The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly in the Plain...

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the Plain.
In Hertford, Hereford, and Hampshire, Hurricanes Hardly Happen.

That was just a glimpse of lines from the great play of My Fair Lady. Have you seen the play? I have! Although my experience of seeing this particular play did not involve going to see it in london's fancy covent garden theatre (the Royal Opera House). I went to see the play in not-as-posh Birmingham Hipprodrome. But definitely quite posh for Birmingham standard. haha. I had fun. It was a worthy performance and clearly entertaining.

Eliza: The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.
Higgins: I think she's got it. I think she's got it.
Eliza: The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.
Higgins: By George, she's got it. By George, she's got it. Now once again, where does it rain?
Eliza: On the plain! On the plain!
Higgins: And where's that soggy plain?
Eliza: In Spain! In Spain!
Chorus: The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!...

Well... I'm not going to write about the tale of Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins. It was just a bit of a coincidental case with My Fair Lady that the rain in Spain definitely hasnt really stayed mainly in the plain lately, as it was definitely Spanish rain in Europe recently. Why is it? While the lines above are only a small bit of the well-celebrated English play, yet England failed to play and thus participate in the most-celebrated big European event of the beloved Football. Very sad indeed. And, ironically, it was Spain who was crowned as the victor of the Euro 2008. Spain, while obviously wasnt an underdog team at the championship, it wasnt exactly the clear favorite in the beginning of the early matches. Although it has rather massive fans indeed. On the other hand, Italy, the current world champion, was a big favorite. Viva azzurri was everywhere both in Swiss and Austria. French, another dark horse, was one of the favorites as well. At the early rounds, it was Netherlands who was cheered and predicted to be a winner. Alongside Germany with their quite sound performance on the grass.

Although it wasnt raining on the final match, unlike previous matches, it was Spain who rained the game with their victory in Ernst Happel, Vienna where the whole stadium also rained with Spanish flag and red colour.

However, Spain's victory in Euro 2008 there left me a bit unsettling. why indeed? A Spanish national team owned the final day in Euro 2008 hosted by two countries: Austria and Swiss. It made me wondering, "Will a Spanish conquer a Swiss native after this?". Yes, I am talking about Wimbledon here. "As Spain stole back the Henry Delaunay trophy after 44 years, will a young Spaniard steal the Wimbledon trophy and end a Swiss native's five years reign?". I was terrified, very much indeed. For those Federer fans out there, you should all have been alarmed by this speculation (if only i had written this sooner!).

So then, with a very alarming idea in my head, i followed match after match of Wimbledon 2008. As it happened, my fearful speculation did came into realisation. Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard warrior finally gained his long-awaited victory over the FedExpress, the King of grass court and Rafa's arch-nemesis, on Wimbledon's centre court. He ended Roger Federer's reign on the centre court by defeating him in a match of 5 heart-jittering and almost unbearable long sets. As Eliza answered Higgins' question that the soggy rain was in Spain, it was a Spanish who was rained by victorious match on...a soggy day indeed. Rafa then stole Federer's crown on the grass court which, for some people, is considered Federer's second home. It was beyond sad. For me, it was like a great loss.

Earlier this year, on a bit different subject yet very related topic, Javier Bardem, a Spanish actor, was honored to win the academy Award, the Oscar, as the Best Actor in a Supporting role in another most-celebrated event of Hollywood. It is indeed a very rare occasion in the history of Oscar that non-American actors gains a victory - This year's Oscar was deemed as "international" (or rather European?), as the Best Actor crown went to Daniel Day Lewis, the British-Irish actor, and the Best Actress award was handed in to Marion Cotillard, the talented French actress who brilliantly played the role of Edith Piaff in La Vie en Rose / La Môme.

So, when Professor Higgins tried to teach Eliza "the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain", little did he know that years later the Spanish rain does not merely stay mainly in the plain, but across the Europe (and beyond) indeed. The latest rain was obviously a case of a Spaniard raining a tennis match with his forceful talent and reigning at the Wimbledon's centre court. Although it pained me, it still does, i whole-heartedly congratulate Rafa on his latest BIG victory. After all, dethroning Federer's crown wasnt an easy work, and not many people could do that. Although, i bet you all that FedExpress will be back in his more brilliant than usual form to steal back his Wimbledon's crown. I do believe this is just an off year for him, one of those year. It has happened to the likes of Bjorn Borg and Sampras, two of the greatest players besides Fed himself. You just wait, Rafa... You shall just see, next year.

It is then fair to say that it's a big year for Spain. Although, unfortunately, it doesnt really apply to Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard F1 driver who's been losing his great "touch" on GP track lately. Thanks to his unwell relationship with the English team and his then English teammate (now rival). Perhaps, Alonso should attend one of Professor Higgins' class with Eliza, to learn the "proper English way" (no pun intended). As for Alonso, the rain in his Spain stays mainly in the losing pain.

"...the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain? no, the rain in Spain spreads across the Europe's, and even American land. In Hollywood, London, Austria, and Switzerland...Spanish hurricanes do happen."

* this is for my Dad, who doesnt like Spain when it comes to spectator sports: for Alonso defeating Schumacher in Formula 1 GP, for Barcelona defeating Arsenal in Champions league, for Sete Gibernau defeating Rossi in MotoGP - all happened 2 years ago.

India Going Global

It seems that my curious affinity on the subject of India has yet to cease since i did the dissertation research 2 years ago. I remain very eager to see how India develops and thus enhances its economic reforms successfully.

Last week, I had the honour of representing my office to attend a CSIS Seminar on India Going Global: Emerging Multinationals and Regional Economic Integration with Dr. Nagesh Kumar, the Director General of Research & Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), India, as the only speaker.

All in all, it was probably the most interesting seminar i've ever been to for the past months as i found myself sitting there with fully opened eyes listening intently to Dr. Kumar's presentation.

Anyways. Below is the short version of seminar review i managed to write after the seminar.

India Going Global:

Emerging Multinationals and Regional Economic Integration

Speaker:

Dr. Nagesh Kumar

Director-General

Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)

New Delhi, India

www.ris.org.in

≈ India: Brief Overview and Analysis

India began its modest reform slightly in 1980, although it was a hesitant and sluggish reform. Up until then, India had always had large private sectors while markets were run by inflexible state controls. What had started in 1980 became systemic and far broader after India experienced a severe macroeconomic crisis in 1991. In late 1991, with the transfer of the Indian Parliament into the hands of political and economic reformers, despite much opposition, India began its reform towards liberalization and freer trade. Since then, Indian per capita GDP has doubled and has achieved the 6% plus rate of GDP growth earlier this year (Siegel 2006). Despite the slow pace of the reform, India has got all the necessities for a knowledge-based economy by credit of its human resource strength that has led it to become one of the major emerging economies in the world measured by purchasing power parity (PPP).

