Masada

 For many Christians, our knowledge of the history of Israel ended with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, then we fast forward to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and then to the formation of the state of Israel in 1948. Actually there are lots more in the history. Most of our knowledge about this period comes from Josephus, a former Jewish Zealot who became a Roman historian. According to him, Herod the Great built a wonderful winter palace for himself on Masada and also fortified it in case there is a revolt. It was a magnificent engineering feat considering the plateau is located in the Judean desert beside the Dead Sea.

According to Josephus, during the First Jewish-Roman War, a group of zealots called Sicarri, overcame the Roman garrison on Masada and entrenched themselves on the mountain fortress. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple, thousands of refugees escaped to Masada. From Masada, the Sicarri carried out raid against the Jewish settlement which were under Roman control. A raid on Ein-Gedi was recorded by Josephus where an alleged 700 Jewish villagers were massacred.

The Romans decided to end this rebellion in 72 AD and laid siege to Masada. It was almost impossible to mount a frontal attack on the fortress.

The cliffs on the east edge of Masada are about 1,300 feet (400 m) high and the cliffs on the west are about 300 feet (91 m) high; the natural approaches to the cliff top are very difficult. The top of the plateau is flat and rhomboid-shaped, about 1,800 feet (550 m) by 900 feet (270 m).(Wiki)

In typical Roman fashion, the Roman built a ramp up to the walls- a result of great strategic thinking and engineering skills.With the ramp built, they were able to breach the wall in the evening. They decided to invade Masada in the morning. However, all they found are dead bodies because in a last act of defiance, all 960 inhabitants committed mass suicide during the night. Ten men were chosen by lots to kill the rest and then each other.

view of the plateau from the direction of the Dead Sea

Snake path -route up and down; the rectangle in the back is the remains of a Roman camp

residential area

model of Masada

commandant's headquarters

remains of the Roman ramp

Map of Masada: 1. snake path gate. 2. rebel dwellings. 3. Byzantine monastic cave. 4. eastern water cistern. 5. rebel dwellings. 6. mikvah. 7. southern gate. 8. rebel dwellings. 9. southern water cistern. 10. southern fort. 11. swimming pool. 12. small palace. 13. round columbarium tower. 14. mosaic workshop. 15. small palace. 16. small palace. 17. public immersion pool.
18–21. Western Palace: 18. service area. 19. residential area. 20. storerooms. 21. administrative area. 22. tanners' tower. 23. western Byzantine gate. 24. columbarium towers. 25. synagogue. 26. Byzantine church. 27. barracks.
28–39. Northern Palace: 28. grand residence. 29. quarry. 30. commandant’s headquarters. 31. tower. 32. administration building. 33. gate. 34. storerooms. 35. bathhouse. 36. water gate.
37–39. Herod's Palace: 37. upper terrace. 38. middle terrace. 39. lower terrace.
A. ostraca cache found in casemate. B. Herod's throne room. C. colorful mosaic. D. Roman breaching point. E. coin cache found. F. ostraca cache found. G. three skeletons found.

source: Wiki

Manfredi's Spartan

I have always been intrigued by the Spartans, their culture and warrior ethos. Valerio Massimo Manfredi gave a good account of all three in his 1988 novel which was written in Italian and was translated into English in 2002. Dr. Valerio Massino Manfredi is a historian, archaeologist and journalist. He is also the author of the Alexander the Great trilogy and the Last Legion which will soon be made into a movie. My fascination with the Spartans was given additional booster when I watched the movie 300 and also when I visited the actual battlefield site of Thermopylae and the graves of these brave warriors. This novel is about the two Spartans who survived the battle and the revolt of the Herlot, the people enslaved by the Spartans. Though the Spartans officially do not have "slaves" however they do make "slaves" of the other people near their city. These "slaves" do all the work while the Spartans trained to be warriors all the time.

Interestingly, my other favourite historical warfare author is writing about the Warrior Ethos. This is from his website

How the Spartans Became the Spartans

By Steven Pressfield | Published: March 7, 2011

Chapter 12   How the Spartans Became the Spartans
All warrior cultures start with a great man.
In ancient Sparta, that man was Lycurgus. He took the city from a normal society and made it into a warrior culture.

So that no individual would have grounds to feel superior to another, Lycurgus divided the country into 9000 equal plots of land. To each family he gave one plot. Further, he decreed that the men no longer be called “citizens,” but “peers” or “equals.”
So that no man might compete with another or put on airs over wealth, Lycurgus outlawed money. A coin sufficient to purchase a loaf of bread was made of iron, the size of a man’s head and weighing over thirty pounds. So ridiculous was such coinage that men no longer coveted wealth but pursued virtue instead.

