Stunning pictures of Afghan Army's battle with the Taliban

Often, we get to see pics of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan during their tour of duty, chilling out at their bases and the kind. Time magazine recently presented a new photo essay featuring 14 shots of Afghan soldiers by Alvaro Ybarra Zavala. The essay takes an intriguing look at the conditions of the soldiers and their daily life. I watched a show on the Pentagon Channel where an American soldiers asks whether it's possible to have a game room and jacuzzi at their base in Afghanistan ! The senior replies with some footage of a wide indoor food court and other luxuries. The soldiers of Afghan National Army meanwhile rely on volleyball courts and radios for entertainment. Meanwhile, read an article about the Pakistani and Indian influence in Afghanistan.

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On the Front Lines in the Battle against the Taliban

S.Korean man fined for racism against Indian

On July 10,Bonogit Hussain, a 29-year-old Indian man, and Hahn Ji-seon, a female Korean friend, were riding a bus near Seoul when a man in the back began hurling racial and sexist slurs at them.The man yelled racist comments and called "Arab! Arab!" at the Indian man while on a bus in July. The 31-year-old South Korean, identified only as "Mr.Park" had supposedly only objected to Bonogit Hussain talking loudly on a bus.

Mr Hussain had been in South Korea since 2007 and had studied for a master's degree from Seoul's SungKongHoe University, later working as a research professor there. However, this was not his first brush with racism. In crowded subways, people tend not sit next to him. In June, he said, he fell asleep on a bus and when it reached the terminal, the driver woke him up by poking him in the thigh with his foot, an extremely offensive gesture in South Korea.

“Things got worse for me this time, because I was with a Korean woman.” “Whenever I’ve walked with Ms. Hahn or other Korean women, most of the time I felt hostilities, especially from middle-aged men.”- Bonogit Hussain

The craze for a homogenous society is profuse in Korea. As a country often invaded by it's larger neighbours in the past, people focus is on “pure-blood” nationalism as well as traditional patriarchal mores, said Seol Dong-hoon, a sociologist at Chonbuk National University. Korean women who were taken as sex slaves to China centuries ago were shunned as tainted when they returned to Korea. The more recent tragedy of women sold to American G.Is during the Korean War of the 1950's were despised more and their children were referred to derogatorily as twigi, a term once reserved for animal hybrids,

Source - BBC

* NY Times

Adam Lambert's queer,obscene antics draw

Now I know I ain't alone in my views. Lambert, of American Idol fame made his first performance outside of Idol also his most controversial one (yet). First, the show was BDSM-themed with dancers in leather and fishnet. That ain't obscene, for more and more celebs are hinting at it in both their attires as well as during their performances though in a generally milder way.

The singer,who confirmed he was gay in an interview with the Rolling Stones magazine arrived on stage, dragging a female dancer across the stage. "Hip-thrusting" Lambert then proceeded to pull a male dancer's head into his gyrating crotch. He then had a female grab him and he in turn snapped the bikini area of another female's costume. After ending his obscene act with a look of defiance, he later tweeted

"All hail freedom of expression and artistic integrity. :) fans: I adore u. " - Adam Lambert

Lambert fought back saying that if people had been upset by his performance that it is a "form of discrimination and it's too bad". Just because Lambert isn't straight doesn't mean he has a license to vulgarity and all those who dislike him are homophobics. If stimulating sex on stage is his idea of "freedom of expression", then it's time LBGT groups begin condemning him. That would be a good way to promote tolerance. The Parents Television Council (PTC), a media pressure group which campaigns against "indecent" content on US television, posted a statement on its website calling the show "tasteless" and "vulgar". "They just can't believe the nature of the content, the explicit nature, and how much graphic content there was" said the President, Timothy Winter.

Already 1500 complaints have been lodged in the United States against the singer who told US network CNN that the kiss was "in the moment."

Source - BBC

Pakistan's secret war in South Waziristan...

