Thus I have a new blog, which needs to be kept alive, so I will be writing more oftenly. You can still expect many of the same topics and issues, just a bit organized. I think. Anyways, its; www.ifclarkkentblogged.wordpress.com Yes, I know. EPIC TITLE

I really hope you guys check it out. Please do

Until next time,

Mamashaal

I wrote a similar letter to my lover, 2008, last year. We had quite a bad break up, you see. I was annoyed with 2008 and I was tired of the.. well… shit that came along with 2008. He was sorta like the Kardashians and that couple with eight kids; interesting at first but then just plain and fucking annoying later on.

But, 2009, this letter is not about 2008. It is about you. I had high hopes for you my dear. I had hoped you would be better than 2008; a new chapter, a new life.

And I will not lie to you my dear. You had your moments.There were days where you embraced me, and smiled upon me so vividly, that my soul smiled with you. My soul laughed and my heart beat with no worry, because I knew that you were there to treat me well.  You made sure that my family smiled, you made sure that I got to a good start at uni and hey, you made sure Pakistani won the Twenty20 Cup. Life was good.

But you were also terrifying 2009. You strongly reminded me of 2008;  turning into a violent man, making me scared, revolted, and broken. You are soaked with the blood of the innocent lives from Pakistan, Iran, Palestine, Zimbabwe.. I could go on. The financial world pretty much collapsed with you, creating unemployment and poverty. Fathers had to go back home, with their heads lowered, trying to figure out how to tell their children that from now on, things had to be different.

And then you killed Michael Jackson. I mean, for God’s sake, Michael Jackson.  By then I had realised that your priorities were a bit misplaced. Anyone who decides to kill off Michael Jackson instead of, ooooh,  Sean Hannity, is an idiot. And instead of apologizing you kill Brittney Murphy? Jerk

And then you killed brain cells by bringing Bollywood to Hollywood (or Hollywood to Bollywood). You are obviously a very, very terrible matchmaker. Anyone knows that Bollywood and Hollywood is a marriage bound to go wrong. Thanks to you, now I can’t even watch an Indian movie without feeling I’m watching some amateur porn movie. Do I really wanna see Kareena Kapoor ride Saif Ali Khan? I’m sorry, but I am sure Sharon Stone has that covered.

Speaking of Hollywood, you son-of-bitch, you turned beauty from Beyonce to Megan Fox. I am sorry 2009, but I can’t walk around as if I can’t close my lips, have a 20 inch waist and say ”I’m not even a back-door virgin”.  I just can’t okay? Just like I can’t weigh 50 kg, have double Ds and be 178 cm tall. I don’t think men can be 190 cm, have 10 pacs AND be able to cook at the same time either. You set some serious high standards, and it’s killing the rest of us, okay?  

But as I said, you had your moments. The Oscar opening was one of them. Closing that damn Amanda Knox case was also one of them. The Swiss vote on the minaret ban was not, but it just proved what bullshit direct democracy is so I guess it was a good moment too.  And, who can forget Lady Gaga? You actually, now that I think of it, apologized for the Megan Fox thing by proving that a girl who isn’t going to make it on the FHM list can actually be super rich, super famous AND regard herself sexy anyway.

But I think it is time for me to move on. 2010 doesn’t seem more promising than you, but at least he seems a bit more optimistic. 2010 will be a new chapter in my life. But I will not forget you 2009. You, like 2008 and all the rest, are a chapter in my life. A chapter that is vital to my story and to my life.

So let us part, 2009, with bittersweet memories and I hope you go down as well with your other partners (what did you think I was putting you out for?). I know men and women that you have dated will be either pleased or pissed off with you.

I am content.

Goodbye 2009.  It was, at the end of the day, a pleasure knowing you.

Best Regards,

Mamashaal (( desi diva ))

www.mashaalsbookclub.wordpress.com

As you may have guessed, I love to read as much as I love to write. Books are a great passion of mine, and I love sharing this passion with others. So what better way to do so other than going online?!

Although it is obvious that the blog is merely an excuse to buy more books, creating a book club and writing about books will give me a chance to explore genres I normally do not read and get feedback from people with a similar love for books.

