Top: The two vertical lines are straight

Bottom: “The Wife and the Mother-in-Law”

By: Ali Ismail

Telephone: 0778-842 5262 (United Kingdom mobile)

SEEING IS NOT BELIEVING

Watch out: your senses are not to be trusted despite appearances



Ever since I joined the staff of this organ I have been struck by the differing perceptions of reality presented by Bangladeshi politicians when summing up the state of that country.

For example the Awami League version of Bangladeshi society and what is to be done is not congruent with that of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and both are different from the view held by the present American administration.

Why is this? The answer, of necessity, is rooted in fundamental human nature. Everything a man perceives is filtered through his own unique genetic patterns and mixed and merged into his past experiences. Therefore, it follows that the AL’s recipe for the ailments of Bangladesh differs from that of the BNP.

When I studied psychology (mostly experimental psychology) at university the field of perception played a large part in the syllabus. I remember that during the first year, which was called the Foundation Year, the audience was treated to a famous optical illusion called “The Wife and the Mother-in-Law” in which a picture that looks like a young woman turns out to be an old woman when seen in another fashion.

Later on, during the specialised years, there were other illusions such as the equally famous Muller-Lyer and the Grecian Vase/Two Faces one.

Because of the youthful character of the students and the undoubted fact that the lecturers used to hold things back for fear of misuse the deep lessons arising from these mistakes in perception were omitted from our course.

Whatever, I suppose nobody will deny that the way we see or otherwise apprehend people and things directs our judgements thereof. It is an everyday observation that person A who gives a good first impression to person B does not do so with person C. Clearly, person B’s interpretation of person A differs from person C’s.

What I am getting at is that human perception is not stable and reliable. The reality is quite the reverse. Our perceptions are volatile and untrustworthy. Furthermore, like so many other aspects of our lives, how we interpret things (such as the state of affairs in Bangladesh) can be and are controlled by third parties with vested interests in shaping how we think.

For example, at an academic level, with the Muller-Lyer, we saw in an earlier article of mine that how a straight line is presented affects our judgement of how long it is. Fins going one way make it seem shorter and fins going the other way make it seem longer.

For various reasons Western researchers have probed and invented to the point where hapless students of psychology have literally hundreds of psychological illusions to consider when studying perception. Many if not most are visual and there are auditory, tactile and even olfactory ones.

In these days of political correctness it is appropriate to reach back to a time when writers were not constrained by that atmosphere. The renowned philosopher William James writing in the pre-politically correct era of the late 19th century wrote:

“Any quality of a thing which affects our sense organs does more than that: it arouses processes in the hemispheres which are due to the organisation of that organ by past experiences, and the result of which in consciousness are commonly described as ideas which the sensation suggests. The first of these ideas is that of the thing to which the sensible quality belongs. The consciousness of particular material things present to sense is nowadays called perception. The consciousness of such things may be more or less complete; it may be of the mere name of the thing and its other essential attributes, or it may be of the thing’s various remoter relations. It is impossible to draw any sharp line of distinction between the barer and the richer consciousness, because the moment we get beyond the first crude sensation all our consciousness is a matter of suggestion, and the various suggestions shade gradually into each other, being one and all products of the same psychological machinery of association. In the directer consciousness fewer, in the remoter more, associative processes are brought into play.”

We see then that perception is a multi-faceted and complex phenomenon and not to be taken for granted at all.

One simple experiment that anybody can do at home is to prepare three bowls of water at cold, tepid and hot temperatures. If one sticks fingers in the hot and tepid bowls the tepid bowl seems cold; however, if one sticks fingers in the cold and tepid bowls the tepid bowl seems hot.

This shows that, far from being some kind of absolute measure, the way we interpret the world depends entirely upon context. The standard of non-paying hospital care in Bangladesh has to be considered in terms of the general Bangladeshi environment. The same standard of treatment and diagnosis in the NHS may lead to staff dismissals.

Also, when it comes to human rights and associated matters I submit the subject has to be taken in the general context of the conditions in which people live in the place where the happenings have occurred.

For example, in Pakistan it is usual for the police to administer thrashings to people who disturb the peace. One Pakistani told me that after getting a police beating the victim is frequently incapacitated for about a year. He did a graphic imitation of the zombie-like behaviour of such a person.

