Gaze in Wonder

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Gaze in Wonder at These Amazing Photos of North America!

Thanks chiefly to the USA, it seems that every day the world's eyes are fixed on North America more than any other continent. Yet relatively little is said about the stunning natural beauty of the region, instead we focus on its economics, politics, and culture. Therefore, it is high time we celebrated the outstanding physical glories of North America, which we can do with these wonderful photos captured by Guido Diana during a recent photographic tour. Here are 35 of Guido's favourite pictures taken during a three-month trip that covered everywhere from the Canadian Rockies and the Golden Gate Bridge to the Grand Canyon and Statue of Liberty.

1. Cypress Tree Tunnel, California

This famous spot is found a mere hour away from San Francisco. The sunrise on a clear day will take your breath away.

2. Athabasca Falls, Canada

This location is a well-known spot for selfies. Yet, I must say, that I would never dare to step so close to the precipice, however beautiful it is.

3. Emerald Lake, Canada

Emerald Lake is so stunning it begs belief. I really wish I could live in that amazing lodge too!


4. Peyto Lake, Canada

Guido was camping during this trip. You can imagine how cold he felt this morning, yet he says the awesome view warmed his spirit up no end.


5. Antelope Canyon, Arizona

This celebrated lion-head formation once featured as a National Geographic front cover.


6. Courthouse Mountain, Colorado

Just gape in awe at how yellow those numerous aspen trees are during fall! This is one beautiful spot!


7. Glacier Point Yosemite, California

What a drop! And incredible scenery to boot.


8. Horseshoe Bend, Arizona

The horseshoe bend has never looked more menacing than here when a big storm threatened the famous American wonder.


9. Bow River, Canada

This train ride takes in some spellbinding Canadian scenery. A perfect journey for a weary and cold traveller.


10. Athabasca Glacier, Canada

The ice in this ice cave is so blue it's unreal!


11. The Subway, Utah

Guido had to climb rocks for five hours to reach this location, which he claims is one of the most amazing places he's ever seen.


12. Lake Louise, Canada

To get this perfect shot, Guido was forced to patiently wait for four days before the mist finally cleared.


13. Mount Sneffels, Colorado

For this sublime sunrise, Guido camped at the foot of the mountain for a good three days.


14. Last Dollar Road, Colorado

The Last Dollar Road is one of those places you have to be very lucky to actually go to see in person.


15. The Narrows, Utah

A waist-deep hike is said to be required to reach the Narrows. If you do so, bring the right clothing!


16. Mesa Arch, Utah

Though it looks serenely calm here, Guido was with around 20 other keen photographers, itching to capture a shot from this celebrated arch.


17. Patricia Lake, Canada

In this beautiful image, you can just about make out a pair of German fisherman venturing into the lake.


18. Bryce Canyon, Utah

Guido says that this photo was very troublesome to arrange due to ice-cold winds that rocked his tripod to and fro.


19. Capital Peak, Colorado

Those yellow aspen trees again. They add so much warmth to this extraordinary landscape.


20. Elk, Canada

I'd love to be lucky enough to come so close with such a beautiful native beast.


21. The Boss, Canada

This individual bear is said to have fathered 80% of all the cubs in the neighbourhood.


22. The Golden Gate Bridge, California

No tour of America would be complete without driving over, and stepping back to appreciate, this modern man-made wonder.


23. Secret Canyon, Arizona

This bend is even larger than the Horseshoe Bend. At night the stars light it up magnificently.


24. The Subway, Utah

From this angle, it's even clearer why the Subway reminds so many people of a natural (and much more beautiful) equivalent of the modern transport system.


25. Manhattan, New York City

On Guido's first day in America, September 11th, 2016, he was present to witness a touching yet defiant light beam tribute to the city's fallen victims of 2001.


26. Mount Sneffels, Colorado

This image is a composite of 100-star pictures.


27. Pyramid Mountain, Canada

Jasper National Park is one of many incredible parks found in the gorgeous nation of Canada.


28. San Juan Mountain Range, Colorado

During sunrise one morning, Guido was blown away by the colourful landscape that surrounded him in Colorado.


29. Mobius Arch, California

The bright lights of LA seem a million miles away beneath Mobius Arch. All the better to see such a splendid night sky.


30. Maroon Bells, Colorado

A true fairytale scene can be found here in Maroon Bells. Guido says that he was far from alone though, with 150 photographers for company.


31. Patricia Lake, Canada

When the world is this beautiful, it knows the best thing it can do is duplicate itself.


32. Statue of Liberty, New York City

Sorry is the hardest word?

Really?

People always say that sorry seems to be the hardest word. We are all so encrusted that in our hard-shelled egos that by admitting our mistakes, we value ourselves much less. And our psyche takes a dent so hard that we want to shrivel up and disappear! Hence, when a person comes down his high and mighty horse to eat humble pie, he is admired for his virtuous act.

