It is incredibly slow how the world community is reacting against the alleged genocide in Sudan. Yesterday, the United Nations Security Council merely passed a resolution threatening economic and diplomatic sanction against Sudan. That is probably a progress but nevertheless, it is a frustratingly slow development. The Sudanese government on the other hand has rejected the resolution swiftly.

Whether it is genocide or not, people are dying as the moments pass. I believe the United Nations should send a size of credible peacekeeping force to make sure Sudan would disarm the government-backed militias that are currently displacing many. Enough rhetoric; now it is time to act.

What I am more disappointed in is the Islamic community, especially the OIC which is currently led by Malaysia. An uproar was heard when the Muslims were the one on the other side of the gun. However, when one of them is holding the trigger, they stay quiet and act as if nothing big is happening.

This is absolutely true when I was attending the Friday prayer at the local mosque probably three weeks ago. After the prayer, somebody went up and announced a few minor things. But one of the not so minor issues was Sudan. He claimed that the media is manipulating the issue, depicting the Muslims as the aggressors. He went further but claming in actuality, it is the Muslims that are being oppressed.

Clearly in Sudan, it is the Muslims that are committing the atrocity, not the other way round. I who was sitting in the mosque hearing the announcement was utterly shocked. I stood immediately after that and left, disgusted by the hypocrisy shown by probably a prominent local Muslim figure.

The African Union (AU) had promised to send in some sort of force into Sudan but so far, nothing has happened yet. The AU said they have to delay the deployment due to logistic problem.

The Arab League offered help earlier but was refused by Sudan. Even if the Arab League was accepted by Sudan, I doubt it would do any good. The Arab League is useless because they cannot even solve their own problem and thus, there is no strong reason to see how the League would be of any help. In the end, it is only the United Nations that could help. The excessive red tape does not help however.

In the resolution, the UN gives Sudan 30 days to comply with the UN demands. I hope during those 30 days, Sudan will comply. I however do not feel Sudan will comply and if this if true, I hope those 30 days will end fast and thus, allowing tougher stances to be developed.

I will have a vice president who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws

- John Kerry, July 29th 2004, Boston.

Nuff' said.

Anyway, the Republican convention will be on August the 30th if I am not mistaken. It will be interesting to see how the GOP will react to the Democrats' call for more positive competition instead of a cynical one.

So far, a lot of Bush's campaign ads on the TV have been trying to discredit Kerry. Kerry has a few too but Kerry has not spent as much as Bush on negative ads.

And after four days of watching the DNC, I say Barack Obama is the best speaker.

Nevertheless, it is quite hard to see who will win the coming election.

On the other day, on the second day to be exact, Howard Dean gave his speech and he said democrats should not be ashamed of being democrats. People were confused with his words but later in an interview on PBS with Jim Lehrer, Dean explained that statement.

He said, people think Clinton got into office because Clinton was more of a centrist rather than a liberal. When he said that, then the �ah� came.

David Brooks, of who was on the show along with Mark Shields, disagreed and stressed later that Clinton won because Clinton took a sort of centrist position instead of a more liberal one.

Howard Dean is probably one of the true Democrats but I have to agree with Brooks. Clinton won because he took a centrist position.

I agree so because there is sort of case in economics that supports Clinton-was-a-centrist argument. It is something like this.

Imagine a one dimension line that represents a beach. At the same time, there are a lot of people on the beach, the sun is up there, clear sky and there are two ice-cream vendors at both end of the beach. Now, people from the right till the middle would go to the right-positioned ice-cream booth while the left-positioned will be visited by people from the left till the middle; this is based on the assumption that distance is the deciding factor on which booth should be visited and price is the same.

Now, if the right booth moved closer to the left while the left booth stayed left, the owner of the moved booth would get more customers. This is true because more people would be closer to the right booth than the left booth. If the right booth shifted straight to the middle while left stayed left, all the people on the right side would go to the right booth and half of the people on the left side of the beach would visit the right booth; the left booth would get only half of what it would have gotten if both booths had stayed at both end of the spectrum.

