|
Post by Valodya Bassarov on Mar 22, 2005 15:10:39 GMT -5
Bassarov's face remains expressionless, but he is actually soewhat annoyed with Sakari's wanton behavior. The soup comes as well as a diet coke, and Bassarov soon forgets about his bad mood.
"Just don't be gone too long. I don't want to have to do all the work here myself. It is a little intimidating." Bassarov says. He supposes that it doesn't really matter if Sakari goes to the convention.
|
|
|
Post by Sakari Lehtinen on Mar 22, 2005 15:12:27 GMT -5
"Don't sell yourself short laddie." Sakari says, when he obtains his piece of pie. "But no worries, I'll be back asap."
((Gotta run for a few hours))
|
|
|
Post by Valodya Bassarov on Mar 22, 2005 15:15:32 GMT -5
"Okay, well I can handle things on my own until you return. I have no problem taking extra responsibilities, but this is all new to me. I wish I could be more...or do more...or something." Bassarov says more to himself than to Sakari.
"Oh that pie looks great. Maybe I should have gotten pie. Could I sample some?" Bassarov asks.
|
|
|
Post by Lamumba on Mar 22, 2005 15:41:58 GMT -5
As Kasai sits outside in the morning, reflect on many things, he thinks about colonization once again. He thinks back to yesterday with the broken statues of King Leopold II. Now, many people in the West think that somehow colonization benefited indigenous people through industrialization. Though this is hardly true at all, since the infrastructures of colonized countries were never built up. Industrialization was for the sole purpose of making it easier for Europeans to extract the natural resources and not for any social benefit of non whites.
And then, there are even some who think that colonizers in Congo actually "saved" the people there from Arab slavers. But the colonizers were brutal. They would often cut off the right hand of those who didn't produce enough rubber.
Colonization reshaped the world and forever handicapped the third world. It allowed for the great industrialized northern hemisphere that we see today. All of their wealth, they owe to the world they exploited back when they were not so strong.
Some say we are lazy, that we can not get our act together and just build healthy countries. They point at dictatorship, ethnic wars, the poverty, and somehow they blame us for all of. In truth, we bear some responsibility and can not push all of the blame onto others. But it is impossible to build a healthy economy from scratch in the fierce competition of global capitalism. It is nearly impossible to pick up the broken pieces of a shattered society and people and just put it back together again.
|
|
|
Post by Dinari Dollar on Mar 22, 2005 16:06:59 GMT -5
We're going to have a panel discussion on the tragic school shooting yesterday in Nothern Minnestota, which left 10 dead and at least a dozen injurred. Our first to speak is a representative of the Christian Values Parenting Council.
"Hello glad to be here. I think that the major problem we're seeing here is violent video games. I mean, I was shocked when I learned the kind of games that kids are playing. There's this one...Saint Andreas or something where kids are literally acting like criminals shooting people and stealing cars. What kind of values are we raising our kids with today? It's time we start censoring this...rap music and violent video games which are at the root of these violent behaviors in kids."
The other panelist speaks up on the issue. "I think we have to look at some socio economic issues here. This is a very impoverished part of the country. There are many social problems on this reservation and the boy himself had faced adversities concerning the death of his father and the incapacitation of his mother. He was troubled but had a lot stacked against him."
The first panelist continues...
"I think there is a spirit of evil in the school and in the youth. We need to fight this with wholesome values..."
|
|
|
Post by Aslan Shamil on Mar 22, 2005 16:17:55 GMT -5
Aslan spends some time at the compound reflecting on the incident. When he is more at peace, he goes to the families of the victims and tells them what happened. Throughout the day, small groups of family members and mourners come to pick up the remains of their lost loved ones. Aslan was fortunate that he brought Septimus back to his apartment, otherwise he could have been amongst the casualties. After helping to clean up the compound and remove the dead, he returns to Septimus, feeling darker than he has before towards the Russians and towards the conflict.
|
|
|
Post by Aleksandra Odinsova on Mar 22, 2005 16:27:56 GMT -5
Wherever I go the media follows. It is annoying. I just want to be alone and they don't get it. I curse at the media and escape them by hiding in a fitting room in the store I was shopping at.
"I hate all of this. Being held hostage by terrorists is one thing, but having my life held hostage by the media is almost as bad."
