the financial burden, but China has not agreed to do so.

In comes the "anti-corruption" squad and the "quality standards" people... and it seems pretty damn clear that it's a shake down. A major US periodical being suddenly interested in an airport, spotting "quality issues" and deciding to spark an anti-corruption investigation in the Nepalese, which the US has been working hard to get a footing in, its USAID NGO causing all sorts of tensions and brewing trouble. Which reminds me: the US has already been stirring crap in Bangladesh for their elections; told ya.

They have nothing yet; investigating. No accusations. But the Indians sure did bite the hook. Just them it seems, in fact.

Bhola Dahal, a spokesman for the anti-corruption agency, confirmed that an investigation into the airport was underway but declined to elaborate, noting that it was still in the preliminary stages. He said the agency had started the investigation in response to a complaint about irregularities with the project. 

These two paragraphs below, several ones apart, are from the 12-Nov NYT piece; they're a dead giveaway that this is all part of a ploy to discredit China and the BRI, which is typical of the US:

The investigation is the latest black eye for China’s overseas infrastructure projects, which face criticism for costly and poor-quality construction that leaves borrower countries awash in debt. Beijing has declared the Pokhara airport the “flagship project” of its Belt and Road Initiative with Nepal.

There is a growing mistrust among countries struggling to repay debts to China. Sri Lanka was forced to hand over a deepwater port to China when it could not repay its loans. Around 30 percent of Pakistan’s foreign debt is owed to China, a figure that has climbed with the building of a $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. In Malaysia, an $11 billion rail link was halted until a Chinese contractor agreed to slash the project’s costs.

Kinda sick and tired of repeating aspects of the BRI to refute stupid lies pushed to help the Western neocolonial economy munchers that have done exponentially more harm to the Global South and the entire globe yet get a pass while the hate-filled Indian propagandists skip over honest research and hard facts to spend more time hunting down the lies manufactured by Western think tanks for Western bankers in order to attack the Chinese and the "global project" framework they offered for all rich nations to partake in, to help the rest so all can grow, because that's the effort worth destroying?!

China seized the assets of poor nations in Africa; China is a predatory monster; China is secretly spreading its military infrastructure; China is imperialist, eating up countries with debt traps... And Sri Lanka... wow! Hard to respect the Indian government on their play there or the amount of West-Ass-licking BSing they showed themselves willing to do, for there's no bad in doing harm to creep a few points closer to the millions more needed to catch up with China!

Something mentally wrong with that kind of behaviour, is my guess, all the more so given the gloves-on treatment Modi and his Mob expect and demand.

The Rajapaksa fiasco became so because of poor choices and corruption, but it's actually all the Western bonds and IMF loans that killed the country long ago, the interest on the debt it was forced to service for the WEST grew faster and bigger than their entire economy. Part of a well-documented plan to subjugate the Global South and keep the West rich, and these are the institutions that Indians seem to care for as they crap on the Chinese but fail to realize that India follows the same shitty Western model, making any of its development projects and loans way worse than China's and far more likely to end in a debt trap.

So, are Indians that pathetic yet so depraved but filled with unrealised Chinese hatred that, somehow, turns nastiness and lies into good, moral competitive practises that India can feel good and proud about? Life; it's not about the journey and hard work, it's about crushing the XI, the CPC, and the Chinese, too?

Regarding Sri Lanka (need more; I got):

Instead, a 70 percent stake of the port was leased to China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CM Port) for 99 years for $1.12 billion. This $1.12 billion, however, was not used to pay off the debt obtained to construct the port. This significant dollar inflow was used to strengthen the country’s foreign reserves and make some short-term foreign debt repayments. To be precise, it is fair to say that the money earned from the Hambantota port deal was largely used to cover balance of payment (BOP) issues resulting largely from the soaring debt servicing cost while Sri Lanka’s export and FDI inflow growth remain sluggish.

In August 2017, Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers took a decision to sign a concession agreement with CM Port to operate the Hambantota Port as a Private Public Partnership (PPP) project under which a 70 percent stake of the port is leased to CM Port. The remaining 30 percent of the stake is owned by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and the commercial operations of the port are handled by the CM Port and the SLPA jointly while the government of Sri Lanka still owns the port. At the time of entering into the lease agreement, Hambantota Port was valued at $1.4 billion and CM Port invested $1.12 billion as per the terms of the agreement.

