So Real yet So Far-fetched: The Afghanistan War

There is a war going on in the same continent that I live in, yet I do not readily feel its ramifications in my life. The only effect that these seemingly 'fairy-tale' wars have on me is
that they ruin my appetite when televised broadcasts of yet another military deployment hums through the television screen as I am about to eat dinner. And yes, I feel very ashamed for saying and thinking this because, whether you like it or not, the war is REAL and it is happening. There are tens and hundreds of innocent civilians, oblivious sufferers, and American troops dying from this conflict each day. And I shudder in disgrace as I find myself complacently pitching tent in my safe little home and pointing fingers at the 'aggressors' and calling them names.
What I, and the rest of the public that is so vehemently opposed to the war has to understand is that it is not so easy to just pull out. America, by entering the war, has made a commitment. This war is, as we can see, wearing that commitment down to its bones. America came in Afghanistan almost as an instinctive response to the 9-11 attacks. It was a natural reaction, I suppose, and people roiled with feelings of insecurity were supportive of it in the beginning. The goal was set: exterminating the Al Quaeda and its purveyors, the Taliban.
Now, as the US struggles to tie the strings together and bring the war to an end, the whinny American public has been anything but supportive. Now that it has been 8 years since the 9-11 attacks, maybe the feeling of invincibility has been restored in the heart of Americans once more, that's great. But what we have to understand here is that terrorism still poses an unsurmountable threat to the US. It is a matter of domestic security that the troops need to be in Afghanistan. It is a matter of safety for the American citizens. If US pulls out, that means that the Americans are asking for another 9-11. Troops need to be there and apply that constant pressure on the terrorist forces. The unfettered commitment and religious devotion that the terrorists forces work with are what makes them so dangerous and volatile. Who knows what will happen if the Americans are not there to subdue their treacherous religious zeal?
Now, today it is un-cool to be supportive of the war. The youth is against it. Violence is not cool. Catcalls are heard when images of Condolezza Rice appear on the screen. "Pulling out is not an option for America" she says. And as I am boo-ing along with the rest the viewers, I can't help but to agree. America will stay put in Afghanistan, at least for now.

Shades of U2: Keane

I swear I could have heard young Bono's voice as I was listening to 'Is it any wonder' by a rockband called Keane

stuck in the past

http://stuckinthepast08.blogspot.com/2009/09/eric-clapton-461-ocean-boulevard-1974.html

Music is timeless. Rock n' Roll, most certainly, as they embody the soul of legendary musicians.
This is a blogpost on some of the low-key albums of Eric Clapton during the seventies.
No doubt, I was not alive when Clapton was playing these songs on the radio, when hit singles
like Layla were topping the charts and frizzy hair was the hip-est thing in town. But listening to these songs gives me a vicarious experience of those old days. Snazzy guitar solos, raw vocals and heroine shots defined the Clapton era. His charisma still persists today, as he attracts young listeners like me to press play and listen to his songs that were made decades ago.
So am I stuck in the past? In a way, yes.

Our penchant for 'relic-ing'

Are we caught in the whims of our past?
Why do we deliberately tatter our denim, and tear out our sleeves?
It is a phenomenon that elicits my curiosity; yet I would be lying if I had said that I do not have any ripped jeans sitting in my closet. I know that for me at least, this kind of 'old' clothing lends to something of a social statement; that I am young and wild. Yellowed- shirts and torn-out jeans are much more fashionable and casual among the people of my age. In a sense, this trend represents our vitality as teenagers by showing that we reject the social norm that has been thrust upon us. But today, you will no longer find people who will point to a hoodlum wearing faded jeans and say that it is unwarranted behavior. Matter of fact, wearing old tattered clothes has acutally evolved into a kind of a norm among us teens. If your jeans aren't faded, you aren't cool.

But what still enlivens my curiosity is how these kinds of clothing has become 'acceptable' and 'fashionable'. There is now actually a name for this kind of fashion style: vintage clothing. It is no doubt a recent modern-era phenomenon. Even on television, we see rock stars wearing shirts that look like it has been washed in mud, baked in the desert, run over by cars and what not. Is it a mere human tendency? I do not believe our ancestors were fond of this style of clothing. Here, are some of my reasons as to why we choose to 'relic' our clothing.
Number one, it is unique. as I have demonstrated above with the teenage hype over faded jeans and shirts, wearing these kind of clothes make you stand out from the crowd (not so much today).
Number two, fine materials. Modern garments, compared to the old, lack quality. Fabrics of old clothes are much more durable and long lasting.
Number three, a little bit of a stretch, but our appreciation for the past.
Lastly, for investment.