I cross my legs and apply bubblegum pink lipgloss in the fitting room.
"Okay I am just going to sit in here until they leave."
|
|
|
Post by Dead Character on Mar 22, 2005 16:36:02 GMT -5
Antero heads to the old concert hall where the anarchists will be meeting. It is a run down place replaced by a newly rebuilt one. However, it is still rented out for conventions. He sits there in a worn down, plush red seat. He is the only one there. He kicks his legs up onto the back of the seat before him and waits. He will have to go back to work tomorrow and is already dreading it. "Sometimes I wish I could die. Sometimes I wish I could just escape work. Maybe death is the only way. I can't wait for retirement. Suicide is early retirement." He says to himself. Inside he is sick. He is doing the best to keep it all together, but he is getting worn down. This inescapable cycle of work is killing him. It has stolen from him his soul and hope. And the worst thing is that no one cares. If he tells his family they think he is lazy. He compares his life to being trapped in a bad episode of the Twilight Zone. He knows something that no one else seems to know. It is like telling the robot drones that they are all slaves then having them look at you funny and threaten to put you away. That is what it is like to hate society and work. It is the worst kind of non conformity.
|
|
|
Post by dead character on Mar 22, 2005 16:51:54 GMT -5
"We are planning on taking hostage a school house in Israel." one of the organizers of the DFLP says to Malik and other young revolutionaries. "Will I be involved with this?" Malik asks. "No, we need a few people to travel abroad and meet with our foreign supporters." "So I will be traveling abroad? To where?" Malik has only been to Israel, Lebanon, and Syria and is nervous about traveling very far. The organizer pauses...
|
|
|
Post by capulet on Mar 22, 2005 17:41:35 GMT -5
Things have slowed at the site since my speech, the workers are going about their business quietly, as they should. Pay cuts are a marvelous little thing, they can do so much to keep the lower class in line.
As there are no pressing matters to hold my attention here I pick up wind of a fascist rally in Northern Germany. Now while I am not a fascist myself they do have good core ideas, but are simply misguided. In any event the fascists make a good ally against the communists. Driving to the airport I get on the company jet, and in a few hours am in Germany. My driver takes me to the location of the rally where I push through the massive crowd until I'm in a good position to watch the speakers. I pay a few large men at the rally to create a 5 foot circle around me, this way I don't have to stand shoulder to shoulder with any of these.... people.
My assistant brings me a chair and I sit inside my private circle, looking up at the speakers placidly.
|
|
|
Post by Salome Weil on Mar 22, 2005 19:54:03 GMT -5
"Oh hello Nea. The convention will be starting later. Right now we are just helping with this protest. If you would like you may carry a sign. We are going to march against the upcoming invassion of Syria and of course other wars taking place in the world right now." I explain to her, handing her a sign to carry.
|
|
|
Post by Sakari Lehtinen on Mar 22, 2005 20:07:26 GMT -5
"Yeah of course." Sakari says between bites. He nudges his plate towards Bassarov.
"Can I have some of your soup?"
|
|
|
Post by Selja Hakalamaki on Mar 22, 2005 20:10:18 GMT -5
Following a lead I discovered from a local pacifist I make my way to an anti-war rally in Dublin. The rally is enormous, but fortunately for me most of the Russians are seperate from the Irish, and soon I locate Bassarov. "Running off without me Valodya?" I ask jokingly.
|
|
|
Post by Valodya Bassarov on Mar 22, 2005 20:11:01 GMT -5
"Oh...um...sure, dig in." Bassarov says, sliding his soup and a slice of soda bread over to Sakari. Bassarov tries some pie, but since he prefers blueberry pie he feels no loss having ordered soup rather than dessert. He considers for a moment that he has never seen Sakari eat a wholesome meal. Sakari must live entirely on sugary things.
"Do you like the soup? I must say this is the first time I have seen you eat something that wasn't sugary. I prefer blander foods myself and something spicey and exotic on the rare occaission I want to try something different."
"Hello Selja, good to see that you found us."
|
|
|
Post by Selja Hakalamaki on Mar 22, 2005 20:15:08 GMT -5
"Well it took awhile but I'm here now. I passed my tests, so I don't have to go back to college if I don't want to." I say with a smile, proud of myself.
|
|