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Omar Farrukh

Nippon Weaponry

The weapons and the weapon smithing of a people can reveal much about their culture, whether about fighting techniques to mannerism and philosophy. The Japanese, for example have light weight weapons that have been known to be so powerful as to slice through iron armour. The black smithing is more than a technique, it's an art. The swords are very much honored; there are rules on how to lay it in its place. The Japanese are an honorable and agile people, who stress punctiliousness. The Japanese swords have their own, unique history and, even though they have the same roots and smiting style, each has different styles of fighting. Many factors make this blade appealing to the collector.

The sword smithing and polishing of the Japanese is of great detail and importance to the feel and quality of the sword: there are different schools with different styles of making the same type of sword. Victor Harris writes," the beauty and efficacy of the Japanese sword both derive from its sophisticated method of manufacture, and the unique and painstaking way it is polished." The first step swordsmith has to accomplish is to prepare the metal by heating, "quenching, breaking up, and refusing the pieces together (Harris 148)" multiple times so as to attain the right amount of purity and carbon content. The second step is to heat a billet in a charcoal furnace, beat it out, fold it, and meld it together. This is repeated until it is composed of perfect melded layers. The skin steel, called hadagane, is folded as much as fifteen times, for anymore and the carbon content would break the layer structure. The core steel, called shingane, is folded a few times, thus has a low carbon rate for strength. For the third step, the shingane and hadagane are beaten out into bars. Then, the hadagane is folded around shingane. From there, they are wielded together and beaten into the final shape to be prepared for the heat treatment. Afterwards they cool it with water. "The sword now has a central core of tough steel which gives the resilience required to resist the violent shocks of combat, a hard surface to deflect the cuts of enemy swords, and yet a harder edge which will retain it's sharpness even when used to cut through hard objects such as iron armour(Harris 149)." A good example is the story of Date Masamune's sword. It earned the title saddle cutter, Kurombu-giri, for when he sliced a retreating opponent, his sword sliced through the enemy into his saddle.

After being polished, the parts of the sword are then easily seen. If you look at the hadagane, there will be a grain as an effect of the layers from the folding process. Each grain differs from each school, thus is the trademark of that certain school of smithing. The name used for the grain is Hamon, which translates into badge. The point is called the Kissaki. The Boshi, or the cap, is the outline of the part of the edge that resides in the kissaki. The quality of the hamon is discerned as nioi or nie, visible fragrance or boiling point respectively. The nioi crystals themselves are too small for the eye to see. What we see instead is a mist of the group. The Nie can be seen. These formations surprisingly seem to naturally resemble a nature-like scene; clouds, the ocean's waves, flowers, mountains, etc. These patterns are the trademark of the smith, for every style makes a different type of pattern. The ha is the edge of the blade. The shinogi is "a ridge, on both sides of the blade, running the length of the blade from the yokote nearer to the back (mune) than to the ha (Earle 15)." The ji is the area sandwiched by the ha and the shinogi. The munachi is the notch in the back of the blade that begins the tang,(nakago). The mei is the signature of the tang. The nakagojiri is the end of the tang. There is a picture on page eleven to help with the visual.

There are different types of features of the sword, which help Identify the style of type of tradition the swor is coming from. There are 4 types of curves: Koshizori, toriizori sakizori, and uchizori(see page ten). Koshizori has the center of the curve near the tang, while the toriizori has the center of the curve basically at the center of the sword. The sakizori has the middle of the curve at the point of the sword. The types of tang are funagata, kijimono, and ubu. Funagata is "short and stubby; the name suggests the profile of a Japanese fishing boat (Earle 19)." The kijimono style quickly narrows out and the name translates into pheasant's thigh. The Ubu style is that in just the original condition. There are types of cross sections as well(see second picture, page nine). There is hira-zukuri, the kiriha-zukuri, the shinogi-zukuri, and the kissaki-moroha-zukuri. The first one is flat with no ridge, roughly triangular in cross-section. The second has flat sides but has an angle from the sides to the edge. The third is widening to the ridge close to the back of the sword and narrows to the blade. The fourth one is double edged near the point and turns into a single edge near the hilt. It also has a rigde going vertically in the middle of the blade. In this one, there is some evidence of Persian influence, for the simitars do the same, and there is also the similarity of the some curves, as if they derived from the same origins. There are also different types of grain in the ji: the itame, ko-itame, masame, mokume, and ayasugihada.