This is applicable to political party and certainly true in the case where there are two dominant parties. And this certainly dismisses Dean�s suggestion.

Anyway, I heard Ralph Nader has a good chance of getting into Michigan�s ballot. I would love to see Ralph Nader wins but given the situation, I will have to go with John Kerry.

For the past two days, I have been watching the Democratic National Convention with great interest. The excitement is so much different from watching UMNO�s convention back in Malaysia.

On the first day, Bill Clinton was up. I think the thing best remembered about his yesterday speech is this:

On the other hand, the Republicans in Washington believe that America should be run by the "right" people -- their people -- in a world in which America acts unilaterally when we can and cooperates when we have to.

I like it when he said Republicans want America to be run by the right people - their people. And somehow, it rings true for Malaysia if the words American, Washington and and Republicans are switched to appropriate words like UMNO and such.

And:

During the Vietnam War, many young men, including the current president, the vice president and me, could have gone to Vietnam and didn't. John Kerry came from a privileged background. He could have avoided going, too. But instead he said, "Send me."

Al Gore was great too. He, as expected talked about the environment and I think he almost mentioned eco-terrorism.

All in all, I would say that the environment received sufficient attention.

Today, it was more about medicare.

But the spotlight, in my opinion was on Barack Obama, the one person stood up on the podium not by reputation but by charisma. He is currently a senatorial candidate for the state of Illinois.

Barack Obama is oratorically great; his speech was simply inspiring. Unlike all the other speakers so far, he was probably the only one that is not widely known unlike Bill Clinton or Al Gore. Despite that, he managed to rouse the crowd in a way Howard Dean did once. Though Howard Dean, which gave his own speech today, stirred the crowd in the crudest but effective way many months ago, Obama excited the delegates with his coolness in expressing his words.

I bet tomorrow papers are going to talk about Obama a lot. If it were up to me, I would declare Obama as the best speaker so far for the past two days.

When the Bosnian War started in 1992, I was a kid in an elementary school. I heard about it frequently then in the mass media but I did not really understand what caused the war. All I knew was that it was an atrocity by the Serbs. Some called it genocide.

Though the Serbs were blamed, I now do not think anybody could be blamed. Despite their cruel act, they were merely defending a crumbling federation. In a way, it was a fighting for a marriage integrity. If I were in their shoe, I would probably do the same thing - a necessary evil for a greater purpose from a certain point of view.

Whatever it was called, I could not care less because I did not feel the pain back then. To mention it again, I was a kid and more, that war happened thousands of miles away. It was virtually impossible to me to hear the scream of the victims. Life was easy for me. I was only concerned about my playtime and from time to time, a few questions something like what is one plus one or a little bit worse, what is six times nine. Multiplication was a bitch back then.

Day in and day out, I grew older and I trust that it is not too much to say that I grew up. Unfortunately, the conflict in Bosnia also progressed for the worse. A few things that I remember about the conflict were cities as such Zagreb, Sarajevo, Srebrenica and Banja Luka; the main participants of the war of course, which included the Croats, the Serbs and the Bosnians; a few prominent individual like Karadzic and others; a few unbelievable events like the bombing of Belgrade by NATO and how the Russian moved in a few paratroopers as to protest NATO's action; a few buildings like a mosque in some obscured place and the bridge in the city of Mostar. Somehow, the name Novi Sad also comes to mind but I do not remember what Novi Sad was.

There were a few other things. One is the Malaysian military deployment to the Balkans as part of a United Nations' peacekeeping mission and a sudden in flux of Bosnian refugees into Malaysia. If my memory does not fail me, there was a Slavic named Adam or something in my life once. He stayed with my grandparents at about the same time when the conflict occured. I am not sure whether he was a Bosnian or not, or even a Slavic but he was certainly a Caucasian. And if I am correct, around the same time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were making a hit. I wonder what happened to him now.

