Numb3rs

Numb3rs is a hit TV series in U.S. It's just finish its first season in States. While other action TV series -mostly cops, detectives and crime scene investigators- offer a pack movie about chasing bad guys, solving cases using DNA technology or crime profilers, Numb3rs approaches from different angle. Not only showing a solid and professionalism of FBI's trademark, it also shows us how mathematics help them to solve crimes or criminal cases. An FBI special agent has a very smart and genius younger brother who is a math professor, together they start to cooperate intensively to solve crimes, murder cases using math formulas.

Undeniable, math and numbers can be found in our everyday life. Even human behaviour which at most of time counted as random or unpredictable, but actually human do have pattern. And when this data are gathered, one can calculate the highest possibility of someone's next action. So they use math to trace the distribution of counterfeit bills, bank robbery pattern, serial killer hot spots, etc. It is a very good series, at least it offers a quite different vibe. Even they don't explain in detail about calculating using the formula, but it explains and gives examples -logically too- about patterns in this universe. You will be surprise how we actually form patterns in ways that we never realized.

Talking about surprise, some of you might already knew about the Mars hoax. This hoax is spreading via emails, saying that at the 27th of this month, we will witness one of the wonder that comes only once in about 200 years. So today I went to downtown to buy some hair gel for myself, and I passed Australian Geographic Shop where I decided to buy Swiss Army Classic, to start off my collection. While I was there, three dudes came in to the shop, then one of them was asking the staff about a telescope. And I overheard that they wanted to buy it because they want to see Mars tonite. I couldn't help myself, so I interrupted them politely and told them that it was actually a hoax. They seem pretty upset about it.

I don't know what will happen if I kept my mouth shut and let them buying the telescope. Maybe they will spend whole night trying to figure it out which side of the sky where they can find a big red planet hehehehe...

Oh, I've been collecting a special 13-part commemorative series from The Australian Newspaper. It contains a series of some momentum events during World War II. So I have to collect each part every day for 13 days. Then in about the 8th day, it was raining whole day. We even had this hail rain in the morning. It kept pouring until about 7 p.m. I went to the mini-market just around the corner to buy that day's edition. However they're sold out. Strike one! From that, I decided to walk another half K to a nearest 24-hours petrol station. Unfortunately, the lady said they're all sold out too. Strike two!

I was a bit upset, because it was a damp night and cold, while I had these two plastic bags of groceries from the previous mini-market. When I was home, I tried to call some people, to ask if they can drive to their nearest news agents or fuel stations to buy the newspaper. But help was nowhere to be found. My calls weren't answered and some hadn't got enough encouragement to get out from their warm house. Strike three! Next day, same thing happening, different circumstances but same sh_t result. So I missed two series. I almost give up the effort when I passed by a news agent in downtown. Strangely, they had newspapers from the last two or three days.

Nice try, thirteen, but my guardian angel owns you! =P Ok enough babbling here. Have a nice weekend everyone!

"Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise"
Alice Walker

Happy Independence Day

The Indonesians celebrate their Independence Day on 17th August every year. That was when we declared as a free nation, escaped from the suppressions of The Japanese in 1945. For about 350 years, Indonesia was under the ruling of The Dutch. We were a colonization but yet we had some little freedom especially for loyal families and landlords. Before we gained our independence, we were under the control of Japanese Empire for about 3 years. Then when the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, everything changed so rapidly.

So this will be the 60th Anniversary of our Independence. But still we have so many things to fix. Corruption, unfair justice systems, dirty politics, are some of the problems that Indonesian Government still struggling to fight. Also the tag as country that let terrorism to spread its wing, radical movements including public vandalism and how easy to turn people power into something destructive.

Oh well, Happy Independence Day. May we will heading into the right direction, for not only bring wealth and joy to our people but also raising our remarks in front of the world.