Along with writing about a new book every month, there will be daily quotes, word of the day and hadith of the day. I set up the blog yesterday so naturally, there is only one book up there, but I will soon post the name of the book I will be reading next month so anyone who has read it can be ready to come with comments (or read along for that matter!) As the months go by, you can look forward to many book reviews

Take a look at it and let me know what you think! 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Until next time,

Mamashaal (( desi diva ))

It’s political and it’s annoying. In other words it’s MAMASHAAL!

Until next time,

Mamashaal (( desi diva)

I’ll post something up here in the weekend..!!

Until next time,

Mamamshaal (( desi diva ))

I recently talked to a good friend of mine that has a semi-rumored reputation as a man chauvinist, but both he and I know that it’s just a facade. We got talking until he came around the opinion that in his ideal society, a woman would, and could never obtain a high position in politics. In other words, a woman would never be in political leadership.

I wasn’t really astonished by his opinion, but decided to throw myself in what ended up to be a very long MSN chat. Informative, heated and interesting for sure, but very long.

His opinion regarding female leadership was, in all due honesty, not narrow-minded nor primitive. It revolved around basic assumption that women and men think and thus act differently. He stated that a woman would think from her heart more strongly than a man, and despite the fact that we could use a bit of humanity now and then in politics, we humans cannot simply change the “law of the jungle” as he put it.

This is a discussion that is as familiar to me as my own shadow. Female leadership has always been a heated point of argument and despite the many views that come into progress; it really is, in the end, broken down into categories.

The first is the traditional “men think logically, women think emotionally” argument.  To all the feminists out there, hold your horses. Because, in context, it is true.

Various studies have shown that women think differently. This difference in the sexes is often reflected in our daily lives. Women are more likely to enroll into humanitarian areas, such as doctors, nurses, teachers and alike while men walk towards careers in business, math and engineering.  The question is always whether we are brought up in a society that teaches us these norms, but let’s just assume for a moment, that that is not the case, and it’s all already biologically programmed. So let’s say that women think with their hearts and men with their heads. How would that affect a leadership? I understand that my friend expressed his concerns when he stated “women would be weak when it would come to war”, but let me get this straight… the President isn’t actually participating in the war is he? The President isn’t actually going to pull the trigger on the gun is he? So the amount of push-ups the President would be able to do has nothing to do with how well they perform in the office.

And lets not forget. Hilary Clinton voted yes for the Iraq war, as the majority of her male-politicians, with the exception of Obama. The problem is, if Obama was a woman and had voted no for the Iraq war, would we have seen that as a good logical decision (as we do for Obama) or would we look at it as a weak, emotion-led decision? The problem is that we automatically look at the gender and then we make up our minds regarding that decision. It seems that no matter what a female leader decides to do, it would always be scrutinized because she is a woman. If its a yes for a war, she’s not thinking straight, and if it’s no for a war, then she’s still not thinking straight.

And, when it comes to political decisions, how do we separate decisions made from the heart and decisions made from the brain? A political leader who creates a program to educate poor village woman, is that a logical decision, or a emotional decision? A political leader who tries to negotiate rather than throw bombs, is that a logical decision or a emotional decision? The matter of fact is when cannot and do not know. We’ve had Presidents who are eager for war, and we’ve had Presidents who are eager for diplomatic relations and discussions, all male. We’ve had Presidents pouring money into the military and we’ve had Presidents who pour money into health care and education, again, all male.

But when we criticize these Presidents we don’t go, “Oh, well, that’s ‘cos he’s a guy, that’s why”. So why do we use the sex against a woman?

I believe that we’re still stuck in that old world where women were considered the lesser being and the weaker vessel. Yes, the woman is weaker physically, but mind you, she’s stronger biologically. Studies show that women are more likely to survive diseases, heavy blood loss. Women die later than men, women don’t lose as much hair as men, women are less likely to commit suicide and less likely to lose their minds (in which I mean that men are more likely to fall into depression and the majority of patients of mental illnesses are male).

 Men are considered (generally) better at Math, but in universities, we’re seeing a higher trend in women enrolling and we’re seeing a higher trend in male drop-out. Girls tend to do better at exams than boys at school, and are often more focused than their male classmates when it comes to deciding about the future. So I often ask, why is the woman considered a weaker being? Because she can’t lift a tire? Because she has the ability to be pregnant or because she shows emotions, that seems to lack in both everyday life as well as politics?

Men are stronger physically, but both psychologically and biologically, the women are stronger. 