Taking a longer perspective, the economy did very well in the first five years or so after the economic reforms of ’91. The economic reforms marked a defining moment in India’s economic history. Under the reforms, India has fruitfully set groundwork for strong economic growth by remodeling itself from underdeveloped-agricultural-and closed economy into a progressively open one that promotes more foreign investment and attracts more fortune from industry and services.

India is moving fast to gain its place on the world stage. India has integrated itself to East Asia which is the most dynamic region in Asia today. Now, India is going global as its best companies are targeting global markets, i.e. Tata group, and the Indian consumer is drawing the world’s attention. The country, too, is entitled to boast companies with world-class capabilities ranging in sectors such as information technology, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals. Many Indian companies, such as Infosys Technologies, Wipro technologies, Bharat Forge, and Reliance Infocomm, now hold a market capitalization over a billion dollars. They are soon expected to become competitive global firms. However, the biggest ones among them are: Tata Group and Mittal Steel.

Political sustainability is another aspect where in a democratic environment like India, people have to be capable of spotting benefits that arrives. However, in order to sustain these progresses and moving forward in going global, the country and its leaders still have a lot to accomplish. Among the tasks are mainly by focusing on building the much-needed infrastructure and driving a thriving labor market, while the next set challenges waiting to be tackled includes education, health care, food industry, poverty, and social unrest. These problems will be far more intricate and multifaceted, and the pace of transformation has not been as fast as it should be.

In the short run, the critical challenge India has to tackle is infrastructure as the country has not invested as much in infrastructure as it should have in the past. One of the major goals of India’s current Five-Year Plan is to sharply increase investment in infrastructure. Developing excellent infrastructure is not going off through the traditional public-sector development route since the public sector cannot mobilize resources on this level – as the country, too, has to invest massively in education and health. Thus, as revealed by Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the Deputy Chairman of India’s Planning Commission, in last year's interview with Mckinsey Quarterly, the country has formulated a strategy for infrastructure development based on public-private partnership where about three-quarters of the increase in infrastructure investment above business-as-usual projections would have to be privately funded. Basically, the government is willing to encourage infrastructure development with with private-sector entrepreneurs taking risk wherever feasible.

Interestingly, Dr. Kumar and Ahluwalia’s suggestion was coincidentally similar when talking on the subject of how bottlenecks at the state level affecting infrastructure-related growth. They both admitted that indeed there was a bottleneck effect of reforms initiating in the center and spreading to the states afterwards. However, there are many examples that state governments recognizing and are quite aware of the idea of attracting private investment is obviously the brilliant approach to boosting up economic growth. And thus, these state governments have been responding to this suggestion by attempting to create an investor-friendly atmosphere. The central government, in this case, will let each state to develop and enhance the said atmosphere independently while offering to provide supporting assistance if needed. There will be rankings of states prepared to indicate the most investor-friendly states and those of the less ones. This method is to entice politicians of each state government to be conscious of their performance, and thus create political motivation to encourage them to compete with each other and be the most improved ones. The key objectives here is to create organized-sector jobs

