March 19, 2007

SINGAPORE

Research in China and Iran's Seizure of 15 British Soldiers

I apologize for the dearth of postings lately, but exams are approaching with unnecessary haste and I cannot always afford to ignore the call of responsibility.

On a more positive note, I have some good news. I will be going back to China this summer to do vibration analysis on oceanic structures such as water derricks and off-shore oil platforms. I will be working under the umbrella of a National Science Foundation grant in conjunction with professors from the United States and China in a northeastern city named Dalian (map). The research will take place from late May to early August, and the work carries a certain ka-ching value.

While I am apprehensive about dabbling in political affairs, Iran's seizure of 15 British soldiers is cause for concern. I have tried to understand the Iranian side of the matter by imagining what would happen if the US Coast Guard caught Cuban marines off Miami's coast, but there are several sticking points that I cannot get over.

Firstly, the British soldiers (including one woman) were in Iraqi waters as part of a United Nations sanctioned operation, namely to prevent smuggling or terrorist operations that could disrupt 20% of the world's daily oil flow. Secondly, Reuters reported that at least one eye witness confirmed the British soldiers were in Iraqi waters, a claim the Iranian government is staunchly denying. Even

A startlingly similar situation (unwrap your tongue before you continue) occurred in 2004 when the Iranian government captured British marines performing peacekeeping duties, and once more there were disagreements over the location of the marines. It is highly unlikely the British would make the same mistake twice, if indeed one presumes they erred into Iranian waters the first time. The prisoners in 2004 were made to endure mock executions while blindfolded and subsequently deliver a televised apology for their actions. Such punishment is more like retribution that justice, and will only add fuel to an already strained relationship if it occurs again.

Perhaps the capture of marines over a border dispute is no more than a storm in a teacup, but when taken in a broader context a troubling trend emerges.

In 2005, President Ahmadinejad delivered a speech in which he infamously referred to Israel as "a disgraceful stain on the Islamic world" that "must be wiped off the map/history [depending on translation]." In 2006, the president held a conference in Tehran questioning the existence of the Holocaust by calling it "a myth" and alleging to a Zionist conspiracy created by the western world.

There was the memorable uproar created over the cartoon caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, along with Iran subsequently encouraging cartoons about the Holocaust. Later in the year, President Ahmadinejad challenged President Bush to a debate on the United Nations floor, but it was turned down by the White House who saw little benefit to be gained from a "caged match." Recently, President Ahmadinejad has accused western media of creating a conspiracy against Persia in the blockbuster action film, 300, which dramatically re-enacts the battle of Thermopylae wherein 300 Spartans held off Xerxes' invading force of roughly two million.

Now on to the hot topic: nuclear weapons.

Despite the Grand Ayatollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa, or religious decree, against nuclear weapons, much of western intelligence believes Iran is actively developing nuclear weapons. The Iranian government declares their intentions are purely for power generation. It is easy to understand why the Iranians feel wronged for being denied their sovereign right to develop nuclear power while other nations feel threatened by the prospect of nuclear weapons in the hands of a rash ruler.

I cannot take a stand one way or another on the subject of nuclear development because most of the facts are hidden in intelligence reports. What I can say for certain is that President Ahmadinejad is eager for confrontations with the Western world, and he sees no need to back down against "the Great Satan" [USA].

While President Ahmadinejad appears as if he is itching for a war, his retort may be that President Bush has already started one.

March 18, 2007

Sentosa Island (SINGAPORE)

Soccer Champions at Sentosa Island

After becoming friends with a group of Iranian students, they invited me to join them for a soccer tournament held on Singapore's resort island, Sentosa. The entire event was being sponsored by NTU as part of "Family Day," and it featured Singaporean ministers, faculty and their families, and students. Although I am horrible at such estimates,  organizers said the turnout was over 2,000 people.

Our first match was at 9am, and we went on to win the next three - progressing out of the group stages as the top seed. It was 4v4 with one substitute, and both the heat and sand were taking their toll. I miss the days in Florida where running on the beach was second nature. I also miss the chest-high waves of Florida; Singapore's beach might as well be a salted lake.