In a Western country a policeman who commits an unnecessary battering on a member of the public is well on the way to having his warrant card torn up in his face by his superiors.

The difference is that the “ground rules” in Pakistan are highly different from those of a Western country.

Another simple experiment that one can perform without any equipment at all is simply blinking in bright sunlight. If one blinks rapidly one will notice brief green flashes which last much less than a second just after opening the eyes. The reason is that when the eyes were closed they were seeing red through the eyelids; however, as soon as the eyes were opened again they saw green because green is the complementary colour to red.

In other words, when one is accustomed to something one is also naturally adjusted to the polar opposite. When a man is short of water and is thirsty he gravitates towards water. When he is bereft of light he maximises his receptivity to light by dilating his retinas.

Similarly, when one’s life is “nasty brutal and short”, as is the case in the Third World the world over, the mind is sensitised towards and driven towards “the good life” which no doubt plays an enormous part in explaining the risks and trauma migrants undertake to get into advanced countries.

With regard to the now highly publicised arrests of prominent people in Bangladesh for alleged corruption, one has to take into account that the caretaker government is probably influenced mightily by the example of other countries where the rule of law is almost as straight as a school ruler and where corruption is something one reads about in the foreign news sections of newspapers.

To expect the standards of Finnish statesmen in Finland in the context of South Asia may, possibly, be over-rigorous and taking cross-cultural importations a tad too far.

Just consider: In say, a typical Scandinavian country, the judge and other court officials are all removed from personal considerations of the court case at hand. In the Third World objectivity is difficult if not impossible to attain.

In our part of the world “the personal touch” is everything. All things are done personally with subjective feelings attached. Everything and everybody is treated separately and uniquely. There are few generalised and universally applicable rules governing everybody.

Therefore, I am putting forward that this caretaker government adjusts its perception of politicians in recent times in Bangladesh in terms of the Bangladeshi context which is subjective and personal – not objective and impersonal.

Even the very concept of honesty is subjective. Just as a straight line can be made to look bent by putting it against a certain kind of background (the psychologists call this “figure and ground”) an honest man can be made to look dishonest by presenting him in a certain way to the general public.

Just think of any Third World leader who has been hounded out of office by the Western powers collectively. He has had pretty bad publicity hasn’t he? Well, pro-Western leaders in the Third World do the same kind of behaviour, if not worse, with little to no bad publicity.

As one American statesman put it: “He may be a SOB but he is our SOB.”

Therefore, I say, think carefully about how your judgements have been influenced by third parties before joining in the Establishment’s mass condemnations.

THE END

This article was published in the 15th march 2007 issue of the Bangla Mirror, the first English language weekly for the United Kingdom's Bangladeshis - read all over the world from the Arctic Circle to the sub-Antarctic.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi


TO TM OR NOT TO TM?

The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi movement raises a storm everywhere




An educated Englishman once told me in the 1980s that in his view there had only been two things of value to come out of Asia in recent times: yoga and TM. I think by “yoga” he meant primarily hatha yoga and by TM transcendental meditation.

Leaving the yoga side out of the remit, one hears a great deal about TM. During the 1950s the Beatles were involved with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who said that if only a small proportion of the world’s population practised TM for 20 minutes every day international disputes and all manner of human problems would dissolve like night frost in morning sunshine.

I also seem to remember that after a time the Beatles put some distance between themselves and the Maharishi and one of them said afterwards that they had “thought he was God” and finally realised that he wasn’t. Not good publicity for TM.

I come into the picture to some extent because during the 1980s I was involved as a student in the School of Economic Science which, strange to relate, was mostly to do with philosophy and taught a kind of TM which had been adapted to the West by a man called Rolls.

At any rate, TM is set apart from other Eastern derived meditative practices in that it is part of but transcends the New Age category. Professionals such as medical doctors and lawyers, that is to say, people with their heads firmly on their shoulders, practice TM and say they benefit enormously.

The TM practitioner’s organisation, the Maharishi Vedic Educational trust states: “There is a rich, unbounded field of creativity, energy, and intelligence within each of us. To the degree we’re able to draw from this inner field of life, we grow in health, happiness, and success in our outer life.

“The Transcendental Meditation technique is a simple, natural procedure to gain deep rest - and contact that inner reservoir of creativity, energy and intelligence - to gain its support in all you do and to enrich your life day by day.