In essence, India is on the verge of becoming one of the forces reshaping the global economy. Whether it is going to be a success story or not, it depends on how India tackles the challenges and opportunities ahead. They need to develop a strong political commitment and reliable political system, and sound strategy to manage a sustained economic development to gain wealth. On top of that, a joint action from all stakeholders: the government, the private sector, and society, is highly important for India to go global.

~~~

A Glimpse of recent World of Sports: Tennis

...Along Came Davydenko

Three weeks ago, if someone had bet all of their money on Davydenko to win this year’s Sony Ericsson Open, the Miami Masters, the world would have laughed at the bettor. Better yet, the world would’ve bet all their money against the previous bet only to prove it wrong. But now, those people shall keep their money save in their bank account since Davydenko has deservedly taken the spotlight in the Open’s final after beating Nadal superbly.

During the weeks of the Miami Masters, we’ve seen mixed feelings resulted by some games’ results. Some were saddened (not me!) to see Djokovic’s fall in the early round. Some Americans had obviously placed their hopes on Roddick’s shoulder for a sweet comeback. Some more were hoping Federer would finally raise his stake to get his first title this year. Alas, those hopes were crushed by Roddick’s eventual victory over Federer after 5 years of losing to the world’s no.1. A case of long overdue wishful vengeance, if you ask me. Good for Roddick! It was probably a wonderful month for him: an engagement with a stunning model and a triumph of his own long-battle with Fed. What more could he ask? If I were Roddick, I wouldn’t be too thwarted to not win the title. Yet, it was a massive disappointment for Federer’s supporters in the whole wide world, including me. Not only did it lead him to another failure to claim a title this year, but, to add insult to injury, he also had to suffer from losing his long-domination over Roddick by being defeated by the American. Ah well…all in a day, Fed! All in a day...

And then there were 4 in the semifinals. It was hardly a clandestine to unfold the two favorites people wanted to see in the final: Roddick and Nadal indeed. Perhaps, the best bet was that Nadal would definitely beat Roddick in no time. But then...along came Davydenko. The underdog warrior, despite being the world number 4, who came to the battle with only one racket as his weapon. Amid the cloud of the depressing controversy, the ongoing investigation by the ATP after suspicious betting on an August match, no one expected him to be the last man standing in the court. His calm, collective, and quiet appearance certainly fooled a lot of people. He, nevertheless, remarkably showcased a beautiful tennis performance. In less than 90 mins and 2 straight sets, he deservedly claimed a vigorous 6-4, 6-2 win over Rafael Nadal, the second seed. With wonderful backhands, he aggressively dominated both serve and return with superb tactical variations that effectively ruined Nadal’s play which forced him to make uncharacteristic errors against Davydenko’s energetic yet calm liveliness.

The most impressive thing about Davydenko’s performance in the final, besides his obvious glorious victory, was that it wasn’t that Nadal didn't perform as brilliant as he usually did. In fact, Nadal was simply giving out his usual bright performance indeed. Unfortunately, Davydenko merely played much more brilliant than Nadal did. As Nadal admittedly stated, “He played unbeliavable tennis. And there was nothing i could do.“ Perhaps, as the world has been very wise to acknowledge the rise of Russia, the country that is, it shall be wise as well to not underestimate another rising Russian, Nikolay Davydenko.

On hold with the John Coltrane Reference

It's been yonks since my last post. and yes...it's been too long. Back in Jakarta seems to have lessened my usual desire to write. Thanks to the diminishing 'appetite', there are a few articles that's been put on hold.
Where have those inspirations fled? Had i forgotten to pack them in the suitcase with all the stuff i brought back home? Were they accidentally left behind along with the dust in the corner of my flat on that (rather) cold late-august morning? No, i couldn't have done that.
So...i reckon, it's safe to say that, due to my current crestfallen mind, i've to put this blog on hold for a while. yes, that's the words.

BUT...I can't not write about this fantastic book which will be released on 22 October 2007. My brain is painstakingly working on how to get this book delivered to my hands soon after it's revealed to the market.
Arrghh...how i would give everything to be back living in England so i could easily buy the book on amazon and have it within 24hrs at least. Well...at heart, I would give everything to have my life back in England.

Right then... the book is:
The John Coltrane Reference by Wolf Schmaler, Lewis Porter, Chris DeVito, and David Wild.

Synopsis
Few jazz musicians have had the lasting influence or attracted as much scholarly study as John Coltrane. Yet, despite dozens of books, hundreds of articles, and his own recorded legacy, the "facts" about Coltrane's life and work have never been definitely established. Well-known Coltrane biographer and jazz educator Lewis Porter has assembled an international team of scholars to write "The John Coltrane Reference, "an indispensable guide to the life and music of John Coltrane. "The John Coltrane Reference" features a day-by-day chronology, which extends from 1926-1967, detailing Coltrane's early years and every live performance given by Coltrane as either a sideman or leader, and a discography offering full session information from the first year of recordings, 1946, to the last, 1967. The appendices list every film and television appearance, as well as every recorded interview.Richly illustrated with over 250 album covers and photos from the collection of Yasuhiro Fujioka, "The John Coltrane Reference "will find a place in every major library supporting a jazz studies program, as well as John Coltrane enthusiasts.

That's me! I'm definitely a John Coltrane enthusiast. Therefore, I can promise the authors that, once i get my hands on this book, it will certainly find its honorable place in my own library. "Good times!", as Justin Lee Collins would say.

On Climate Change Issues

Climate change has been placed on top of the list of most important global issues these days. It, too, is the big issue for the upcoming G8 summit on June 6th-8th this year with Germany as the host.

You can type the 2 magic words on a search engine (mainly google, of course), hit the search button, and your screen will be hit by a list of millions of websites consisting facts, articles, and pics surrounding the topic. All of which can take days to read.

I reckon that there are two main possibilities of people's reaction to this, perhaps, most-debated issues:
1. No reaction AT ALL a.k.a ignorance, which most possibly comes from young people (although many optimists of "sustainability in action", mainly the environmental ones, are those of the young ones as well) who have been enjoying a life of hedonism, and thus "why bother?";
2. A reaction indeed, that can lead to either cynicism or optimism that such situations of climate change can be tackled by international action from every corner of different fields, including business entities since, most environmental pickles such as hazardous chemicals and pollutions in many developing countries are most likely the fruits of MNC's industrial activities within those countries.

However, it is indeed reasonable to say that attitudes towards climate change have briskly shifted, especially among those in business world. Although, each reason is not always that of genuine ones that are purely for the purpose of a sustainable world since there still exists business people thinking that the problem is not worth to tackle or not really occuring.

My recent visit to Eden Project, a brilliant project located in St Austell, Cornwall that highlights environmental issues in an engaging and inspiring way, has successfully engaged my contemplating mind with the issues of sustainable development including climate change. The visit reminded me of my last year's coursework paper for IPE module as part of my MA course. Having no significant interests (not that i didn't care at all) on sustainable development issues, i had ended up doing a research and thus writing an essay on the issue on which i surprisingly enjoyed working. Since then, the very issue has been among my considerable interests, which are quite many, i must say.

Both the climate change and eden project have lead me to an idea of an article on eden project and the climate change. Disturbingly, the actualisation of the article can not be achieved anytime soon, it's been hindered by my tormenting ACCA exam. So, I have left with no other choice than to pencil it in for finishing it soon after the exams.

Oh well, right then... i'm out for now!

Silje Nergaard @ Cheltenham Jazz Festival

At first light. Nightwatch. Port of Call. Darkness out of blue.
You name it... i can portray each album of Silje Nergaard, the Norwegian jazz vocalist, since ive been following her music career for years.