The itame is the wood grain, for it gives the appearance of wood. The ko-itame is the itame with great quality. Masame is straight grain with lines running vertically down the blade. mokume is the burl wood-grain. "The ayasugihada is a regular, concentric, and wavy, resembling the woodgrain of the sugi, (Earle 21)." (See picture on page ten)

There are 5 traditions to sword manufacture; Yamashiro, Sagami, bizen, Yamato and Mino. These traditions are named after a province that was famous for the history of swordsmithing.

For the Yamashiro tradition, the earliest smith we know of is Sanjo Munechika, who worked at Kyoto in Yamashiro province. His Tachi, a curved sword worn with a sling, was the style of tenth century. The center of the curve of his blades is near or in the tang. His swords have the shape of fumbari, the width at the hilt end. His kissaki are short ,, and his grain are of koitome style. Another important school or this tradition is the Awataguchi. Toshihiro Yoshimitsu is another renown smith. His tanto, dagger, are about 20-30 centimeters and use the hira zukuri form with uchizori. His tangs are long with the kurijiri end. He uses the koitame grain. Another school is the Rai school. Their weapons of fame are the tachi, a type of long sword, which they make either wide or narrow. They have a nie, nioi and a itame grain.

The Sagami Tradition, also known as the Soshu tradition, has it’s origins planted in the bokufu set up of the military shogun, minamoto no yoritomo in 1185. The developmentr evolved when Awataguchi Kunitsuna traveled to Kamakura and smithed a tachi for tokiyori of the Hojo empire in 1249. During the Sagami tradition, the mongol’s attempted to invade twiceand failed, which also brought abput the creation of the tanto, the japanese dagger. The other traditions are Bizen, yamato and Mino.

The traditional sword of the samurai is the katana, a long sword about 3 feet in length. The Ninja’s sword is the Shinobigatana.

The Bizen traditions, according to Kanzan Sato, was the most prolific tradition of swords in all of Japan during the Heian period to when the Yoshii river flooded in 16 century. Three renown smiths for the old school Bizen Tradition are Tomonari Masatsune, Kanehira. Their Tachi, in general, are thin and had a grain of itame or koitame. They also had strong koshi zori and ko-kissaki while the hamon was usually komidare and had nie. This was mainly in the thirteenth century, yet ,later, the tachi became wider and the kissaki longer. The reason for this evolution of blades is because of the need for more efficient blades when fighting the mongols, who wore thick leather armor. Kanzan Sato states that During the fourtheenth century,"Tachi became still stronger and wider and the influence of the sasagami tradition was briefly felt in gentler hamon such as notare and omidare….heavy demands for swords in the troubled years from early fifteenth to the end of the sixteenth century made Bizen, with Mino, one of the two greatest centers of mass production, chiefly of Katana , both for the home mark and for bulk exports to China." The katana is explained later.

Good examples of blades from the Mino Tradition are Kaneuji's. The tangs he makes are either right-angled Kiri or the faintly sloped katte sagari. The Mino style also have a combination of itame and masame. Other features include, " a komidare hamon with a somewhat gunome feel, derived from Yamato, or a notare hamon, derived from Masamune (a teacher) (Earle 27)."

The oldest tradition is the Yamato. It came about with provences rise to become the political center of Japan as well as from the ironwork derived from China, fourth century AD. "Amakuni, a semi-legendary figure who has been called the father of the Japanese sword, is said to have been a native of Yamato province and to have lived in the early eighth century(earle 25)." The grain is masame or itame, the basic hamon is suguha. The style of these blades are restrained, conservative, and static. The main users are the fighting monks of the old temples of Nara. The Taki school is important, for they , although derived their smithing from this tradition, began the Mino tradition.

The schools are important for the qualities of certain schools are better. Schools and traditions alike also have different styles. Those styles appeal to different people. This is also the reason for the blade's its evolution. The blacksmith can be considered an artist, for a piece of him in put into the weapons he makes. It is also important to know who makes the blade. Here is an example: there was a certain smith. He was the best there was, for when his swords were used, one could kill easily…too easily. The Samurai where afraid to wield such dangerous weaponry, and from then on, any sword with the smith's signature was considered cursed. Anyone who wielded such a blade will be cursed to kill until they die. Because of this, his name was erased from the list of the best smiths. This is a true story. the smith's name is muramasa, i would love to have a blade that well made, lol i'll take the curse too, as long as i'm the one holding the better weapon!