“Everyone can learn to practice the Transcendental Meditation technique successfully. It’s easy and enjoyable - just 20 minutes twice a day sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. It requires no effort or concentration, no special skills or change of lifestyle. You don’t even have to believe that it works! Meditate regularly twice a day and you’ll get results.

“During the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique, the mind and body settle down to experience a unique state of restful alertness. As the mind becomes more silent, the body becomes deeply relaxed. At the most settled state of awareness, the mind transcends all mental activity to experience the simplest form of awareness, Transcendental Consciousness.

“Scientific research has shown that the experience of Transcendental Consciousness is correlated with greater creativity, improved learning, higher IQ, better grades, higher moral reasoning, increased brainwave coherence, and improved neurological functioning of the body.

“The Transcendental Meditation technique is a practical, proven procedure for developing more energy, creativity, and intelligence - for awakening the unlimited potential of your mind and body and enjoying greater health, happiness, and success in life.”

Furthermore the Transcendental Meditation Program at the Maharishi University of Management in Iowa, USA states:

"As a student at Maharishi University of Management you discover that when you experience transcendental consciousness, you are experiencing the ocean of consciousness or intelligence, which is at the basis of the life and evolution of the universe.

"Over 500 scientific studies conducted at more than 200 universities and research institutions in 33 countries have documented the benefits of Transcendental Meditation for mind, body, behavior, and environment."

The Sceptics Dictionary is not convinced. It states: “TRMED (transcendental meditation) recruiting literature is full of charts and graphs demonstrating the wonders of TRMED. Things like metabolic rate, oxygen consumption rate, bodily production of carbon dioxide, hormone production, brain waves, etc. are measured and charted and graphically presented to suggest that TRMED really takes a person to a new state of consciousness. Some of the studies done by TRMED scientists simply show that some of the same physiological results you can achieve by relaxing completely are achievable by TRMED. Nevertheless, according to TRMED advocates, tests have shown that TRMED produces ‘neurophysiological signatures that are distinctly different from relaxation and rest’ Critics disagree.

“Probably the least believable claim of TRMEDers is that they can fly - well, not really fly, more like hop. TRMED loudly promoted levitation in its early days. Television news programs featured clips of TRMEDers hopping around in the lotus position, claiming to be hovering. Apparently, this claim was too easily disproved and now TRMEDers do not claim to be able to fly or hover, but say they believe that they can advance so that some day in the future they will be able to truly levitate as have many holy ones before them. Robert Kropinski sued TRMED (to be precise, he sued The World Plan Executive Council-United States and the Maharishi International University of Fairfield, Iowa) and was awarded $137,890 for making a false promise to him that he could learn to fly. Kropinski said he suffered psychological and emotional damage during his 11-year association with TRMED. He testified that he was given false promises including ‘that twice-daily practice of chanting a single sound, would reduce stress, improve his memory, reverse the aging process and promote good health.’

“One of the demonstrable powers claimed by TRMED is the ‘Maharishi effect.’ According to TRMED scientists: ‘collective meditation causes changes in a fundamental, unified physical field, and...those changes radiate into society and affect all aspects of society for the better’. One TRMED study by a MUM physics professor, Dr. Robert Rabinoff, claimed that the Maharishi effect was responsible for reducing crime and accidents while simultaneously increasing crop production in the vicinity of Maharishi University in Fairfield, Iowa. James Randi checked with the Fairfield Police Dept, the Iowa Dept of Agriculture, and the Department of Motor Vehicles and found that the Rabinoff’s data was invented (Randi 1982, 99-108). The study was never published. Rabinoff made his claims before a small group at the University of Oregon early in October 1978 (Randi 1982, 99). Similar claims have been made by Dean Radin and other parapsychologists regarding what they call "field consciousness" or ‘global consciousness’ Roger Nelson, for example, thinks that if enough people want good weather, they will get it:
“Reunion and commencement activities at Princeton University, involving thousands of alumni, graduates, family and others, are held outdoors, and it is often remarked that they are almost always blessed with good weather. A comparison of the recorded rainfall in Princeton vs. nearby communities shows that there is significantly less rain, less often, in Princeton on those days with major outdoor activities. (“Wishing for Good Weather,” The Journal for Scientific Exploration Vol. 11, No. 1.