Her smooth and dreamy voice is what has made me succumbed to be her big fan. Her choices of piece of music is fascinating as well. Perhaps, my most favourite song of hers is The Waltz from the album Port of Call. Silje's Blame It on the Sun from the album At First Light clearly reminds me of a certain person as well. Although, whatever songs she sings, i just love her voice and the way she carries the tunes in every song. All in all...if i fancy Ella Fitzgerald from the past era, i certainly have Silje as one of my favourite jazz vocalists from today's era.

It was obvious why i was extremely thrilled to go to the Cheltenham Jazz Festival to see Silje gig at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham. I didnt even care if i had to go by myself, nor did i have the slightest concern with the idea of going to that town alone for the first time... It's only 40mins away from Birmingham anyway (by train). But some friends eventually pleaded to accompany me to the concert after listening to some of her songs. So we did travel to Cheltenham...on a cloudy, windy sunday afternoon, only 3 days after i'd been to Koop gig in London.

A good friend of mine (Kyra), back home in Jakarta, is a big fan of Silje as well. I was a bit upset that she couldn't be there with me to see Silje. She would've loved it, for sure... But she did tell me to bring one of Silje's CDs, all of which i did slip in my suitcase when i was about to leave to UK, in case i had another dream coming true of meeting Silje. I told her that i doubted my lucky stars would shine twice in a week. But she insisted me to think in the most positive way... In the end, i did what she said. I packed the latest Silje's CD in my bag and brought it with me to the gig. The CD was one that i had just bought.

She turned out to be right!
At the beginning of the gig, i was terribly upset of the theatre's annoying rule that forbade any picture taken during the gig. However....a very nice staff of the theatre secretly told us that there was a chance Silje would be coming in to the lobby to greet people. And she did! i was the 3rd people in the queue, but i was the 1st one to take a pic with her. I was incredibly speechless, my hands were shaking, and my heart was pounding so hard. I couldnt believe my luck this week... I told her i was her big afficionado and i knew all her songs by heart... She was touched by my reaction that she hugged me right after we took a pic together, kissed me on both cheeks sweetly, and asked me to come to the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland in summer to see her performing. I was surprised because i was planning to go there indeed.

Well, there you go... two fascinating experiences ive had so far that i didnt think i'd encounter. But the reality did convey my wishful thinking to be coming true.
At heart, i'd say that when you create an imagination with knowledge and contemplate with both of them...at the end of the day, it'll become sensible. Nothing, as such, is impossible in our contemporary world, because....obviously, any dream can come true. :)

A Wonderful Sojourn to KOOP Islands

"Welcome to Koop Islands. A place where music and life swing to a slightly different drum"
- KOOP -

My years of being a dear aficionado of KOOP, the electronic jazz duo from Sweden, has finally been paid off pleasingly on last thursday evening at Bloomsbury Ballroom, London.

I had been waiting...waiting...and waiting...until i came across a website announcing their concert that automatically made my heart leap up bringing out the wildest instant ecstasy in me.

My lucky stars were shining surprisingly bright on the night of the concert, that, soon after the gig had ended, i was allowed to taste the sweetness of a wickedly wonderful encounter with Magnus Zingmark himself, one of the Stockholm-based duo.

I cant present nor describe the whole concert experience in semantic ways....it was beyond wonderful. I am inviting you all to take a look of the picture of me, Nanda (my dear good friend & concert partner), and Mr. Zingmark, of course.

Need i say anything more? No, indeed. Obviously....a dream can come true.

Spring Enchantment

A heart that blooms wont let another blooming heart filled with gloom.. It might take finding the perfect petal or even a gold medal to erase the blues and bring back the bliss....as long as it's worth to water the heart-jittering sensation and thus to let the fondness flourish...

As the petals fall and drizzle down onto the ground, the bloom of childhood's bestowed upon their 2 pure hearts...

That's what i call spring of life...

*The picture:
Taken at the private park in Charterhouse Square, Barbican, London.
Sunday, March 22nd 2007.

The Face of Indonesia Today: An Inconvinient Truth?

*I've emailed this article alrady to some people almost a month ago. But, due to courseworks & progress tests of my bloody ACCA course, I can only manage to post it in this blog now.*

Andre Vltchek's article below (Vltchek 2007, link: http://www.worldpress.org/Asia/2637.cfm) portrays the heart-rending situations faced by Indonesia these days. Is it really the face of the country today? Well...before you read Vltchek's article, here's some little facts that i reckon we all need to know about Indonesia...

This is the country of thousand islands, the world's largest archipelagic state, the home of the spice islands, the world's 3rd largest democracy who once attracted foreign powers into the archipelago by its wealth of natural resources. This is the country that John Perkin once considered as: "a land of mysticism, myth, and erotic beauty; an elusive treasure sought but never found by Columbus....whose history and legends represent a carnucopia of larger-than-life figures" (Perkins, 2004, p. 23).

This is the country who is rich in culture with about 300 ethnic groups, each with cultural differences that have shifted over the centuries which makes modern-day Indonesian culture is a fusion of this diversity. The national motto, " Bhinneka tunggal ika" ("Unity in diversity") is supposed to reflect the amalgamation of a myriad cultures, languages, and ethnic groups that shape every aspect of the country.

BUT... This is also the country that, today, is considered as one of the third world countries, has been coloured by and suffered from endless disasters, crisis, corruptions, poverty, and many more unpleasant pickles clouding and wounding the nation. How's this wrecking mess happened? What's been the root of all these problems?
Blaming the government, the nature itself, and the society won't be the solutions to these questions. Perhaps..how the country (government + society - collectively) tackles and solve the problems, be it the prevention deed or the post-catastrophe scenario, should be changed, to be more effective and well-fitted for the good of the country itself together with its people . Not only to redevelop the country itself domestically, but also to re-create its image on the international stage - to boost the country's image to a level where it deserves to be. Because, after all, the country is not really poor; but, it is its people who, indeed, think poorly (probably not all, but many of them, at least), as in their poor sense of nationalism and the taking-things-for-granted attitude towards the country.
As the world needs more than one superman, Indonesia does need a lot of 'supermen and superwomen' as well. The country needs thousands of superman's kind of deeds to deal with its complicated web of heart-rendering and problematic situations. Foreign aid alone doesnt serve to be the only solution. The country hopes and yearns for realizations and helping hands from its own people - no matter in what form and how small the helps are. And that's what i'm intending to do - sooner or later. Because i am an Indonesian...a proud one.

Tuesdays, March 13, 2007
-Leitizia-

Here's Vltchek's article... Enjoy!

Indonesia:

Natural Disasters or Mass Murder?

Andre Vltchek
Worldpress.org correspondent
January 16, 2007

In the aftermath of the 2005 Tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia, some boats ended up on piles of rubble. (Photo: Andre Vltchek)

Another day, another unnecessary loss of lives: at least 28 people were killed and 7 are still missing on the small island of Tahuna, off Indonesia's Sulawesi, in the aftermath of ravaging Jan. 12 landslides caused by heavy rains and flooding.

At an alarming rate, Indonesia is replacing Bangladesh and India as the most disaster-prone nation on earth. Whenever the word "Indonesia" appears on the list of headlines on Yahoo news, chances are that another enormous — and often unnecessary — tragedy has occurred on one of the islands of this sprawling archipelago.

Airplanes are disappearing or sliding off the runways, ferries are sinking or simply decomposing on the high seas, and trains crash or get derailed at average rate of one per week. Illegal garbage dumps bury desperate communities of scavengers under their stinking contents. Landslides are taking carton-like houses into the ravines; earthquakes and tidal waves are destroying coastal cities and villages. Forest fires from Sumatra are choking huge areas of Southeast Asia.

Scavangers looking through the rubble in Aceh. (Photo: Andre Vltchek)

The scope of disasters is unprecedented, and it absurd to discount them simply as the nation's bad luck, or to blame the wrath of the gods or nature. Corruption, incompetence and simple indifference by the ruling elites and government officials are mostly to blame. It is poverty, and a lack of public projects that kill hundreds of thousands of desperate Indonesian men, women and children.