Lycurgus outlawed all occupations except warrior. He decreed that no name could be inscribed on a tombstone except that of a woman who died in childbirth or a man killed on the battlefield. A Spartan entered the army at eighteen and remained in service till he was sixty; he regarded all other occupations as unfitting for a man.

Interesting culture.

A Television Series named Combat!

I have an enjoyable and nostalgic time watching Combat! on DVD. Combat! was a television series which was produced and screened for five years from 1962-1967. The first four years was in black and white and the last season was in colour. It was about a squad of American G.I.s fighting in France in the Second World War.

I watched it when I was a wee lad. Watching it now, I find it as enjoyable as before, especially it is in black and white. The first season was really good with guest stars like Lee Marvin, James Colburn, Richard Baseheart, Eddie Alberts, and Leonard Nimoy. I find the stories well crafted.

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Spartacus: Christian liberator or terrorist?

I have enjoyed the now classic movie, Spartacus staring a very youthful Kirk Douglas and has always been curious about the historical man. Was he a Christian? Was he advocating for the abolition of slavery or just leading a revolt against Rome.

The military historian Barry Strauss has taught for many years at Cornell University, where he directs the Program on Freedom and Free Societies. Among his recent books are The Trojan War: A New History and The Battle of Salamis. (He's also written a memoir, Rowing Against the Current: Learning to Scull at Forty.) Don Yerxa talked with Strauss about his new book, The Spartacus War, published in March by Simon & Schuster.

Gladiator in Books & Culture explores the life of Spartacus.

A conversation with historian Barry Strauss, author of a new book on Spartacus.

Interview by Donald A. Yerxa | posted 6/25/2009
read the interview here

Review on Killing Rommel

Steven Pressfield is a excellent writer of historical battle or war stories. I have enjoyed his Gates of Fire (battle of Thermopylae), The Afghan Campaign and The Virtues of War (Alexander the Great), Tides of War and the Last of the Amazons. One of the reasons why I find these novels so good reading is their historical accuracy - with a bit of literary license. Pressfield has done his research well and is able to weave facts and fiction seamlessly into his novels. His characters are three dimensional, giving depth to the historical battles he writes about.

In his latest novel, Killing Rommel (2009) which is released in the United Kingdom and yet to be released in the United States, Pressfield takes on the task on telling a story about the Second World War. I cannot post this review on amazon.com yet.

Framed as the memoir of a British officer, R. Lawrence "Chap" Chapman, the book is based on an actual British plot to assassinate the "Desert Fox," German field marshal Erwin Rommel, during late 1942 and early 1943 in North Africa. The novel is based on historical war records on the war in North Africa and on Rommel who was a well documented military leader. The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) of which Chapman was attached for the duration of the novel was also well documented as was The Desert Rats , the British 7th Armoured Division. These groups of special forces were sent behind enemies lines to create chaos during the North African campaign.

Pressfield tells the story well, impressing me with the idea that battles are often won or lost, not so much by good planning but rather by 'dumb' luck and the loyalty of soldiers for each other. Often soldiers have no idea what they were fighting for. Instead what drove them on is their loyalty for each other.

Aside from the camaraderie of soldiers, Pressfield also suggests that the British young men and women of that period (Chapman was an undergraduate in Oxford when he enlisted), through their education in British public schooling system, were able to face life and war with disdain. This is often known as the English 'stiff upper lips.' It was an attitude that after the boarding school experience, life cannot get worse. I am not sure how true that was but it is worth further thinking about. Pressfield often contrast this with the behavior of the German, New Zealand and American soldiers in this novel.

A jolly good book.

Tank Warfare

Tanks changed the concept and strategy of warfare as the horse did many centuries before. It was with the skillful use of tanks that Hilter and his generals were able to capture Europe and Paris so rapidly during the beginning days of the Second World War.

Tanks was first introduced during the First World War. Initially it was unreliable and as dangerous to its drivers as to the enemies. Christy Campbell, a former war correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph gave an interesting and readable account of early tank warfare.

I had a good time reading it.

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Che and Guerrilla Warfare

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara has always fascinated me. Together with Fidel Castro, these young idealists armed with idealism and little else set forth to fight a powerful, ruthless and corrupt government. That they were successful is a matter of history.

Che, the man always eluded me. After being Minister for Industry in Cuba, he left it to start a guerrilla warfare in Bolivia. It was a successful campaign as guerilla warfare goes. Che, himself was captured and executed in 1967.

This book is a record of his thoughts on guerrilla warfare. While reading it, I thought it gives me a glimpse of the man - pragmatic, idealist, and yet ruthless. He would have been a good "Watchmen."