“Radin believes that the outpouring of feeling shown while millions watched the funeral of Princess Diana caused random event generators to come to attention in an orderly fashion. Maybe someday we'll bring about world peace just by getting enough people to think about it at the same time. My guess is that the effect will be about the same as it's been when millions have prayed for peace.”

A Dr Dennis Roark, a physicist, writing in 1992 stated: “"During my time at MIU, I had occasion to examine the scientific claims of the movement, to interact with those who had reportedly performed the research, to study the metaphysics, philosophy and religion associated with the TM technique, and to work with the founder of the movement and the college. It is my certain belief that the many scientific claims both to factual evidences of unique, beneficial effects of TM and to theoretical relationships between the experience of TM and physics are not only without any reasonable basis, but are in fact in many ways fraudulent." "Confirmed to me by investigators at MIU was the suppression of negative evidence that these investigators had collected. Strong bias was present in selecting only data favourable to a conclusion that was made prior to the data collection. Because of the strong authoritarian (essentially cultic) aspects of the movement, only results supporting ideas generated by the movement leadership could receive any hearing. The 'scientific research' is without objectivity and is at times simply untrue."

John W Patterson of the Iowa Academy of Sciences writes: "Many of the claims issued by the TM organization in their news releases and recruitment campaigns are not just badly mistaken and ill-conceived; they are worse. No competent scientist, on the basis of present scientific understanding, could seriously subscribe to the TM views.”

By contrast, Juliet Howard-Allen of Scarramouch New Age shop in Cheltenham says: “I know about it (TM). I did a course about it ten years ago in Cheltenham. After four to five hours I was given my mantra. If I did it morning and evening I will be high. I know some people who meditate and it seems to do them good. Sometimes when I do it I become meta-aware of time and space. They only charge £30.00. It is not Buddhist meditation.”

Finally, at the Windsor Free Festival 1974 I met one man who said he did TM “sometimes” and that it benefited him. He certainly seemed alert, alive and healthy in every sense of the word.

I have given you both sides of the question. Whether or not you take the TM plunge is up to you.

THE END

This article was published in the 8 March 2007 issue of the Bangla Mirror, the first English language weekly for the united Kingdom's Bangladeshis - read all over the world from the Arctic Circle to the sub-Antarctic.

THE LAW OF RECIPROCITY

The Golden Rule is multicultural and multifaith


USE THE LAW OF RECIPROCITY

The Golden Rule is now better understood than ever before


I have been contacted recently through e-mail by people who want to communicate things to do with relationships. Someone called John Alanis says that he has a magical method of attracting women. A David DeAngelo is on much the same wavelength to me.

Furthermore, quite apart from people such as the above two gentlemen who want to sell systems, there is a thoughtway in society at large to the effect that “what goes around comes around.”

Several years ago I was talking to a former employer about a mutual acquaintance who was in the habit of misleading and ripping off people apparently for the fun of it as well as the happiness he derived from acquiring stolen fruit, as it were. She said: “What goes around comes around.” The last I heard of him, he was leading a harassed life with all sorts of ex-victims wanting to settle scores.

Furthermore, as far as I am aware, all the major religions teach that the Golden Rule – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – is part of the foundation of their moralities.

Years ago I read an article in the Guardian newspaper about a spiritualist who specialised in teaching what she called The Law of Returns and who had visited the Queen to impart her theory.

Well, I have dabbled in this for some time now and I think I can transmit to our long suffering readership that what it boils down to is that the man who follows the Law of Reciprocity, as it called by some, believes that the universe is a giant cosmic mirror and that whatever we put into it is thrown right back at us, one way or another, and sooner or later.

Just in case you are tempted to stop reading at this point to find another article, I ask you to persist. Have you thought about Bill Gates and the Microsoft Corporation? Or Google the search engine?

Just think. Microsoft keeps giving things in millions to people who do not reward them in any way whatsoever. Not so long ago I downloaded a calculator for free which converts measurements from different units from Microsoft. I use Google Maps and Google Earth for free.

Yet the Microsoft Corporation and Google are two of the most wealthy and influential companies in the world. Bill Gates is almost the richest man in the world.

