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.

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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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.

.

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.

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.

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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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.

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.


.

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.


.

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.

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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Imperial History of the Middle East

Imperial History of the Middle East in 90 seconds

source.


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