It sounds all dandy but it is really not so simple.

Of late, however, what we see insincere utterance of apologies just for the sake of it. How many times have we seen drivers driving under the intoxicants causing major catastrophes and all they can say is, "I am sorry!" Some lackadaisical teenage would have elbowed an antique, just to apologise, as if by doing so, the broken menagerie would somehow miraculously glue together as if like magic!

Yes, people say sorry without really meaning it. They know that the tragedy is no skin off their back and all the hardship is for others to endure. They know that apology is the easiest escape clause to avoid punishment. Whether they actually meant it or were genuine, it is immaterial. At least they said sorry, the least they could do. They know rhetorics and melodramatic tear-invoking histrionics works wonders all the time. Even the scriptures profess that God forgives those who repent (or at least appear that they do to qualify!)

What do you do to people who repeatedly do the same mistake and go on to say sorry and move on? Some even want you to say that it is alright when it is not! We work in a team and one's action or inaction would affect the other and put a serious dent in the whole social structure. To err is human, they say but to forgive is divine. Since we are mere mortals, forgiving wrongdoers does not fall into our domain. We just do what we think is right. Let God deal with Mercy!

First generation millennials with first world millennial problems

Master of None (Season 1-2; 2015-now)

At one look it may look like a satire of non-Caucasians trying to act and to fit in into contemporary American society. It is not. It starts with the story of four friends, Dev Shah (Aziz Ansari) as the first generation Indian American; Brian, son of a Taiwanese immigrant (Alan Yang); Arnold, a white friend who enjoys eating and Denise, a black lesbian lady and a childhood friend.

Unlike most American TV shows which put down the Indian actors as social misfits to find it difficult to blend with the American society, here Brian and Dev, being born, bred and educated in the American system, blending is not the issue. Their predicament is mostly the first world kind. Dev still goes around thinking that he is discriminated against for his ethnicity. The question is whether it is just his perception or is it just what the society wants. Being a part time advertisement actor, he goes on life working occasionally, still waiting for his big break.

He feels the bane of the millennials - too many choices to choose from! Unlike, his father who just followed the path that came his way- (Dev's father is a doctor who migrated from Chennai, worked hard, married the first girl that was arranged for him and found happiness), Dev is at wit's end trying to decide what to do in his life. He is thinking of a change in vocation, but what? He likes his girlfriend, Rachel, but is he committed to spent the whole of his life with her? He likes children but a weekend with his ex-girlfriend's kids stirs the doubt of his opinion about kids! In another episode, he discovers about growing old and the hardship one faces as they go into their twilight years.

An entertaining half-an-hour per episode sitcom which just went into its second season as Dev and Racheal go separate ways for a journey of self-discovery. Dev heads to Italia to learn pasta making and Rachael goes to Japan.

In the second season, the first episode, being done of his escapades in Italy, is shot in black and white, based on the classic 'Bicycle Thief'. Only this time, the thief runs away with his mobile phone. One of the controversial topics that he tries to cover is the issue of religion, fasting and consumption of pork. Dev and his family are Muslims and naturally, his parents want him to portray a nice image in front of their family friend. The episode ended amicably by a surah which is quoted as saying, 'for you is your religion, and for me is my religion'.

The later episodes in the second season are a reflection of the meaning of life, of sorts, and it takes on more serious subject matters, albeit in a lighthearted manner. The storytellers, in most cases are Ansari and Alan Yang, tackle plights of the minority, including LGBT, the minor religion practitioners, the hearing impaired and many more. The recurrent theme of this show is to show the superficiality of the modern society. It shows the extent that people who go to be politically correct and how much of the minority group would demand 'others' to show them respect. In their own way, they seek recognition in society. Affairs of the heart are depicted as meaningless as everyone seeks for that elusive perfect love. An entertaining show that makes you think. Life used to be so simple!

No foolproof systems!

WARNING: FOR MATURE READERS ONLY

Islamic Law and Constitution 
Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi (1960)

The usual rebuttal put forward by debaters of inter-faith dialogues when one is cornered with a difficult question is that the other should not talk about something that he does not understand. More often than not it is those who profess the Islamic faith are guilty of this. No one holds the chalice to knowledge and wisdom. It is not the stronghold of the privileged few but should be made available to anyone who desires to pursue that path. The mere recital of the rituals does not make one enlightened!

In the comfort of the company of a closed discussion group comprising close childhood friends with the same zest to acquire knowledge with an open mind, over a period of a few months, we were engaged deep into a myriad of sensitive topics including religions of the world.

One thing led to another and the non-hostile liberal-minded of different faiths amongst us found ourselves discussing the merits and demerits of implementing Syariah law in a nation! What better document to scrutinise on this subject than to peruse India-born Syed Abul A'la Maududi's magnum opus, his collection of talks on 'Islamic Law and Constitution'. Maududi is a contemporary of Jinnah who started his firebrand Islamic movement 'Jamaat-i-Islami' in British India about the same time as Hassan Al-Banna established the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in 1928. Maududi was opposed to Jinnah's vision of a separate state for the Muslims in colonial India. He wanted to stay in the union but instead secretly planned to inculcate Islamic Law into the whole of India! Jinnah, on the other hand, did not want Sharia Law for Pakistan. He just did not want to be domineered by the Hindus after Independence.

With hard lined Islamists pressing hard for universal implementation of the sharia, I decided to perambulate the subject to appreciate for my own understanding what it was all about!

For most people, laws set aside by theologians are mere guidelines to manoeuvre the journey of life. It encompasses matters related to education, law, day to day administrative policies, commerce and in fact all fields of life. For a hardcore Islamist, this kind of good news should be there spread near and far for everybody to follow. And they would go to great lengths, even death (as they interpret jihad) to ensure that this God's revelation should be insisted on our day to day living. They want His law to prevail and supersede other man-made laws. They claim that divine laws stood the test of time and were applicable for eternity. The jihadist made this endeavour their raison d'être!

This book is a collection of Maudadi's series of lectures that he presented in Pakistan in its infancy as an independent country. He was stating his justifications for pushing for an Islamic State with strict Islamic Laws rather than a secular country with Muslims.

Everybody has the right to read and analyse for himself what sharia is all about. In the immortal words of Zunar, the celebrated Malaysian cartoonist, "even my pen has a stand, why not you?"

My understanding of Islamic Law is that it is a set of legal charter coded to ensure a certain level of humanity is upheld during the tumultuous environment of a war-like zone. Its legislations laid out the dos and don'ts during a war time situation. The rules are derived from the Quran, which is believed the verbatim words of God Himself, and the Hadiths and Sunnah, which were later complications of the words and conduct the Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of God. Most people would say, our world has never been more peaceful, hence this type of desert law is not needed. Conversely, others would argue that war is still on-going and had never stopped, citing the Middle East and other civil wars. Hence, they would say that the Islamic Divine never goes out of vogue. And precisely the reason why it should be implemented.

For a non-believer (kafir) like me, scrutinising Maududi's writings and speeches on political Islam only reminds me of the many manifestos rolled out by Man before. Think of Communist manifesto of the liberation of the oppressed class, Nazi's Aryan race supremacy doctrine and Pol Pot's dogma of Mother Nature fulfilling our every need. You will find the same tone present here. It promises a utopia where politicians are just and all men are fair. They probably forgot to take to consideration of Man's innate feeling of jealousy, clanship, self-interest and his primitive desires that always comes in the way of doing the right thing (against the popular things).

Abul A'la Maududi

In the Sharia system, everyone should be a believer. That is the final aim of the Islamic State. Non-believers are termed dhimmis or 'the protected'. As long they stay within the confinements of the territory of the state, do not do anything activity deemed as treason by the State and pay their jizya which is a special tax levied on Non-Muslims for nation building, they as well as their property, faith and honour would be protected by their Muslim brothers. They need not (cannot) defend the state. That duty is left to the Muslims who would be required to pay zakat (property tax) which would be used for religious and charitable purposes.

Jizya is only limited to able-bodied males; women, hermits, handicapped are exempted.

Women, irrespective of their religions are treated more like a second-class citizen, expected to perform a pre-set of duties. Dhimmis cannot hold posts of ministerial powers and should not interfere with the affairs of the Muslims just like the Muslim would not disturb theirs. Women are deemed incapable to hold positions, perhaps only of those involving women and family affairs. A Hadith actually mentions that a nation that entrusts its affairs to a woman can never prosper. The Quran apparently says that men are in charge of women.

The courts would not conduct their trials as we know it. There would not be defence counsels. The desire to defend their clients at all cost for monetary gains is perceived as unethical. Instead, the accused has to prove his innocence to a panel of judges. Even though most modern studies suggest that corporal punishments do not actually deter anyone from committing crimes and it does not reduce the incidence of crimes in a locale, the practitioners of this archaic law are steadfast in the belief that limb amputations, stoning, whipping and decapitation are deterrents to prospective wrongdoers!

There are many assumptions in the suggested system. It is assumed that there is no need for amendments. If ever a doubt arises, a group of ulama would discuss and decide on the bets course of action. It is assumed that people actually want God's law on Earth. We must not forget from the experience of the Prohibition Laws in the 1930 US where a novel action actually results in more damaging outcomes; decline in legitimate production of alcohol did not result in reduced consumption. It only fueled bootleg industry, loss of state revenue and the rise in gangsterism.

The system thinks that Man is the not the best candidate to decide what is best for them. They are weak, emotional and crumble to the herd. There is a need for the elites to pen out what is good for them. But who is going to put the check and balance on the ruling class? It gets murky here. Even if the citizens of the land feel that their leaders are wayward and sinful, the people are not liberty to wage war against them if they still appear to fulfil their salat (obligatory prayers). A corrupt leader, as long as he appears pious to the public eyes, cannot be ousted! Does that not propagate despotism? With the pleasure of control of state media and communication, a dictator and his henchmen are set for life!

The message from all religions is to promote peace on Earth. If that is what Islam is trying to propagate, the seal-keepers of the religion need to improve their image and public relations. The image is dented so badly that a mammoth re-branding exercise is due!

See KL in 1975

http://www.expatgo.com/my/2016/03/14/see-kl-used-look-flashback-photos-1975/
Thanks to KKCash for sharing!

This is part of a flashback editorial series on all things Malaysian. You can check out other flashback articles in the series for a journey through Malaysia’s past.

Flickr user ‘Savidge Family‘ has posted some amazing photos of Kuala Lumpur and around, taken way back in 1975! Here they are, in all their untouched glory, plus their original captions:

Thanks KK for sharing!

Arriving at KL on 2nd August 1975

Below ground level: Start of a new highrise hotel

View from the room at the Hilton

Street scene, Kuala Lumpur: A fair bit of advertising.

A duck runner: He looked like he was on a mission to deliver the ducks in the back streets.

Temple: All these young girls were very well mannered and were quite shy to pose.

Head of Malaysia Palace

Polished Marble: There wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere.

From the rubber tree: The small bowl collects the latex from the rubber tree.

Colourful children’s clothes: Very obliging and always happy

Climb those stairs: Shrine up in the hills – about 270 stairs.

From the entrance: Not a bad view from the entrance to the shrine/cave of Batu Caves

Inside the cave: After the 270 odd steps in the tropical heat it was quite cool inside.

Bullocks and timber: They are very well fed animals

Street market at night

Food for thought: One of the many food stalls.

Sugar cane juicer

Street market: Imagine putting this out and putting it away every day.

Clash of cultures: Indian style Railway Station, German car and Japanese scooters

Polished marble: Polished floors and gold leaf at the top and bottom of the columns throughout the temple.

Fruit market

Pewter maker

Pewter factory: The price tag on the jug second from the left is $66.50 – presumably US

Horse racing club

Drying latex: Rack after rack of latex drying in the sun

Fireman: Not an ounce of fat on him as he keeps the fire going for latex production

Tigers

Sumatran rhinoceros

Rubber plantation [Ed: the original caption said ‘Coffee plantation’ but we have corrected it]

Women building roads

Local shops: One of the papers was “Ultusan Malaysia” whatever that means [ed: it means ‘The Malaysian Courier’]

Material printing: Handheld inking pad onto dress material.

Hilton hotel room

Street market

Kuala Lumpur Airport: The airport had been commandeered by some radical group for several hours and allowed very few planes to leave.

A kid's movie with murder?

Avana Ivan? (Is that him?, Tamil; 1962)

Directed and Produced by S. Balachander

It is supposed to be based on a murder which happened in the USA at the early of 20th century. An executive killed his pregnant secretary on a boat trip to marry a rich woman. The story created such a sensation that it a spawned a best seller novel and a 1951 Hollywood hit, 'A Place in the Sun'.

The lone wolf, S. Balachander, wrote the screenplay for this film based the above hit, just that this Tamil version ended up as more of a children's show. Two children witness a brutal and fatal beating of a lady. They are totally composed throughout the event and afterwards, showing no emotional catastrophe but have the composure to narrate the whole incident to adults around them. Unfortunately, none the adults including the police take them seriously. Balachander, the flamboyant director, acts as the anti-hero to have committed the heinous for the same reason; to dispose of his pestering girlfriend to marry a rich man's daughter to win his business deals.

Interspersed in the narration is the evil wife of the businessman with her piercing tongue and incisive words, the daughter with her love of a commoner as well as the bane of being amongst the slave class. For comedic relief, there is the bumbling chef with his horrendous culinary skills and his antics of courting his neighbour!

Kudos go to the two child actors. One of them is Kutti Padmini, the child prodigy who went on to act in many more films later. Her magnum opus was 1965 hit 'Kulanthaiyum Deivamum, a Tamil version of 'Parent Trap' where she acts in a dual role.

S. Balachander gives a stellar performance as a killer without over-acting. He is likeable as an actor and is very comfortable in front of the camera. He even composed the music.