Unspun

Ok. A silly one from Don’t visit this.com

Unspun was in Toulouse last week for Airbus’s Technical Press Briefing. Its an annual event where Airbus gets journalists (and their PR flacks, like moi) to the southern French city to make us knowledgeable about things like vortex factors, composites, alternative fuels and other aeronautical stuff that go into the construction of the A380 and other planes (aeronautical buffs go here. It’s a blog run by Jon Ostrower whom Unspun met over dinner before The Hail, but after the fourth glass of red wine. The non-aeronautically inclined who are more interested in The Hail and Toulouse can remain here).

Anyway, The Hail. As we hacks and flacks gathered in a restaurant somewhere in downtown Toulouse for a dinner on the second day of the briefing we began to hear loud noises outside. Then someone pointed to the window and we all rushed to it. And there, in the middle of Spring, were all these hailstones about half the size of golfballs raining down on the streets.

It was so heavy that within half an hour or so all Toulouse’s streets were covered with white ice or with ice and leaves torn by it from chestnut trees lining the streets. It was fun and different but walking home on the slippery and melting ice was no picnic. There was a stretch before the hotel where the melting ice and slurry caused calf deep flooding. A long time Toulousian resident said that she had not seen the likes of such heavy hail in Spring all her life.

We all ruminated about global warming and thoughts of the weather gone crazy. Good thing that the discussion at the Airbus briefing the day before was all about how the plane maker was conscious about reducing its emissions and impact to the environment and had devised innovative ways to reduce emissions, noise and other pollutants through its plane recycling program the day before.

Other than those to days the weather in Toulouse was superb, sunny and hovering in the 20s. There were lots of women to watch, parks to stroll and museums to visit. Things that made Unspun glad was an open-air photographic exhibition about satellite images on the park by the Garonne River, sculptures at the Musee des Augustins and just the change of scene in Toulouse. (and yes, Unspun did partake of the Toulousian specialty, foie gras). Here are some images to share with you (they are not usual Unspun quality because he was too lazy to bring the 40D and used a Lumix FX12 instead).

Happiness, our social conditionings tell us, is about the highest aim that sensible human beings can aim for in this life. To be happy, we are told, is to enjoy the greatest gift life can bestow us.

Is it? Happiness is great, but it is a state that doesn’t last forever. No matter how happy we are at some point the thinking person becomes dissatisfied, not in the sense that they want more but that something is out of kilter with a happiness that is transitory.

Happiness, in other words, cannot ensure continued happiness. What then? The answer must lie in being able to transcend happiness, to go beyond happiness to the point that you leave it behind. The only logical way Unspun knows how in his though experiments is to try to strip the mind of all wants, desires, longings for happiness and self. It’s probably the hardest thing anyone can do. A bit like closing your eyes and to think of nothing yet being fully aware.

Unspun might have got into that state once or twice in his now lengthening life but most times this world means too much to him. So he strives for happiness instead of bliss. When he was younger this was not a satisfactory state but in his older years he’s learned to accept this duality as part of the life of someone not yet ready to take up the saffron robe.

And to think that all this was felt, thought out and explained by someone 2,500 years ago. As they say, there is nothing new under the sun - only the history you do not know. Happy Vesak one and all.

Mahathir’s at it again, grabbing headlines and drawing all the attention, this time with his resignation from Umno. He will portray himself as the white knight and the principled politician and even the rebel, waging a battle against the forces of corruption and incompetent government represented by Badawi.

And many will be taken in by his antics. So far, in his battle against his hand picked successor badawi he’s managed quite successfully repositioned himself as the blogger’s best friend before becoming a blogger himself (credit where credit is due: Unspun thinks that so far Chun Wai is the only heavy duty Malaysian blogger to be openly critical of Mahathir. The rest have been unsually muted in their criticisms of him)

Mahathir’s actions, however, if you look at it rationally are one of self preservation: he will likely not emerge unscathed if there is a police probe into the Judge Fixing case, that the cabinet has authorised the police to conduct.

He’s saving his own skin here. It is worth noting also that the whole mess that is the Badawi government today is also not entirely Badawi’s fault but Mahathir’s own. Unspun, in a rare feat of foresight saw this coming and wrote in this post back in June 2006:

[Mahathir's] stubborn imposition of his will and lack of tolerance for fools and detractors, some argue, has resulted in a Malaysia bereft of true successors and full of yes men devoid of a vision for the country.

There is a saying that no matter how great an achievement a man may have it will all come to naught if he has not left the right people to take over from where he has left off. In this regard it will be a few years before history can return a final verdict on the efficacy of this willful, colorful and exciting statesman.

This is a lesson for all aging leaders. Who you leave behind is most important when your time is ending. Not to so so will wreck havoc on your legacy and their people still in the system you led. Badawi’s a horrible leader, yes. But let’s be fair in spreading the blame if we must.

Bisnis Indonesia has said  that it is publishing a local general daily Harian Jogja to cater for readers in Yogjakarta, Kebumen, Magelang and Purworejo. It said it is ready to invest Rp 10 billion into the paper that will have an initial print run of 25,000 in its first year. Bisnis said it expects the paper to break even in four years.