News and Views

Berated and cajoled
Lacerated and mauled
He lays, chained to a fence
Completely naked, lacking defence.

Was this how it was meant to be?
A definition of freedom and liberty?

Poked with sticks, prodded with a gun
Guards standing over, all making fun.
captured they are, prisoners of war
What is the reason, what was it for?

Was this how it was meant to be?
No justification, no reason that I can see.

Just water and bread, that’s all he is fed
Battered and bruised, from his toes to his head.
Dead is his family, dead are his friends
Killed by a stray bomb, he was making amends!

Was this how it was meant to be?
And what was it for?
And why this lack of morality?
All in the name of war.

Today, I finally got to visit a small part of Sudan outside of Khartoum. The drive was long, but made more bearable by an overcast sky - which somewhat cleared during the day. Instead of 40º it maxed around 35-36.

My day started at 7.15 and finished around 8pm. Still an hour after getting home, I am just about rehydrated - despite easily consuming 3 bottles of water, a guava juice, a cup of tea, two bowls of chicken soup and a glass of milk during the day (so far). Other food consistered of some savouries from the Burj, grilled Nile perch on the bank of the Nile, and chicken, chips and salad in a Khartoum restaurant.

The first stop in the journey was the pyramids at Meroë. This is a collection of around 200 pyramids - mostly in poor condition - where there are very few other tourists or vendors. This makes it a very pleasant place to visit.

The pyramid is an iconic building design, and set against some very golden yellow sand and a bright blue sky - the overall effect becomes hard to describe. Photographically it is almost too good to be true and ends up looking like a film set.

Next up was Royal City, which was nothing to write home about - a lot of stones but with very little left. The temple at Naga gave a better insight into the building and carving style of the people.

Finally we visited the 6th Cataract in the Nile. Here we took a boat ride and had lunch. The Nile is a very impressive river, but the cataract (essentially a small rapid) is only really a minor geographical feature. Nile perch is a very bony fish and ours tasted a little undercooked. Still it was clearly fresh as it had just been caught, so the chance of any bacteria is remote.

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Loneliness to the world,
Shunned by the people you loved.
Hopelessness to the future,
Stunned by the people you knew.

Not feeling wanted,
Saddened more than ever before.
Regretting decisions made,
Feeling depressed, feeling blue.

Wishing you were someplace else?
In a different type of place.
Wish you were someplace else?
Devoid of the human race?

Life is terrifying,
Each of us is all alone.
What is the truth in life, we ask,
As the two-faced people around us always lie.

Proud to yourself,
Being hurt by the people you trusted.
Thoughts no ever considered,
Downtrodden and hurt, you cry.

Wishing you were someplace else?
Not in this rat race.
Wish you were someplace else?
Devoid of the human race?

There’s no need to fear,
You don’t fit in here anyway.
Look up to the heavens,
Its someplace else beyond the sky.

Dreaming of a better future,
End the present failure.
Becoming the person you were born to be,
Leave the others behind to cry.

Wishing you were someplace else?
Wish of some place.
Wish you were someplace else,
Devoid of the human race!

Thirty-two countries, including - the hosts - South Africa, tournament favourites, Brazil and Spain, and my own country, England, were looking for a favourable draw for their World Cup group. In the event, most groups should be favourable for the seeded sides; whilst, France got fortunate to land in South Africa’s group.

The Group of Death would appear to be Group G, with Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal.

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The drums beat, for your heart forlorn
Death is coming, tomorrow at dawn
The beating of the drums is for your dawn of death
Drum, drum
Drum, drum
The drums beat, ‘tis your final sojourn
Death is coming, Tomorrow at dawn,
The drums will stop beating for your final breath
Drum, drum
Drum.

Sudan may have a reputation as a third world country, yet when it comes to modern information technology this is no bad thing. The lack of a legacy network can lead to a more rapid deployment of a modern network.

Whilst Sudan does have DSL and domestic phone line capabilities, the simple fact is that most expatriates in Sudan will use mobile phone and 3G internet. Television through satellite, that can be installed at a day’s notice.

None of this is cheap - especially for anyone on a Sudanese wage - and it is far from perfect. Some channels and features are not available on the TV package I use; whilst the internet speeds are more mid-band than true broadband, and connection often drops.

There is a good range of mobile suppliers and two competing satellite companies. I use Orbit-Showtime, and Mobitel/Zain for my needs.

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Here we are, an ocean apart;
Blinded.

Time and distance, touch the heart;
Bounded.

And deep in each, is hope;
Enlightened.

Though we have doubts, can’t cope;
Frightened!

Apparently, in 2008 it only rained on two days in Khartoum. This year has been much wetter. I went away from Khartoum, back to the UK and then on to Hungary on holiday, on 9 August and returned at 5 AM on Wednesday (26 August). That morning around 6.30 a storm started - which I had the good fortune to sleep through - that flooded parts of the city, prevented many getting to work, and - tragically - killed at least three.

