Exclusives, JAN 05

SRI LANKA - More than a Tsunami Plagues It
by MEENADCHI GUNANAYAGAM, staff writer


In 1964, the Srimavo-Sashtri pact effected the deportation of 500,000 disenfranchised Tamils. Take the buggers back to India, the gov't said.

In 1983 however, the final straw was lit. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) killed 13 Sinhalese soldiers. On July 23, 1983 the government brought the fallen back in state, leading the coffins on a tour of the capital city Colombo.

It was the Kristelnacht of my country. A governmentally backed, anti-Tamil pogrom began. Tamil homes were looted and crashed, women raped en masse, and people were petrolled and burnt alive. Thousands fled the country and those that didn’t removed themselves from Sinhalese inhabited areas – fleeing to the North and East. The LTTE received cadres by the hundreds. It was the start of the civil war.



THE LEGENDARY SWORDS OF DAMASCUS - Now Only Museum Pieces
by HABEEB SALLOUM, special guest writer


Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth, was for hundreds of years known for its fine swords. ...they were legendary for their sharpness and were considered superior to all other swords.

There were many myths and legends relating to the swords of Damascus... One such tale tells of a meeting between Richard the Lion-Hearted and Saladin. Richard, to impress his guest with his great power, cut through with his broadsword a thick iron bar with a single blow. Saladin, unimpressed, threw a silk pillow into the air and, as it fell, sliced it into ribbons with his Damascene blade.

Another story relates that the Damascene blade is so flexible that a man can take the hilt in one hand and the point of the sword in the other, then bend the sword around his body and when released the blade would spring back to its original shape.

Reviews, JAN 05

MOVIE - A Very Long Engagement
A heart-wrenching tale of war, an up-lifting tale of romance
by ERIKA WHITCOMB, staff writer

The director John-Pierre Jeunet (director of Amelie) holds nothing back to depict gruesome battle scenes. Jeunet makes a point to allow the audience to get to know various soldiers, each one unique from the next. One particular soldier happens to be Mathilde’s (Audrey Tautou) fiancé Manech (Gaspard Ulliel).

The majority of the film shows Mathilde’s desperate attempt to find him, as the war is over and she faithfully believes he is still alive. The viewer gets a feeling of the genuine chemistry or love that exists between Manech and Mathilde but in a refreshing way. Jeunet shows the growth of their relationship from their first meeting as young children, along with all the quirks that came with it.



MOVIE - House of Flying Daggers
“I want to be free...like the wind.”
by Thu Pham, Staff Writer

The film begins toward the end of Tang Dynasty, when the government became corrupted. The movie revolves around a female dancer named Mei (Ziyi Zhang), whose rare beauty is enhanced by her intelligence and her deep perception of life.

Her encounter with two corrupted government officials, Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Leo (Andy Lau) leads to a whirlwind adventure that uncovers many secrets and surprises.




MUSIC - Gunther and the Sunshine Girls
Sweden’s Dance Sensation is Crazy and Wild
By CALIFORNIA KAY, staff writer

The greatest thing about Gunther and the Sunshine Girls is their ability to engage listeners in endless entertainment, musical satire, and the simple relaxation in letting listeners dance to their hearts’ content.

In many hip-hop music videos, girls (aka “hip-hop bunnies”) are scantily clad while the lead singer speaks of serious subjects such as growing up in a rough neighborhood or losing a girl (it goes without speaking, of course, that these subjects require scantily clad hip-hop bunnies).

Gunther, on the other hand, sings of sensual-oriented subjects like girls in string bikinis on a summer night, while the barely-clothed Sunshine girls rub tushes with each other (literally) in the music video of Teeny Weeny String Bikini.

Features, JAN 05

TRAVELOGUE - AMSTERDAM
Things you MUST do in Amsterdam!
by JEANNIE HO, exclusives editor

2. If you like beer, or if you are curious about how beer is made, go to the Heineken Brewery to achieve the Heineken Experience. Don’t worry, the cost is only 10 Euros and you receive three free cups of Heineken.

3. At night time, take a stroll through the naughty parts of Amsterdam to witness the world‘s oldest profession. The prostitutes in the Red Light District don‘t loiter on the street corners, rather they sit in front of huge windows which lead to their rooms. Red lights shine bright.




COLUMN - Twisted
What in the World?
by LAWRENCE LU, columnist
The people hurt by the wave DO very much need help. They have needed help for the longest time, flooding or not, but no one cared. But this time, the world’s media gave them the spotlight and with a wave of their money making wand, made them the next big “thing.”

Do you think a few million from a movie star is anything considerable? It would be more of a statement for an average citizen to give $10. There are those who appear truly genuine in their efforts like Leonardo Dicaprio, who wouldn’t disclose the amount donated, and who wanted to research what the money would be used for.

But for the others, it was like watching a pissing contest.

They just happen to be pissing cash over Asia.