A common and popular myth is that Sri Lanka was unable to pay off the loan obtained to construct the port, thus it was handed over to China. However, by the time the Sri Lankan government entered into the agreement with CM Port to lease Hambantota port, the debt servicing cost pertaining to the loans obtained from China Exim bank to construct the port did not amount to much. Those loan installments (including interest) amounted to less than 5 percent of Sri Lanka’s total foreign debt repayments. Furthermore, loan repayments pertaining to the second phase of the Hambantota port project were yet to start at the time. A more serious concern pertaining to foreign debt servicing cost was the maturity of sovereign bonds, which amounted to more than 40 percent of the total debt servicing payments in 2019. (Source)

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News of Gonzalo Lira has finally been received after he'd disappeared roughly three months ago, following his arrest by Ukraine's SBU.

Lira posted three brief videos and Tweeted a cryptic status update that alluded to an escape out of Ukraine, seeking political asylum in Hungary; he was roughly five kilometres from the Hungarian border when he'd filmed his first video, doing so to offer a record of events should things not quite play out the way Lira was betting on, for he'd now be an escapee rather than a refugee, but he was working under the assumption that his "escape" was the unstated conclusion that Kyiv was, in fact, hoping for.

Surprisingly, probably due to some pressure having been applied by citizens, the US State Dept did involve itself in Lira's case, but, from what we can deduce, only doing so by 'going through the motions', doing the bare minimum paper shuffling to avoid reproach while claiming they were doing their best. Still, this is more than many had anticipated.  However, this could have been resolved with a call to Kyiv, not Moscow, so, please, one phone call is absolutely all that this case should have needed to have Lira freed, Ukraine booting him out the country permanently, putting him on a plane back home.  

On the other hand, having dual US-Chile citizenships, the Chilean ministry is said to have "tried to move heaven and earth" to get Lira released.

Lira claims having undergone torture and asserts having been blackmailed into making certain admissions; the Kyiv regime has charged him with a list of crimes that equate publicly opining on known aspects of the Russo-Ukraine war as being particularly treasonous and anti-Ukrainian given that his views weren't—you guessed it—favourable to Kyiv.

In an odd turn that saw Lira test his chance as he hoped he'd understood the unstated, he hopped on his motorcycle and headed for the border...

Nope. The 'escape' part didn't include breaking out of jail. Lira was released on bail, but the Ukrainians sorta goofed on the monitoring bracelet and, oops, sorta gave him his passports back... but he better be there at his trial in a few days so he can face the big trouble he's in.

Either this is Kyiv's way of "getting rid" of him due to some pressure—he's not worth the trouble—though without actually releasing him, or they're setting him up, counting on Lira wanting to leave the country ASAP. Hence why he's hoping to receive political asylum from Hungary, rather than another European country, as Kyiv is bound to make trouble for him so long as there's an "escapee" status hanging over his head.

I wonder what's happening with his wife and kids?

Rumour is that Victoria Nuland may have helped direct the SBU's attention toward Lira, perhaps motivating an arrest, if not having hindered his speedy release; this is pure speculation, this conclusion, advanced by some, is based on a comment made by Lira.

Conservative activist Charlie Kirks' rightwing-uniting, political-fireworks machine, Turning Point USA, held another one of its bi-annual rallies this past weekend.

Republicans are far more adept at solidifying a slogan and uniting a base than the Dems, and TPUSA  now plays an important role toward that end, both with on-campus activism and the flashy, US-flag-imbued and Reagan-styled-patriotism-dripping affairs, where passionately anti-Dem speeches by known rightwing stars—from pundits to politicians to the time's cause-serving flavour-of-the-month—take the cadence of a sermon inspired by a Mussolinian interpretation of a Jerry Lewis comedy roast, such efforts aimed at attracting younger viewers whilst warning them of a 'lefty world' and impressing upon them the wondrous and free times that once were and can be, again, but the Dems have to be destroyed before they destroy America.

This iteration was branded "Turning Point Action", and the few speeches I did hear did vibrate with a message meant to inspire action, but one that intensified a fear-induced hatred that sapped out a metaphorical reading of "destroy" to mean "a humiliating defeat," all such figures of speech taking on a more ominous feel albeit one that can be easily denied despite the general hatred steeped in ignorance that's exploited to generate fear through the Culture War they're determined to see as an event that pits True America against Marxist-infiltrated America killers, rather than the gross, asinine exaggeration of an opportunistic GOP versus the vicious 'Woke' overswing made worse by opportunistic Dems.