But does that matter?

In the position as a President, one has to be strategic, be able to multi-task and be able to relate to what the people want, and be able to win hearts. Both men and women can do this job. Obama may be elected President, Michelle Obama could, in my opinion, be just a capable President.

Isn’t Michelle Obama educated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School? She worked in a Law firm and a part of the mayor’s staff. In fact, I remember watching an episode of The Daily Show Wit Jon Stewart, where the guest was a former teacher of both Barack and Michelle. He stated that he always saw Michelle as to become President while Barack was more the mayor sort.

She’s been in many executive positions, and Barack has always mentioned that she’s been the rock of his campaign. If we added a few years as a senator, she would make a fine presidential candidate, wouldn’t she?

What about Benazir Bhutto? She led a hard and rough life, lost her father to politics, lost her brothers to politics, tried to pull a nation out of hope together and in the end, died for her country.

Or what about Queen Elizabeth? Her ways of ruling can always be discussed (but so can the regimes of men), but she ruled quiet a lot, wouldn’t you say? Or Cliopatra?  

“Exceptions”, my friend stated, “Besides, a woman in high political power is against the Islamic shairia”.

Oh, how I love when religion is brought into such discussions.  The discussion about Muslim female leaders has been around for a very long time, and has been disputed. Why? Because the whole concept of “No-female-leaders/female leaders make bad leaders” revolves around one hadith. For all those non-Muslim readers out there, a little 101 for you. Quran=Holy Word, Hadith=Man written words on events and what the Prophet said. And when there is only one hadith, over 300 something year old, and most probably altered when gone from mouth to mouth, the chances that the hadith is authentic is slim.    

I do not believe that Islam can in anyway prohibit a woman from becoming a political leader, as Islamic history proves that we’ve had several women in the visual front with both power and knowledge. I do believe however that there are probably preferences and given the orthodox Islamic values and “rules”, it’s also probably much easier for a man to become a political leader. In traditional Islam, a man who’s in political leadership, leads the prayer, and since a woman can’t, the result would be that a woman cannot be a political leader. But in Shariah countries today, the political leaders rarely lead prayers. Husbands help (or are supposed to anyway) to strengthen their wives position, as the wives do for their husbands once the men are in power.

Then it’s the image of a country. According to my friend he stated that a country with a female leader would give off… well… wrong signals of a country. Would you be threatened by a country with a female leader?

Yes. A, as Tyra Banks would put it, fierce woman that looks like she could cut your privates off is very much to be afraid of. And not to mention, her military probably has enough atomic weapon to blow you and your country off the map. Isn’t that something to be afraid of? A smart, sharp and elegant woman is to be as respected and feared like any man. And if a man with political power cannot respect or accept that fact, that not only shows an image of the society that has elected him, but also shows what needs to be changed.  Just because your name isn’t “Ahmadinajad” or “Obama” or “Putin” doesn’t mean that the world cannot take you seriously.  

And finally, my friend said, “Men have been ruling all these years. There is a reason for it”.

And my response is, that just because something has been done for a long time doesn’t make it right. The most corrupt, inhumane, evil and terrifying regimes have been of men. The Pharaoh, Stalin, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Bush, DICK CHENY? Girls were buried alive in Arabia (before Islam was introduced), does that make it right? The blacks have been suffering injustice from the creation of time, does that make it right? Children are sold and re-sold, does that make it right? Yes, I know that comparing child prostitution with male regimes is very unfair and unrelated but I’m trying to draw you a sketch.  Maybe, this world has come to a drowning point (which it has, thanks to the economic meltdown and the ice polar meltdown) and it’s some sort of message from God, “Change your fucking ways or I’m making our little meeting on judgment day a bit earlier”. And besides, when was it women got the vote? Not that long ago.

But at the same time, some of the very just, historic and memorable regimes have been of men too. Men have created history, men have brought justice and men have changed the face of the Earth. Mandela, Gandhi, Jinnah, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King.

So where does that leave us?  

After an hour of debate, I and my friend concluded that coming to a mutual decision was not possible. He believes that if given two perfect candidates, one man, one woman, he’d vote for the man. Given two ordinary candidates, one man, one woman, he’d vote for the man. He’d only vote for the woman if the man was a real, real bad candidate. Which I assume is a killer. But killers can’t become Presidents. Sort of.