It was not until about four years later, peace was achieved at Dayton, Ohio thanks to the then President of the United States, Bill Clinton. That peace seems to last though a few other things continued for some times in Kosovo and in Macedonia after the peace treaty as part of a larger conflict that in the end erased Yugoslavia from the map.

When I was small, I developed a love for architecture. In fact, I once dreamed to be an architect. I love buildings and when I first saw the bridge in Mostar, the image was instantly glued to my mind. This one unique bridge crossing a river at an audacious angle; it seemed that the architect of the bridge would have an easier job if he had built a typical bridge. But what do I know?

I am neither an architect nor an engineer. But what I do know is the beauty of the bridge, importance of the bridge, the symbolism behind the marble structure.

The bridge represented unity among the Bosnians, the Croats and the Serbs. And when the bridge was destroyed by artillery shells, it appeared that the symbolic meaning of Mostar changed from unity to disunity. I do not know how the residents of Mostar felt after seeing the destruction of the bridge but if I were there, not as a kid but as me in this moment of time, I would have been torn apart into pieces. I would have been devastated.

Today, or was it yesterday, the bridge reopens after a reconstruction effort by an arm of the United Nations, UNESCO. The bridge, from pictures that I saw, is strikingly gorgeous; a white construction across a literally blue river as it had in the past. It looks peaceful despite the fact the bridge has met death once.

Once, I heard someone somewhere said, with respect to the bridge that he, they will build an older Old Bridge. Impossible to build an older bridge to say the least, but the words are discernable given the devastation of the war.

May the bridge stands older than the original Stari Most. May it stands older than you and me, and everything else that come and go.

This calls for a celebration of peace.

Ajax�s hope of defending the Eredivisie title next year looks excessively bright for the moment.

Almost all of Ajax first team members are staying in Amsterdam, including the manager, Ronald Koeman. This is certainly good news by any standard. About less than a year ago, I was expecting some of players in Ajax to move to any bigger club due to Ajax's success in the Champions� League for the past two seasons. Ibrahimovic�s impressive performance in the last Euro also made me think that would be gone before the season starts anew.

On summer transfer, Marseille has been cited to show interest in Ibrahimovic. Marseille currently has a huge sum of money due to the sale of Didier Drogba to Chelsea. Therefore, Marseille certainly can afford to pay Ajax�s asking price. However, if he was to move, I doubt it will be Marseille. Thus, a possibility of Ibrahimovic playing in France is near to nil.

Trabelsi, the black sheep of Ajax is said to have struck an agreement with Arsenal. Once linked with Manchester United, the player has problem with Ajax and has been removed from the first team since last year. The sale of Trabelsi is ultimately good despite the fact that Ajax could use him. Skysports has more.

Rafael van der Vaart is staying for at least another season or two. That is for sure.

Johnny Heitinga, the one that received a red card during a the Netherlands � Czech Republic Euro 2004 match, has said that he is ready for the big arena in the Serie A. I vehemently disagree with him. Last season, he spent most of the time on the bench because he had a terrible injury. Despite of his placing in de Oranje, compared to his teammates, he has only played a few league games. He should stay at Ajax simply because he needs more experience, especially with the Champions� League.

Ajax�s greatest loss is probably due to the changes in coaching staff. The legendary Macro van Basten and John van�t Schip has been brought to manage de Oranje as Dick Advocaat resigns from the national team.

Again, all this are but anything. It does not affect Ajax, or at least it does not weaken Ajax in any whatsoever way.

On new players, I have not heard anything new. De Ridder, coming out from Jong Ajax is still hot. But, something is coming out from Argentina. It is Carlos Tevez. It is just rumor. Nothing official yet.

But the best thing is, those bastards, PSV and Feyenoord, the other two of the Eredivisie�s Big Three are significantly being stripped off of their influential players.

PSV sold Kezman and Robben to Chelsea. Chelsea, already loaded superstars, will be almost invincible with the prolific Kezman upfront and the amazing Robben in the wing. I dare bet that Chelsea will capitalize on the English Premier League. Manchester United dominance is wading fast.

