I was watching women’s weightlifting at the Olympic Games on TV last night. That Turkish girl Taylan who won gold is really something – with a body weight of 47 kilos, she managed to lift 97.5 Kg. in the Snatch and 112.5 Kg, in the Clean and Jerk. Is that amazing or what? – more than twice her body weight!

The sweet taste of victory - how it eludes us for much of our lives. How it eludes me I should say.

Independence day today. I blame the fact that I spend most of my growing years in a foreign country for my total lack of patriotism. Days like these mean nothing to me; and I wonder how much it really means to you guys. There should be a reason to be proud of something, and I don’t seem to find any such reason to be proud of my country.

Those brave men of the freedom struggle would be appalled to see what we’ve done with the freedom they fought so hard for. It’s like giving an expensive toy to a little boy - he’s going to take it apart no matter how many times you tell him how much it costs. And when its broken, he won't be getting another one. He’ll have to make do with the pieces.

Like us. We exist here because we have nowhere else to go. This is our home – or what’s left of it.

Peace, love, and nothing left to lose.