I feel a certain kinship as Che was trained as a doctor but found that political revolution helps more people than his medical skills. I do not necessary agree with all his political views and his methods, but I have learned to respect the man.


More about Che from Time magazine here and of course, Wiki here.

The Science of Steath Technology

I am interested in stealth technology so this article from Discovery Channel Magazine March 2009 is eye catching. It contains an interesting article by Chris Davis on a warrior's ultimate goal of being invisible using plasma clouds, radioactive paints, light-bending cloth dealy silent power plants.

What you can't see can kill you!

There is also an interesting article about Herod's Triumph

King Herod wanted to build a major trading city in Judea, but there was no harbour. So he built a massive artificial one, the remains of which still stand some 2,000 years at Caesarea.

Following the Footsteps of St. Paul (12)

(monument to the Battle of Thermopylae)

One of the spots I have wanted to visit on this trip is Thermopylae (nothing to do with St. Paul) – the site of the battle of Thermopylae. I was so grateful to have the opportunity to visit it. I was the first off the bus and forced Kos, our Greek guide to take me to the hill where the bodies of the 300 Spartans were burnt and to see for myself the site of the battlefield.

Here are some of my previous posts on this

King Leonidas
300 comic
300 movie
Battle of Thermopylae

This is the second Persian invasion in 480 B.C.. The first invasion by King Darius was stopped by the Greeks at the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. Though the Greeks were not conquered, the war had caused them dearly. Many cities including Athens were burnt and their economies destroyed. This invasion was by the new King Xerxes.

(King Leonidas of Sparta)

(there are two hills on the left and between them is the pass,

what is in the foreground was at that time part of the sea)

I am fascinated by Sparta and their warrior culture. Reminds me of the Klingons (Star Trek fans will understand). Their males and females brought up as warriors and spend their days training and night carousing. All the work were done by the Mycenaean which the Spartan had enslaved. “I am Sparta” was a cry that only citizens were allowed to use. When a Spartan soldier go to war, his mother or wife would tell them “to come back with your shield or on it.” No surrender. Do or die.

I am also fascinated by King Leonidas. Sparta, unlike other Greek city-states have two kings at one time. At the time of the Persian invasion, the other king has died and Leonidas was in sole command. He consulted the Oracle at Delphi.

The legend of Thermopylae as told by Herodotus has it that Leonidas consulted the Oracle at Delphi before setting out to meet the Persian army. The Oracle is said to have made the following prophecy in hexameter verse:

O ye men who dwell in the streets of broad Lacedaemon!
Either your glorious town shall be sacked by the children of Perseus.
Or, in exchange, must all through the whole Laconian country
Mourn for the loss of a king, descendant of great Heracles.










I am impressed by Leonidas' nobility that he set forth knowing that he have to give his life in exchange for his country. What greater gift can one man give to his country? This is a valuable lesson about sacrifice.

(the site of the battle underneath the trees)

(The memorial stone over site where the warriors were cremated)

As a memorial to the 300 Spartans that stayed to fight, 3 inscriptions were set up.

The first one, in honor of all, read:
Here did four thousand men from Pelops' land
Against three hundred myriads bravely stand.

Another was for the Spartans alone:

Go, stranger, and to Lacedaemon tell
That here, obeying her behests, we fell.

The third inscription was from a seer of Leonidas:

The great Megistias' tomb you here may view,
Whom slew the Medes, fresh from Spercheius' fords.
Well the wise seer the coming death foreknew,
Yet scorned he to forsake his Spartan lords.

Esther from the Bible

Esther, Queen of Persia and wife of Assuerus, who is identified with Xerxes (485-465 B.C.). She was a Jewess of the tribe of Benjamin, daughter of Abihail, and bore before her accession to the throne the name of Edissa (Hádássah, myrtle). Her family had been deported from Jerusalem to Babylon in the time of Jechonias (599 B.C.). On the death of her parents she was adopted by her father's brother, Mardochai, who then dwelt in Susan, the capital of Persia. King Assuerus (Xerxes) being angered at the refusal of his wife Vasthi to respond to his invitation to attend a banquet that he gave in the third year of his reign, divorced her and ordered the most attractive maidens of the kingdom brought before him that he might select her successor from among them.

Xerxes may have married Esther at 482 or 481 B.C. before he went to war to avenge his father, and fought the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. There is no record whether Ester went to Greece with Xerxes or stayed at Babylon.

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The Knights of Islam

James Waterson (2007) The Knights of Islam: The Wars of the Mamluks, London: Greenhill Books.

Many of us are aware of the formidable legendary armies of the Greeks, Romans, Mongols, and Persian. Few of us will have heard of the Mamluks, the legendary armies of Islam of slave soldiers. So, it was a pleasant surprise when I discovered a book on them at my local MPH bookstore.