Our team made it all the way to semi-finals without conceding a goal, and we were the obvious front-runners for the cup. However, in the semi-final game our team let in an early fluke goal that nearly cost us. I was growing angry because the other team was blatantly time wasting, but one of my teammates scored a late equalizer that put us back in contention.

I wanted to put the ball back in play to score another one, but the opposing team was in no rush and a minor tussle broke out. One of their players tried to grab the ball from me, and I flung him to the ground so we could get on with the match. It really was not a big deal, but the referees banned us both from the oncoming penalty shoot-out. Fortunately, the better team prevailed and we still went on to win.

The championship match was against a team comprised of Vietnamese players, and once more a fluke deflection gave them an early lead. Unlike before, there was less time wasting as the opposing team was more concerned with playing football than cheating their way to victory. Perhaps it was a tactical mistake because I went on to put two goals away and win the game (it should have had three, but I banged another shot off the post and across the face of the goal).

Victory to the international team comprised of Iranians, a Nigerian, and an American!

At the award ceremony I was surprised to hear that we won 200 bucks for our efforts. The money was icing on the cake because I was just out there to have fun. Somehow, winning never seems to grow old.

March 2, 2007

Ubud (BALI)

Bicycling Bali, Shucking Rice, Caving with Bats, and a Balinese Performance

Rather than heading south for the tourist capital of Kuta, I spent another day enjoying the laid-back nature of Ubud. I met up with several Dutch girls, and we rented bicycles for a day of touring the surrounding countryside. Riding through the rice paddies without any passing cars and only a few motorbikes was the perfect way to unwind. Each town we rode through specialized in a handicraft, and we stopped several times to look through the small shops that made up a town center.

After stopping for lunch, we decided to add a sense of purpose to the day by visiting some of the famous temples in the area. Most of the places we stopped at were well off the tourist trail, and required a bit of searching to find.

The most memorable place we visited was Goa Gajah, or the Elephant Cave. As usual, we paid someone to watch our bicycles while we adorned ourselves in sarongs for the Hindu shrines. The elephant cave (honoring Ganesh, the god of wealth and prosperity), was nothing exotic - but the surrounding area certainly was.

After rejecting the services of several park guides, we continued chatting with them since there weren't any other tourists around. They told us how to find several trails that would take us deeper into the surrounding jungle. We took their advice and headed off in curiosity.

The first place we came across that is worth mentioning was a rice field with elderly woman shucking rice. It was a messy affair as one woman would pound the rice stalks against a hard surface in order to knock off the rice kernels. The other women gathered the debris into a sifter and separated the rice (still encased in shells) for bagging.

After contributing several rupiah for showing us the process we continued on another trail that took us along a steep slope of jungle habitat. The recent rainfall made the habitation come alive, and we were in the midst of a variety of jungle noises.

After passing a small waterfall I spotted a cave that sparked the adventurer in me. Perhaps I am still attached to childhood impressions created by Indiana Jones, but caves have a tangible mystique about them.

I decided to go in despite not having any source of light, and I was thankful when the Dutch girls decided to follow (albeit maintaining a safe distance behind me.)

It is difficult to explain how frightening it can be to walk straight into darkness. There was absolutely no light after I had gone 20 feet, and every five steps I would take a picture with the flash on, and then study the topography in the LCD. It was definitely slow going.

After another 20 feet there was no remaining light from the tunnel entrance, but I could still hear the girls. Crouched in a circular tunnel roughly 5 feet in diameter, I took another picture and saw that the tunnel took a four foot climb just ahead. I slipped my camera into my pocked and began pulling myself up the incline.

Just after clearing the top I began to straight myself up when a bat flew across my face. I yelled out in shock and fell back down the incline in terror - the bat came out of nowhere and disappeared into nowhere. Ignoring a bump on my head that would later balloon in size, I hauled ass out of the cave only to find the Dutch girls keeled over in laughter. "The highlight of their trip," they claimed. Understandable for them to find it so funny, I suppose, but you can understand why I was still tempted to slip a snake into their bed for a bit of revenge.