Every decade for the past 100+ years has been marked by moral debates that see "good and wholesome" struggling to beat back "evil progressive decadence," these battles  always related to changes brought on by increased knowledge about the world and the life-altering technology that this allowed to be introduced into common, daily life. With that comes the mingling and influence of varied cultures, and the reshaping of social mores—marketing and corporations being the biggest culprits as concerns the latter. Thus the dominant culture and the national identity it gives shape to is sure to be challenged by the perceptions and desires of the younger generations who will find themselves in conflict with the imposed ways whose course leads them toward an unnecessarily bleak future, today's problems compounded to an impossible resolve. This usually skips one generation every fourth one.

The Dems exploit this aspect as part of their image, but, having become obsessed with wars, this is reflected domestically, having instigated a deeper divide and delivered a half-ass handling of social issues contributed plenty that provided the firm skeleton on which Republicans, MAGA ones particularly, fleshed out their new Culture War chapter.

Albeit I do agree that there are areas of concern that deserve greater scrutiny, many related topics are sure to strike a public debate, period; fighting that process is ridiculous, but what's opted for. Conversely, on the GOP side, framing these issues in a productive, non-politicized manner is what's needed, but not what's applied; the weaponization witnessed, based on anecdotes and outliers, quickly turn reprehensible their attitude should one remember that fellow Americans fighting for their right to 'be' is what's at the other end of the comic-book Cultural Commie Cult villain they've created in order to win elections.

Dan Bongino is one whose troubling tribal diatribe rested on a truly laughable interpretation of a foe that conflates a fictionalized understanding of "leftism" with outdated and ignorant stereotypes, mishmashing Progressives and communism and trans issues into reductive notions of Stalinism absorbed through Cold War propaganda, repeating the same incredibly stupid arguments that may work with the base he cultivates, but has me questioning what kind of mental deficiency produces such mindsets.

Yes, Dan, those who vote Dem want you to give your iPhone to Bob, who's too lazy to work and buy his own. It has nothing to do with shifting power toward workers and putting a halt to the beyond-incredibly abusive and unfair distribution that's blindly celebrated but achieved through highly-exploitative and destructive means of corporatized control, for whom social welfare is always an unquestioned guarantee... how to explain the last? I mean, without turning into a babbling Libertarian idiot sure to say "small" and "big" followed by "government" too many times without actually saying a damn thing.

You wanna call 'em grifters—and I'm sure that many are—but, no matter how absurd and off the wall some of the claims may be, the conviction appears to be genuine. However, public people adhering steadfast to a surface form and seeking only to validate that interpretation whilst promoting false, negative views that generate hate, "grifter" may not be the right word, but there's definitely lots of honesty lacking there.

By the way, Republicans are mostly responsible for the sorry state of schools, not CRT.

Bongino was let go from Fox News this spring, claiming an inability to successfully negotiate a new contract as the cause, stating that he held no ill-will against his former employer. In combination with Tucker Carlson's forced departure, I'm beginning to wonder whether his termination was related to a clean-up of sorts.

The last speaker I heard, Steve Bannon, is what tied together all the impressions from the bits I'd seen, Bannon's rage, his speech laden with white nationalist lingo, the clarion call that formalised actual war out of the cultural one. 

Carrying both threat and defiance, Bannon proclaimed Trump the unquestioned Republican nominee; the crowd roared. 

The moment crystalized the change that had occurred, the GOP no longer in charge of their party, the establishment Republicans bullied into stepping aside and remaining quiet, this split made visible through more freely expressed attacks aimed toward other conservatives. Those not fully dedicated to their MAGA leader.

DeSantis, having taken aim at Trump, has fallen out of favour. When asked to vote for a second-place choice, those present voted on the one that Charlie Kirk calls "Big Brown Swamee", Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

Nothing racist, "Big Brown" is all in good humour... That's my fear with Ramaswamy: he seems to be trying to be more conservative than traditional white conservatives in order to make up for that "Big Brown" aspect... that's used to identify him, hence, his success within that sphere relies on more hardline politics than those of traditional white conservatives, the racist moniker thus applied, and allowed, as jovial derision denoting a conditional form of acceptance.

Of interest, in link with the previous entry: All those present 95.8% replied with "No" to the question: Do you think that US should be involved in the Ukraine war?

By now, all should know better than to expect from the Progressives the kind of behaviour that matches all that they'd campaigned on, one that fits the label that they gladly decided to wear in order to gain popularity among younger voters, which is why every single anti-war effort voiced in recent times came from Republicans, Marjory Taylor Greene compensating for some passive Squad? 

Following Biden's decision to send cluster bombs, having none of the unbanned stuff left that could be sent, Rep. MTG had introduced a proposition to stop the US sending the controversial ammunition to Ukraine.

