A criminal demigod

Clark (Swedish; 2022)
Miniseries S1, E1-6

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12304420/

I came across this miniseries after reading about Stockholm Syndrome. Clark Olofsson is the man whom the bank robber at Norrmalmstorg, Stockholm, in August 1973, wanted to be released from prison as part of the deal to free the hostages. We all know how it all went terribly wrong. The robbers were confined in the bank vault and were smoked out with poisonous gas. 

It was the heady time of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The generation had a rebellious streak within them. After witnessing the world annihilate itself in World War II and observing their contemporaries bomb Vietnam to smithereens, they became disillusioned. They regarded anti-establishment acts as heroic. Bank robbery and plane hijacking were seen as political expressions. 

Clark Olofsson was born into a dysfunctional family. His father is an abusive alcoholic, and Clark receives far more whippings than affection. He spends most of his time trying to stay alive amidst his father's beatings, scoldings, and occasional drownings. His mother is preoccupied with shielding him from his father and is ultimately institutionalised due to mental illness. 

Clark starts his life engaging in little mischiefs, stealing, breaking into houses, and cheating. He can be described as manipulative and narcissistic. He enters and exits the prison system as if he were entering a saloon. He also successfully escapes from prison. During his imprisonment, he wooed various ladies and sowed his wild oats. He ultimately achieved demi-god status after robbing a bank. The media went wild when his cellmate robbed Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg, and he was brought into the bank as part of the negotiation.

The entire story is narrated lightly despite the weighty subject matter. The six episodes explore his family dynamics, relationship with his parents, and troubled childhood.

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The watershed moment!

Beatles '64 (Documentary, 2024)
Director: David Tedeschi.

I suppose the world will never have enough of the Fab Four. In 1995, when Apple Corps released the Beatles Anthology 1, the world went wild. It was marketed as a collection of long-lost recordings yet to be released. The band had not put out an album since their breakup in 1970 and had not performed together since the 'Let It Be' rooftop concert, so the audience was eager for some classic tunes.

The first anthology was undeniably nostalgic. It featured the Beatles' unfinished track, 'Free as a Bird.' By then, two of the four members had passed away, and their voices were electronically blended. The result was a spark in the eyes of every Beatles fan. The music video showcased numerous old black-and-white photographs from their time in Liverpool as young lads. The other songs were reworks of their earlier hits, showcasing their playful moments in the studio and experiments with alternative tempos and arrangements for their music.

In this way, two more anthologies followed shortly after. By then, the frenzy had subsided. Occasionally, there would be one or two feature films centred around Beatlemania. That was all until Martin Scorsese embarked on a project to release some footage from their archives of the recordings made during the Beatles' remarkable first trip to the USA. People realised that they could never get enough of the Beatles.

Mass hysteria?
https://www.quora.com/How-did-the-elderly-perceive-
The-Beatles-in-the-60s

America was in mourning after JFK's assassination in November 1963. The music industry was already poised to encourage the public to move on. In a calculated move, it planned a transcontinental cultural exchange to bring the British music sensation, the Beatles, to perform in the USA. To this end, the album 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' was released, with hopes that their visit to the US would introduce and boost sales there. Previously, British performers had not fared well in America. 

Unexpectedly, 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' hit the Top 10 in December 1963. So, when the Beatles arrived in New York in February 1964, the US witnessed an unprecedented phenomenon of adolescent girls screaming their lungs out for no apparent reason. The girls featured in the 1964 footage were interviewed in this documentary, yet none could explain why they were screaming at the time. Such is the power of the human mind. Monkey see, monkey do.

Ali is the greatest!
Bettmann Archive

The older section of society could not grasp what all the fuss was about. Still reeling from the loss of their beloved President, they only saw four young chaps with peculiar haircuts and fashionable suits. They thought they were merely a fleeting trend accompanied by loud music. Nevertheless, they were indifferent. In America, they had Elvis Presley with his sensuous gyrating moves and lyrics rich with sexual innuendos, female singers lamenting their romantic tribulations, and the Beach Boys serenading with their ever-popular surfing songs. The Beatles seemed harmless enough.

The Beatles soon graced three Ed Sullivan shows, including concerts in Washington, D.C., and Florida. They even paid a visit to Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) as he prepared to face Sonny Liston.

The Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show marked a pivotal moment. It signalled the beginning of the British Invasion in music.

(P.S. Ringo is named Ringo because he wore various rings and frequently changed them. His given name is Richard Starkey.)

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No beef with beef ingestion?

The Myth of the Holy Cow (Original Version 2001)

Author: D. N. Jha

Twenty out of twenty-eight states in India have laws prohibiting the slaughter of cows. The consumption of beef has recently become a contentious issue, highlighted by incidents of cow vigilantes intercepting cattle transportation and the lynching of individuals who eat beef.

Initially published in 2002, this book received considerable criticism upon its release. With the memory of Salman Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses' ban in 1988 still fresh in people's minds, the Hyderabad Court initially prohibited the book. There were even threats to the author's life for allegedly offending Hindu sentiments.

Through his extensive intellectual discourse, the author endeavours to convince readers that abstaining from beef is not an ancient Hindu practice. He begins his discussion by asserting that beef and meat consumption were prevalent in the Vedic era. Animal sacrifices, including those of horses and cows, were common. Even Brahmins partook in eating beef. It was customary for attendees to consume these offerings. He provides evidence of this practice in the texts of the Rigveda and similar scriptures that followed. Recipes for beef preparation and its medicinal properties were also reported to exist.

Additionally, the Manu Smriti permits its consumption. The portrayal of Rama and Lakshman during their exile in the Ramayana suggests they were hunters, and Sita preferred deer meat. The Pandavas were not vegetarians either.

 

Jha, a vegetarian, appreciated the protection of cows but struggled to comprehend why cows should avoid slaughter. As a historian, he did not endorse the sanctity of the cow. With more Hindus linking abstention from beef to Hinduism, this serves as his counterargument against such a practice.

It is widely believed that Asoka's edicts, illustrated on his iconic pillars, do not mention cow protection. However, the author argues otherwise. Asoka simply instructs his subjects to safeguard 'four-legged animals'; there is no specific mention of cow slaughter or beef consumption. It is often asserted, at least in one version, that Gautama Buddha ultimately passed away after consuming a tainted pork meal. Furthermore, many Buddhist sects do not demand vegetarianism, and meat is served within their temple premises. Cows continued to be slaughtered during the Maurya rule.

The shift towards abstaining from beef became fashionable, likely in the first century CE. This change may be linked to the Advaita movement, which propagated the notion that all life is sacred and part of the greater Brahman. The idea of the transmigration of souls was introduced.

 

The ostentatious display of animal sacrifices and the emphasis placed on them spurred a rise in vegetarianism. The Jain and Buddhist concepts of kindness towards animals may have captivated the public. As interest in Brahminic practices diminished and more individuals identified as Jains or Buddhists, the Vedic practices, which had likely evolved into Brahmanic traditions, had to undergo a rebranding.

 

The ancient Bharat Hindus comprised believers in Shiva (Shaivites), Vishnu (Vaishnavites), and the feminine divinity (Shaktas), and can generally be classified as flesh-eaters and vegetarians. Some flesh-eaters consumed beef while others did not, and there was even a faction that only consumed cows that had died of natural causes rather than those that had been slaughtered.

 

There is a theory suggesting that the Brahmanicals sought to position themselves as superior to the animal-loving Buddhists and Jains, who still consumed meat. They adopted a fully vegetarian lifestyle.

 

By the 5th century CE, consuming beef had become an offence, yet people continued to partake nonetheless. The British may have accentuated the division between beef and non-beef eaters, further supporting the strategy to 'divide and rule'.

This book edition features a chapter by Baba Ambedkar on the subject, which is intriguing to read with an open mind.

 

The take-home message, at least for me, is that there were meat and beef eaters then, just as there are today. As sacrificial animal slaughter reached industrial levels in ancient India, many became disenchanted. As discussions surrounding the souls of living beings arose, Buddhism and Jainism emerged as alternative practices opposing animal sacrifice. People embraced these ideas. The Brahmins endeavoured to rebrand themselves as superior. Those elitists adopted a fully vegetarian lifestyle, and suddenly, it became fashionable to abstain from meat altogether.

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A question of loyalty versus compassion.