This was not the first storm that resulted in deaths in Khartoum this year. The problem arising from a lack of drainage and that much of the city is actually below the flood line level of the Nile. However, things were particularly tragic this time as cars slided off roads - when some people left their cars to try to discourage other motorists from sliding off and slipping down the banks they got crushed in the melee.

With further storms on Thursday (actually about 1 AM on Friday) and Friday evening, Khartoum was hit three times in three days after my arrival back. The electrical storm on Thursday evening was particularly spectacular to watch, it seemed at first that it was a long way away and moving along a path that would avoid the city.

Storms in Khartoum are not much fun to be out in - even in a car. The wind whips up and blows in dust (sand) reducing visibility and then suddenly the rain comes. Within minutes the rain was amongst the heaviest I have experienced. Many of the roads become flooded, others turn to mud - driving becomes erratic and everything is chaotic. The aftermath is a long cleanup both on the roads and in properties. Homes and businesses suffer from the dust, the mud and the damp. The resulting humidity is no fun either as it is much more physically draining than the normal dry air and helps spread germs.

Still once the rainy season is over, there will only be about 9.5 months of hot, dry, sunny weather - so cannot complain too much really!

The wait is almost over, tomorrow the 2009-2010 Premier League season begins. A lot has happened since the end of last season and in a single blog post it will be hard to capture everything of note.

The biggest (ongoing) story of the summer has been Manchester City. After their takeover last summer towards the end of August, there was only really the opportunity to buy Robinho. This purchase came out of the blue, under the nose of Chelsea, and was seen as strange at the time. Had Robinho thought he was going to Manchester United? A year on, Robinho’s decision seems much more sensible. Solid players have been added to City’s squad – as well as a few flare players. With an outlay of around £176 million in twelve months on new players, the intent is there. Though sensible thinking suggests the team may have too many egos, too many strikers, and lacks genuine top-drawer defensive players.

The second biggest story has been Real Madrid pinching Liverpool’s finest midfielder, Xabi Alonso, and Manchester United’s – and arguably the world’s – finest player, Cristiano Ronaldo. This was on-top of Kaka and Karim Benzema. However, Real Madrid is a Spanish club – so has little bearing on the outcome of the Premiership.

The BBC's Steve Wilson has laid down a challenge and I intend to have a go. Predicting the Premier League is a tricky issue. It is hard to use last season’s form as a guide, pre-season counts for little, and there are so many factors to consider. Take Hull City as an example. Before the season started most people would have predicted they would finish near the bottom. This would have been an accurate prediction. However, few would predict they would be near the top in November and December, and then slump so dramatically. The players did not change, yet somehow they could not get a win (and barely a draw) for months.

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The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has died following a cardiac arrest. The news stunning his fans around the world.

Michael Jackson had a turbulent - though musically successful - life, from his humble beginnings in Gary, Indiana, to his time in the Neverland Ranch, there was constant pressure to perform and an inability to truly connect with reality. There were stories of him being bullied by his father; sleeping in oxygen chambers; he had a pet chimp; rumours of child abuse; and, his bizarre marriages.

However, Michael Jackson will be remembered for his extraordinary music and dance videos that revolutionised the music industry. His Thriller album is officially the best-selling, with sales in excess of 50 million.

His career had began over a decade earlier with the Jackson 5 in 1969, whilst his first solo offerings came in 1971. Set for a comeback 50-date tour at London’s O2 Arena that had broken all ticket-sales records, it was clear that Michael Jackson still had aspirations to carry on defining music.

Perhaps, Michael Jackson’s greatest achievement was to transcend the racial divide in the USA and become a true global icon. Whilst already famous and highly successful, his appearance at Motown 25 gave Thriller’s sales a whole new dimension after his groundbreaking performance of Billie Jean. The Moonwalk inspired a million imitators.

With an impressive back catalogue, Michael Jackson has a legacy that will remain important even in a century’s time. As the fourth best-selling English-language music act (after The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Bing Crosby) and the best-selling artist of the last 30 years, it is clear Michael Jackson has massive appeal.

Many people have a favourite Michael Jackson song, mine is Give in To Me, from his 1991 Dangerous album. Over 30 million copies of Dangerous have been sold to date and the album was followed by a successful world tour. I was fortunate to see Michael Jackson in concert at Wembley stadium in August 1992.

The concert was a stop-start affair, punctured with costume changes with the gaps filled by music videos to introduce the songs. The effects were spectacular and everything was very impressive. There was rumour the concert may have been cancelled, it certainly started over an hour late, due to Michael Jackson’s health. The UK media had speculated that Michael Jackson’s face may melt and this explained his frequent absences from the stage.

His recent albums did not receive great critical acclaim or impressive sales figures by his standards. Partly this can be put down to his tarnished reputation - who wishes to associate with a man accused of child abuse? -, but fundamentally it was because he had been superseded by newer acts. Though Jackson often worked in collaboration with stars for his own songs, the musical style probably betrayed his own roots and did not appeal to many of his early fans, especially so with the Blood on the Dance Floor album.

There was perhaps an element of inflated self-importance with 'HIStory’; whilst ‘Invincible’ was very reflective, in part sad, yet defiant. He could and would go on. If only that were so…