Cluster bombs detonate while in the air, scattering several smaller bombs. Problem with these are the wide areas that can be impacted by one bomb, the spread potentially killing or injuring indiscriminately while also delivering a high ratio of duds, which sit on the ground, unexploded, remaining lethal should they be disturbed. Like forgotten landmines, kids playing and stumbling on units slightly dug in or hidden in long grass...

Many countries have signed a treaty banning the use of cluster bombs, whose use isn't illegal, according to international law, though usage of such weapons nearly always produces conditions which are in themselves considered a war crime.

The result of the vote on whether the US should send cluster bombs was:

For those who get upset whenever the mention of Nazi-esque folks in Ukraine receives ridicule while an objective view of events earns one the moniker "Putin Lover"; for those who get deeply frustrated with the equivalency drawn between MAGA and "insurrectionist"; for every Latino who despises being labelled an "illegal alien"; for all Blacks who are deeply disappointed whenever "Whitey" refers to someone else (joke on that one), and for all those who, for whatever reason and whatever friction they may represent to the West, are tagged as "terrorists" and terminated if not dragged away without evidence or due process, locked up in Guantanamo in wait of a trial that may, several years from then, one day come...

Please trust me when I say that the whole "Khalistan terrorist" shtick is motivated by a genocidal-type of hatred and it exploits the same type of generalized vilification that triggers set social reactions deemed "proper", hence, reinforced by peer pressure, such as the examples mentioned. Many of you should spot the similarity between what you've witnessed and endured and what's being applied in the Sikhs' case.

I'm not asking you to take my word for it and to accept it as the truth, but, at the very least, to trust the veracity of my claim and to allow it to cancel out that which is claimed by New Delhi so that you may start from a more neutral place from which to assess the situation.

To clarify: During the Truckers' Protest, I wasn't willing to point out the Sikhs in Ottawa who were asking for donations because I was certain that the money would serve terrorist ends, but because these individuals were misrepresenting themselves to donors by abusing the case of a group of Sikhs truly in need. As such, I had the Sikhs' case in Montana in mind far more than I did those in Ottawa, while it's true that I was then more ignorant of the depth of the situation than I am now.

Below are two documents that provide broad strokes and non-Sikh-related references (like Amnesty) that provide a starting point for stats or other relevant info. The following, from the first doc, highlights that which should ring a bell:

According to Amnesty International,“the UAPA, India’s principal counter-terrorism law was amended to allow the government to designate an individual as a terrorist. It gives an overbroad and ambiguous definition of a ‘terrorist act’ giving unbridled power to the government to brand any ordinary citizen or activist a terrorist. It stands to implicate individuals for being proactive members of the society, ban critical thinking and criminalise dissent by designating them terrorists.” (Amnesty International, 2020).

Punjab lawyer Jaspal Singh Manjhpur says “Accused often are not implicated under UAPA to convict them, but to keep them in jail for a long period of time. Majority cases under UAPA have no criminal occurrence. In most of the cases, the police tells court that the accused was planning to carry out some criminal activity and then uses UAPA to ensure that the person does not come out of jail on bail.”

This "row" may seem minor to you, but a heavy focus on facts—being extremely mindful of Indian propaganda—and addressing this particular hate-based issue will, hopefully, reveal wider ones that should be of greater concern to many.

Hindutva is poison, it seems. Melts brain cells, apparently.

Refusing to cooperate—the whole would have been resolved quietly, in such a case—and willingly weaponizing one's entire mainstream media as a reaction, these having busied themselves with pumping out anything to make it all a "Canada bad and India blameless" affair... that's loathsome and psychotic.

A recent one from Abhishit Chavda, Major Moron (right). Yep, that's a crown. What's in colour versus what's pushed back is very telling. Hilarious.

And, for these, anything goes to win "the battle"; this the Hindus' century.

Indeed. Not India's. The Hindus'.

Hello, again, India.

Here's the thing: I like you but you don’t like me, and I still like you but you think I’m weird.

I don’t know where things went wrong; maybe it’s the dizziness you’re feeling, the one that comes upon reaching the higher rungs of power, and maybe it’s the best-before-last-week tuna casserole that’s making my world spin, but, right now, things aren’t working between you and I, India.

Plus, I’m busy these days. Real busy. What’s that? Oh, you know… there’s laundry, and dishes, and garbage to move. And I gotta take down some Post Its and erase my dry-erase board... And vacuuming, too. That couldn’t hurt. Should do that... I also gotta run around town, go pick up that stuff. Plus, I gotta see about that thing, then there’s that other thing comin up, and... you know… busy, busy, busy.