Personally, if given two ordinary candidates, I’m not going to look at what sex they are. I’m far beyond that, and I don’t care. This whole blog has been showing you atrocities that men regimes may bring, but in truth, I believe a good leader can be either male or female, just like a bad leader can be either male or female.  I look up to both men and female political figures. I’m going to see who’s views and goals I can relate to most (I’d vote for Obama than Hilary) and then vote. Gender and sex does not, in my eyes, show who is more qualified. But I respect my friend’s decision, and think that he has his all the right in this world to have his opinion. I’ll just give him a hard time if he’s ever elected President for his country

So you can make up your mind. A leader called Samuel or a leader called Angelina?

Oh and just one other thing with the whole “women think with their emotions, mean with their heads” thing. Yes. Women may think with their emotions, and men may think from their head…. but just not the right one, understand me?

 Marilyn Monroe and Monica Lewinsky are probably one of the many, many witnesses to that, don’t you think?

Until next time,

Mamashaal (( desi diva ))

Let me start off by apologizing. I am sorry I haven’t written a single word on this blog for two months ( I blame my immune system, stress and the stuck fast-forward button on my Life Remote Control). I assure you, I am not dead, I have not been married off secretly at the Afghan border and I have not decided to ditch writing for pursuing my biologically programmed career as a Pakistani doctor (ha!)

But enough of that, let’s get down to business. I’ve decided to put politics on the side for a bit and start off with a somewhat lighter subject, just to get started.

Eminem.

I remember the first time I heard him. I was 11 years old, and very new to the world of hip-hop and rap. I had just bought a bootleg rap CD (my first ever) during my stay in Pakistan. It was Jay-Z and this “Dynasty Roc La Familia” album that had caught my eye, and I admit, the only reason why I bought the album was because the front cover of the album was cool. When I listened to it, I was ashamed and fascinated by the lyrics. I knew my parents wouldn’t be happy with my music selection but God DAMN the music was great. So I hung on to the bootleg CD, and since it was my only hip-hop CD, I listened to it over and over, and over again. The beats and flow sounded so sweet in my ears, just like honey in warm milk.  The lyrics were sounded so amazing to me since I was a goody-two-shoes and rap was quiet the opposite. I was simply hooked, addicted and obsessed with Jay-Z. 

Roc La Familia

My room changed. The poster of Leonardo a.k.a Mr. Titanic  (yes, yes I know! Shame on me) and the poster of Britney came down and up came two H-U-G-E posters of Jay-Z. My parents did not like the change at all. Britney was pretty innocent around that time (that’s seems like a long, long, long  time ago, doesn’t it?), so my parents didn’t like the idea of me looking away from a virginal icon to this thug and gangster that talked about ”the hood” and “the crack game”. Nevertheless, I kept the posters up and the CD in the stereo.   

As I stated, Eminem walked into my life (don’t I make this sound like a love story?) at the tender age of 11. I was 4th/5th grade at that time, and I clearly remember I had just completed a science test and the teacher had let us have our break 10 minutes before time. There was a girl in my class that had heard of Eminem and had brought his CD, The Marshall Mathers LP, to class. She put on the record and hit play. My ears sharpened and my feet started tapping along to The Way I Am.  This was different than Jay-Z. It wasn’t better, nor was it worse, but it was different. It was so much angrier, so much darker so much crazier. Eminem sounded so bitter, snappy and harsh. It was also much more mature and x-rated. Since the CD I had of Jay-Z was a collaboration collection, Jay-Z had not fully spilled his talent, and so Eminem’s lyrics were mindblowing. His words were complex, his beat was heavy and his flow epic.

From that day, I kept an open ear for this Mom hating, fan hating, fame hating, childhood hating white man. He seemed so talented and the following year, I bought my first real and authentic  rap CD.

The Eminem Show.

My mother was horrified to say the least. She was there with me when I bought it, but she had not the slightest idea of what or who Eminem was. It was only when I placed the red CD in my stereo when my mother discovered Eminem. She didn’t like it. But since I had been acting (somewhat) normal after listening to Jay-Z, she decided to let me listen. She’d keep a very close watch on me. Any “rebellious” behavior and rap would be history.

The Eminem Show

Eminem is like religion. Either you hate him, or you love him, and no matter what, the media is always around him, and someone you know is bound to like him.

What’s always astonished me about this (little) white man, is the amount of hate and bitterness he can store within him. Almost all his lyrics are aimed at his drug abusive mother, his cheating wife, the society, how pissed off he is with the political system. And then there is the occasional mockery at rappers, singers and politicians.

I’m anti-Backstreet and Ricky Martin
with instincts to kill N’Sync, don’t get me started
These fuckin brats can’t sing and Britney’s garbage
What’s this bitch retarded? Gimme back my sixteen dollars

- Marshall Mathers

“Fuck money, I don’t rap for dead presidents. I’d rather see the president dead.” 

-We are America 

Aimed at President Bush while he was still in office, the Secret Service actually investigated on whether or not it was a legitimate threat. Seriously.

Eminem is a unique rapper in the sense that he sings on whatever he wants, however he wants and whenever he wants. He’s horribly crude, and incredibly honest. Unbearably annoying to listen to at times, and then magnetic at others. Unlike other rappers, Eminem doesn’t take himself seriously and his lyrics often portray irony, mockery and humiliation all directed at himself and his alter ego, Slim Shady.

I came to the club drunk with a fake ID
Don’t you wanna grow up to be just like me!
I’ve been with 10 women who got HIV
Now don’t you wanna grow up to be just like me!
I got genital warts and it burns when I pee
Don’t you wanna grow up to be just like me!
I tie a rope around my penis and jump from a tree
You probably wanna grow up to be just like me!!!

-Role Model

You can’t miss me, I’m white, blonde-haired
and my nose is pointy
I’m the bad guy who makes fun of people that die
in plane crashes and laughs
As long as it ain’t happened to him
Slim Shady, I’m as crazy as Em
-inem and Kim combined

-Criminal

But controversy surrounds Eminem for a reason. His lyrics are said to be soaked with violence, immorality and inhumanity. He’s had protests held against him, he’s had journalists slant him, he’s had parents publicly call him a crazed addict (to which Eminem rapped, “As if you didn’t experiment!” with Jay-Z)  and he’s had politicians defy him.  Not to mention Republicans hate each and every part of his body and would probably put the CIA on his butt if he weren’t such a huge icon. And I won’t argue on that point. It is true that Eminem and his lyrics are beyond what can be seen as acceptable.

Bitch I’ma kill you! You don’t wanna fuck with me
Girls neither – you ain’t nothing but a slut to me
Bitch I’ma kill you! You ain’t got the balls to beef
We ain’t gonna never stop beefing I don’t squash the beef

- Kill You

 His earlier albums are unbelievably edgy, and not in a good way. The moment he opens his mouth, you just know that hate is going to pour out. But to those who believe that that is a valid summary of Eminem, I could not disagree more.

It is very true that his earlier albums seem to almost preach hate, but that in itself is a wide generalization. Eminem is far beyond and above that. What’s to understand is that Eminem’s albums are a mixture of his real personality, Marshall Mathers, his stage personality, Eminem and his exceptionally violent and annoying alter ego, Slim Shady. His songs are a gateway to his mind, and no human’s mind is clean. With his rough background, Marshall Mathers combines all three schizophrenic personalities and moulds them together to create an album that is sometimes hard to grasp. His three personalities take over at different times at different stages of the album, and it’s difficult at times to figure out who’s singing what. Since first-time listeners don’t understand immediately, Marshall Mathers is immediately put  out on the fire line, under the accusation that he’s a cold blooded killer. He isn’t. Slim Shady is.

The truth of the matter is that there is more to the character of Marshall Mathers, Eminem and Slim Shady then what meets the eye. Violence, drugs, curses at *Nsync and self aimed humor is all a part of Eminem (and Slim Shady). It’s a trade mark, but as Eminem has grown over the years, so has his music. And, in my opinion, he usually hit’s his peak when he lets Marshall Mathers shine through.

While Eminem/Slim Shady sings about the darker side, Marshall Mathers opens up to his personal life. His daughter and his love for her. There are songs that he sings (or tries to at least) are heart touching. He lets people understand that he tries his best to be a father, tries to explain to people that entertainment is what it is. Entertainment.

It’s all political, if my music is literal, and i’m a criminal how the fuck
can I raise a little girl
I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be fit to.

-Sing for the moment

Marshall Mathers brings controversy to the table, claiming in his videos what we all have thought at some point or another. That Osama Bin Laden is dead and in order to control the public the government is making up stories, lies. He raps about how America should come together, how people should be happy with who they are and they way they are.

But often those parts of the album are overlooked, and it’s a shame. Because Eminem is nothing without Marshall Mathers and vice versa.

So, after a 4 year long break,  after a drug-abuse problem at it’s peak, Eminem/Slim Shady/Marshall Mathers is back with a new album (and in his words, only high on rap, although there are some songs on the album that I doubt a sober man can write and rap about) But can he deliver?

Relapse

I was sick in bed when his new album came out a few days back, but maybe my condition rubbed off a bit on my mom, because she politely agreed to buy the album and place it on my lap.

Eminem delivers alright. He’s cocky, he’s cool and he’s deliberately annoying. He takes a hit at Mariah Carey and her new husband Nick Cannon;

Locked in Mariah’s wine cellar all I had for lunch /Was red wine, more red wine/ and captain crunch/,
Red wine for breakfast/ and for brunch/, And to soak it up and in between snack/, crackers to munch,/
Mariah, what’s ever happened to us,/ why did we have to break up/, All I asked for was a glass of punch/

His skits with his manager Paul are painfully (and often wrongfully) funny;

“Em, it’s Paul, um…I just listened to entire album…you gotta be fucking kidding me. I mean with this Christopher Reeves shit…you know the guy’s dead, right? And then the whole gay, stepfather incest rape thing? I don’t have you’re back on this one, I can’t even fuckin’ handle it. I’m done.”

What’s really joyful (if there is anything like joyful about Eminem), is that he takes others criticism to him. The biggest has always been that all Eminem can do is complain and whine. And this, he uses in his skit, a conversation between him and Steve Berman, the president of marketing at Interscope;

Phone ringing in the background 

[Secretary]
Mr. Berman?

[Steve Berman]
What?!

[Secretary]
We have Eminem here to see you

[Steve Berman](Eminem)
about fuckin’ time! Send him in (Steve! Good to see ya man)
Look who decided to show his face!
I hope you’ve had fun in the last 4 years.
(Look man, I apologize again for)
For shooting me?! Do you know I lost the use of my right arm?
(Again, it was a mistake,)
(a terrible mist- are you wearing a bulletproof vest?)
and then you go and you do what?
hide out? stay in Detroit from us 5 years while the music industry melts the fuck down? Do you know how many people lost their jobs because of your fuckin vacation?
(Well that’s actually why I’m here, I was gonna, put out some new music and I wanted to play it for you, and get your opinion)
Do I really need to hear it?
Let me guess, another album about poor me, I’m so famous that it’s ruined my rich little life, and I’m such a tortured artist. Let me make music about it and my tragic love life, am I on to something here?
(Come on man it’s not like that yo-)
You know what? Just hand the fuckin thing over
I’m done talkin to you. Think you can just come and go as you please.
Big selfish superstar
(Steve, I had a drug problem)
Oh poor me, I had a drug problem. Who hasn’t had a drug problem in this town? You know what?

*cocks gun*

(Hey! hey!)
Just lay the shit down on my desk and get the fuck out
(Woah, woah, woah. Jesus Christ man! )
(Alright alright here, fine)
What’s this shit? Two CD’s?
(That’s what I’ve been tryin to tell you man, there’s 2 albums)
Just get out! (Alright!)
Get the fuck out (Alright man, see you later)

(On an additional note, check out the rest of the Eminem and Steve skits from his later albums. Never fail to make me laugh. ) 

Besides confronting his critics, Eminem revealed two things in this skit. 1) He had a drug problem (which he refers to in many parts of the new album) and 2) There is a Relapse 2 coming out.

Admirable are his guts to openly admit that he’s been on the verge of becoming like his mother, a drug addict, admitting that he’s giving the same impression to his daughter as his mother gave to him.

Yah…Yah…Yah
My mom love Valium and lots of drugs,
That why I am like I am cause I’m like her,
Because my mom love Valium and lots of drugs,
That why I’m on what I’m on cause I’m my mom,

 And then there is “Beautiful” in which he tries to sing (doesn’t fail that miserably actually). So it should be a great record, right?

