Manila Chan

War Criminal Talk

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There’s been much talk lately about ‘war criminals’ – with the latest accusation coming from the United States accusing Vladimir Putin of Russia of war crimes in the ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its sixth week. The rhetoric climbed to the highest levels in early April 2022 when for just the second time in history – a state was suspended from the UN Human Rights Council. In the UN’s 77 years, Russia joins Libya in this dubious distinction. This, highlighting not only US hypocrisy but that of all nations who supported the US-led vote because there is no other member country that has left behind greater humanitarian crises in its wake than the United States of America.

Take for instance Laos. The tiny, landlocked, Southeast Asian country was the staging ground for the first proxy war between the United States and Russia (then the Soviet Union). Many today, can compare the events unfolding in Ukraine to those of 1960s Laos – caught in the crosshairs of the American invasion of Vietnam, to the lesser-known Secret War in Laos that spanned four consecutive US presidents: Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. 

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Review: The Matrix – Resurrections

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Matrix Resurrection Review

If you’re like me and was coming of age when the first Matrix dropped in 1999, this was more than just a film. It was a paradigm shifting experience. From the storyline – a reality bending what-if, to special effects never before seen on the big screen, and a theme that would later lead me to question the very existence I knew which – is still evident today, in my adult career as a journalist. It was complete with the perfect pairing of angry, thought-proving, tracks from Rage Against the Machine.

SPOILER ALERTS!

By now, most of you have probably seen at least the first of the original Matrix trilogy. But if you haven’t – I suggest you stop reading now.

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Trump, Biden, OJ Simpson. What?

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At the risk of sounding crass, insensitive and terse, I’m going to simplify why the Biden presidency is going to happen – whether you like it or not; the Trump campaign is bringing knives into a nuclear war. Here’s what I mean.

Remember the OJ trial? America was riveted. The infamous glove, the Bruno Mali shoes, the blood spatter, the history of domestic violence, and of course – Ron and Nicole’s bodies — slain and left at the scene.

All the signs of murder were pretty self-evident, after ruling out murder suicide. Then, all signs pointed to OJ as the killer. By most people’s estimation from the evidence found at the scene and subsequent sites of investigation, most people believe(d) OJ did it. But do you remember the ruling in that criminal case? ‘Not guilty.’

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