The Mamluks were the greatest military force during the Islamic era of the Middle Ages. These soldiers were trained from boyhood when they are either purchased or kidnapped from the steppes of present day Turkey. From this tender age, they were brought up in a military lifestyle that rivals that of the Spartans. To ensure their loyalty to their sultans, they were isolated from the rest of society; living in their own cities and military camps. They developed their own caste system and had a military code that rivals that of Western chivalry and the Japanese Bushido.

They were the first army to defeat the Mongols and effectively contained and destroyed the armies of the Crusaders and the Ottomans. At the height of its influence, the Mamluks established a powerful Mamluk sultanate under Baybars.

Interesting reading.

John Rambo: To Hell and Back

Rambo 4

[Warning: This review contain spoilers]

The situation of Rambo 4 is just not something you want to be in while you are on a mission trip. Seriously! Since Christians are in the resurrection business, we shall examine whether it is possible to resurrect a 20 years old trilogy with a 61 years old actor. John Rambo is a cult figure; on par there with G.I. Joe. Both have wonderful action figures.

Twenty years ago, John Rambo hit the big screen and was an instant hit. Starred by a young and slimmer Sylvester Stallone, it portrayed the homecoming of a Special Forces Vietnam veteran. The first movie was named Rambo: First Blood, based loosely on a novel of the same name by David Morrell. In the movie, John was rough handled by a small town sheriff who mistaken him for a drifter and in retaliation, a small town in the United States was almost blown up and burnt down.

The second movie was Rambo: First Blood Part 2, where a more muscular John was enlisted to find American P.O.W.s in Vietnam and ended in a successful rescue operation.

The third movie was just named Rambo 3 where John blows up a Soviet mountain fortress in Afghanistan. All these movies were violent with gory scenes of killing, maiming, explosion and destruction. However, all three movies highlighted certain groups of oppressed communities. In the first, were the unappreciated Vietnam veterans who fought in a highly unpopular war; in the second, the left behind prisoners of war in Vietnam, and in the third, the oppressed in Afghanistan under the Soviet Union. It is highly ironic that the Americans armed forces have replaced the Soviet forces today.

This movie is about another group of oppressed people, the Karens of Myanmar. The Karens are Christian tribal people and have been at war with the Myanmar military Junta for 60 years, making it the longest civil war in history. There have been reports of atrocities committed by the military that was graphically shown in the movie. It was 20 years after John Rambo left Afghanistan and went to live in Thailand. He was living a quiet retiring life when he was approached by some American missionaries to bring them up river into Myanmar. He reluctantly agreed. The group was captured by the local warlord. John was approached by the church pastor to lead a group of mercenaries to rescue them. This he did with a great deal of noise, explosions and flying body parts. The movie does raise some interesting questions.

First, what is the nature of Christian mission? Does God want his people to travel into volatile and hostile political situations to minister comfort and his word? The American missionaries wanted to bring medicine and food to the Karens. It is interesting to watch in the movie, scenes of them feeding the tribal people, treating their medical conditions and preaching from the Bible. In a way, moving into these unstable situations is asking for trouble. Reports of missionaries killed and recently of the Korean missionaries’ hostage situation highlight these. What is the Christian response? Do we still go, knowing that we will be tortured and killed? And when our missionaries were captured, what should the sending agency’s response? Negotiate, pay the ransom, or send in mercenaries?

Second, the issue of pacifism and ‘just’ war arises in the story. Initially the leader of the missionaries was a pacifist but became a killer after his imprisonment. The violence in the movie is consuming. At the beginning, when the soldiers were committing atrocities on the civilians, we watch with horror. At the second part when the ‘good’ guys started killing the soldiers, we feel satisfied and even gratified. Our sense of justice seems to be fulfilled. In a sense, we even begin to enjoy the violence.

Third, this movie brings to a close the spiritual journey of John Rambo. During the trilogy, John tried to justify his action by blaming the military for making him a ‘killing machine.’ In this movie, he came to realise that he was already a psychopath before the army trained him. This self-realisation brought peace to John Rambo and this movie ended with him reaching his home in the States, a journey he started 3 movies and 20 years ago. It is a journey of self-discovery and sometimes we need to come to terms as to who we are before we can move on.


Finally, the movie asks an important question; is violence ever justifiable? This is a violent movie but it never glorified violence. Violence was used to portray the evil that is in our hearts and our deeds. It was used to show how one community oppresses another.Violence was also used as a means of redemption. Unlike the earlier three movies, I walked away from this one shaken and stirred.

Parental guidance is needed and some scenes were too graphic even for me. You have been warned.