Throughout the history of Japan, the most renowned sword is the Katana, a.k.a. the uchigatana. The Katana is different from the tachi in that the length is shorter and a bit heavier in weight, though it is still very light. The tachi was mainly for mounted combat. The katana is also fastened in the belt with the blade upwards. The tachi is also more curved. It is the standard long sword of the samurai. "It has a good balance of length, speed and power…suitable for various attacks, such as slashing, sweeping and stabbing (Squaresoft 24)." The Art of Iaijutsu derived from the katana. This is basically a technique in which the drawing of the blade is used for an attack. In most of the arts containing the Katana, there are the features of evasion by spinning(see page 12 for example), and speed attacks. See the first picture on page nine for comparison.

The wakazashi is the standard short sword. They usually are included in a set with the Katana. The tanto is also in this set. The tanto is a dagger, also used for seppuku, the ceremonial method of suicide. Seppuku is performed when one looses his honor; this isn't always necessary unless there is no other way. For example, if a samurai is shamed by having his enemy steal his family katana, considered a samurai's soul, which was passed down for generations, he can either reclaim the blades, or he can commit seppuku. Neither of these has to be done, he can always be dishonored for the rest of his life.

A No-dachi is a two-handed sword, twenty-five percent longer than the katana. This was common in the sixteenth century. It derived from the Odachi. The odachi's blade is five feet in length, yet with the handle, the sword can be about six feet. The Odachi was originated in the fourteenth century.

The sword of the ninja is called the shinobigatana, a.k.a. the ninja-to. The difference between the shinobigatana and the katana is that the shinobigatana has a straight and shorter blade. The hilt is a square, while the katana has a either a circle or an oval. This design gives the ninja an advantage in combat in enclose, or tighter areas. The ninja follow the art of ninjutsu, or the art of stealth. Because of this the sword isn't made for powerful attacks, but rather for stealth, stealth kills, improved evasion, maneuverability in unlikely places for infiltration, etc.

The Japanese swords are unique blades; each type has it's own history, and sometimes it's own century. The unique smithing is considered an art. The smithing also make these blades lighter, able to hold a blade better, and more durable, thus they are more reliable for battle. Some are convinced that the Japanese swords are built better than the European sword. Each unique design helps with its purpose, weather it is for stealth, speed, strength, etc. These different aspects are what make these swords appealing to the collector

Works Cited

1.) Harris, Victor, et al. Swords and Hilt Weapons. London: Barns & Nobles books, 1993

2.) Sato, Kanzan. The Japanese Sword. New York: Harper & Row Publishers. Inc., 1983

3.) Irvine, Gregory. The Japanese Sword The Soul of the Samurai. Hong Kong: Weatherhill Inc., 2000

4.) Hay, John. Ancient China. NY: Henry Z Walck, Inc., 1973

5.) Ameurasiart. 2000 Kris Cutlery, 2001 http://www.ameurasiart.com

6.) Ratti, Oscar Secrets of the Samurai. Edison: Castle Books, 1999

7.) Bushido Blade CD-ROM Squaresoft, 1998

My personal experience Omar Farrukh

with a sub-culture Anthropology 102

3:45P.M.-6:50 P.M.

PSX-Culture

There are many different cultures in the general world, from tradition, religious, race-wise and regional. Yet, there humans are to unique to generalize only by these types of culture, thus leading to several different "sub-cultures" within each individual society.

Whether they come from specialized clubs, to a genre of music, such as the "hip-hop nation." My "sub-culture" that I am personally part of, and hold much pride with, has spread itself worldwide: The playstation culture (i.e. PSX culture)

First, in order to understand a culture, one must review it's history: The PSX culture is actually a sub-culture within a sub-culture; video games. Video Games covers from Atari, to Nintendo, to playstation, to x-box. The Atari system is dead. Nintendo evolved to Super Nintendo, which actually had an evolutionary split to PlayStation and Nintendo 64. Nintendo 64 gave way to game cube, and the Playstation's

descendent is the PlayStation 2. The X-box is a work of Microsoft. Sega just came about to break the hold of the gaming industry from the mighty grasp of Nintendo.

The origin of the first playstation is actually one of revenge. Nintendo and Sony worked together to make a system worthy that would surpass everyone's expectations. There was a problem, the way the contract was set up, Nintendo would have had little legal rights to it's own property; Sony would have had a big piece of it. Nintendo broke of the deal and sided with Phillips, yet still used some technology belonging to Sony, creating the SuperNintendo. Sony didn't take it too well; their technology was being used after Nintendo broke the agreement, and sided with a big competitor of Sony. " Nintendo almost faced serious financial repercussions, due to their contract breach and the forbidden decree of siding with a foreign company rather than a Japanese-based one. Still, Nintendo and Sony found a way to come to a mutual agreement. Since Nintendo used Sony’s audio microchip already in their Super NES, and Sony establishing a port for SNES carts, both decided that a healthy business relationship would be the best (Audyoghod)." Basically, in the End, Sony used some of Nintendo's technology to help create the PlayStation.