Since the 1965 U.S.-sponsored military coup that deposed Sukarno and installed the corrupt military regime of staunch anti-communist, pro-market dictator General Suharto, Indonesia has escaped serious scrutiny by the West's media and governments. After Suharto stepped down in 1998, the country has been hailed by said media as an emerging and increasingly tolerant democracy.

Some of these disasters are man-made; almost all of them are preventable. With closer scrutiny, it becomes obvious that people die due to almost non-existent prevention, lack of education (Indonesia spends the third least amount on education as percentage of its GDP, after Equatorial Guinea and Ecuador) and a savage pro-market economic system which allows enrichment of very few at the expense of the majority — who live on under 2 dollars a day. Ugly conclusions can be drawn, which casts an unflattering light on the way the present-day Indonesian society functions. However, continuing to avoid exposure would doubtlessly lead to further loss of many precious lives.

Indonesia is profit-driven to the extreme. It is also one of the most corrupt nations on the face of the earth, and there seems to be no immediate profit to be made from implementing preventive measures. Dams and anti-tsunami walls are considered as public works almost everywhere else. It seems that the word "public" has almost disappeared from the lexicon of those who make decisions in Indonesia. Short-term profits for a particular group of individuals are given much higher priority than long-term gains for the entire nation. The moral collapse of the nation is reflected in the scale of values — corrupt, but rich, individuals command incomparably higher respect than those who are honest but poor.

Ferries are sinking not because of high winds and waves, but due to overcrowding and poor maintenance. More precisely, they are allowed to be overcrowded and badly maintained. Everything is for sale, even the safety of thousands of passengers. Companies care only about their profits, while government inspectors are mainly interested in bribes. The recent well-publicized sinking of a ferry, Senopati Nusantara, killed more than 400 people, but it was just one of hundreds of maritime disasters that occur in Indonesia each year. While there are no exact statistics available (for predictable reasons, the Indonesian government makes sure to avoid publishing comprehensive comparative data), some maritime routes lose three or more vessels a year.

The Indonesian airline industry has one of the worst safety records in the world. Since 1997, at least 666 people have died in eight separate airplane crashes in the country. Some of the pilots are so badly trained that planes sometimes skip off the runway, or miss it altogether. Maintenance is another issue: flaps often don't function properly; wheels cannot retract properly after take-off; and seldom-changed tires have a tendency to blow out upon touchdown. It is a mystery as to how some airplanes — particularly old Boeing 737s flown by almost all Indonesian airlines — make it through the inspections.

After consulting with local civil aviation officials (who obviously do not want to be identified), it was ascertained that the navigation systems at several major Indonesian airports are in disastrous state — particularly those at Makassar in Sulawesi, and Medan in Sumatra.

On average, there is one deadly train accident every six days in Indonesia, many caused by the lack of gates at its approximately 8,000 crossings. By comparison, Malaysia suffered no fatal train accidents for the 13 years up to and including 2005 (the last year for which statistics are available).

Despite the fact that Indonesia has a relatively small number of cars per capita, its roads are the "most used" of any nation in the world (second only to Hong Kong, which is not a country) — 5.7 million vehicle-kilometers per year on the road network (2003, "Pocket World in Figures"—The Economist Books, 2007 Edition). Despite this epic congestion and the generally slow pace of traffic, more than 80 people die on average every day on Indonesian roads, mostly due to the terrible state of the infrastructure and poor law-enforcement, according to The Financial Times.

Earthquakes alone do not kill people. Poor construction of houses and buildings are the main culprits, together with the lack of preventive measures and education. It is a well-known fact that Indonesia is prone to natural disasters; that it is located on the Pacific Ocean's "ring of fire" of volcanoes and earthquakes. But the poor can count on no massive public housing projects (like those in neighboring Malaysia), which could withstand earthquakes. Almost every family is on its own; members have to design and build their own dwelling. Major earthquakes kill hundreds, sometimes thousands of people, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. At least 5,800 people died and 36,000 injured on May 27, 2006 during a 6.3-magnitute earthquake, which hit central Java near the historic city of Yogyakarta. Primitive infrastructure, inadequate medical facilities and corruption in distribution of aid are to blame for the unacceptably high number of casualties after each major tremor.

A gravedigger smoking next to wrapped bodies in Aceh, January 2005. (Photo: Andre Vltchek)

Illegal logging and deforestation are the main reasons for the landslides, which often occur after heavy rains and flooding. The individuals who are responsible for the forest fires in Sumatra and elsewhere are commonly known, but officials are reluctant to make arrests as those to blame for de-forestation are often rich and well connected in a country where even justice is for sale. There are countless solutions to this problem, including law-enforcement, inspections and providing an alternative means of livelihood to those communities that are so desperate that they are literally forced to participate in digging their own graves by destroying the environment, that in return annihilates entire communities. But almost nothing is done, as illegal logging is a huge, lucrative business that can afford to grease hundreds of willing palms.

Last month, dozens of people were killed in landslides and flush floods in northern Sumatra Island, which forced some 400,000 people to flee their homes. In June 2006, floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains killed more than 200 people in a southern Sulawesi province.

Tidal waves, known as tsunamis, killed more than 126,000 people in Aceh province in December 2004. Not only was response of the Indonesian government and military inexcusably slow and inadequate, large portions of the massive amounts of foreign aid disappeared in corruption. Instead of helping victims, many members of the Indonesian military were extorting bribes from relief agencies and destroying precious supplies or drinking water and food in cases where the bribes were not paid.

In a scandalous land-grab sponsored by the government, many victims were prevented from returning to their own land while children were forcefully separated from their parents (who lost birth certificates during the tragedy) and "adopted" by religious organizations, some falling victim to human trafficking. More than two years after this devastating tragedy, hundreds of thousands are still living in temporary housing.

Children from Aceh. (Photo: Andre Vltchek)

Many victims of yet another tsunami, which hit the coast of southern Java on July 17, 2006, are still waiting for any substantial help. By the official count 600 people died, but the real number was almost certainly much higher. Indonesian officials received an early warning from Japan but refused to act, later claiming that there was not much they could do, as the area was not equipped with the sirens or loudspeakers.

Indonesia often suffers from some man-made disasters beyond any comprehension and comparison. A recent "mud flood" inundated entire villages right outside Surabaya. It occurred due to inadequate safety procedures by a gas exploration company (co-owned by one of the cabinet ministers). This "accident" displaced more than 10,000 people and covered over 1,000 acres of land with hot mud, destroying Surabaya's only motorway as well as the major railway line. Garbage buried entire communities of poor scavengers at an illegal dumping site outside Bandung. There are many more cases of a similar nature, but the complete list would require too much space — probably an entire book would need to be dedicated to the subject.

The question is when will the Indonesian people say that enough is enough, and demand accountability and justice, exact statistics and concrete blueprints for solutions? In almost any other country, two recent disasters — the grizzly sinking of the Senopati Nusantara and the "disappearance" of Adam Air Boeing 737 with 102 people on board — would be more than enough to force cabinet ministers to resign. In Indonesia, these tragedies are seen (or presented) as yet another misfortune without holding anyone responsible or accountable.