Well, sort of. “Relapse” is a great album, but not Eminem’s best. A good friend of mine said recently “When he came out, he had certain things to rap about. Right now, he seems all over the place”. It’s true that if Eminem wants to stay in the game, he needs to bring something new and fresh to the table. Singing about his violent past and his mother is not new anymore, and even though he has brought in his recent drug abuse problem, there seems to lack something. The “extra” something that makes a rap album different and addictive. The new album lacks songs like “Sing for the moment”, “Soldiers” and ” When the music stops”. 

But despite everything, all in all, Mr. Mathers can deliver. Relapse is out, and now, rap fans are waiting for the second part, and wondering what more he can bring to the table.

A lot of people ask me, Where the fuck I’ve been at the last few years
Shit I don’t know, But I do know – I’m back now. 

-Underground
 

 And for all rap fans, that’s good news. Relapse World Tour?

Until next time (and this time I mean it),

Mamashaal (( desi diva ))

Will update soon.

Until next time,

Mamashaal (( desi diva ))

“HOLY SH**!”.

In fact, the news was of such nature, that I wasn’t really sure on what to think and how to react. I mean, how fast can you digest the news of an 11 year old shooting his father’s pregnant girlfriend? The first thing naturally that hits you is the boy’s tender age. When I was 11, my Barbie-gone-Pakistani was still trying to save my home-made miniature forest from the evil genital-less Ken. Forget about being able to shoot a gun, my parents were terrified to have fake guns around me, and always snatched them away whenever I approached one. 7 years later, I still haven’t managed to hold a real gun in my hand, again, all thanks to my parents.

So how on earth does an 11 year old manage to do so? How can an 11 year old get a gun, load it, point it at his daddy’s girlfriend and press the trigger? And even more astonishing? The kid went to school after he had shot his soon-to-be stepmom while she was asleep.

I am not aware of your opinion on this issue, but I was both disgusted, horrified and yes, even amazed. Disgusted and horrified because it’s an 11 year old kid killing someone and then being charged as an adult for double homicide, then amazed because…well… it’s an 11 year old kid killing and then being charged as an adult for double homicide. Am I guilty? You can’t blame me, can you? You have to admit, this is an interesting case, despite the mass tragedy.

The question that is on everyone’s lips is simply; how did this happen? Why did this happen? The so-called “rumor”/motive for the killing was jealousy. The child was jealous over the fact that his father was paying more attention to his girlfriend than him and thus, took the gun and coolly shot his soon-to-be stepmom to death.

This raises another question. How did the child get a hold of the gun?

The Daily News reports that the boy killed Friday morning “with his own youth-model shotgun.”

THE 11 YEAR OLD HAS HIS OWN GUN?!?!

I do not care if it is a youth model or an adult model, it’s still a shotgun and what on earth is an 11 year old boy doing with a shot gun?

This case does not only concern social issues in the USA, but also political issues. The social issues are most definitely the over-exposure of violence in our media today, but the political issue is absolutely the over-exposure of guns in the society.

The USA has a long history and tradition of gun use *coughALASKAcough* but this case really puts this tradition under a microscope, doesn’t it? One thing is when adults go around shooting each other, but it’s a whole lot different when you have children doing that.

Another big issue is the punishment. The kid is being charged as an adult. Yes, he’s being charged with double murders, and so, as I suspect, he’s going away for a long, long time. Fair? I honestly don’t know.

This case reminds me of another some years back. Two boys, both 10 I think,  in England were charged with the murder of a small two year old child. The two boys had lured the child from his mother and taken him to a train track where they beat him to death (among other many other cruel things) with a stone. Then they put his dead body over a railway track so..well, I don’t need to say more. The body was discovered and yes, the body had been run over by a train. The whole country was in uproar and some even wanted the boys executed. They were put into juvenile jail, jail, and then in 2001 released under a new identity, and were forced to cut contact with each other.  To this day, their whereabouts have been kept secret because vigilantes never die. Rumors of course surfaced, but none were confirmed.  

Thompson and Venables, aged 10

Is that fair? In many people’s eyes, no. The two should have spent the rest of their lives in jail. And police confirmed that they had it all planned. They went to the mall with the plan of abducting a child. Now that is scary.

 And the two boys weren’t the only “little killers”. In 1994, Eric Smith, 13, was the killer of a 4 year old boy. Mary Bell, 10, killed her playmates with no remorse. Andrew Golden, 11, gunned down 15 kids in school. And the worst part? The list goes on.

Eric Smith, aged 13

So WHY do children kill? How can a child kill? It’s a question that we ask and cannot come to a conclusion. My mother said interestingly, “We have to see the behavior, the past of the child. Many of these young killers have a troubling history. Either they are mocked at school, come from broken families or some other psychological factor plays a role in the way they act”.

True, but does that make them killers? I was bullied heavily in primary school, but it’s not like I picked up a gun and killed my bullies.

My mother agrees. This is where her and many others’ infamous reason comes in. “The child was born evil”.

Now, I’m quiet certain that there is no such thing as an “evil-gene”, and I’ve always assumed the people are born with a clean slate. Certain stories of these young killers however, makes me doubt myself at times. Maybe some children are born evil. After all, how can you justify a 10 year old killing her playmates with no remorse what-so-ever? Late development? Over-exposure of violence?

The case of little killers has been an issue for a long time, and sadly, it’s becoming more common. The age of killers is falling and it is not limited to “personal” crimes anymore. Gangs have young followers and you will find children right down to the age of 13 and 14 killing people in the name of their gang.

So where do we go from here?   

I don’t know. Usually I come forth with some sort of conclusion, but young killers is very, very tricky. All I can say is that each case should be treated individually and as for punishment, again, it needs to be treated different from case to case.

Blaming everything on the media can be easy, but it isn’t always correct. Yes, music, movies and games have an affect on children, but some of the time, parents are responsible for what their children are exposed to, and it’s their duty to raise their children in a safe and moral environment. It’s their responsibility to make sure their child learns the vital lessons about compassion, morality and respect. Most of the time, the children whom have not fully learnt that, are usually vulnerable to crime.

We live in a world where children are no longer children. Parents can do as much as they can, but they cannot keep their child protected from the world forever. We are moving so fast, that we cannot keep up ourselves. We have forgotten about limits and boundaries, and because the world is changing ever so rapidly, the parents who teach their children about mercy, compassion and respect are afraid that their child will be walked over, misused and abused. I know, because my mother fears the same thing.

It’s time to take a break, and seriously re-evaluate not only our culture and society today, but also our goals. We need to, because if this rate continues, then you better start watching out for children. Because, in classic ghetto slang style;

“GOD DAMN, THEM MOTHERFU****S COULD KILL YOU NI**A!”

I still want kids, so I think I’m going to stop writing and reading more on this issue now. If you, however, still want to read more on this topic go to http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/young/index.html . It’s a library of a few selected cases of young killers. But I warned you okay? So don’t come blaming me, “SEE MAMASHAAL. BECAUSE OF YOU, I DON’T WANT KIDS ANYMORE, AND NOW I’M CHILD-LESS”. 

To make sure, here is something that might make you want to have kids again;

That’s all I have to say about this.

What about you?

Until next time,

Mamashaal (( desi diva ))

Why must you seduce me? Why must you absolutely mock me and my decision to study at a University? Why must you fascinate me with all your glam, your extravagance, your good looking men (Hugh Jackman, I hope you are reading this), your good looking women (that isn’t that important, actually), your diamonds, your fashion? Why must you make those flash blitz from the hundreds of cameras seem so satisfying? Why must you make my heart yearn for the fan crazed screams? Why must you bring tears to my eyes after some heart touching speachs?

Stupid, stupid Oscars.

Why must you cover over, what seems, a morally crippled industry that thrives upon sex? Why must you glorify the depressing and unsatisfied lives of these actors and actresses who we seem to fall in love with, yet no nothing about?  Why must you wrongfully seduce us to a lifestyle that is not only fake, but destructive, materialized and completely shallow? Why, oh why, must you feed us with no-good journalists who ask the same, cliche questions year after year?!?!

Oscars are probably the most over-rated, over-the-top PDA from Hollywood. It’s rather sickening to a point, yet I wouldn’t mind going to the Oscars. I wouldn’t mind taking a look, and I wouldn’t mind posing next to Denzel Washington.

I don’t have much to say on the Oscars. You may, and most probably will, have your own opinion.

I just needed to write something on this useless night.

Well, not really. I’m enjoying Hugh Jackman.

Ah, he’s back!

Until next time,

Mamashaal (( desi diva ))