Seriously, reading this article may possibly be the turning point in your life. I can’t put it very well so I will give you some experts:

From the web site http://www.ufo.whipnet.org/: “Another lie is that we are not really responsible for the evil we have done, because "God will save us". God will forgive us because he sacrificed His Son on some cross somewhere to pay for our sins to avenge God's wrath. Does a God of Love deliberately allow His Son to be killed as a sacrifice for a lot of very evil people? Of course not! The basic Law of the Cosmos, the Law of Cause and Effect or the Law of Return states that there is a cause and an effect for all that happens. Stated in another way the Law of Returns says that you shall reap what you sow. This means that everyone is responsible for his or her choices and actions. These Satanic cult lies would have us believe otherwise. The Truth is that we all are responsible for our choices between good and evil. We are held responsible for breaking any of the Laws of God Aton and of Creation. There is no one who will "make it right" for us but ourselves. No one is going to "save" us from our sins! We are held personally responsible for every Cosmic Law we break.”

From http://www.terrybragg.com/ we have: “Want to improve your relationships? Use the power of reciprocity to build trust, and enhance your work, family, and social relationships.
“Reciprocity is a basis of trust and a basis for legitimate power. People state The Law of Reciprocity in many forms. "I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine." "You reap what you sow." "You get what you give."
“The principle is that others will reciprocate in kind based upon the way you treat them. The world gives you what you give to the world.
“Social psychologists use the term "idiosyncrasy credits" that result from the favorable impressions we make on others. These credits accumulate and you can cash them in for favors or to get others to do things for us.
“Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, uses the phrase "emotional bank account" to describe the principle of reciprocity and the corresponding credit-withdrawal process in relationships. Using the metaphor of a financial bank account, the emotional bank account describes the trust that accumulates in a relationship. Like the financial bank account, you must make deposits before you can make withdrawals.”

From Amirah of http://www.soulmystic.com/ we have: “People often tell me they want one thing, yet continue to create something else in their life. They always ask, "Why does that happen?" Simply, you manifest that what you focus on; "To think is to create." Therefore, if your thoughts are scattered, fuzzy or undisciplined, your outward world will duplicate that experience. It’s with conscious intention, focus, appreciation and gratitude that you create, easily and effortlessly.
“The Law of Reciprocity means: to give and take mutually; to return in kind or even in another kind or degree.
“You may have heard the Law of Reciprocity expressed as:
“"I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine."
“The law of reciprocity, (which applies in EVERY culture on the face of the earth), simply explains that that when someone gives you something you feel an obligation to give back.
“Giving and receiving favors is a common exchange and is an implicit assumption in most of our relationships. When someone does something for you, they implicitly expect that when the circumstance is right, you will do something of approximately equal value for them. The expectation may never be discussed openly but nonetheless it exists and affects negotiations and relationships.
“All parties must benefit from the relationship and invest in the relationship and acts must be mutually rewarding otherwise it creates an imbalance in reciprocity. When someone is the primary giver, they often expect they will receive in kind from the receiver or eventually from someone else in the world at another time.
“Possibly the earliest version of the Golden Rule is translated from The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant (1970 BC) and states: ”"Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do."
“Similarly, the Golden Rule says: “"Do to others as you would have them do to you." and "You reap what you sow."
“By doing for others you make favorable impressions on them and relationships blossom as you extend courtesy, kindness, honesty, respect, and other favors. Even if favors are small, they accumulate over time as you build trust and create a history of what to expect from each other. People evaluate your actions and motives through giving and receiving.
“Reciprocity is a basis of trust and a basis for legitimate power.
“The principle is that others will reciprocate in kind based upon the way you treat them.
“The world gives you what you give to the world.”

I spoke to Louise L Hay of Sanjo, a Mind, Body & Spirit shop in Buckhurst Hill, about the Law of Returns. She said: “I believe in it. It works in my life. Quite a lot of the American gurus support this. It is the Universal Law.

Esther and Jerry Hicks (http://www.hayhouse.com/ and http://www.abraham-hicks.com/) believe it is all about asking and receiving.

You should see what Wayne Dyer (http://www.drwaynedyer.com/) has to say.

“Meanness carries its own punishment.”

I think that is enough from the experts. Now, lets look at the world around us. First, we have the so-called “First World” comprising countries such as the USA and Norway with high standards of living and life with dignity.

At the other end of the range we have the so called “Third World” comprising countries such as Rwanda and East Timor where life is dog eat dog and brutal.

