Tag archives for war

  1. Daily Prompt: No, Thanks

    By Leonid Mamchenkov

    The Daily Post asks the question:

    Is there a place in the world you never want to visit? Where, and why not?

     Being genuinely open to travel opportunities, I was surprised how quickly my brain came up with an answer – Burma. Why?  Because I’ve seen Rambo.  And before you scream at me for it just being a movie, read a bit further – Wikipedia page for Rambo movie, and Wikipedia page for Burmese anti-government protests.

  2. CYPRUS has drawn up plans to take in up to 200,000 refugees from the fighting in Syria, where the crackdown by government troops against opposition forces has intensified in recent weeks.

    While the figures are a worst-case scenario, the number is equivalent to a quarter of the island’s population, a huge burden at a time of economic upheaval.

    — Cyprus Mail

  4. Warco – the news game

    By Leonid Mamchenkov

    As someone who spends many hours in FPS games, I found the concept of an FPS game with no shooting – Warco – interesting and thought provoking.  As Ars Technica puts it:

    Warco is a first-person game where players shoot footage instead of a gun. A work in progress at Brisbane-based studio Defiant Development, the game is a collaboration of sorts; Defiant is working with both a journalist and a filmmaker to create a game that puts you in the role of a journalist embedded in a warzone.

    The game is still in production and it is not clear whether it will ever come out.  There is a trailer which gives a feel to how it might be.

    Slashdot thread already picked up the argument of whether you will be able to choose between Canon and Nikon equipment for the missions in the game.

    Update (September 28, 2011): Also check out this Newsy video that shares a few more opinions about the possible impact of the game.  That’s where I’ve heard the term ‘war porn‘ for the first time.

  5. Cyprus vs. Somalia : children vs. adults

    By Leonid Mamchenkov

    Comparison between Cyprus and Somalia, children and adults is nothing more but a coincidence in my news stream.  Consider the two articles that appeared not next to each other, but near enough for me to group them here.

    First, in incident in Cyprus, as reported by the Cyprus Mail.

    AN ANNUAL festival in Anogyra village held to celebrate the honey and sesame sweet, pastelli, ended on a sour note on Saturday after three people were slightly injured in a fight over balloons.

    Chairs and bottles were thrown in the fight between two families that resulted in four arrests and three people getting slightly injured.

    Second, a little competition in Somalia, as reported by the Guardian.

    An Islamist-backed radio station in Somalia has awarded assault rifles and hand grenades to the winners of a children’s Qur’an recital competition.

    Andalus radio, which is run by al-Shabaab militia, said on Monday that the first prize was an AK-47 and £450. The runner-up received an AK-47 and £320, while the child who came third received two F1 hand grenades and £250. The three children also received religious books.

    There goes my hope for the World Peace.

  6. What is terrorism?

    By Leonid Mamchenkov

    While going through some of my old notes and bookmarks, I dug up this image definition of what terrorism is.

    Unfortunately I didn’t note  where I got it from and who is the author.  If you have any idea, please let me know and I’ll give credit.