Nintendo potential, tenacious d, hajj and Bangladeshi politics!

few warblings today. mostly useless.

i wish somebody somewhere would exploit the nintendo ds and wii capabilities to teach the handwriting and calligraphy of unusual scripts (arabic, chinese, japanese, bengali...) and create 3d art. come on folks, someone out there must have headspace, im sure its not too geeky.

the wii controlers use these funky accelorometers and some crazy IR jive to translate live 3d movement into 3d control
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Do not watch borat, i almost laughed my way to hell. its a dehumanising experience.
However, 'Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny' is a fine pice of entertainment.
BattleStar Gallactica is a fine series, though its sad how decent galactic-political sci-fi has cranked up the randiness in recent years.

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Lots of would be hajis got messed around this year. visa and flight procurement. it is a real 'sabr' (patience) workout for those involved. Anyway, im not a haji, so am i free to go nuts and distribute an adequate supply of slaps to the fools who buggered up? I'm wondering how blameworthy and sincere a 'im not going on hajj until the saudi occupiers sod off' attitude would be. I mean, its the fifth pillar, a major conference, the performance of ancient and soulfully powerful acts of ritual worship in the sacred geography and history of islam, its the real deal.
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The Awami League party in bangladesh has got itself in a pickle by signing an MoU with an Islamic party Bangladesh Khelafatul Majlish (BKM). BKM is actually a sub splinter of the Khelafatul Majlis party which is still in the BNP led coalition. Abdul jalil, the gensec of the Awami league, famous for repeatedly threatening to 'pull down the government in 30 days' and wearing a rather dangerous looking moustache, met with the hadith scholar Allama Azizul Huq and soon after was being hung drawn and quartered by his other political pals.

The content is quite blindingly obvious (dont legistate against quran, sunnah and shariat, dignifying madrassa teachers and students, insulting the prophets of god isnt a good idea, Muhammad (pbuh) was the last messenger etc.) but the predictable hoohaa was stirred amongst the usual suspects amongst the ultras (self confessed civil society, 'progressive', right thinking individuals, human rightists and my favourite... 'intellectuals).

Society is too polarised. effing democracy accentuates and creates these fissures.

I think this occurance is interesting because in recent decades bangladesh's people and institutions have been steadily deislamised. It is so bad in places that it is impossible to have informed knowledge seeking public debate about concepts and institutions like... shariah, madrassa, fatwa and alim with many bangladeshis, especially the ones with anti islamic ideals plinging around their skulls. They can get quite agro, hateful and presumptive. Its like an angry wasps nest, fueled by DFID, USAID, the UN and all elements of the 'development industry'.

I remember challenging a dhaka uni prof who was spouting some inteligent sounding crap about madrassas to 'flipin come with me and empirically study the people and the institutions with a supportive mindset, you do the girly ones ill do the boys'. She was not interested in anything more than being demonisingly unhelpful.

Maybe this is a sign of the pendulum swinging the other way? Away from the secular end and towards the spiritual end. Maybe its just election weirdoness. The Awami League are always changing their minds about things. Its a high stakes game, however loses the election next month will find themselves under physical attack, vulnerable leaders and students will die.

Democratic tradition.

Many would say that the Awami-khelafat relationship is a temporary marriage. like muta! I see it as more of a sign of where the culture is heading sourcing its moral, ethical framework. Thats probably what id like to see!

So lets also get real. The electoral tactition from the awami view wants to assure the public that a vote for them is not against islamic principles, so it needs to cover its arse. I wonder if it will work. so much of the election result will depend on local personality cults, thug networks and whatnot, i doubt that fundamental paradigmatic differences mean a thing.

'vote for this guy, he is your uncles son inlaws buffallo keepers second owners grandfather, he protected our arses the other day, from the raging buggalo theives'

Personally I find bangladeshis of my generation(in desh and abroad) more and more interested in mentally and spiritually engaging with their islamic identity. The book stores are better stocked, the cultural invasion is being modulated, the institutions are becoming more rubust and accustomed to religious practice. Cultural J is a slow and a fast process, but i feel its well underway. Elections cant really stop it. no matter how worker up we get by the temporary change in the fleecers political outlook.

a few posts ago i mentioned 'Probe News' an english weekly from dhaka. Well i found the link. www.probenewsmagazine.com

its really fab. kooky fresh, thoughtful and a pleasant suprise.