The bloody Rommedahl is heading to Charlton and Hofland is crossing the German border to Wolfsburg. It has been rumored that even Waterreus is going out of PSV.

There are a few players coming into PSV. The most notable is Philip Cocu. Yes, that Cocu. Nevertheless, I do not think Ajax has anything to worry about with what is happening in Eindhoven.

Feyenoord is doing even worse. Van Persie is gone to Arsenal. Some other players like De Nooijer are also leaving the Rotterdammer. Even Shinji Ono has expressed his intention of leaving Rotterdam behind for Spain. In short, with an already weakened team, Feyenoord will struggle to get hold on the third place just like it did last season.

Ah. What a season next year will be. The prospect is marvelous. The only worry is probably the Champions� League. I hope those lads will get at least to the quarterfinal next year.

p/s � Ajax is having a friendly today against Queens Park Rangers.
pp/s - Ajax defeated QPR by one goal.

Just got home from DC. Actually, I got home earlier this morning.
 
I didn't meet the Prime Minister; I thought the Smithsonian Institute was more interesting than an evening with the PM - which is way too true. Glad to make that decision. I got some photos of Washington DC too. I will post it later or maybe not.
 
Before I left DC behind, I noticed that the city was gearing up for an event. I learnt that the event is called Screen on the Green. Turns out that it is a film festival. Damn. If only I had spent a few more days there.
 
And Pennsylvania is beautiful, at least from the freeway. I wonder how Virginia looks like. Probably better.
 
In any case, I just found out that the decision of couch ban has been postpone to another date. 
 
Finally, Blogger has a new interface yet again. Honestly, I like the previous version better because simplicity is beauty.

Be right back. My tummy hurts.

It's next week and I was informed that the Solar Car Team has a booth somewhere near Liberty St. Really close to my new place at Thompson.

Anyway, visit http://www.michiganguild.org/summerartfair.htm for info on the annual event.

While at the library today, an article in the New York Times caught my eyes. The report is about an effect of a free trade agreement between Australia and the United States. I must admit that I do not know the details of the agreement but the predicted outcome caused by the pact does not sound like an effect of free trade. The reason why I think so is because experts in Australia say that prices of drugs in Australia are due to rise if the agreement is to be signed and enforced.

I was terribly disturbed by this and did some research over the net to overcome the confusion. (Actually, I googled. I think Google is the best that has ever happened to the internet. Online gaming is the second best thing; online shopping is third. And pr0n is the fourth bes - nay I'm kidding. But where should I place piracy? Hmm...)

After a number of clicks probably comparable to the amount of clicks needed to play Blizzard�s Diablo I, I found more information on the deal.

The Times in its report does not explicitly mention why prices could actually go up. The report merely says that the free trade agreement (FTA) could somewhat affect the Australian subsidy on drugs. From there, I got the impression that the FTA demands an existing subsidy to be removed.

However that is not the case. From a girly webbie:

The 50 year old scheme guarantees drug companies a larger market - mostly poorer consumers - while allowing the government to negotiate "price for volume" discounts.

It seems that instead of typical subsidization, the Australian government buys drugs in a very large quantity. Due to economy of scale, the government is able to obtain the drugs at a price lower than the market-without-the-scheme price. And the government probably acquires stuff from firms that manage to produce drugs at a price cheaper than its American counterpart.

Furthermore, in the pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS) - name of the subsidy program � the government chooses certain drugs to be included in a list. The government in turn will only buy drugs listed and then resell it at a subsidized price. All other drugs left out of the lists will not be subsidized and thus, will be priced higher while facing of cheaper substitutes. An ugly result of the unsubsized firms.

That is not really a fertile ground for competitive market but it seems to work fine at the moment.

And here, to my understanding, is how price could go up.

Drugs in the US are expensive. I do not need a statistic to know that drugs in the US are goddamn expensive. When I dislocated my arm last year, I was billed roughly USD 2000 for the service I received from the hospital; a huge chuck of the $2000 was due to morphines and whatever other stuff that was applied on me.