Since the Pakistani Army launched Operation Rah-e-Nijat (Urdu for "Path to Salvation") the military has made significant progress. Last week recaptured the strategic town of Kotkai, the birthplace of Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud. The lawless, semi-autonomous South Waziristan region is a hotbed for Uzbek and foreign extremists and is a stronghold of the dreaded Tehrik-e-Taliban, or Taliban Movement of Pakistan, an umbrella of about a dozen militant groups fighting the government. The last time an offensive was launched in SW in 2004, heavy casualties forced the troops to strike up a peace treaty.

The biggest discrepancy in this battle is the casualties. While it's pleasing to know that the Army has inflicted heavy losses on the rebels, what is infinitely more pressing is the casualties on the army side. Information from the conflict is unreliable as access is denied to foreign media and journalists. So this means the only source of information is the Pakistani army and the drastic figures they give definitely doesn't sound very credible.

On the third of the offensive, the security forces reported 9 soldiers killed and 78 enemy fighters on the enemy side. I am not a military expert, but something is very wrong here. Evidently, the Army isn't the only belligerent giving dubious figures. The Taliban, who claim not to have lost a single fighter, say they have killed many more Pakistani soldiers than the nine reported by the army.

What makes this even more frustrating is the lack of pictures and media emanating from the battlefield. We just don't know what's happening there. I watch Al Jazeera English, as they usually have more footage and better coverage on such issues than Western media. However, the ban applies to them too and this means they have to relay on local men to be their eyes and ears on the ground. The army says 264 militants and 33 soldiers have been killed so far. Let's just hope the later doesn't rise much.

Yahoo News - Q+A - Why is Pakistan attacking militants in Waziristan?

Facebook The Movie- but Justin Timberlake NOT playing Zuckerberg !

A new movie based on the evolution of the social network Facebook is in the works, starring Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield produced by Scott Rudin, called "The Social Network". The famous online social network was set up in 2004 on-campus at Harvard by Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and now CEO. Jesse Eisenberg will play Mark Zuckerberg, while Timberlake takes the role of Sean Parker, co-founder of Napster and now the President of Facebook. Production work on the film will begin in October in Boston, before moving to Los Angeles.

It's disappointing Timberlake isn't playing Zuckerberg. Both of them have similar eyes, facial shape and you would even think they are brothers ! Sigh....

Source - MSN Arabia

The Getaway 3, Eight Days NOT abandoned !!

For fans of the 'The Getaway' series, June 4th 2008 was a black day. After all, it was on that day the makers of the franchise, Sony, announced that the work on the sequel to the popular action game will "cease immediately."

The official Sony's statement,

"It has been agreed that production of both 8 Days and The Getaway will cease immediately due to the redistribution of resources and budget. This decision was made following an internal review of all games and it was deemed that with the incredibly strong list of exclusive first party titles coming up both this year and in the near future, resource should be reallocated to enhance those projects closer to completion."

Both games were originally announced in tech demo form at Sony's 2005 E3 press conference and footage, allegedly "game footage", was released including a highly suspicious trailer of the new game Eight Days. Since then, virtually no news about it came out with the ambiguously worded statement suggesting the hiatus was only temporary while contradictory statements implied Sony "will not resume production."

Online petitions were set up to garner support for the redevelopment of games with more than 2600 people signing it. For most fans like me, Youtube was the source for the discussion though very little info of credibility came out of it.

Finally however, Nicolas Doucet, producer and creative art director at Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio became the first official voice to confirm that the game hasn't been canned. In an interview mainly about 'Eyepet' (which were Sony's priorities and possibly the development for which the TG budget must have been allocated) reaffirmed that The Getaway 3 and Eight Days were "not abandoned, but put on hold".

GK: Before EyePet, the teams at Sony London were working on two projects that have since fallen by the wayside: Eight Days and The Getaway 3. Can you confirm that both of these have indeed been abandoned?

ND: I would not say they have been abandoned, just put to one side. Much work had been done. The studio just wanted to focus on its strengths, EyeToy and SingStar. Given the potential of EyePet, priorities have been changed, but the other projects aren't dead yet. Ultimately, the decision [to put those games to one side] has benefited everyone.

GK: How far through production were they?