The Indonesian press and mass media report each and every disaster in detail. However, they are failing to establish that what is happening there is extraordinary and intolerable; that there is probably no other major country in the world that is experiencing such unnecessary and devastating loss of human lives due to calamities that are either man-made or easily preventable. To link the enormous number of lost human lives in countless disasters with corruption and the socio-economic system is actively discouraged. For example the Jakarta Post, the leading daily newspaper in Indonesia, recently suppressed this article, refusing to publish it.

Since December 2004, Indonesia has lost around 200,000 people in various disasters, not counting car accidents and military conflicts ranging all over its archipelago. That's more than Iraq lost in the same period of time, and more than Sri Lanka or Peru during their long civil wars. Indeed, many Indonesians are experiencing lives that are as dangerous and hazardous as those in war-torn parts of the world. However, most of them don't realize it, as comparative statistics are not available or are suppressed.

Indonesia is poor, but it is still in the position to protect some of its most vulnerable citizens. The main problem is that there is no political will. There is plenty of concrete and bricks to build dams and walls against tsunamis, and to reinforce the hills around towns that are in danger of being buried by landslides. One just has to look around Jakarta where dozens of unnecessary new shopping malls are growing in several locations, and where kitschy palaces of corrupt officials cover acres of land.

The unwillingness to deal with the problems is rooted mostly in corruption. Local companies and officials have developed a unique ability to make profits from everything, even from disasters and the suffering of millions of fellow citizens. In simple terms, corruption is stealing from the public. But when the overall toll has to be calculated in hundreds of thousands of lost human lives, it becomes mass murder.

Ignorance

An insight into exile and memory...

"...For memory to function well, it needs constant practice: if recollections are not evoked again and again, in conversations with friends, they go.

For nostalgia does not heighten memory’s activity, it does not awaken recollections; it suffices unto itself, unto its own feelings, so fully absorbed is it by its suffering and nothing else..."

-Milan Kundera-

Having read Kundera's Ignorance, I've come to conclude an interesting essence of the story. That is: we don't share similar memories even if we are involved in the same events. We remember different things since each of us choose either to remember or to ignore certain aspects of events, scenes, and images. And thus it will affect our own memories...
We must admit that, at times, 'ignorance' seems easier and is more desired for us to embrace. Rather than embracing the whole facts themselves. At least, that's what i do...
Owing to the randomness of people's mind, it's disturbing to question the reason why people do that. Just ignore it...

The Emerging Asian Superpowers: China and India (Comparing Economic and Political Power)

After months of research, months of procrastinating, months of distressing work (well...okay, the procrastinating took longer than working LOL)..I finally handed in my Master's Dissertation.
Printed, bounded, and submitted! Yup! did them all yesterday. SO RELIEVED... Well, not completety relieved though...the result would be more distressing. We'll see whether it'll be a success or a debacle.. Oh well, just wanna enjoy my temporary "freedom" for a while...

Anyways.. My research topic was about China and India. The semingly interesting debated topic among political economy and business scholars alike.. Here's the title: "The Emerging Asian Superpowers: China and India (Comparing Economic and Political Power)".

The idea was initiated from my dad's interest in the US-India-China relations, my interest in the rise of China and India, and my supervisor's ambition to do a research on a similar topic. The conclusion's idea was a contribution from a good friend. He gave a brilliant suggestion for the conclusion bit.
So...in the light of my gratefulness to people who's given lots of contributions to my work, here's the conclusion:

Conclusion: The Race of China and India

Power can be taken, but not given. The process of the taking is empowerment in itself.

-Gloria Steinem-

Superpowers status requires criteria in that the important capabilities are those of economic, politics, and military. However, this dissertation places its focus only on the economic and political power of China and India to measure their capabilities as emerging Asian superpowers. China and India have defined economic reform and political modernization projects necessary for pursuing their national interests using different approaches. Their reforms were launched at different times and were set on different paths. China is a politically closed society moving from a semi-market to a market economy while India is a politically open society slowly embracing a market economy. Yet, both countries have had the same objectives with different aims in dealing with the global political economy.

The transformation of China’s domestic economic and political structures has created a market-oriented economy while maintaining an authoritarian political system. But, this is matched by the lags of political reforms. Hence, China still faces obstacles that vary, modestly in economic reform and mainly in political transformation. The world will be watching to see how China’s authoritarian system responds to the potential internal problems to match up its rapid economic growth. India’s slow pace of economic reforms lags behind China as India launched its economic reform at about a decade later. In contrast, China’s success in combining economic dynamism with political continuity in recent decades is matched by India’s achievement in developing a stable democracy that has accommodated increasing social mobility.

Studies of comparing China and India as the emerging superpower often over-emphasize their focus only on the economic aspect and undervalue the importance of political aspect. The relationship between the political and economic processes in these very different countries is important to determine their status as emerging Asian Superpowers. It is fair to say that there is no certain answer to decide which one between China and India has more capabilities to be an Asian superpower. The accomplishments of the reforms are dwarfed only by what remains to be done because in neither country is the transformation complete. They face the internally divisive forces of ethnic unrest, economic disparities, and separatism. Moreover, both countries must confront the external challenges caused by the globalisation of technology and the international political economy. Their relationship to other major powers (i.e. the US, EU, and Japan) is important in determining their political influence to achieve international recognition as well as to obtain their national interests. It is the managing of their relationship with their own societies, between both of them, and with the other states in the international system that the competition between both giants will be measured in the coming century.

To highlight the conclusion in an analogical way, the author would make a brief comparison of “the race of China and India” inspired by the works by some authors (i.e. Sinha et al, 2004; Chow 2000) and most importantly that of Friedman whose idea compares them to “two speeding cars going along very different roads”. If the Formula One[1] were the global political economy and its regime with a set of rules which all participants and cars must meet, the racing teams would represent China and India within which the constructors are the policy-makers who formulate the strategy based on their political ideology and economic system to deal with the race, and the drivers would be the government leaders that employ the policy. The cars would represent their economies; and the racing tracks would be their politics and societies but each country is facing different tracks. Now, Chinese car is racing along a track which is very smooth at about 140mph and India is racing on a very difficult track at a slower pace, about 100mph. The problem with the Chinese car is that somewhere along the track there is a speed bump on the track but the team does not know where it is exactly. The risk is high that it would endanger the Chinese car together with the whole team. The Indian car, although racing on a slower speed, has to cope with bouncy tracks with plenty of holes but the driver and the constructor know where they are, and will eventually manage to stay at a constant speed because of the steadier system that keeps the engine operating properly. If China can continue its success in economic reform while tackling the “speed bump” by maintaining the political system and refurbishing the national political environment, it could outperform India. In contrast, if India succeeds in deepening its reforms by moving ahead the race and keeping a constant speed, it could close the gap with China.