The important thing to remember is that the countries of Western Europe were like the present day “Third World” not long ago, just a few generations back in fact.

How did they progress? I think they just realised in some way or other that investing in each other without hope of return brings about a general return – from the universe itself in fact.
All of the above gives rise to a pathway which leads to abundance. Basically what it comes down to is that if one gives intelligently in such a way as to improve society in general, somehow the cosmos itself returns back more than 100%.

It is no accident that almost all the immensely wealthy men in history have been tithers. Rockefeller, when he started out as a young man, started tithing in minute amounts.

In these days of income tax it is probably a bit heavy to tithe the full biblical 10% but 1%, 2% and 5% or even the Islamic 2.5% goes a long way to improving life, both one’s own and others.
Therefore, if you are a Muslim, I suggest you pay one of the above amounts regularly to the mosque funds. Do it today.

THE END

This article was published in the 25th february 2007 issue of the Bangla Mirror, the first English language weekly for the United Kingdom's Bangladeshis, read all over the world from the Arctic to the sub-Antarctic.

WHO WANTS TO BE A PIRATE?

A 1734 engraving of Blackbeard

WHO WANTS TO BE A PIRATE?

Despite the swashbuckling image pirates were insecure men


Somehow I had always thought of piracy as something from the past, a maritime scourge that affected previous generations but not of much interest today.

After all, in this age of satellite surveillance the traditional sea-borne pirating vessel has little or no chance of success. However, it lingers on.

That came to my attention after I joined this newspaper and discovered that Bangladesh suffers from coastal pirates and, if anything to a greater extent, from fresh water piracy in the form of raiding ferry boats.

Although in popular imagination piracy has a distinctly Western image and flavour there are Eastern pirates and always have been for many centuries. However, the Eastern variety receive relatively little publicity although no doubt they were and are just as numerous, fierce and successful as the others.

Today piracy survives in places such as Bangladesh and the waters between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, particularly the coastal regions of Malaysia and Singapore.

My guess is that in the fullness of time satellite technology will make it all but impossible for large scale and spectacular robbery on the high seas or in territorial waters to be a career option for the sane.

The United Kingdom has a long history of combating piracy and of encouraging it in the form of commissioning privateers (a ship authorised by a government to attack and rob vessels belonging to the flag of a hostile state).

Lt. Commander Steve McNeil of the Royal Navy has this to say: “Queen Elizabeth (the first) authorised Francis Drake to do piracy (i.e., privateering). If we (the Royal Navy) encounter piracy on the high seas we are still obliged to stop it. In the Singapore Straits this phenomenon gives one authority to act.

“Some of the navy’s actions are rooted in the laws abolishing slavery.”

One possible problem is that most native British people get their initial impressions about piracy from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. The problem lies in the fact that that happens to be a work of fiction while the world of piracy, past and present, is real.

Whatever, for many British boys and grown up boys the one-legged Long John Silver is the archetypal pirate. Anyhow, here is a sample of his talk from the novel: “Now,” resumed Silver, “here it is. You give us the chart to get the treasure by, and drop shooting poor seamen, and stoving of their heads in while asleep. You do that, and we’ll offer you a choice. Either you come aboard of us, once the treasure shipped, and then I’ll give you my affy-davy, upon my word of honour, to clap you somewhere safe ashore. Or, if that ain’t to your fancy, some of my hands being rough, and having old scores, on account of hazing, then you can stay here, you can. We’ll divide stores with you, man for man; and I’ll give you my affy-davy, as before, to speak the first ship I sight, and send them here to pick you up. Now, you’ll own that’s talking. Handsomer you couldn’t look to get, not you. And I hope” – raising his voice – “that all hands in this here block-house will overhaul my words, for what is spoke to one is spoke to all.”