Now what is the playstation? The playstation is a video gaming system that reads the binary code from CD's. It uses 32-bit graphics to display the polygon system. Now, the problem with this definition is that one must have some knowledge of the culture's language. Every culture is made up of beliefs, customs, and values. A custom is a way of doing things, thus a there is a way of speaking. New words rise up; key terms come about. 32-bit polygons is a way the playstation "Paints" the game's world on the Television. 32-bit is a measurement of how the system's 3-D environment is depth-wise; how much our depth perception can interact with the 3-D world on a 2D screen. For example: there is a pit fall separating your character from the other side of the floor. "How far do I have to jump to get there?" "Can I make it with a super jump, or do I have to find another way?" or if there is a pillar in the middle, you have to judge to see if your super jump might make you go too far and miss it completely. A polygon, in PSX terms is a triangle. Every image is made up of polygons, hence the blocky look in some games. In Tomb Raider 2, the makers tried to make Lara Croft, the main character curvy, so they added over 5,000 polygons to make her appear more round. They were interview, and that was on objective of theirs.

Some more vocabulary comes about in different Genre of video games: RPG, action/adventure, raising, 1^{st-person shooter, stealth, sports. Most are self exclamatory, except for RPG. Literally RPG means Role Playing Game. In an RPG, usually, you have more control over your character. For example, you may be able to give them any name you with, or (rarely) be able to create him/her from scratch! In an RPG, there can be more than one ending depending on the choices one makes. Because of this, RPG storylines are intensely in-depth, and acts more like and epic.}

Believe it or not, because of the fact that most playstation games, as the PSX itself, derived from Japan, some japanese phrases or names have popped into this culture, helping to understand the games more. Such words ca be: Tatsu-/ -ryu= dragon, Oni- demon/ogre, riki- strength, Ayame= a name meaning iris. Tatsu and oni are most common, such as in the titles Onimusha, Oni, etc. Character names can be: Tatsumaru, Ayame., Tatsuki, Onikage etc.

Other phrases are: walkthroughs, codes, cheats, Anime, nano-technology, HP/ life bar, MP, char, Level, inventory, Particle system, CPU, Emotion Engine and "Underground" A walkthrough is a book that holds all the secrets, solves all the puzzles, and can offer step-by-step instructions on how to proceed. These are very helpful when one is stuck. Codes are a sequence of buttons that can be pressed at a certain time and will enhance, or take away some thing from your character. For example, some codes restore health, turn you invincible (some games call this God mode) others can let you play with only half health, in order to make it more challenging. Cheats- codes are one form of cheats. Cheats are anything that has to do with, doing something extraordinary without doing much. For example, figuring out how to warp ahead, finding a glitch in the system that works to your advantage, etc. The definition of anime is Japanese cartoons. The funny thing is that the anime style made it's way into games. Nano-technology is a true field that deals with micro machines. Many games such as Red faction, Metal Gear Solid, etc. have adapted this concept and added it to their games. So in PSX talk, nano-machines replace the main character's blood in order to help him/her heal faster, and to log in to the computer to get a radar which shows where the enemies are located in the rooms. HP/life bar identifies how much more hits/ attacks one can take. HP stands for hit points. MP isn't in all games, MP stand for magic points. Every spell cast costs some point, which regenerate after resting. Char- char is short for character. Char derived from IM talk with On-line gamers (usually PC gamers, but the PSX2 can now battle on-line too.) Level- there are two different types of levels. The most common one means different areas of play. For example, The main character is in a room. He/she must complete a task in order to proceed, and when the task is complete, they move on to a different place, or level. The level becomes more challenging each time. The RPG version of level means how strong your character is. For example, at level one, the char has eight HP, but at level seven, the char has twenty-nine HP. Inventory is what the char has on him, like potions, weapons, food, etc. The particle system Is what the PSX2 uses, instead of the polygon system of the PSX. The particle system us uses small circles so that the developers can make as much detail as possible. Basically make a graphic person look real. CPU- the Central Processing Unit is basically the brain of any computer. The Emotion Engine is the CPU for the PSX2. Emotion Engine uses"' Emotion Synthesis'. Sony defines this term as…basically whatever you see in the real world, from car physics to someone's hair blowing in the wind, will become a standard part of games on PlayStation 2 (slate 1999)." Last term, the "Underground" the best informer on PSX culture. It is a CD magazine, getting in where others can't; getting interviews, teaching how some games where designed, how the system itself works, and getting demos for the players while the real game is still under construction in Japan! It is harder to find an invitation to join than most other magazines.