INDONESIA RAYA
Written by :W.R. Supratman

Indonesia tanah airku, tanah tumpah darahku
disanalah aku berdiri, jadi pandu ibuku
Indonesia kebangsaanku, bangsa dan tanah airku
marilah kita berseru: Indonesia bersatu

hiduplah tanahku, hiduplah negriku
bangsaku, rakyatku, semuanya
bangunlah jiwanya, bangunlah badannya
untuk Indonesia Raya

Indonesia Raya, merdeka merdeka
tanahku, negriku yang kucinta
Indonesia Raya, merdeka merdeka
hiduplah Indonesia Raya

Darkest Time

Today, 16 August, is one of the day that we all will remember and commemorate, and our children, our children's children and their grandchildren will not stop doing it. Today, sixty years ago, in 1945, we put an end one of the bloodiest war in human history, World War II. Started on 15th March 1939 when German Army invaded Czechoslovakia, then six days later they tried to claim the city of Danzig in Poland. From there, the wheel of evil started rolling, leaving blood marks in the timeline of human's history.

The invasion then followed by so many twist and surprises. The world was like watching a fierce murder drama. On the stage, leaders of the nations move their soldiers as their pawns to gain victory over the other. Communism and Fascism for once were feared more than death itself. The War affecting not only the countries involved in the dispute but also the whole piece of Europe. Its tragic bloodshed then reaching out far more into Africa region, even Russia suffered in agony from the war. Countries formed alliance, stalking and deployed their army forces in coordination for an achievement. For a goal to be the strongest faction that might to dominate the global power stream. Troops were marching like zealots of the darkness to country by country, eliminating them who resisted the oppression.

German's NAZI army subjugated most of the European countries. Their Swastika flag was seen as powerful force that was in hunger of superiority from other nations. Their leader, Adolf Hitler, that once was just a messenger soldier during World War I, command a band of highly talented and higly dedicated generals. War engineers that able to work at their fullest will and loyalty for the great concept they were holding, the great Aryan regime.

One by one, European countries was swallowed and sunk under the undefeated army. Battles were seen by German soldiers as a lifetime test to be the great warriors of the perfect human race. Unstoppable. The world has no prediction when the war will end, if it was ever been an ending.

Not until six years later, on 6th June 1944. The involvement of U.S. army in the war was a turning point that started to show a breakthrough against the German's Army. Operation Overlord or D-Day took place on the early morning of 6 June 1944. After years of painstake planning, decoys and trainings, the invasion of Normandy was a first sign of the defeat of the Axis Army.

With about 2,727 ships and 156,000 troopers on a front of thirty miles, it was the largest and most powerful armada that ever orchestrated. In the next couple days after that, another 156,215 troops were deployed into the Western Europe frontline. They fought a battle that human never experienced before. Not a battle between human and nature. But between each other. A fight based on a belief of one's imminent vision, ideology. Dogmas that for certain resulting the death of armymen and civillians.

Between April and May 1945, German Army suffered major defeat in their European fronts. The war was ended officially on the May 8th of 1945. It was then declared as VE (Victory in Europe). Six years of bloody dispute. While the ending was glorified by every citizen of the world, the casualties of the war were staggering. Resulting the death of more than 55 million people. It left the survivors of the war with city in ruins, destroyed societies, further more was deep wounds in their souls. The remembrance of the war will never be gone. Not only for us to commemorate the braves, but shall it always remind us that once we were in the darkest time of our history.

"People who cease to believe in God or goodness altogether still believe in the devil. I don't know why. No, I do indeed know why. Evil is always possible. And goodness is eternally difficult."
Anne Rice

In the remembrance of the World War II. Dedicated for all who died in the event, also for their families. May our generation and generations after us will put aside hatred as war itself is an ideology. An ideology that destroys our good deed as mankind.

August 1945

New Frontline
Sixty years ago, on the month of August, the world witnessed a momentum event that changed the main stream of how we look and define power. During that year -1945- the Allied forces was facing a tremendous confrontation from the Japanese arms forces. The defeat of German didn't bring the war into a halt. Instead to fix and rebuild what they had from the war, the world had to witness one of the bloodiest wars.

Japanese troops were expanding like a wraith of god. Their movement was unstoppable. Because of the loyalty and high dedication from their soldiers, Japanese was seen as a monstrous nation that will destroy anything in its path. The attacks done by Kamikaze fighters on Allied freights and ships have given enough headache and loss. Somehow, the war has to put to an end. Casualties fallen in great numbers from both side.