With the FTA, the US pharmaceutical industry would have a say on what will go on the PBS list (PBS is not Public Broadcasting Service if you are not paying attention to what I am rambling about). When this happens, certain expensive American drugs will be on the list regardless the prices of the drugs.

And if the expensive drugs get to get on the list, the government would have to pay more in order to make the PBS goes on. Or the Australian government could pay as it had before the effect of the FTA (as the government is paying right now) and transfer the cost to consumers. Either way, Australians are bound to pay more. In the first case, more eventual taxes or less surplus if there was a surplus in the first place; in the second, well, part of the cost would be passed directly to the consumers.

Notice that the problem arises if expensive drugs (read the US drugs) are to be included into the PBS list. If the US pharmaceutical industry do not have a say, then everything should be fine as long as the Australian selection of drugs is based on price; cheaper drugs with the same quality get to get into the list, as it is right now I presume.

In my opinion, this is wrong and calling the agreement as FTA is a misnomer. But, I could be wrong on that because the FTA concerns lots of other stuff according to Global Trade Watch and this drugs issue is a subset of a larger picture. In the website, you could read the fact sheets provided by both Australia and the US.

If I were an Australian, I would join hand in hand with the Labour Party and oppose this arrangement.

But, what would Austalia get if the FTA is signed? Again, from the girly site:

US government negotiators are pressing the Australian government to agree to modifications to the government subsidised pharmaceutical benefits scheme in exchange for allowing Australian farmers better access to US markets, as part of a free trade agreement.

Hah! Good luck competing with those protectionists.

p/s - read the Australian Prescriber for more info on PBS. The article wants the abolishment of the subsidy altogether. I agree. Subsidy is an inefficient way of spending money but that is not the focus of what I am trying to say here. If disbandment of the regime was the issue, the current debate would take a different light. Price would definately be higher but possibly not as high as the US thus, the US entry would not affect anything in Down Under.

pp/s - the propaganda war against couch ban has begun at the Michigan Daily.

The anti-couch ban movement is on full swing, at least on the net. For information on the opposition towards the proposed couch ban, visit AAIO and Common Monkeyflower. Go to Arborblogs for news feeds on the issue.

And I am not really affected by the ban but hey, it is our porch not theirs!

The pro-ban people should go play somewhere else.

I badly want to go to Washington DC next week to meet up with the current Prime Minister of Malaysia. He will be in DC upon invitation from George W. Bush and he will be stopping by at the Embassy of Malaysia in DC for some event organized by the the Embassy.

The plan was for me to take a train from Ann Arbor and enjoy a four days of train ride, tour DC and meet the Prime Minister.

Now, I managed to persuade three friends to tag along and we will be driving a car from Ann Arbor to DC. Driving a car is the most cost-effective mean of transportation for us student. I hope we will get an efficient car with at least 28 mpg. So far, that is the plan.

Anyway, I will want to ask the Prime Minister about the incinerator in Broga, Malaysia. I am upset about the issue and thus, watch me do this on July 19th.

I am not planning on a commotion of course...

p/s - Ku Li has announced that he will be challenging Badawi for the President post.

What a pleasant Friday surprise. If Ku Li wins this one, he will surely be the sixth Malaysian Prime Minister. And Ku Li has a degree in economics.

Hah! We economists will eventually rule the world. First India, then Malaysia, then blah, and blah, and blah...

Details at Malaysiakini.

I have always thought Malaysia of being far better than Indonesia in almost all conceivable ways. Economically, I could see no way Indonesia could bypass Malaysia in the foreseeable future. Furthermore, Malaysia is more stable than Indonesia for the simple reason that Malaysia does not have any separatist movement. Indonesia on the other hand suffers rebellious fractions from Aceh in the west to Irian Jaya in the east. Perhaps, the only thing Indonesia rules supremacy over Malaysia is in culture. Indonesia excels in Malay literature and music to be precise (though I despise one type of their music - dangdut).