Besides language, other customs include computer graphic models, Anime-playstation fashion, storylines as literature (which can be a belief as well) The models include Lara Croft, Reiko Nagase, and Ai Fukami the models are all computer graphics, not real people, yet they still play important roles. For example, they can act as mascots for certain games, or actually do commercials! Zidaine, from Final Fantasy nine, did a TV commercial on coca-cola! Here are a few pictures of some models:

 =Lara Croft issue 25 = Reiko Nagase issue22

 issue 28 vol. 3

The anime-playstation style has been a big hit; many gamers, who have been introduced into the Anime-playstation style, have been looking at anime as a teenage girl looks at fashion magazines. Sometimes at anime conventions or gaming conventions, like the Tokyo game show, people dress up as their favorite characters these conventions are equivalent to yearly holidays celebrating video game legends:

  PSM issue 17 Newtype magazine issue7 vol. 2

It has become customary to use video games as mind exercises. Why do people play Chess? Is it not to exercise their mind power? It pits one man’s intelligence against another, thus enhancing the minds of both. It helps to exercise and enhance one’s ability to reason. Video Games, especially tactical, one-on-one, and RPG’s are used for the same reason. The main difference, games are fancier and tend to evolve. The computer to some systems are starting to advance to the stage where the AI, or artificial intelligence, begins to learn your tactics, and adapts to them.

Also the classic customary ways of organizing a game is by having levels, as stated above, yet there has been a newer way of organizing one's progress. Instead, some games have a huge environment, like a map of their own world, in which they can travel where ever, whenever, yet have to go to certain town so continue the storyline.

With customs comes belief. It is custom to look upon the game as literature. RPGs are perfect examples for literature and creativity. One does not play an RPG for the fighting system, but for its storyline. When John Doe plays Final Fantasy VII, for example, he is not only reading an epic, but feels that he's inside an epic story. The eminent struggle between good and evil is shown between the Protagonist, Cloud, and the Antagonist, Sephiroth. Allusions to religion are found throughout the game, mainly to Buddhism and Hinduism. In Final Fantasy VII, Everyone’s life force returns to the earth in the forever-flowing life stream, which gives birth to other living organisms. This is a good representation of Karma described in both Hinduism and Buddhism. The player can relate the storyline of different video games to their life or experiences. Video games, like literature, served as a source for social commentary.

A great theory in gaming is, because one play games, because one controls the hero, one lived his life, one felt his grief, one felt and nurtured his rage….because of video games one will live 200+ more times than any other man, for they are the player's stories as well as this physical one. Motto of the underground: live in your world, play in ours.

With values' each person holds different games close, but, there are games considered almost legendary, like the final fantasy series: around 15 games, if not more. Tomb Raider is widely known. Bushido blade was the first of it's kind for having no life bar, no HP, only kill shots More importantly, however, are the developing companies. Among the greatest, and known world-wide are Squaresoft, Activision, Capcom, Eidos, and Konami, Each known for different things. Many gamers hold Japan in high respect because that where 90% of the PSX companies are, as well as Sony, the creator of the PSX. If there was a flag to represent the gamers of this sect, it might look something like this:

Here's some more playstation-anime pictures for your entertainment:

the kunoichi rage, from video games, to live models

All pictures came from: PSM magazine, Vol.3, Issues{ 25, 22, 28, 17, 18, 12}

Newtype magazine Vol. 2 Issue 7

Game informer magazine issue 123

http://www.kungfuchick.com/FinalFantasyPix2.html

^{http://www.rpgdreamer.com/rpgworld/ffx}

^{http://www.finalfantasyultima.com/ff10.html}

^{http://www.finalfantasyultima.com/images/wakka%20wall.jpg}

http://dupsrpg.free.fr/ff7_clad.jpg

http://dupsrpg.free.fr/ff...hiroth%20flammes.jpg

http://www.halifax.it/best/tenchu3/img/ayame_001.jpg

unsure of the URL of the fumina hara pic...

works cited:

Chris slate

Audyoghod

2002 Game Classifieds http://www.jpop.com/classifieds.php

Forms of Terrorism

"Imagine if a group of strangers marched into your home and told you that you couldn’t live there anymore. This is the home that your parents inhabited; your grandparents bequeathed to them. These strangers told you that thousands of years ago, their ancestors had populated this area, albeit for a short while. Now they have come to take what’s rightfully yours and call it their own. When you don’t voluntarily leave, they threaten you with violence. Fearing imminent danger, you take your children and flee. These people pay you a pittance of the value of their land without your consent and label you as an absentee landlord. When you return to reclaim your home, your land, the strangers argue that because you separated yourself from your belongings, they are no longer yours. Because they have attained the title to your home and land you no longer have the right of possession. This is the story of Israel - a stolen land taken from the Palestinians (Balkan 23)."

In 1916, England unilaterally made a decision to create a state for the Jews in Palestine despite the majority of the Palestinian inhabitance. In 1941, the United Nations introduced an international law that each nation will determine it’s own form of government. The Palestinians were 2/3 Arab, Christians and Muslims (i.e. gentile), and the Jews were 1/3 of the population. The Palestinian nation voted that they would like to establish a Democracy where Jews, Christians and Muslims could live together, yet in 1948, The Zionist movement was influential enough to gain recognition for the independent state of Israel. During this time Israel killed 2 United Nation ambassadors to Israel, who were investigating terrorist activities by Israeli agents toward the Palestinian agents. This is a form of terrorism.

The Balfour agreement, which promised a Israeli State, took affect in Palestine. In this agreement, Britain sold Palestine to the Zionists to form a Jewish state in answer to its Zionist requests. Britain had no claim to this land therefore having no right to do this. This was done without the thought of making a state for the Palestinians. This mistake led the Palestinians to go homeless; The Israeli army swept though and put them in camps without any possessions and little money for their land. There has been talk of rape of Palestinian women by Israeli solders. The Palestinians have not been given the right to vote, and are deprived of other similar rights. Sadly, this is just been the beginning. Israel has broken every single treaty in the past and has violated over 400 UN laws. This is a form of terrorism.

Before I continue, let me dispel a highly spread rumor: many people think the Palestinians are using Islam as a means of war, this is absolutely FALSE. It is only propaganda that you hear on the media. In fact many Palestinians are CHRISTIAN. 4/25/2002- "Two Palestinians inside the Church of the Nativity compound were shot Wednesday and one of them died as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators gathered next door for a second round of talks to end the standoff at one of Christianity’s holiest sites. (Muzi.com 1)" Some of the Priests and monks were later taken from this church. Many Jewish and American newspapers state that Islam is used to manipulate and justify suicide bombings, yet as you can see this is not true. Islam means peace for a reason; God hates war. The Palestinians are merely responding to the hopelessness and terrorism that Israel has bestowed upon them.

"Israel tortures 850 Palestinians a year a leading Israeli human rights group said?[They] are subjected to methods which constitute torture,?it said in a report on GSS interrogation. It’s estimates were based on official sources, human rights organizations and attorneys." This was written in 1998. Why is it that the media claims that the Palestinian’s are resulting to terrorism and the Israeli government is retaliating, when in fact the Israeli government has been inflicting terrorism since it’s birth? Last year alone, in the ten-month conflict, more than 550 Palestinians were murdered. The majority of whom were civilians. This is a form of terrorism.

Laws can be enacted to encourage you to leave. Twenty-five percent of Palestinians were Christians who were well to do and survived out of tourism industry. The state of Israel told a Christian motel owner that he couldn’t repair his broken window unless the state gave him a work permit. That work permit never materialized. When that owner repaired that window the state of Israel penalized him with a large fine. Eventually, that motel owner had many broken windows that he could not legally repair; therefore he could not rent out his rooms. He went bankrupt and had to leave. "Israel has used this process to block virtually all Palestinian construction ?schools, homes, you name it ?on these lands. It regularly demolishes structures that predate the 1967 permit law in order to make way for Israeli colonies in the West Bank that are Illegal in international law. In it’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, Israel continuously violates the Fourth Geneva Convention, which outlaws attacks against civilians and forbids permanent settlements by any nation outside of it’s boundaries (Kingsburry 2)." Now only 5,000 Christians are left in Jerusalem. This is a form of terrorism called Ethnic Cleansing.

There have been many Palestinian casualties inflicted by the Israeli military force. Many babies have been shot in their cribs. There was also that incident in October 2000. It was all over the U.S. news. A 12-year-old Palestinian boy was killed while his father tried in vein to protect him. Later, the father was killed while being put in an ambulance. This is a form of terrorism.