In essence, the national politics and economic management are highly important if a state is to embrace and successfully be suitable to interact and compete within the activities of the international political economy. If the system is to survive, national leaders and their officials have to find a vision of the future larger than the slight national interest to tackle the weaknesses and deficiencies. They need to develop a strong and reliable political system, and thus pose a strong bargaining power to maximize its economic development to gain wealth. Finally, as Gilpin states that “political considerations significantly influence and distinguish economic activities in one country” (2001, p.102), it is critical to understand that, in the study of China and India, as a result of many factors, politics is primarily important to win the race.

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[1] Formula One, shortened to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the premier rank of auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), motor sport’s world governing body. Further information can be found at: The Official Formula 1 Website, “Understanding the Sport”, http://www.formula1.com/insight/technicalinfo/11/468.html

the test blast

Following the 'successful' nuclear weapons test by North Korea, i accidentally found this quite 'witty' cartoon by Steve Bell.
Enjoy!

On North Korea and The Nuclear Test

It was just a regular foggy-cloudy morning in birmingham in autumn. Waking up, brushing teeth, washing face, and starting to cook. Having had breakfast (err...more like a "brunch", i s'pose), i sat in front of my laptop and - as usual - started to check the news from all the usual sources online. From the Guardian to the Economist, moving on to BBC News, CNN, and then i ended my ritual by reading the news on World Polical.com. All of them seemed to presenting the not-so-shocking news on the North Korea's claim of its nuclear test. The most disturbing thing for me is a piece of lines included on the Guardian saying that a North Korea's Central News Agency stating the test as a TRIUMPH. They added that it was "a historic event that brought happiness to their military and people." Furthermore, they believed that the test would contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and surrounding region. This part did leave me dumbfounded in a split second. And then i started to wonder, How oh how...such a devilish thing like a nuclear would play a role in peacekeeping?! It doesn't make any sense for me, seriously... And i'm not even an expert in security studies nor in international peacekeeping as i just skipped those optional modules from the list last year. Somehow, all the more, the idea is just too ridiculous!. I badly wanna ask the North Korean leaders, how would nuclear weapons be a solution to those frictions we've been facing in the world? The poverty, for instance, would nuclear thingy be something helpful for poor lots? Like, "you hungry? fancy some nuclear?". COME ON!

One of the 'object' of my dissertation topic, a country known as the emerging economy power, China was said to be angry as Mr. Shi Yinhong, a foreign affairs expert at Renmin Uni in Beijing said "This action severely challenges the security of stability of east Asia as well as China's national interests" (the Guardian).

China, alongside other 4 UN permanent security council members plus Japan was said to hold discussions on how to impose the possibility sanctions to North Korea as a result of the nuclear weapons test. They haven't decided anything yet, though they've already got some options on the way. According to the news, besides the divided voice, what's made it tough for the 6 countries to achieve a united voice for a resolution over the nuclear sanctions is the further impact of the resolution. I assume that, now that North Korea is pretty confident of the nuclear weapons they possess, it's a bit risky to mess with them, innit? I can even smell the US fear already. All in all, the world is now back to face the same old devilish enemy: The Nuclear Weapons... Nothing new, but still dangerous - Probably more?.

I can't even start to explain my conclusion on the topic. Given the silliness and the senseless of the North Korea's action along with their reasons. Sod it! Hence, i'm just gonna leave it to you all. Just read the news, so you can develop your own perspective by exercising your brain.

Links:
- The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,,1891076,00.html
- The Economist:
http://www.economist.com/agenda/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8018953
- The BBC News:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6032525.stm
- The World Political:
http://www.worldpolitical.com/
- The CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/10/09/korea.nuclear.test/index.html

Why the World Needs More Than One Superman

Having read the latest world news from different sources, my poignant mind were challenged to conclude a thought linking to an idea of a movie about a superhero. A seemingly imaginative idea that the world needs more than one superman. Why?

You probably live in a secluded different world if you don’t know Superman. Regarded as the most famous fictional character, Superman is the first comic book superhero. Superman is portrayed as a powerful human from another planet. Typically, as a superhero, he uses whatever power he possesses to help others and to fight against cruelties, mostly caused by his enemies. His most malicious enemy is Lex Luthor.From comic to radio serials, from television programs to films, the Superhero appears everywhere. The latest one is the ‘Superman Returns’ that was just released this summer.

Yet, Superman is not real. He doesn’t live in our world. But you know what? Having a Superman would probably be a bit helpful for the world. However, I won’t discuss much further about the superhero himself as I’m not really that knowledgeable about Superman. Yet, inspired by the last movie, I would like to examine about what happens in our world today by comparing it with the story of Superman. The world where we're living in have been undergoing too many cruelties and problems, regardless many existing great things that seems too few compared the bad ones. And, although being different with the ones in the Superman stories, I reckon that we need a kind of superman to deal with problems in the world.

Why is it? Perhaps, a review of the current world affairs is significant to show what's been going on. Hence we can see the link between the story of Superman and our world.

- "Venezuela's Foreign Minister Nicholas Maduro said on Thursday the United States distinguished between "good" and "bad" terrorists, depending on their political leanings. "(Reuters AlertNet, http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28310204.htm)

- "The Bush administration is concealing the level of violence against U.S. troops in Iraq and the situation there is growing worse despite White House and Pentagon claims of progress, journalist Bob Woodward said in advance of a new book." (Reuters AlertNet, http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28210876.htm).

- "Taliban attacks along Afghanistan's southeastern border have more than doubled in the three weeks since a controversial deal between Pakistan and pro-Taliban militants..." (Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,1883738,00.html).

- "Pakistan rapped over detentions: Pakistan is accused of detaining hundreds of alleged terror suspects without legal process by human rights organisation Amnesty International..." (BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5390824.stm).

- surrounding the recent terrorism threat to UK: "A major shake-up in the security services and the police was signalled yesterday as John Reid announced a fundamental review of Britain's capacity to tackle the terrorist threat." (Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,1883765,00.html); "The victims of the July bombings in London last year were let down by the authorities, with many left feeling forgotten or unimportant on the day and in the weeks that followed the attacks..." (Guardian, http://politics.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,1879316,00.html); "The home secretary clashed with two Islamist radicals when he met the east London Muslim community to urge it to tackle extremism. (Guardian,http://politics.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,1877308,00.html).

- "Two teenagers have been shot in front of families with young children in a McDonald's restaurant...the incident which happened in Brixton, south London." (BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/5390652.stm).

- "Military coups, like wars, are easy to start but hard to end. They mostly begin rather as Thailand's did this week: at night, with tanks on the streets of the capital, television stations surrounded, programming suddenly replaced with martial music and, in the light of morning, a promise from a grim-faced general that power has been seized only temporarily and that democracy will soon be restored, once the constitution has been suitably adjusted. " (The Economist, http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7942244). A stormy start for Thailand following the recent circumstances within the country: "The storms that lashed Thailand this week were a fitting Shakespearean metaphor for the kingdom's troubles. A week after a coup by six top military men overthrew the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, the streets remained calm." (The economist, http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7971085).

- Abouth the Bird flu in Indonesia: "A 21-year-old Indonesian woman, the sister of a boy who died of bird flu earlier this month, is suffering from the same disease, the health ministry said on Friday." (Reuters AlertNet, http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/JAK21450.htm).