Oh, and Pakistan says “Hi,” and China misses you. And the US says you smell like rancid curry and they don’t like you and they’re all moving to space next week so don’t bother calling the White House to check, ok?

Fine. I lied. Their end of the continent sank. Disappeared. No more. No need to call the White House, you can trust me.

Fine. That’s also a lie. All is. Everything! Everything is a lie! The laundry, the dishes, the vacuuming… all’s a sham. I’ve none of those. My life is meaningless, untethered, and directionless. And... oh, the lackluster—remind me to tell the maid to give that gold railing a polish, would you?

Now, if you’ll excuse me, India, things to do; how can I help you? Really? Oh… yes, yes, of course. I wanted to warn you—see, I do care—of an AI forgery featuring your Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman.

I’m assuming it’s been caught and pulled? It seems to have come and gone in a flash. I'm only aware of one other person having been taken in, which would explain their's and mine's initial response à la: "What?! Nooooooooo!"

Lottaz wasn't the only Pascal that may have been duped last week. That all seems very anti-Pascal, no?

The little I did mention on it is in fact true, but within an entirely different reality, and one that's actually very sensible, like the India I remember, despite being so carefree and curious in those breezy summer dresses...   

Let’s just say that MP Sitharaman came across as, well, very gestapo-like, but not in her actions or prosody, but through her determination to force a digital life on the globe yesterday if not today.

What’s that B-word that very few women enjoy? Indeed, hence why I was so floored in that bit I’d inserted at the last minute in that “Corridors” post, wherein I’d mentioned the digital ID, CBDC, and portal.

There was nothing remarkedly 'evil' about the plan that the seemingly-manipulated video presented—hence its genius, I suppose, its subtlety—but the plan being presented was sure to lead to a global mutiny, and "insanely callous" are what describe its approach best, unless, which is what her composure and the alleged Western backing suggested, the implementation was merely the inconvenient phase of a long-established plan, this suggesting a totalitarian path under heavy boots was what was to be logically expected.

And from you, India. You. I was crushed. My heart whimpered its thump-thumps.

That certain outlets hadn't touched the news provides an example of one of the fact-checking processes that kicks in, the unsettling lack of attention to the matter letting me know something was off and I needed to look further before even broaching the subject again. 

Yes, I did have a look at your New Delhi Declaration, India. Looks good. One or two formatting mistakes but a fine looking plan. What's that? Oh, god no. I'm talking about 'presentation'; I'm not qualified to have a real opinion on much of the rest. I mean, I understand it all, I just haven't a clue if it ultimately translates into long-term "good' or 'bad', especially in comparison to other available options or currently implemented plans. Sure, other than particular aspects, of which I've a real good grasp, I probably understand it better than most, but far less than any expert. You know me, India, I was blessed, being born with an impeccable charm and quick, sharp wits; it's just too bad that the second cancels out the first.

But with words like "voluntary" and "testing", what's not to love, really? Although... I do have important critiques which, for me, make it impossible to support any of the plan. Even if overlooking the course that the G20 is determined to take, there are points relating to the underlying fundamentals, and the expression of such, found in the document that I'd be unwilling to budge on; I don't wanna be all Western-white-dude about it, but I'm confident that the developing world sees it my way, though you really ought to ask them:

I'd flat out reject the document, and any treaty, act, agreement, or similar, as long as the phrase "rules-based order" appears anywhere within that document in any manner that doesn't negate the validity of such a mindset. 

I'd flat out reject any plan that relies on the individual participation of, or under a joint partnership that includes, the IMF, World Bank, and/or the European Development Fund; those three entities are tasked with reviewing and implementing a globally-applied development program and bank. Anyone backing this is tone-deaf and/or deeply ignorant, maddengly so, frankly.

As long as any of those institutions carry over to any supposedly new plan, I'd be walking out, and military aggression would be the only way to get me to even consider signing anything. This sentiment appears to be a shared one, albeit to various degrees, this being so though Washington refuses to hear it.

And the reason for that is because the West obliterated whatever trust they took for granted! And that's what makes it so hard, India...

Oh, yeah... Yeah... well... uh, well me, Russia, and China have orgies planned each night this week! And Iran may join in on Wednesday night, so there! How you like that?!   

Wait! Don't go...

Should MP Sitharaman suddenly find herself being called that B-word from all parts of the Internet, then, my guess would be that it’s back in circulation.

So... uh, what are, um... what are you doing later tonight? Any, you know, plans?