Before I continue, I would like to state that I do not support the killings of Jews, Muslims and Christians, or any other human beings alike.

Suicide Bombing and Suicide.

A human being would commit suicide when he feels worthless, depressed and sees no hope in life. Cuban rebels in the 60’s committed suicide bombing to fight what the Cuban’s felt an oppressive government, but were never branded as terrorists. Northern Vietnamese committed suicide bombing. The Northern Vietnamese are not branded as terrorists. The Japanese government sent the kamikaze defense used to repel the American attacks. The Japanese were not labeled terrorists. These are considered Merely countries at war. ( I am not attacking these countries, infact i wish i was AZN, read on to get to the point)

The American Soldiers, after being captured in the Philippines, committed suicide because they were hungry, desperate, and hopeless. Why did these American soldiers kill themselves? These are soldiers that belonged to the United States of America, that has an air force, has the strongest navy and army in the world, and is the wealthiest nation on earth. Compare this to a Palestinian child that saw his mother blown to pieces, that child does not belong to any nation. His/Her people are occupied by a superior force (isreal) that owns nuclear weapons and an airforce with an endless supply from the US. Cluster bombs to enforce their occupation, thus violating their agreement of armaments by the US, as stated by Senator Biden. That child is desperate, uneducated, hungry, angry, and has no hope. He committed an unchristian thing; an unmuslim thing, an act against himself and other civilians. What would you do in this position were you had no weapons, the government was oppressing your people and all you could get your hands on was a smuggled bomb?

I definitely do not condone such a thing; however, I would like to see the U.S. to advance hope, security, food and a state for this child because this is the Christian thing to do.

I wish I could show you this picture in my hand: a mutilated head of a Palestinian woman. No body, but some of her organs are lying next to it and…I wonder where her body went? Did this woman have a family? She used to be human, that much can de said. If so will her children become beggars or did the father survive, or are they already victims? This may or may not produce more suicide bombers who unfortunately may be young children. This picture was taken after the destruction of Jenin. Consider the countless deaths of innocent men, women, and children at the city of Jenin, a Palestinian city, which was utterly destroyed. "Israel wanted to build an airport there and wanted to rid the area of anything that might ‘interfere? You see, there is always a deeper story hidden." (This is a quote from our own Father Withers). Israel claimed it had many of Palestinian freedom fighters, but still, to attack the entire city? I've seen pictures of dead civilian women and children from that city. One person has a jaw mashed into his head, another woman's face turned to mush, a burnt dead baby is just lying in a Palestinian hospital, etc. This is another form of terrorism.

Sharon said that he will not give peace until he inflicts many casualties, therefore asking for vengeance. This is another form of terrorism.

It is very difficult to do what Christ tried to teach us: Love thy enemy

Obviously Sharon cannot. He killed 900 children, and woman in Sabra and Shatila-these people had no protection. The Israelis claim that they are defending themselves, then why, during the Lebanese civil war, did they march into Subrah and Shatilah. These where refugee in Lebanon, a different country. Sharon had an agreement with someone in the government in Lebanon to let him in the refugee camps. Sharon slaughtered the refugees. That Lebanese politician that helped with this inhuman deed is now in a Lebanese prison serving a life sentence. Once again, another form of terrorism. Clearly, the Palestinians are the ones in defense.

The US’s issue with terrorist Bin Laden is different. The U.S. is a liberating force it liberated children and women in Afghanistan from the grip the fundamentalist terrorists known as the Talaban.

Israel is a Zionist movement, which is based on ethnic cleansing and give Democracy only to the Jewish people and never for a Palestinian who is either Christian or Muslim who is born in Israel, does not have the right of return to his homeland. A Jew, however, who would be a believer in Zionist movement, who is born in Australia has the right to migrate to Israel.

I am a second generation American. My father was allowed to immigrate t the US, although he is a Muslim Lebanese. This is because America is a great Democracy, and is a land for the free. Judaism and the teachings of Christ are the bases of my beliefs and I do no not believe that Christ would want millions of people to be rendered homeless or dead so that he will return. The Zionist movement, convinced a sector of Christians that Christ would only come back if Armageddon occurred. I think not. Sharon and those who follow him are preaching a forum of unprecedented terror. Profiling Arabs and Muslims as terrorists has been the focus of the Zionist movement. In the last 50 years, terrorist bin laden gave them a real boost to continue this conspiracy. This is a form of terrorism.