I need not to mention every news. Those above are adequate for us to perceiving the look of our world today. It should beckon us, at least, to think on these things. An individual is incapable of solving the heart-rending problems. But i reckon, every attempt would be appreciated as a Superman deed. Thus, at this point, what we need is not a Superman, but more than one of him. So, why we need more than one Superman? Bear in mind that, in the story of Superman, the superhero wasn't capable to cope more than one frictions that happens at the same time although he only had to face one Lex Luthor. But in our world? We've got too many Lex Luthors. Too many devilish characters of Lex Luthor, they are. That's why, the more "Supermen" we've got the better it is.

the indelible one

"When you first fall in love, everything is perfect. Until the day you want to forget you've ever met. When it comes to love, some things can't be erased: Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. You can erase someone from your mind. Getting them out of your heart is another story."
(cited from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - the movie)

There was a perfect crush with the complete perfect features that was utterly fascinating that they brought massive impact to your inner world. Until one day, they were physically gone to the other side of the world. Out of reach. You might be coping very well when the feature was nowhere to be seen. Again, physically. And you were fine for a while. Having a breathing space, free from that heart-jittering sensation that always appear both at the surface of your heart, and even the interior part, whenever they were around. However, the feeling remained intact. Although you didnt know the lucid picture of it until one day a tiny little thing poking you right in your heart. A short line of unexpected message from the very person that put a smile on your face all day. Your face glowing brightly.

Eventually you've figured it out. Conceiving that that human being is actually the one that has left an irreplaceable (with or without cognition) a peculiar mark. The indelible one...

One Art

One Art

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day.  Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel.  None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch.  And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones.  And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

---Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied.  It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

 -Elizabeth Bishop-

a tribute to the legend: Michael Schumacher

I was quite taken aback yesterday when i heard the news of Michael Schumacher's retirement at the end of this championship's season. And i still am. He delivered the statement on the yesterday's after race-interview right after successfully finishing first. Obviously, i'm upset. I always enjoy watching him racin on the track, and after having watched the race @ Silverstone last june, i fancy him more. No matter what people say about him, i fancy him still. Retiring or not, i would love to see him in person one day.

The thought of not being able to watch the 7th time world champion anymore is completely a disappointment for me. It's mainly because of him that i always feel excited to follow the Formula One, and can't wait the season to begin.

Hence, as a personal tribute to the legend himself, here's the article published by the official website of Formula One regarding the great racer of all time (at least until today).


Michael Schumacher - the end of an era

(http://www.formula1.com/news/4932.html) After 90 wins, 1354 points and seven world championship titles, Michael Schumacher has announced he will retire at the end of this season. Statistically the greatest driver the sport has ever seen, Schumacher has, over the past 16 years, set a new standard to which younger drivers can only aspire. He may have courted controversy at times, but with his departure, the sport will lose one of its leading lights.

Born on January 3, 1969, Schumacher’s beginnings were surprisingly unremarkable. The son of a bricklayer who also ran the local kart circuit, the young Michael took to his father’s track like a fish to water. He won his first championship at the age of six - an early demonstration the natural talent and raw speed which have since defined his career. Successive teenage triumphs in Formula Ford and Formula 3 followed and established his reputation as a driver to watch. By his early twenties, the Formula One fraternity had finally taken notice and in 1991 the Jordan team took a gamble, asking him to stand in for a jailed Bertrand Gachot at Spa. Schumacher seized the opportunity with characteristic confidence. He qualified seventh on the grid, impressing rival team Benetton so much they offered him a permanent race seat for the rest of the season. The talent which had carried him this far now blossomed with Benetton’s backing. At the 1991 Italian Grand Prix, Schumacher finished fifth, claiming the first of four points he earned that year. The next season, he enjoyed a maiden win in Belgium, racked up 53 points and beat his more experienced team mate Martin Brundle to take third in the championship. A year later he was fourth in the championship and reigning supreme within the team. The rest has become the stuff of history. Motivating Benetton to greatness, Schumacher became the lynch pin of a group of immensely capable people. His dedicated work ethic and passion for winning paid off with back-to-back drivers’ titles in 1994 and 1995. Just three years into his Formula One career and Schumacher was well on his way to becoming a legend. In 1996, the world champion made a brave move. After four seasons with Benetton, he signed to Ferrari - a team which hadn’t won a championship in almost 20 years. Arriving in Maranello, Schumacher set about rejuvenating the Italian squad, attracting two of the founder members of his title-winning outfit at Benetton to join him later that year. Ross Brawn became technical director and Rory Byrne chief designer. Schumacher’s first season at Ferrari was a trying one. Nevertheless, relying for the most part on his natural talent, he took three victories out of an under-performing car. By ‘98, things were looking more promising and he finished second overall in the title race to Mika Hakkinen. Then in 1999, Schumacher was forced to show his mettle once more after a heavy crash in Silverstone broke his leg and put paid to his title chances for another year. It was during these early days at Ferrari, when his stakes were down, that Schumacher’s determination and obsessive dedication shone through. As a result, in 2000, everything finally slotted into place and Schumacher, after winning nine races, became the Italian team’s first world champion in 21 years. The German legend would continue winning for the next four seasons, racking up 39 victories and four further championships. He dominated the sport in a way never seen before and firmly ensconced himself in the record books. Only in 2005, with the rise of Fernando Alonso and Renault, did that dominance begin to wane. Then, as in ’96, Schumacher’s strength of mind came to the fore, as he pushed an uncompetitive car to go faster. The result was third in the championship - five places above a team mate in identical machinery. And in 2006 Ferrari are back and fighting, revived in small part by Schumacher’s resolute ambition and refusal to lie down. Even now, at the age of 37 and heading into retirement, he is still fighting for every win. Of course, such success rarely comes without controversy, and Schumacher has courted his fair share over the years. His first title in 1994 was tainted (and clinched) with a timely collision with the Williams of rival Damon Hill. Then in 1997, he was stripped of second place in the championship after crashing into Jacques Villeneuve - another title challenger - in Jerez. And more recently the German’s ethics have been called into question following his qualifying accident in Monaco this year. Schumacher’s insistence on number-one status at Ferrari also drew criticism from some quarters. Eddie Irvine, Rubens Barrichello, and Felipe Massa were all compliant number twos and doubtless played a role in his success. But that cannot diminish the great on-track rivalries Schumacher enjoyed - and won - with the greats from other teams. The likes of Hill, Villeneuve, Hakkinen were all champions themselves, but in the long term none could match his all-round ability. Be it speed, natural talent, ruthlessness or hard work, Schumacher had it all. He rarely made mistakes, his prowess in the rain has been well documented, and he has become so attuned to the development of the cars he drives that he can continually adapt their set-up mid race to his advantage. The other world champion to leave the sport this year, Jacques Villeneuve, questioned whether Schumacher’s legacy will be as long-lasting as that of Fangio, Senna or Prost. But with 90 wins, 68 pole positions, 75 fastest laps, 1354 points and those seven world titles, most would say Michael Schumacher will never be forgotten - or beaten!

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**the pics are those i took at the June's British GP at Silverstone