In short, you could say I do not look upon Indonesia as equal in term of achievement.

However, recent events may change my perception on Indonesia; Indonesia seems to perform better than Malaysia with respect to political process.

Indonesians are currently voting for a new President and there is a sign that Indonesia may on the way of having a new President. They even have a presidential debate, much like the US.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, UMNO, Malaysian main ruling party, will be having its internal election this September. However, regardless the meaning of election, individuals in the UMNO supreme council have agreed that the top two posts in the party, the President and the Vice President, will not be contested. The reason given by the advocates of such arrangement is unity.

Many in UMNO may concern about the party becoming fractional. After all, UMNO itself has been split three times and thus, such worry may be warranted. Therefore it is somewhat comprehensible to observe certain groups within the party to back such deal. Nevertheless, such fear is changing the party into fascism where the leaders are almost infallible. I am not saying that UMNO had embraced democracy in the near past but UMNO is heading to the wrong end of the spectrum.

The saddest thing is, UMNO calls this as a �guided democracy�. In Malay, it is known as demokrasi terpimpin.

The sponsors of a so-called guided democracy need to be reminded that there is no such thing as a guided democracy. A guided democracy is simply not a democracy. Rather, it is a fashion of autocracy. Jean Jacque Rousseau maybe favor such practice but, he is dead and we unfortunately are still here.

And because UMNO is the ruling party, this does not bore well for Malaysia.

Of lately, despite the unwritten agreement that the top two posts will not be contested, there is a rumor that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, a prominent Malaysian figure may be aiming at the presidency. A few people have openly declared their discomfort of seeing one of the top two posts being challenged.

If UMNO wants to prove itself as a democratic party, nobody in the party should express excessive displeasure if Tengku Razaleigh decided to go for the presidency. If Tengku Razaleigh managed to contest the seat, then that is a sign of democracy regardless whether he will win or lose.

I deeply wish to see the President and the Vice President seats to be contested. I believe, if there is a sign of democracy in the ruling party, then there is hope to see the implementation of a true democracy in the country. Else, then there will be a chance for us all to see a greater erosion of democracy in Malaysia.

If in any way Tengku Razaleigh is being barred from challenging the presidency, then perhaps Indonesians are better at running a democracy.

In a presidential debate, of which is a non-existence in Malaysia, the current Indonesian President, Megawati Sukarnoputri staggered. That is certainly a sign that she is not suited for the job. And thanks to democracy, people know that she is incapable of holding such position. On the contrary, in Malaysia, we have no way of knowing whether our leaders have the aptitude to lead us because all we eat is the skin, not the meat.

p/s - My Teddy Bear has chosen his running mate.


Say hi to My Action Figure!

pp/s - Dick Advocaat has resigned. Too bad.
ppp/s - Copa America has started but who cares. Copa America is not as exciting as Euro.
p^4 - FIFA updated the football world ranking today. The Netherlands stays at the fifth rung while Brazil is on top. The USA is on the seventh place (bah!) and Greece jumped (and jumped the Greek did) from 35th to 14th. Malaysia meanwhile lingers at 122. In fact, Malaysia fell 4 spots. Indonesia is at the 96th rung. Yeah, Indonesia is better than Malaysia in footie too. More at FIFA.
p^5/s - blogs all over Ann Arbor are garnering momentum against couch ban. The city council will vote on the matter on July 19th.
p^6/s - Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is coming to the White House. There will be an event for Malaysians. Details:

Date : July 19, 2004 (Monday)
Time : 4.00 pm
Venue: Embassy of Malaysia, Washington DC

I am thinking of going.
p^7/s - The city council has approved the installation of traffic light on Plymouth Road. However, it is not in front of the Islamic Center where two Malaysians died after being hit by a truck.

One of my dilemmas of being a green is the usage of plastic bag. Yes, things as small as plastic bag do bother me.