Could you imagine my dad, who is a doctor who spends his time trying to save lives, or my youngest sister who is nine, born in the United States, profiled as terrorists by the Zionists movement and being held hostage to such a propaganda?

Can you brand all catholic priests in the great Catholic community, who were committed their life to serve Christ, be branded child molesters? This my friends is a form of terrorism.

Terrorism?.it is also funny how when allies commit terrorism, it is overlooked?politics can be a nasty thing?.The British, through out history, have been committing terrible acts; they repressed the Irish, started the slave trade, started the repression of the Native Americans, conjured a war between the Arabs and the Indians, betrayed the Arabs in World War II, and even tried to mess with China with the opium trade. Over 89% of the artifacts in the British museum are stolen and are the British considered terrorists?

the camel does not see it's own hump, politics can be a nasty thing…We also must look at are own mistakes, "We should recognize that in mush of the world the U.S. is regarded as a leading terrorist state, and with good reason. We might bear in mind, for example, that in 1986 the U.S. was condemned by the World Court for 'unlawful use of force' (international terrorism) and then vetoed a Security Council resolution calling on all states (meaning the U.S.) to adhere to international law (Chomsky 23)."

I dunno about U all, but I have had a growing passion for video games. It began when I received my first video game. I was about 4 years old, video games helped me, as a child, to enter into a world of imagination; playing the "hero" I realized I had a fascination with martial arts. My fascination stemmed not from the violence of attack, but from the dexterity involved, and in the idea of defending oneself. As I grew, Video Games became more than entering a world where I played the hero, it served to exercise my mind, opened me to the world of literature, art, creativity, calculus, anime, and even became a sort of culture.

RPG, or Role-Playing Games are perfect examples for literature and creativity. One does not play an RPG for the fighting system, but for its storyline. When I play Final Fantasy VII, I am not only reading an epic, but I feel that I am inside an epic story. The eminent struggle between good and evil is shown between the Protagonist, Cloud, and the Antagonist, Sephiroth. Allusions to religion are found throughout the game, mainly to Buddhism and Hinduism. In Final Fantasy VII, Everyone’s life force returns to the earth in the forever-flowing life stream, which gives birth to other living organisms. This is a good representation of Karma described in both Hinduism and Buddhism. I believe people can relate the storyline of different video games to their life or experiences.
I strongly feel that Video Games, like literature, served as a source for social commentary.

One can only marvel at these creative works of arts. Metal Gear Solid II is not an RPG, and thus the storyline is not as comprehensive, yet still has an amazing tale dealing with politics and government conspiracies; "democracy is just a filler for the textbooks" (one must remember, this is just fiction). Because of video games of this type, I have gradually come to love books. Books like Dragon Lance and Forgotten Realms are, after all, based on the first RPG.

Video Games are excellent for mind exercises. Why do people play Chess? Is it not to exercise their mind power? It pits one man’s intelligence against another, thus enhancing the minds of both. It helps to exercise and enhance one’s ability to reason. Video Games, especially tactical, one-on-one, and RPG’s are used for the same reason. The main difference, games are fancier and tend to evolve. The computer to some systems are starting to advance to the stage where the AI, or artificial intelligence, begins to learn your tactics, and adapts to them. I can truly say video games have helped me and my friends enhance our mind power and broaden our interests.

Mathematics is something I revere, for without math, Computer graphics, A.I. systems, etc. would have never existed. For both the opponent’s and the environment’s response to the player’s action is directed by a mathematical equation. For every detail to the graphics, there is also a mathematical equation.

I have gained a passion in history and eastern culture because of video games as well. Games like Shogun: Total War and Way of the Samurai are based on historical events in the East. Shogun is not only based on the Onin war, but also introduces the gamer to Haiku’s (Japanese poems), bits of eastern philosophy, and culture.

Anime and video games go hand-in-hand, for many video games have anime styled characters. Anime is known for its great styles. I consider style of any kind a type of art, but not to the point where "fashion" transforms people to become superficial.

Basically, wut i'm trying to say is, "Live in your world, Play in ours" -sony

sup sup sup, below iz a short story/poem thang i wrote in da 9th. grade. i wrote it after readin' Edgar Allen Poe's "the Raven" haha so do expect it to be all cheary cuz it's da total opposite, gloomy, haha....ahh, reminiscing the days of a freshmen...too many video games? U can never have too many video games :p, hahaha, "live in Ur world, play in Ours".... If you haven't read "The Raven", you should, lotta symbolism. anywayz, here's my short story: