Voice of the world

[Jubaris]

Long time ago, in Magic Duel you were able to find some intelligent, philosophical and unique views, discussions on various things...
Today, there are less and less people here, and even less interest in such topics. It comes down to grinding in one form or another, or just idling, waiting for better times to quit (not to involve more, but to quit).

If we're going down, let's do it properly.

I would like to ask some willing folks that have something to say to use this topic as a kind of blog. Show your views about some interesting topics that have missed they eye of regular people, something possibly from your experience. Politics, wars and its troublesome times, unnoticed lying propaganda on the news, music, life stories, culture in general... Reply to each other, initiate new discussions, learn.
I will pause few days and then I will post something myself, hope I find something here from you guys in the meantime.

[Menhir]

If you go and see your life
Empty black and desperate strife

Things that don´t belong together
Clinch without hesitation

If you feel to do things free
Then freely feel the impossible

What you will becoming
After you will rise
Its already written
There is no surprise

[Menhir]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHCN7qFuQOU[/media]

[Ackshan Bemunah]

[quote name='Menhir' timestamp='1349728100' post='123536']
If you go and see your life
Empty black and desperate strife

Things that don´t belong together
Clinch without hesitation

If you feel to do things free
Then freely feel the impossible

What you will becoming
After you will rise
Its already written
There is no surprise
[/quote]

This is remarkable in so many ways, especially the last quartet.

But in light of the last quartet, i don't quite understand your intended meaning on
"[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]If you feel to do things free [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Then freely feel the impossible[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]."[/font][/color]
or am perhaps unwilling to face it.

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]What do you mean?[/font][/color]

[Menhir]

If you feel to do things free
Then freely feel the impossible

In a moment when you feel that there is no barrier, when you realize there are no limits and only one thing exists we as limited humans could describe it as "being free" or as I did in the first line (maybe wrong grammar in english).
The second one is the consequence after the curtain - the illusion is gone. The former impossible lost it´s cloths and again "the feeling" of "being free" comes into play.

Menhir

[Ackshan Bemunah]

Hmm. I seem to repeatedly temporarily forget what a horribly ignorant person I am, despite repeated reminders from within.

I'll refrain from continued inquiry here for the sake of staying on-topic despite the name of this forum section, but I hope these aren't the final words on the topic.

--which is not to say that items posted here won't end up quoted on facebook.

Edited October 8, 2012 by Ackshan Bemunah

[Tom Pouce]

Absurd? or a hint of what may be in the futur?

Once started (IF its start in US for some products) it may well become a new way of life ... with all its implication for the consumer

[url="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/your-right-to-resell-your-own-stuff-is-in-peril-2012-10-04"]http://www.marketwat...eril-2012-10-04[/url]

Edited October 9, 2012 by Tom Pouce

[Maebius]

http://everthorn.net/musings/2009/10/whats-in-a-game/?p=663

Moon suits and desert dwelling water-carriers?
We jsut had a similar moment this week, talknig about MagicDuel, actually, when he asked why "please dont' deplete below 5/10" was on my screen when he walked by. Spiraled into a whole discussion of ecological conservation and the evaporation-rain-water cycle.
I <3 MD!

[Jubaris]

Before I venture into some very interesting points people already brought here, I would like to make a point of my own. (this may turn into a very chaotic topic, people getting their responses every 20 posts, but that's ok, I like it that way )


What on Earth can I tell you that would interest you? I'm just a 19-year old, not much experience gained other than in various books and rare interesting people from my environment, I would just annoy you with a subject I never experienced myself and yet trying to 'teach you' about it.
For that reason, I will try to picture few things, that will in time turn to be universal I hope, from an angle tied mostly to my home-region and try to wave away some common misconceptions.
This will be a first post and an insight about the subject 'Yugoslavia'.

I was born in 1993, Serbia, in midst of UN sanctions, fall of Yugoslavia and its civil war. I was born in Krusevac, relatively interesting city (small town by USA standards probably) in the center of Serbia, luckily, away from all those nasty happenings in Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo... I've lived through the NATO bombing of Serbia in '99, which left carcinogen legacy throughout the land.
Since I 'know about myself', I've known that Serbia and its people were under very bad reputation in the world, labeled as soul responsible for all the horrors experienced in the parts of former Yugoslavia. Thieves, murderers, rapists, "bad guys"... Not to be trusted.
I have to add, that's not very far from certain people around. Maybe I'm overblowing the proportions of people, but in truth, I have great dislike for the masses around, people in general and their behavior. Rare are those in reality that truly interest me or have my "approval", labeled as some to be pursued in friendship, not that I try to emphasize my own importance with this line, I just want to say how I feel uncomfortable with people.
It comes down to a conclusion that there are such people everywhere, everywhere where large groups assemble in communities, I've looked around through books, the media, and saw the details of life somewhere else. Naturally, over time you become curios and want to learn what's so special about us over here, so one small step by another over time, and you get to some checkpoints of knowledge and understanding.

Balkan is a nasty region. It always had various conflicts with various participants, with various horrors inflicted to the innocent folk. Just remember, those '90s for instance bestowed a war in the heart of Europe, first event as serious as such after the second world war.
You will certainly say - these people are crazy, lunatics, primitive. You would not be the first. But it's not quite like that...
Talking with older people, reading, lead me to picture those older times, among other, those during the utopia (on the surface) of post world war 2 Yugoslavia, one of the few periods of time of actual peace in the region, without any concern for the possible future conflicts (from '60s to '80s).
This part of the world is not for garbage. South Slavic people managed to fight their way to freedom throughout the centuries fighting against the domination of Turkey, Austro-hungary, Russia, the Brittish and what-not-else, and eventually form an entity called Yugoslavia, you can't be a brainless maniac and achieve what they did.
The great powers and their interests are actually the source of many troubles that originated here.