I am a green and therefore, whenever I shop, I will ask for paper bag. The reason is simple; I do not want to encourage the petroleum-based industry too much at the expense of the Earth. Paper bag on the other hand is a recycled product and plus, it is biodegradable; clearly better alternative from my point of view.

Only when it is very inconvenient for me will I accept plastic bag. Even then, I will feel a hint of guilt.

Now, the dilemma � if I do not accept plastic bag and go for paper bag instead, other people will use the plastic product nonetheless. If I use the plastic bag, I can rest assure that I will properly dispose it or even use it as a durable product. If somebody else goes for plastic bag, I do not have the assurance that that somebody would do what I will do. And thus, in comes asymmetric information � the lack of information for one to make an informed decision.

With this realization, my policy of using paper bag is being challenged. The question now, should I use plastic bag so that I could be sure that it will be properly treated or should I not?

Further problem is this � if I go for plastic bag due to the reason stated earlier, and if every green thinks like me, that would signal the firms that nobody would want to use paper bag. Firms will then reduce the number of paper bags or maybe even downright stop supplying it for the consumers. At the same thing, the increase usage plastic bag signals the firms to get more of it for the consumers. Thus, more plastic bag with less of its paper counterpart.

Hamlet would say, to be or not to be, that is the question. I would say, to use or not to use.

Of course, I could easily take both types at the same time; that would certainly solve the dilemma. However, another problem arises � over-consumption.

OMG, I have never thought being a green and taking up economics as a major is tough.

But the only real solution is to get one�s hand on the information on how plastic bag is being used and disposed by the consumers.

Somebody should do a survey.

It was a total heartbreak to see Portugal advances to the Final at the expense of de Oranje. A newly born golden generation of Oranje succumbed to a fading great Portuguese generation. However, the worst disaster is still the loss to the Czech Republic. De Oranje fans may argue who the blame is due to but I believe, all of us will agree that it is the worst disaster for de Oranje in Euro 2004 nonetheless.

And then, the unexpected happened. The home of a once great Greek empire beat the new favorite of the tournament, the Czech in the Semifinal. Before everything went astray, the biggest surprise was seeing the Greek making through pass the group stage with Spain as a sacrifice to Zeus.

And then, it was seeing the Greek at the Semifinal.
And then, it was seeing the Greek in the Final.
Now the Greek, a total outsider, stormed Lisbon and there they are, currently leading the conqueror of de Oranje, the host of the tournament, by one goal.

Of all teams, it is the Greek!

Who would have thought this is possible?

How is this possible?

Even Einstein�s Theory of General Relativity is easier to comprehend.

Reality is certainly weirder than fiction. I thought the last World Cup was crazy but at least, in the very end, order was restored. God must have slipped into slumber for a few moments

But now, God must be sleeping throughout the tournament!

I pray to God, let sanity reinstate itself. Enough madness. Enough lunacy. This is too much for the real world.

I pray to God, Montserrat, currently taking the last place in FIFA�s ranking, would not make it to the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany.

Mercy I say. My sanity is almost gone. Mercy milord before my sanity is blown apart.

God, awake thy must!

But all is too late. It is already the fifth minute of the stoppage time. Greek, as they had in history, is victorious.

In any case, this is the most catchiest football (yes, again, it is football, not soccer) related phrase, "Ancient Greece had 12 gods, modern Greece has 11". Allow me to rephrase that. Ancient Greece had 12 gods, modern Greece has 11 llamas. Maybe minus Nikos Machlas because he was an Ajacied.

1. The final whistle has been blown. I read the stats and I could only feel dismay. This is an injustice.

2. The Greek is more italier than the Italian. Unbelievable how the statistic shows great domination by the Iberian and yet, the statistic does not conform with the result. Therefore, I am adding a new team to my hate list. Greece, say hi to Italy (all Italian teams included), Manchester United and Selangor.

p/s � it is fourth of July. Happy birthday to the idealists of freedom and liberty. Sadly reality does not seem to reflect ideal. Nevertheless, to liberty and freedom.