ND: It depends. I think they were just over halfway through. They had a plan, everything was ready…

GK: How have you dealt internally with these strategic decisions from Sony?

ND: Many recruits to the EyePet team came from these projects, and contrary to popular belief, they are rather popular. First, because it was a much smaller team, they were able to integrate differently, but also with a different challenge.

Most importantly, The Getaway and Eight Days are still there. So, no, there haven't really been any regrets. This decision was welcome. And then everyone likes change, as is the culture of this community. There were no bad feelings.

GK: I guess you have another game currently under development…

ND: (Smiling) Yes.

GK: Is it linked to EyePet or is it unrelated to this franchise?

ND: No, it's a different concept, in addition to EyePet.

GK: So will you continue to be Sony's brand ambassador for social and casual gaming?

ND: While the whole studio won't, our group will, I think. There is a lot of interest around augmented reality. It surprised me to come to the Festival du Jeu Video (a gaming show held Paris in September) and see the number of magazines that want to do an article on this subject, as I thought it was too geeky. It is now very much part of the casual gaming space.

I bought The Getaway: Black Monday in 2006 and the riveting story,compelling characters and the realistic portrayal of the London landscape enthralled me. Ever since I learnt about the sequel in late 07, I had been saving up to buy a PS3 to play the sequel since the last two games were all released on Playstations. Even though I can't say I have accrued enough savings, I finally have something to look forward to buy in the coming year !

Transformers 3 confirmed to be in 2011

The sequel to the Shia La Beouf and Megan Fox action series has been confirmed to be released in 2011, the date being 1 July 2011, just two days before the release of the first film. Transformers 2 has been hugely successful, grossing more than $100m more than it's predecessor ($832m). Fox and Bay obviously have some issues here, check out their exchanges !

Director Michael Bay announced a third "Transformers" movie will be hitting theaters on July 1, 2011 -- and not 2012 as originally thought -- on his web site on Thursday. And he also took the opportunity to further his war of words with his star, Megan Fox, by telling her to consult with a doctor before getting on board.

Fox originally drew Bay's ire while promoting this summer's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," when she said that "working with Michael Bay is not about an acting experience." Bay responded, "She says some very ridiculous things because she's 23 years old and she still has a lot of growing to do." Most recently, Fox compared Bay to "Napoleon" and said she and costar Shia LaBeouf "almost die when we make a 'Transformers' movie... He has you do some really insane things that insurance would never let you do."

In this latest blog post, Bay writes, "Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture." He goes on to say, "Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you."

Source -Yahoo

Footage of Mexico Subway Shooting released

Watch the Video

The shooting at the Balderas station in central Mexico City happened after police stopped Luis Felipe Hernandez Castillo, 38, from writing graffiti on the wall of one of the subway platforms.

Two people died in the shootout including a police officer. Five of the injured suffered gunshot wounds, and three others were hurt by the stampeding crowds, officials said.

Hernandez Castillo was writing "Este gobierno de criminales," or "this government of criminals," Mexico City district attorney Miguel Angel Mancera said. As police tried to stop him, Hernandez Castillo drew a .38 special handgun and began firing. Castillo as an agriculturalist from the state of Jalisco.

The Mexican government on Saturday posted security camera footage of the shooting. It shows a busy subway platform as the train pulls into the station just before 5:15 p.m. Friday. As the train comes to a stop, there is a disturbance in the crowd, and Hernandez Castillo is seen shooting at an officer. The crowd disperses, and the officer runs out of view of the camera. The officer, who was a bank policeman, is later seen on the footage lying dead, face down on the platform. The footage shows a man in a white shirt running off the train and trying to wrestle Hernandez Castillo. The man chases Hernandez Castillo around the platform. He frequently falls either because he slips or is trying to avoid being shot. The man is on the floor facing Hernandez Castillo, about to get up and try to grab him, when he is shot in the head and falls to the ground.

At 5:23 p.m., the camera shows first one, then two, then three plain-clothes police getting into position on the platform. Within moments they rush Hernandez Castillo and pull him out of the train, with nearly a dozen police officers then wrestling him to the ground.

Full report : CNN