New-born Evil
Long before that, American had started their atomic project. Date from 1939, when Albert Einstein warned Franklin D. Roosevelt that Germany was trying to develop atomic weapons based on an isotope of uranium, U-235. After years of intense research and experimenting, a bomb was 'born' in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Seeing as an necessary act, it was then decided to drop the bomb on Japanese soil. This was what shocked the world. On the early morning of August 6, 1945, a single B-29 Superfortress flying passed Hiroshima. The largest city in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, the largest of Japan's islands; Hiroshima acted as a major supply and logistics base for the Japanese military, a role that it continued to play during World War II.

The plane, Enola Gay, cruising over the city around 7.25 a.m. Its mission was simple, to drop a new weaponry nicknamed Little Boy. An uranium gun-type device, its force was an equal to 13,000 tons of TNT. The bomb, weighs about 10,000 lbs (4,500 kg), was released from 26,000 feet at 8.16 a.m. It took about 46 seconds before it exploded at 1,900 ft (580 m) above Hiroshima.

Seconds after that, Hiroshima was gone. The bomb was so powerful that everything in 1 mile range from the detonation center was incinerated. People turned into ashes just in a matter of second. 80,000 people perished in a single go, leaving a city with mushroom cloud that reached 8 miles (13 km) over the city. Another 70,000 were injured. Many more would die from cancer and radiation sickness, causing leukemia, pernicious anemia and other illnesses. Many children were born with deformities. Estimated toll reached 200,000 dead within five years. These survivors are the sole eye-witnesses of the shattering event. They are called "hibakusha". These people are the first group that experienced the effect of atomic radiation on human. Some of them are still alive until today. Every year, they tell the same story, share the same bitterness and tears. Their strength are one of the fundamental essence of campaign against nuclear weapons and why mankind should not repeat the evil.

What the world saw that day was a devastating destruction men can make. Mankind had given birth a new form of evil, a new hybrid death angel. A bomb made from a lump of uranium of the size of an orange, but one of the destructive man-made creation. A creation that gives no chance to anyone or anything to stand against it. A pure evil.

A release of forceful energy that can dematerialize anything within its explosion range. Should mankind think to use it against their enemies, they also have to consider the effect of such an act. The bomb proved and replaced a conventional weaponry. Countries are racing to build and make their own atomic bomb. It is now seen as a trump card to be considered as "strong nation". We just hope that when they are building the bomb, they can still remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An atomic or nuclear attack on a country that also possess nuclear weaponry will not only trigger a massive destructive war, but perhaps global war.

To Bomb Or Not To Bomb?
However, until now, sixty years later, we are still left with controversy and arguments that questioning if the bombing was necessary. Japanese forces had suffered enough damage that could make them to end the war. Unfortunately, they kept persistent to fight and continue the battle. Some said that this was an utter stupidity comes from stubborn war generals. While others have different perception and point of view. Japanese, especially the army forces at that time, were practising and think highly of their famous Samurai Codes. A dedication that can makes one believes and willing to go and try at any measurement for the Great Empire of Japan.

Some people claim that even if the U.S. did not drop the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese will surrender. However, some skeptics say that Japanese generals were still believing in their power and capabilities. They showed no sign of stopping. This was the basic decision made by President Truman to allow the bombing.

The bombing on Hiroshima had shown to the world that U.S. was capable to do damage in such magnitude. That is why people asked if the bombing on Nagasaki (on August 9, 1945) had some sufficient reasons. Many others confront and accusse that the U.S. Military Force was testing a different type of atomic bomb on Nagasaki. They did it to measure the level of destruction. So Nagasaki was seen no more than a testing ground. As the fact talks, the "Little Boy" was an uranium-type bomb. While on Nagasaki, they used a plutonium-type bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man" that had an expolosive force (yield) of about 20,000 tons of TNT.

Which side you will be, it is up to you. But we all know that atomic bomb is not the answer to end or start a war. Many generations will suffer, not only because of the direct effect but also traumatic level, fears, and bloody memories. Many generations to come will always see and remember the scars. Sooner or later, any dependent trust of atomic weapon will bring mankind to an end.

"“War does not determine who is right or wrong — only who is left.”

This writing is dedicated for the victims of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Also for those who are affected by the radiation, those who lost families and loved ones from the bombing.