During Trump's second inauguration as US President, a bishop made a direct appeal to the President to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and undocumented migrant workers. Trump, in his campaign speeches, promised to go hard on illegal immigration once he took office. Previously, the Biden administration had a lax stance on immigration. Trump also declared that there are only two genders in the USA: male and female, unlike the spectrum of over 68 gender expressions advocated by liberal thinkers. 

The decree would automatically make millions of immigrants to the US illegal, and the woke generation is fearful that there would be a witch hunt against the LGBTQ+ community.

This issue regarding immigrants coming to America is not new, as far as the world's biggest economy is concerned. It has been ongoing since the Cold War. America has itself to blame for its predicament. America, being the self-proclaimed leader of the free world, took it upon itself to curb the spread of communism, especially in its backyard. Central and South American countries have been in turmoil for a long time. To ensure that left-leaning leaders do not take over, the US placed despotic, US-friendly puppet governments. These leaders were opposed by their own people, and over time, a resistance guerrilla army emerged. The people were caught in the crossfire between the military forces of the government and the rebel militia. As economic activities came to a grinding halt, the citizens, especially the rural population, began to flee.

Suddenly, the US had a problem at its borders in the 70s and 80s. Thousands of refugees from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala started flocking to its borders and sneaking into the US. News of illegal immigrants from El Salvador succumbing to the elements as they traversed deserts hit the headlines. They were escaping US-supported death squads in their country. Many churches in the US, led by a Presbyterian minister, Rev John Fife of Tucson, Arizona, took it upon themselves to aid and harbour these illegal aliens as they made their way into America.

The way they looked at it was like this. During WW2 Hitler's Germany, millions of Jews are brutally killed because of the apathy of many Germans, including their religious leaders. Christianity, being the saviour of the underdogs, as evidenced by events during Jesus' lifetime, had a moral right to defend the oppressed and the persecuted. The dilemma was whether to flaunt the law to attain a higher purpose or to conform as good citizens. It was not just a question of nationalism versus belief but of being human.

In the 1980s, these stories were of national interest. All parties, political leaders, the general public, and the legal system took an interest. Rev. John Fife and members of the Sanctuary Movement, which by then included over 2,000 churches and had spread to Canada, were charged with abetting the entry of illegal immigrants into the country. A public debate ensued. On one side, there was the faction supporting the Government's desire to maintain law and order, as they had been doing for ages. Then there was the other side, who blamed the US, which had started the whole fiasco in the first place. There was a compulsion to provide a safe haven for the victims.

Probably bowing to the pressures of public sentiment at the time, the accused were let off with a slap on the wrist. They were not imprisoned but received suspended sentences and probation. It was considered light for a crime against the State.

(P.S. In the rush to build and control a waterway that bypassed Cape Horn, America supported a Panamanian resistance group fighting for independence from Colombia. Not to mention the Banana Wars in South America after the US acquired the country following the 1898 US-Spanish War. America instigated various resistance groups to protect its business interests. With such a long history of meddling, it is no surprise that trouble comes back to bite its southern end. To complicate things, in the name of preserving American business interests, Greenland may be 'invaded' via gunboat diplomacy!)

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It was a lovely day!

At 'starting point'

Have you heard the latest news around town? The National Heart Institute (Institut Jantung Negara, IJN) is offering free stress tests. Unlike other medical procedures, this one is not conducted in a hospital; it is carried out on the streets. Yes, IJN organised its annual premier cycling event, IJN Ride. All you need to do is sign up, choose your category, and ride. If you have anything suggestive of a heart condition, IJN will take it from there.

So, there it was. IJN Ride For Your Heart on 19th January 2025. The 115 km ride was scheduled to start at 7am. So there we were, waiting at the starting line in Anyara Hills, Semenyih, a new housing development. And waiting. The announcer had run out of announcements to make in his not-so-proficient English. The VIP was still not there to flag the participants. Despite being the State's Chief Minister with police outriders and controlled traffic for him to pass through, he thought it fashionable to arrive late. I guess he wanted to stamp his authority. When he finally arrived, ten minutes late, the participants gave him a befitting welcome. When the announcer, in his highly accented English, asked the participants to warmly welcome the VIP, they responded with pin-drop silence accentuated by the screaming of cicadas. 

Just barely 400 metres after flag-off, there was a casualty. Two cyclists had crashed into each other's path. Shaken but not stirred, they were all right. It was a lovely day to ride. For someone from an area with a temperate climate, their idea of a beautiful day is the sight of the sun over the horizon and sunlight shining through their hair. Not in Malaysia, it is not. The sun showed its full glory by 10 am, and from then on, the temperature reached scorching late 20 degrees C. The idea of engaging in strenuous sporting activities at high noon is indeed a duel mostly avoided by Malaysians. But then, the world needs lunatics to set standards on sanity.

Miraculously, the sun shied away through the ride, all 115 km of it. Either it was one of those gloomy days, or the shamans employed by the organisers must have done a good job. Yes, it is an open secret (or maybe an urban legend) that Malaysian sports bodies have shamans (bomoh) on their payroll to control the weather during important sports events. In the 1970s, when Malaysia was flying high as a football nation, it was discovered that we performed exceptionally well when the pitch was wet. This was attributed to the pathetic training pitches and the players' experience learning to play soccer in their youthful years in paddy fields. So, the bomohs were summoned to perform their 'rain dance' to invite the heavens to pour. That resulted in significant victories for Malaysia in the Merdeka Tournament. Seeing our country bag double-digit goals against minion teams was a common sight.

The ride covered a route commonly used by cyclists around the Klang Valley. Cruising along the flat terrain of Ulu Semenyih, we were guided to the sleepy town of Broga, which in its days had seen much resistance given to British colonial masters. The ride paved us to Lenggeng, another town forgotten in the annals of time. The national highway and the appetite for the general public to get from point to point B in a jiffy essentially sealed the growth of this town. Still, life goes on. Not to be confused with another town in the State of Perak, which still garners attention from the users of the East-West Highway to Kota Bharu. Curious minds flock here to view the complete skeletal remains of the oldest man in South East Man, the Perak Man, at Lenggong Archeological Museum.

At Lenggeng, we took a turn to climb over the Two Sisters, as they may be fondly referred to. It is a bi-peaked formation that is part of the Titiwangsa range. The sisters were quite unforgiving, starting with a 10% climb. It covered about a 5 km distance followed by a free-wheeling decline, only to tackle another 5 km climb heading towards Kuala Klawang, the driest town on the Peninsula, in the district of Jelebu. Another free-wheeling afterwards. 

Kuala Klawang @ Jelebu

By then, we had covered about half of the total distance. After a short banana and bun break, we were good to go.

The next half of the journey included the much-dreaded Kangkoi-Peres climb to Hulu Langat. In essence, it covered a 13 km unforgiving trail, with the road mostly going uphill, punctuated by a couple of deceiving short breathers. The undulating roads created the illusion that the climbs were ending, only to reveal another ascent. It started at the 75 km mark. We expected it to be blazing hot by then. Surprisingly, it was a tolerable 27°C thereabouts, with no sun 'breathing' down our necks. Still, it was no pleasure cruise!

The 'we' I have been mentioning throughout the event consists of me, myself, and my inner demons. I had to train for the race on my own after a fellow partner-in-crime withdrew due to family commitments. It was a test of self-motivation and discipline whilst juggling work commitments and the cranky weather recently. 

The inner demons were mostly curtailed as the external environment was kind. 

These long, monotonous rides make me think. Besides giving me ideas on what to write in the next blog, they also humble me. Finding myself in the middle of mighty structures of Nature that have been around forever reminds me of the fragility of this existence. One minute we are here, and the next you are late (pun intended).

Just like life, we start the race with much pomp and glitz. Along the way, the cyclists break into pelotons akin to all the relatives who keep you company throughout life's path. Deep inside, you still have to manage the day-to-day, just as a cyclist must listen to his body, plan his caloric intake and hydration, avoid potholes, and deal with lunatics behind wheels—motorised and otherwise—who are hell-bent on causing trouble for cyclists just for kicks and the occasional change of gears in anticipation of a climb. Some things work mechanically, like pedalling, while others require vigilance. In other words, you are the controller of your destiny in life, cycling-wise and philosophically. 

Once Genting Peres was conquered, it was a home run, really. Sliding down a 10-km decline from the 85 km mark, the subsequent section consisted of rolling hills. It was back to the starting point, completing a loop of 115 km, climbing over 1,420 m in 5h 25min. 

Even when I hit the finishing line, I had so much pent-up energy that I thought I should have pushed myself more. But then, it is better to finish strong than to drag my sorry self half-dead. What's more, come tomorrow, I have to return to my daytime job.

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Nothing happened in Stockholm?

https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/old-town-in-
stockholm-sweden-gm523395133-51237318

Stockholm Syndrome never really happened, at least not how they described it to us. A little background here... Back in 1973, in Stockholm, a convict on parole, Jan Erik Olsson, attempted to rob a bank with a gun. He took four bank employees as hostages. He held the hostages for six days in the bank vault, demanding that the police release his friend, a celebrity criminal, Clark Olofson, from behind bars, some money and free passage. The police did not budge, but they managed to smoke them out by drilling a hole through the vault and infusing noxious gas inside. The puzzling thing throughout the whole fiasco was that the hostages were said to have sided with the assailant. They viewed the police as the bad guys and did not take the opportunity to escape when the police purposely laid the plan for them. It is said that the hostages later crowdsourced funds for the robber's trial. 

It was later revealed that all these were fabricated. There was even a rumour that one of the hostages was engaged to her captor. The most apparent thing was that none of the media people interviewed the hostages to get a first-hand account of what transpired in the bank. Unverified rumours started flying. Soon, the understanding was that the hostages were brainwashed. In Sweden, pretty soon, the act of hostages building psychological bonds with their kidnappers was labelled Norrmalmstorgssyndromet,  after Norrmalmstorg Square, where the attempted robbery took place.

Outside, this phenomenon was recognised as Stockholm Syndrome. Policemen at academies were taught to take note of this when handling a hostage situation. Hostages cannot be relied upon to cooperate with the police but could paradoxically work with the bandits.

To be fair, Stockholm Syndrome is not classified as a mental disorder in the DSM-5. The FBI's extensive research into numerous kidnappings indicates that only 5% of victims develop some kind of psychological bond with their captors. Additionally, 3% of the general population hates the police, anyway.

The interest in this phenomenon was piqued once again a year later, in 1974, when Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of a famous publisher, was kidnapped by an urban guerrilla group, the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was later caught robbing a bank with the group. She was imprisoned for seven years, only to be pardoned and freed by Bill Clinton.

It gets more complicated after this. Quite the opposite of what is described in Stockholm Syndrome, sometimes the kidnappers grow a soft spot for their victims. In 1996, thousands of party attendees at the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru, were abducted. It is said that the friendly rapport with the kidnappers helped the earlier release of hostages. Anyway, the invited guests were probably high-level diplomats who were well-versed in negotiation skills. The scenario where the perpetrators build a positive bond with their victims is called 'Lima Syndrome'.
 

Kristin Enmark
"I did what I could do to survive!"
https://varldenshistoria.se/kriminalitet/stockholmssyndromet
-gisslan-skyddade-svenska-brottslingar

Contrary to what developed in Stockholm and Lima, hostages sometimes invoke their kidnappers' aversion. In 1980, the Iranian Embassy was seized with 26 captives by terrorists. The hostages were argumentative, loud, and trying to escape. The terrorist quickly shot the loudest one of the lot and threw him out of the Embassy to emphasise his demands with no qualms. This is London Syndrome. The bad behaviour of the victim sparks a negative response.

In one podcast, Radiolab, finally, eight years ago, someone interviewed one of the hostages, Kristin Enmark, involved in the Stockholm bank robbery, to find out what was really happening then. Kristin volunteered to be a hostage after overhearing her co-worker speaking on the phone emotionally to her husband about her children's logistics arrangements, as she would be stuck in the crisis.

It is difficult for a third person to predict how a victim would react in a stressful situation. We fail to see why a person repeatedly finds himself trapped in an abusive relationship. We wonder for how long a battered wife gets stuck with her abusive husband. There must be more than meets the eye. The logical thing for a person on the outside is to get out. It is not so easily done.

https://ivno.over-blog.com/2023/03/les-illusions-le-syndrome-de-stockholm.html

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