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Sun Tzu: The Art of War

I picked up this wonderful cloth bound hardcover, Sun Tzu: The Art of War (New Illustrated Edition) at a bookstore in Changi airport in Singapore, two weeks ago. This is a 1963 translation by Samuel B. Griffith, originally published by Oxford University Press. This illustrated edition is published by Duncan Baird Publishers of London in 2005.

This makes it the 5th Sun Tzu: The Art of War that I possess. Each is a different translation with different binding, fonts, formatting and size but I value each one of them. The Art of War is still my favourite book on military tactics. Each new translation brings new insights and I never tire of reading it.

Chapter Eight: The Nine Variables

Sun Tzu said:

16

It is a doctrine of war not to assume the enemy will not come,

but to rely on one's readiness to meet him,

not to presume that he will not attack,

but rather to make one's self invincible

17

There are five qualities which are dangerous in the character of a general.

18

If reckless, he can be killed.

Tu Mu: A general who is stupid and courageous is a calamity. Wu Chi said:'When people discuss a general they always pay attention to his courage. As far as a general is concerned, courage is but one quality. Now a valiant general will be certain to enter an engagement recklessly and if he does so he will not appreciate what is advantageous.'

19

If cowardly, captured.

Ho Yen-hsi: The Ssu-ma Fa says:'One who esteems life above all will be overcome with hesitancy. Hesitancy in a general is a great calamity.'

20

If quick tempered you can make a fool of him;

Tu Yu: An impulsive man can be provoked to rage and brought to his death. One easily angered is irascible, obstinate and hasty. He does not consider difficulties.

Wang Hsi: What is essential in the temperament of a general is steadiness.

21

If he has too delicate a sense of honour you can calumniate him;

Mei Yao-ch'en: One anxious to defend his reputation pays no regard to anything else.

22

If he is of a compassionate nature you can harass him.

Tu Mu: He who is humanitarian and compassionate and fears only casualties cannot give up temporary advantage for a long-term gain and is unable to let go this in order to seize that.

23

Now these five traits of character are serious faults in a general and in military operations are calamitious.

24

The ruin of the army and the death of the general are inevitable results of these shortcomings. They must be deeply pondered.

I have pondered these characteristics of a leader. Surprising as it may seems, these qualities of a leader are much needed in our community, our workplace and even in our churches. Maybe especially in church because at times, it seems the church is as much a battlefield as a military campaign and we all need to read The Art of War together with the Bible!

May God have mercy.

Imperial History of the Middle East

Imperial History of the Middle East in 90 seconds

source.


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A History of Religion

An interesting animated history lessons [HT to Bob and Scott]

source

The White Feather of Cowardice

The Four Feathers is a remake of a timeless romance based on a novel. This movie was made in 2002. The previous movies were made in 1939 and 1977. Like all great stories, it is about love, honor, loyalties and discovering who we really are. This movie is set in the 19th Century when the British Empire ruled the world.

In Sudan there was an uprising led by an Islamic fundamentalist called Mahdi. This was the time of General Gordon of Khartoum. The British garrisons in Sudan were annihilated by the local rebels and fresh British troops were being sent in.

Harry Feversham was son of General Feversham, a famous British general. He had always drifted through life, doing what his authoritative father wanted him to do. After college, he joined the army. His intention was to hold a military commission for two years (as expected by his father) and then resign and get on with his life. He is in love with a beautiful girl who loved him and they were about to be married. Harry's life shattered when his regiment were sent to Sudan. Harry suddenly discovered that he really do not know who he is. In his gesalt of self discovery, he discovered that he did not want to go to war. Harry resigned his commission. In the 19th century, it was regarded as a noble task to fight for the Queen and country. To refuse to fight is regarded as an act of cowardice. This is symbolised by three white feathers sent by his three best friends in the regiment. The fourth was from his fiance!

The story is about a man who set out on a journey of inner self discovery. His refusal to go to war and resignation from the army branded him a coward. So he set out to Sudan to face his inner demons. One by one he redeemed his white feathers by saving his friends in heroic situations. He found that being brave is not the courage to face death but to face life.

This is a period movie with costumes and cliches. Yet, it is timeless because it deals with a basic question. Who are we? When the houses of card on which we built our identities collapsed and we are flat on the ground, then we will really know who we really are. How may of us have the courage to rebuild with solid bricks and a strong foundation? I suspect many of us will prefer to rebuild our houses of card again.

The key scene in the movie was when Harry told his fiance that he was refusing to go to war. They were in a nave of a church. The next time they met at the end of the movie in the same place, Harry was a changed person. It is symbolic as it reminds me of one of Elliot poem that in searching for ourselves, we will end up from where we began. The search is within, not without.

There is a lot of fighting and bloody scenes, comparable to Zulu but not like 300. Bloody good show, what?

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Horatio Hornblower

When I was a young lad, which was about a million years ago, my favourite sea adventures were the adventures of Horatio Hornblower, the hero of C.S. Forester’s series of the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.

Horatio joined the Royal Navy at the onset of the Napoleonic Wars and rose quickly through the ranks from midshipman to Admiral in a series of books. Each book detailed an adventure at a different setting: English Channel, West Indies, coast of Africa and of Spain. There are enough happenings to satisfy a boy’s sense of adventures: sea battles, mutiny, plague, fire, love, and fighting on land.

C.S. Forester (1899-1966) wrote 11 Hornblowers novels and he died writing Hornblower during the Crisis which was published posthumously. His other works include The African Queen, The Barbary Pirates, The General, The Good Shepherd, The Gun, The Last Nine Days of the "Bismarck," and Rifleman Dodd.

Back Bay's editions of the Hornblower novels are numbered according to the chronology of Hornblower's life and career, not according to the sequence in which they were written. The series is comprised of the following titles:

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Lieutenant Hornblower
Hornblower and the Hotspur
Hornblower During the Crisis
Hornblower and the Atropos
Beat to Quarters
Ship of the Line
Flying Colours
Commodore Hornblower
Lord Hornblower
Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies

The series is rivaled only by Aubrey–Maturin series of seafaring novels by Patrick O'Brian and the Richard Sharpe series of land warfare by Bernard Cornwell.


So it was with great joy that I discovered and bought the collected edition of Horatio Hornblower movies. There were altogether 8 made-for-television movies filmed between 1998-2003. Watching it took 13 hours 20 minutes! It brought back good memories even though the later movies did not follow the novels accurately. Naval battles; where ships of the line sail alongside each other and let loose with their 105 cannons! What more could a man wants.

Except maybe the collected hardcover novels of C.S.Forester about Hornblower so that I can reread the adventures again!

Marvel Universe Civil War

The Marvel comics storyline House of M has Wanda/Scatlett Witch changed reality in a fit of temper tantrum. When things rightened itself, reality was not installed. In the new reality, all mutants have lost their powers in a story arc called Decimation. Now just when things are coming back to normal, or as normal as they can get in the Marvel universe, a civil war occurs.

Four New Warriors, who are young superheroes and are also reality television stars decide to boost their television rating by attempting to apprend a quartet of superpowered villians on real live television. In the fight, which was telecasted live, one of the villians named Nitro blow up part of the city of Stamford and a school! Hundreds of adults and children died. Millions in the United States watched the live telecast. The public outcry against the superheroes was intense. The President tried to defuse the situation by passing a Superhuman Registration Act which made it compulsory for all superheroes to register, reveal their secret identities, and undergo training to control their powers. The one behind this is Iron Man/Anthony Stark who wants to control the superhero community. The Act will involve superheroes revealing their secret identities and thus endengering their families. Captain American led the revolt aginst the Act. Remembering the lessons of the Second World War, "first come registration, then comes the camps.." or even worse, be compelled to serve as combat troops. This is an astonishing change in the outlook of Captain America who used to say that "my country, right or wrong." Here he said that it is right to fight an unjust law in his own country.

The superheroes communities are divided into two camps. The government declared those who refused to registered as outlaws and authorised that they be brought in by whatever means and imprisoned.

Hence there was a general melee as good guys and former allies fought each other. Of course the superheroes villians made full use of the situation. The series ends when Captain American was apprehended, and was assassinated! Iron Man became director of S.H.I.E.L.D. a multinational force composed of superheroes, thus making Captain America's fears prophectic!

It was the comic book event of 2006/2007. What makes it interesting is that in a way it is a social commentary of the Homeland Security Act in the United States after 9/11. Homeland Security are given increasing powers including the power to register persons of Middle Eastern origin and detention without trial (like Malaysia's ISA). First comes registration and then come the camps stuck in my mind. Registration is discrimation; whether by race, religion, or gender. This information can be used against them anytime. In Nazi Germany the Jews and undesirables (like gypsies etc) were forced to register and we know what happened to them. In Malaysia, one wonders why students have to write their religion on their exam answer scripts.

In all of this it is the country's Constitution versus national security. Natural security seems to win most of the time. People support it without regards to consequences or morality of what they are doing. In 1942, the President of the United States signed executive order 9066 which precipated one of the largest controlled migration in history. In fear of a "Japanese invasion", over 110,000 Americans of Japanese descent were incarcerated in 10 wartime communities or camps under the Wartime Relcoation Authority. Over half are children. They left behind millions of dollars worth of properities. To be fair, their camps or relocation centers, those spartan properties, provide free food, lodging, medical care, clothing allowances, education and all basic necessities. Freedom always come with a price tag.

'Nuff said

The Battle of Iwo Jima

"Flags of Our Fathers," directed by Clint Eastwood was adapted from James Bradley's book (based on his father's wartime experience) by screenwriters William Broyles Jr. tells the story of the six men who appeared in Rosenthal's photograph of five Marine and a Navy corpsman in the act of raising a flag, focusing most specifically on three of them: John Bradley (Ryan Phillippe), a Navy corpsman; Rene Gagnon (Jesse Bradford), a Marine runner; and Ira Hayes (Adam Beach), a Marine and a Native American. Actually, the identity of all six men was not known.

I was expecting a war movie like the black and white The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) staring John Wayne. However, it turns out the capture of the island only forms the backdrop for what happened to the three marines who raised the flag. They were co opted by the US treasury who paraded them around the countries as heroes in order to sell US War Bonds. This film explores the psyche of three men who were whizzed out of the battlefield and were put on a pedestal as heroes when the rest of their unit were wiped out. The film consists of flashbacks as the men masqueraded as heroes before an adoring American public and their actions during the war. To the men, they are not heroes but all their actions were just to avoid being shot, and to look after their buddies. The toll extracted from them to be treated as heroes were as heavy as their wartime actions.

The action scenes were spectacular, rivalling those of the opening sequence of Looking for Private Ryan. [oops, I mean Saving Private Ryan, sorry Tom] Somehow, the lighting was darker and as if we were watching some old restored movie footage. I do not know it as intentional but that is how it appeared from my DVD.

Some thoughts on the movie. First, it makes me realise the powerful effect of a photograph. Rosenthal’s’ photo may have helped US to win the Pacific war while the photo of a South Vietnamese officer shooting a Vietcong sympathiser in the head help them to lose the Vietnam War. Second, people love heroes. Somehow, it must be in our makeup that we love heroes, be they sport superstars, movie stars, or an American idol winner. I wonder why do we need heroes. Finally, these men do not regard themselves as heroes. At least they were honest with themselves.

It is an interesting movie but I feel that Eastwood is trying to do too much in one movie. He was also trying to show the effect of war on normal people, and the post traumatic stress syndrome effects on survivors.

I look forward to seeing the same battle from the Japanese point of view when Letters from Iwo Jima is released.

By the end of 1944, the US pacific command had decided to take the island of Iwo Jima. Situated 660 miles from Japan, it will be the ideal place for airbases of P-51 Mustangs which will escort the B-29 bombers in their raid over Japan.

Heavy bombers attacked the small island (it was only about 5 miles long, with a small mountain named Mt.Suribachi on its north-west corner) for 72 days after which the island was shelled continuously for 3 days by seven battleships and seven cruisers. It was hoped that this will destroy the Japanese defences. Unfortunately, the Japanese had been preparing for the defence of Iwo Jima for a long time. Most of the Japanese base was underground connected by a maze of tunnels. Careful placement of cannon, machine gun pill boxes and hidden gun shelters hasd made the island’s beaches and hills a virtual killing field.

On the morning of 19 February 1945, two Marine divisions hit the eastern beach in what was to become the bloodiest day in Marine Corps history. Eight battalions of marines were deployed along a narrow strip of beach of little more than one mile long. The marines reached the west coast of the small island in the first day but it took another 35 days of hand-to-hand combat to root the defenders from their defences. The famous flag was raised on the summit of Mt. Suribachi on 23 February 1945. The US forces lost 6,821 men in this engagement. Out of a total of 23,000 Japanese soldiers who were defending the island, only 216 survived.

Zulu the movie

This 1964 movie is about the defence of Rourke's Drift, small mission hospital in Natal during the Anglo-Zulu wars on 22-23th Jan 1879. Michael Caine made his cameo appearance as Lt. Bromhead, an aristocrat and Stanley Baker as Lt. Chard, an Officer of Royal Engineers who came from a more humble background. This set the stage for the interchange about class status in the movie. Michael Caine came across well as an English aristocrat.

Jack Hawkins played the role of a missionary who is anti-violent, stuck in the middle of a war. The missionary is a complex man who seems to understand the local culture, yet is a drunken and quoted Scripture all the time. Ulla Jacobsson played the role of the missionary's daughter but I do not know why she is there. Except for the feminine impact, the show would be fine without her. (I am not being sexist here)

The costumes were great. I loved the British red uniforms worn by the foot soldiers of that time. The commitment of the soldiers, their dependence on their NCOs, and their fighting tactics were realistic enough to be believable. I can see the research made in making the appropriate uniforms and also in the battle itself.

Most impressive is the wedding dance of 200 Zulu warriors and 200 Zulu nubile maidens at the beginning of the movie at the King's kraal.

In the nineteen century, the British were competing with the Dutch to bring Zululand into the empire. During the 1870s, the British were looking for a pretext to completely defeat the Zulu In 1878 they got it. The wife of Sihayo, a Zulu chief, fled with her lover into British territory. Sihayo's sons crossed the frontier into Natal and killed her. The British ordered the Zulu to disband their army and predictably the Zulu chief, Cetshwayo, refused. On this pretext the British army marched into Zululand.

On January 22nd 1879, the Zulu, with vastly inferior weapons, killed 1500 British and defeated the army at Isandhlwana. It was a remarkable achievement, and the greatest victory ever won by Africans against Europeans in sub-Saharan Africa.

After the defeat of the British army, the Zulu army attacked a small British field hospital and supply depot at Rorkes(Rourke's) Drift in Natal. The defence of Rorkes Drift was one of the most heroic military defences of all time. Manned by 140 troops of the 24th Regiment, led by Lieutenant John Chard of the Royal Engineers, the camp was attacked by a well-trained and well-equipped Zulu army of 4000 men, heartened by the great Zulu victory over the British forces at Isandhlwana earlier on the same day. The battle began in mid afternoon, when British remnants of the defeat at Isandhlwana struggled into the camp.

Anticipating trouble, Chard set his small force to guard the perimeter fence but, when the Zulu attack began, the Zulus came faster than the British could shoot and the camp was soon overcome. The thatched roof of the hospital was fired by Zulu spears wrapped in burning grass and even some of the sick and the dying were dragged from their beds and pressed into the desperate hand-to-hand fighting.

Eventually, Chard gave the order to withdraw from the perimeter and to take position in a smaller compound, protected by a hastily assembled barricade of boxes and it was from behind this barricade that the garrison fought for their lives throughout the night. After twelve hours of battle, the camp was destroyed, the hospital had burned to the ground, seventeen British lay dead and ten were wounded. However, the Zulus had been repulsed and over 400 of their men killed.

The Battle of Rorkes Drift is one of the greatest examples of bravery and heroism in British military history. Nine men were awarded Distinguished Conduct Medals, and eleven, the most ever given for a single battle, received the highest military honour of all, the Victoria Cross.


The British reinforced their troops, however, and eventually defeated the Zulu at the Battle of Ulundi in 1789. The Zulu king ordered his warriors to stop fighting, since his people were starving.

The British divided Zululand into 13 smaller states. This encouraged disputes between the chiefs and eventually there was civil war. In 1887 the British made Zululand a colony.

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Battle of Thermopylae

(painting by Jacque-Louis David 1814)

Persian Wars: Battle at Thermopylae - 480 B.C.

This was the second Persian attack on Greece. The first ended in defeat at the Battle of Marathon of King Darius by the combined Greek armies in 490 B.C. King Xerxes just ascended the throne and to show his right to rule, seek to avenge his father’s defeat by crushing the Greeks once and for all. He amassed a million soldiers and it was said that the ground trembled when his armies marched and the soldiers drunk the rivers dry.

Xerxes' fleet of Persian ships had sailed along the coastline from northern Greece into the Gulf of Malia on the eastern Aegean Sea towards the mountains at Thermopylae. There was a narrow pass there that controlled the only road between Thessaly and Central Greece. This pass will allow the Persian armies to enter the plain of Thessaly.

The Greek nation states were in a state of panic because many have just recovered from the first Persian war. Athens was sacked and burnt and the acropolis destroyed. The leaders were also in undecided; some wanted to fight while others wanted to sue for peace. King Leonidas of Sparta decided that something has to been done to stop the invading armies while the city-states decide.

He decided that try to stop the invasion at the narrow pass at Thermopylae (lit. "hot gates"). So he force marched his elite bodyguards of 300 Spartans and their Boeotian allies from Thespiae and Thebes to reach the pass of Thermopylae before the Persians. They managed to reach there and for 3 days held back the combined might of the Persian armies. Much detailed were available from historian Herodotus. Unfortunately for Leonidas, after a couple of days, traitor named Ephialtes led the Persians around the pass running behind the Spartan army and the battle was lost. Memorable was this alleged quotation from a Spartan soldier, Dieneces that when he was told that there were so many Persian archers that the sky would grow dark with the flying missiles, he replied laconically: "So much the better -- we shall fight them in the shade." The body of Leonidas may have been crucified or beheaded on Xerxes' orders. It was retrieved about 40 years later.

The heroic Spartans and their allies managed to win 3 extra days for the rest of the Greek city-states. In these three days, many cities were evacuated for example Athen. It was again sacked and burnt. The Parthenon, built to commemorate the victory of the Greeks over King Darius was also burnt.

Source here and here.