I have to give you an example of one of the greatest if not THE greatest writer of this region and beyond(!). Despite the political stuff that targets every kind of more important award ceremony, still, you have to respect the fact that one dude from Yugoslavia, relatively unknown to the audience of the west, won a Nobel Prize for literature against the likes of JRR Tolkien and Lawrence Durrell that were other candidates that year.
I know, I know, you're all feeling too lazy to check out some random person and read his books, but I will stay describe his part in short (you may use it one day), and move on to subjects you will get track of more easier.
Back to the random dude. Ivo Andric, former ambassador to many countries, writes from a wealthy experience and wisdom. He talks about the historical scenes in the Balkan, trying to show the mentality of the Balkan people. His work is a material for quoting, I'll tell you that, with universal truths. The Nobel prize winning book was "Na Drini cuprija", translated roughly as "A bridge on Drina". It is interesting on a level of discovering the mentality of a Balkan peasant and the local Ottoman rulers of that time.
A book you will find even more interesting is "Chronicle of Travnik" (Travnicka Hronika). For the most part from a perception of a French consul in the 1800s, the reader experiences how it is like for a westerner to be put all of a sudden in this strange and "primitive" society in the new consulship in Travnik, the seat of Ottoman rule in Bosnia. The touch of general influence of the East (even tho all parts of Yugoslavia cannot be interpreted as the East) is brought throughout the book. The consul interacts with educated people in the book so you may find it as a more rich resource to learn about this 'realm'. Do check it out if you're interested in wider perceptions about the world, humans...



Serbia during the 1st world war due to the great struggle against Axis forces, suffering and refusal to capitulate despite the circumstances, had a very good reputation in the world, prestige if I may express myself that way. There was lot of support in the western media, newspapers, nurse projects, general volunteering for certain tasks in helping Serbia...
After 2nd world war, Tito (leader of Yugoslavia) ensured great respect in the world, he was one of the founders of the "Non-Aligned Movement", Yugoslavia basically behaved as "middleman" in Europe between the Soviet Block and the USA's NATO (even thought it was a communist country on paper, it was independent from the Soviet iron first. Tito's "NO" to Stalin was the reason why USA funded Yugoslavia and ensured its prosper, actually).

All of a sudden, you get back to the present days and see how the picture completely reversed. How? Did the people turn from status of "favourite children" to "sadistic maniacs" during few years?
Ahh, things are starting to make sense now. "Could it be that the image is orchestrated in one form or another based on the interests of the one that's calling the shots?", young Rhaegar would ask... But years pass and everyone labels you as a monster, corrupted government that came to power backed up by "divide and conquer" of the west projects, is making its own propaganda. People are starting to live up in the role.
It gave us some great music though The song worm, that is present on my forum signature originated in the middle of those events (the signature that caused lots of noise when it was posted... well, it was justified a bit this is the original meaning of the song though)

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHi_3f06nZw[/media]

"Mhm, mhm... But why was fall of Yugoslavia orchestrated? Didn't they like it?".
Yes, why... Well, Soviet Empire was crumbling, the USA did not need a middleman any more, they've won! Tito died in the 1980, lots of things were starting to happen... In crisis, there's money!
There are a lot of details in the story, I won't spam you with everything, just take a good look on how certain people that voiced the support of the bombing of Serbia in 1999 because of Kosovo, now are buying out some companies and starting out a business in this newly formed 'state', all taken from the former owners - Yugoslavia (at that point Serbia).
There are lot of examples of profits for the west in the region of the former Yugoslavia.
This is what happens when the balance of powers has been breached.

All that happened, and we're still struggling out here, like the rest of the world in this economical crisis. But we are certainly not some neanderthals. You will find many top quality sportsmen, young mathematicians, electro-engineers and what not in this region, even though there are so few of us.
There is a world outside the west. Please, check it out. I don't mind just the Balkans, look around, explore the world, don't let all those precious people stay neglected and forgotten because someone made cultural nepotism actual.





This was a long and a bit chaotic post. I will try to post some new stuff in the following days, weeks... When I find time and will and ideas. I hope it was interesting for some and that there will be some feedback, questions, different opinions...
For the end, another song... (short one, starts somewhere from minute 1:05 onwards...)

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYcoBkvIKWM&"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYcoBkvIKWM&[/url]

[Liberty4life]

great post rhaegar

as for external view on 90s war in here, i must say that world medias not only picked on serbs, when war starts somewhere everyone gets bad image, world gets divided on who to support or not to support, very important factor in addition to yoars arguments is the fact that yugoslavia wasnt the only "strong" country thats made of more ethnical groups, take a look around today, for example spain, uk, even france, there are quite a lot of countries that have internal struggles, guess who they saw in our case as bad guy, ofc they didnt wanted to support trend that could be followed in their own yard

[Magistra]

I am very sad because I have a heart condition, which is the reason I am in hospital at the moment for the fifth time in a year. The medicines they give me do not work very well, and now they want to give me a pacemaker. I refused, but I am afraid that it will come to that.

I hate it. I always thought a pacemaker was something for old people and not for younger ones. And I am very afraid that I will die too. It makes that I often can't sleep at night out of fear. I am very glad that MD exists, so I can play when I can't sleep.

Thanks MD.

[Nimrodel]

I would ask you to follow your doctor's advice, because if they've suggested you to go for a pacemaker and you are not, it's like commiting suicide. The pacemaker will not only help your heart function properly but even the rest of your body. You might still need a few drugs though, but a heart with a pacemaker is a steady heart... Please do not waste anymore time. Because if your heart won't be able to pump the blood properly to the rest of the organs, they'l suffer too. Especially your kidneys. Be careful. Don't postpone it anymore..