In other news.

Good Gawde has just reminded me that I haven't been keeping my vast readership up to date with various developments in my life and my very important opinions on events transpiring across the world. I thank him. All four of my readers also thank him. Especially Ma. And Pa. ;)

First things first. Get well soon, BB. That stomach trouble you've been having is causing trepidation across the globe. Your legion of admirers is on tenterhooks, biting their finger and toe-nails in an atmosphere of uncertainty and anxiety. Bu chuss yehai dapan ki tsu gess gasun jald nish jald theek. Booz-thha? Shaabaash.

And now on to more public topics. The Turkish GP yesterday. What a fantastic race! Finally a really exciting watch after oh-so-many races.We've had few and far between. The Brazilian GP to wind things up last season in October was a thriller. Then the season-opener in Melbourne this year was entertainng. And after a couple of boring months, yesterday's great race in Istanbul. Well done, little Massa. And Hammie, just when I had lost all hope in you, you took it up one notch and drove a damn good race. The 'Surpise!' three-pit-stop strategy almost worked. Very well done. Kimi stormed in third, close on Hammie's heels. Poor Heikki. Had an unlucky race but some nice overtaking moves all along after his 'flat' start. And Alonso.... *sigh*... Let us take a moment to daydream about this wonderful Spaniard. He was tres bien as usual. And coming up next is the wonderful Monaco GP. Woo hooooo!

On to the IPL now. Started off with a bang in Bangalore, and the tempo's been good ever since. Bangalore's team is by far the biggest joke this tournament's thrown up. Mmmppfhfhppphhhh. *That's muffled laughter*. Tired and Test-ed, is what the Royal Challengers are all about. The Saab is gunning for Dhoni's Chennai Superkings and Delhi's Daredevils (a lot of which has to do with Akshay 'hubba-hubba' Kumar being their posterboy.... I am not ashamed of this fact. I can't help it.) Other teams that look good are of course Warne's Jaipur lads. And Kolkata has a few very bright sparks in the form of Saurav Da and an impressive bowling line-up: Ishant Sharma, Umar Gul, Dinda and possibly, Shoaib Actor, no, no!, Akhtar. (Thanks to Sir Khurram Abbas in the Amreeka for this moniker.)

And then! Soccer. ManuU have romped home with the Barclays English Premier League cup. Whatte! Waiting for Moscow where they'll hopefully make it a double and win the Champions League as well. Chelsea were kicking up a happy storm last night when they saw a faint light at the end of the tunnel with their goal against Bolton. If Man U drew, that would be it. As it turned out though, the Wanderers pulled out a gorgeous equaliser themselves and Chelsea was left undone. Ronaldo had a foot in this winning match as well, and thanks to Rooney, Giggsy pulled off a nice second goal towards the end of the match. And that wrapped it up for the Reds.

In other news, looks like Barack Obama's going to be it. Unless the law suddenly changes and it turns out Dubya can run for another term. In which case it's probable that America will reinstate him as Prez. Ho hum.

The Myth of Muslim Condemnation of Terror

by Eteraz Ali

The Jena Six

I started reading up on the Jena Six issue only after I came across a post on Umar Lee's blog. Strange that there has been no news coverage of the Jena Six around here. Disturbing even. Are we turning insular like the Americans [yes, I WILL generalize]? MORE.
This is not a story set in the times of the Civil War or a historic anomaly. These are events that have unfolded in present day America, Deep South or not being irrelevant. See here for another related article.
Most disturbing points that stand out:
1. We learn of blatant Black-White segregation even today, in a high school in Jena, a small town in Louisiana.
2. Black students had to ask the principal permission to sit under the shade of a 'White tree'. They do so.
3. The KKK-style noose act by the White students is brushed under the carpet as a 'joke in bad taste.'
4. Black-White tension simmers through the high school for the entire semester. And passes on into the town.
5. A Black student, Robert Bailey, is assaulted at a dance considered to be 'White'. Only one White youth is arrested. He is eventually given probation and asked to apologize.
6. White man pulls a gun on some Black students at a gas station. They wrestle it away from him and get charged with theft. White man goes free.
7. Confrontation between a White student, Justin Barker, and Bailey in school - Bailey is taunted for the attack on him at the dance, and a fray ensues. Barker is allegedly knocked down and beaten by a group of six Black students present at the time of the confrontation.
8. Barker hospitalized for a few hours but seen out and about the same night. No major damage.
9. Six Black students - The Jena Six - allegedly the attackers of Barker, were arrested, charged with attempted manslaughter and expelled from school.
10. The six were arrested in December 2006 with outrageously high bails ranging from USD 70,000 to USD 138,000, leaving all of them unable to post bail for many months.
11. The first student went on trial this June - Mychal Bell. He was tried by an all-White jury, presided on by a White judge.
11. Bell was convicted [big surprise] of two felonies: aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit second-degree battery and faced up to 22 years in prison.

In light of rising international outcry and the controversy this case has stirred up, there may be hope for the Jena Six yet.
On September 15, a Louisiana court overturned the conviction because Bell shouldn't have been tried as an adult on battery charges in the first place. (Bell was 16 at the time of the arrest.) Major irregularities have already been noted in Bell's trial, such as the public defender not producing a single defense witness..... Some other nonsense about the prosecutor using the argument that Bell's tennis shoes were a 'deadly weapon' and hence justified the charge of aggravated battery. Ye gods.
On September 20, a peaceful rally of more than 10,000 supporters of Jena Six took place in the small town. Among those present were Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III, Al Sharpton, Mos Def and Salt n Pepa. Whatever.
Anyway, I'll be watching.