The snake would have to wait as the girls made it up to me by inviting me along for a Balinese ceremony later in the evening. We were all exhausted from the long day of riding, so it felt great to sit back and enjoy the traditional chanting and performances. Video is a real must for appreciating the ceremony, but be warned: the video clip may take ten minutes to download.

The final performance of the evening involved an enormous pile of burning coconuts that were crashed by an "evil spirit." The chanting continued while the man (barefoot) kicked the burning coconuts into the crowd and walked across the ashes with ease. I left with several holes in my clothing from the flying sparks and my face was covered in ash, but it was easily worth it.

March 2, 2007

Ubud (BALI)

Bicycling Bali, Shucking Rice, Caving with Bats, and a Balinese Performance

Rather than heading south for the tourist capital of Kuta, I spent another day enjoying the laid-back nature of Ubud. I met up with several Dutch girls, and we rented bicycles for a day of touring the surrounding countryside. Riding through the rice paddies without any passing cars and only a few motorbikes was the perfect way to unwind. Each town we rode through specialized in a handicraft, and we stopped several times to look through the small shops that made up a town center.

After stopping for lunch, we decided to add a sense of purpose to the day by visiting some of the famous temples in the area. Most of the places we stopped at were well off the tourist trail, and required a bit of searching to find.

The most memorable place we visited was Goa Gajah, or the Elephant Cave. As usual, we paid someone to watch our bicycles while we adorned ourselves in sarongs for the Hindu shrines. The elephant cave (honoring Ganesh, the god of wealth and prosperity), was nothing exotic - but the surrounding area certainly was.

After rejecting the services of several park guides, we continued chatting with them since there weren't any other tourists around. They told us how to find several trails that would take us deeper into the surrounding jungle. We took their advice and headed off in curiosity.

The first place we came across that is worth mentioning was a rice field with elderly woman shucking rice. It was a messy affair as one woman would pound the rice stalks against a hard surface in order to knock off the rice kernels. The other women gathered the debris into a sifter and separated the rice (still encased in shells) for bagging.

After contributing several rupiah for showing us the process we continued on another trail that took us along a steep slope of jungle habitat. The recent rainfall made the habitation come alive, and we were in the midst of a variety of jungle noises.

After passing a small waterfall I spotted a cave that sparked the adventurer in me. Perhaps I am still attached to childhood impressions created by Indiana Jones, but caves have a tangible mystique about them.

I decided to go in despite not having any source of light, and I was thankful when the Dutch girls decided to follow (albeit maintaining a safe distance behind me.)

It is difficult to explain how frightening it can be to walk straight into darkness. There was absolutely no light after I had gone 20 feet, and every five steps I would take a picture with the flash on, and then study the topography in the LCD. It was definitely slow going.

After another 20 feet there was no remaining light from the tunnel entrance, but I could still hear the girls. Crouched in a circular tunnel roughly 5 feet in diameter, I took another picture and saw that the tunnel took a four foot climb just ahead. I slipped my camera into my pocked and began pulling myself up the incline.

Just after clearing the top I began to straight myself up when a bat flew across my face. I yelled out in shock and fell back down the incline in terror - the bat came out of nowhere and disappeared into nowhere. Ignoring a bump on my head that would later balloon in size, I hauled ass out of the cave only to find the Dutch girls keeled over in laughter. "The highlight of their trip," they claimed. Understandable for them to find it so funny, I suppose, but you can understand why I was still tempted to slip a snake into their bed for a bit of revenge.

The snake would have to wait as the girls made it up to me by inviting me along for a Balinese ceremony later in the evening. We were all exhausted from the long day of riding, so it felt great to sit back and enjoy the traditional chanting and performances. Video is a real must for appreciating the ceremony, but be warned: the video clip may take ten minutes to download.

The final performance of the evening involved an enormous pile of burning coconuts that were crashed by an "evil spirit." The chanting continued while the man (barefoot) kicked the burning coconuts into the crowd and walked across the ashes with ease. I left with several holes in my clothing from the flying sparks and my face was covered in ash, but it was easily worth it.