World War 4 would be fought with sticks!

Tomoyuki Yamashita @ Tiger of Malaya
1885 -1946

His name rhymed with dog, so we call him one. Maybe because he tried to live up in the shadows of his brother who was a Valedictorian and school head prefect, Anjing-san wagged his tail around the teachers in the beginning of year for him to be thrown the bone of the unenviable post of class monitor. Our last three doggone years of primary school were filled by his tyranny.

Looking like General Yamashita of World War 2 infamy with his physique and hair cut, he fitted the role of a loyal bulldog very well. With his iron-fist style of leadership, he managed to instil morbid fear in our young fragile chicken hearts.
During the brief moments that the teacher would leave the class to run errands, Anjing-san would morph to the front ready to pounce as he jotted down names of 'trouble maker' students on the class board for the teacher to peruse.

He made it appear as if he had a special one to one divine relationship with the class teacher. Any word from him would get us all in trouble and only he had the 'get-out-of-jail' free card. Life went on dutifully. Our young impressionable and gullible minds were cowed into submission.
It only took one dissident to create a melee at the end of his seemingly endless brutal tenure. One day, the class teacher sneaked in at the back of the boisterous classroom to witness first hand Anjing-San 's iron-fisted fascist administration. Anjing-san got a earful which included pull of both ear pinnae and a rant. Only then did we realise that Anjing-san was mortal like us after all. We had unnecessarily lifted him up and placed in high on a pedestal.

Funny how after four decades, there are still people who think they have direct communication lines with the Forces above, be it administrative or divine. They interpret the circulars as they like to and insist that it is meant to be the way they say it is. Shirkers and non conformists are berated. Band of yeoman are cajoled to monitor that His alleged law is carried out on Earth as He would have wanted. Interestingly He is silent and has not showed any seal of approval or otherwise. Conveniently random same events are interpreted at will by believers and naysayers in any way that suit them.

History has shown us that challenges in life come in different and newer forms. In order for the human race to survive way into the future, as they have done in the past, they have to embrace the problems with newer ideologies and strategies. Living on past laurels and utilising middle age innovations to combat space age issues is a sure way of annihilation.

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.

Albert Einstein US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)

Humanity still prevails

Killer dog’s owners make appearance at victim’s funeral
By LOSHANA K. SHAGAR
loshana@thestar.com.my

Words of comfort: The dog owner’s parents (right) console Lim while
Hon Mun (left) is seen in the background at the Gui Yuan Crematorium
in Petaling Jaya Wednesday. — Raymond Ooi/The Star  

PETALING JAYA: Barely 24 hours after 74-year-old Yip Sun Wah was mauled to death by a neighbour's miniature bull terrier cross, both families came together in the spirit of forgiveness.
The body of Yip, who celebrated his birthday 11 days ago, lay in a brown coffin at the Gui Yuan Crematorium in Petaling Jaya. As his family members grieved over his tragic death, the family that owned the dog that killed Yip early Tuesday morning came to pay their last respects.
They seemed apprehensive at first as they were unsure of the victim's family's response, but were embraced by Yip's wife Lim Yoke Kim, 73, and their eldest son Hon Mun, 51. Yip also leaves behind three other sons and two grandchildren.
Hon Mun said although they were bitter at first, it dissipated when the family came.
“Nobody wanted this to happen, but we do not want this to linger and cause pain to everyone in the years to come.
“It's good that they (dog owner's family) came, we can see that they were very sincere and that's all I could ask for,” Hon Mun said.
The dog owner shed tears as did her parents and a friend who came with her.
They lit joss sticks and prayed before Yip's photograph, after which both families gathered for a 10-minute talk.
Hon Mun said he last saw his father just 45 minutes before he was killed while jogging in the neighbourhood.
“The last thing he said to me was thank you for the food and money'. One moment I was talking to him and the next moment he had left me.”
Yip, a former signboard maker, was described as a friendly person who would wave to people while jogging.
Right after Yip was attacked, a passer-by used his mobile phone to contact Hon Mun, who rushed to the scene.
“It was a horrifying sight to see your loved one lying motionless on the road in a pool of blood,” he said.
Earlier yesterday, Hon Mun sent an e-mail to his neighbours thanking them for their assistance.
In the e-mail, he expressed the wish that dog owners would learn to be more responsible for their pets.
“If my father's death can be a wake-up call to all dog owners, his death would not have been in vain,” he said.
Yip will be cremated at 2pm on Saturday at the Gui Yuan Crematorium here.

N.B. Just when you you thought people are becoming self-centred and egoistic, there is more than  a shimmer of light - there are people who forgive and 'love thy neighbours' as stated in the testaments. I am truly teary eyed by looking at this photo FG.