When it comes to real pirates, here is the biography of Blackbeard, possibly the wickedest one of all, from http://www.piratesinfo.com/:

“Edward "Blackbeard" Teach was undoubtedly was one the most feared and most despised pirates of all time. Edward Teach is thought to have lived in England before his pirate career, although his exact origins are unknown. He was named "Blackbeard", for his large black beard that almost covered his entire face. To strike terror in the hearts of his enemies Blackbeard would weave hemp into his hair, and light it during battle. Edward Teach was an unusually large man, carrying two swords, numerous knives, and pistols- he was feared by his own crew.
“At the sight of this pirate, many of his victims were quick to surrender without a fight. If they did, he would often times just take their valuables, rum, and weapons— allowing them to sail away. However, if the vessel resisted capture, he would either kill the crew, or maroon them. Blackbeard needed to maintain his devilish image in order to maintain the respect of his crew (very few members of the crew doubted that he was the devil himself, very few didn’t fear him, and therefore they obeyed him).
“Blackbeard began his pirating career sometime after 1713, as an ordinary crewmember aboard a Jamaican sloop commanded by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold. In 1716, Hornigold supplied Teach with a small crew, and a small captured vessel to command. By 1717 Hornigold and Teach were sailing in alliance, and together were feared throughout the seas. In November 1717, Hornigold and Teach were able to capture a 26 gun French vessel called the Concorde (recent research has shown that the vessel had originally been built in Great Britain). Blackbeard’s pirate partner, Hornigold, decided to take advantage of a recent offer of general amnesty from the British Crown- and retire in comfort. Teach rejected the offer and resolved to convert the captured French vessel Concorde into his flagship. Teach increased her armament to 40 guns, and re-named her the Queen Anne's Revenge.
“Soon Teach and the Queen Anne's Revenge met another pirate vessel. She was the ten-gun pirate sloop Revenge from Barbados, commanded by Stede Bonnet. Soon after agreeing to sail together, Blackbeard thought that Bonnet was a poor leader and an incompetent sailor. He promptly appointed a different pirate to command the Revenge, and made Bonnet a "guest" aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge , where he remained until the ship finally wrecked six months later.
“In the winter of 1717-1718, Blackbeard sailed the Caribbean with his two ships. While plundering vessels, Teach decided to add two more captured vessels to his group of pirating watercraft. in the Spring of 1718 Blackbeard was in command of four pirate ships, and well over 300 pirates.
“In late May, Blackbeard’s flagship was lost at Beaufort Inlet, and a smaller vessel of his fleet was lost that same day while trying to assist the stranded Queen Anne's Revenge . Before leaving Beaufort Inlet, Blackbeard left twenty-five members of his crew on a deserted rocky ledge, and stripped the Revenge of her provisions. Stede Bonnet helped the marooned men, and in return they agreed to obey his commands. Together with his crew, Bonnet resumed his lawless ways aboard the Revenge, which he re-named the Royal James.
“Meanwhile, Teach and his crew had sailed to Bath, and then to the capital of North Carolina, where Governor Charles Eden pardoned them. Blackbeard; however, did not stop his pirate habits, and continued to take ships after the period of amnesty had expired. A government official spotted him and thus a fleet of Royal Navy ships surprised Blackbeard at Ocracoke Inlet on November 22, 1718, where he was killed. Although it was a short battle, it was one of the most bloody in Blackbeard’s pirating career. Before he fell, he had a reported 5 bullet wounds and more than twenty sword cuts before dying. As a show of victory, the Royal Navy captain decapitated Blackbeard, and hung his head on the ships rigging. Blackbeard had captured over 40 ships during his piratical career, and had been the cause of the deaths of hundreds of people. Although Blackbeard's lawless career lasted only a few years, his fearsome reputation has long outlived him.”

Colin White of the Royal Naval Museum has this to say: “I guess the Royal Navy has been fighting piracy in all its forms going back to Johnny Depp (of Pirates of the Caribbean) and Treasure Island based on Blackbeard in the 17th century.

“Now piracy takes newer and newer forms but the public imagination still has the image of the pirate captain with a long flowing beard.

“Piracy used to be the most serious crime a man could commit. Pirates in Britain were punished very severely. They were put to death by being pinned down to a beach at the low tide mark.
“Drake may have been a pirate but was definitely a privateer issued with a special warrant from the queen.

“During the 19th century the Royal Navy had ships all over the world and pursued piracy in all waters. At that time a focus of attention was the activities of Chinese pirates in junks. They were every bit as terrible as their European counterparts but they got less publicity.”

Dr White also said that today a great deal of piracy is connected with drug running.

One common thread connecting piracy past with piracy present is that, as with all forms of victimisation, the opponent is attacked when he is most vulnerable. In this case the target ship is closed upon when it has to go slow, for example, when passing a narrow strait, as in the Malay Peninsula.

Despite the romantic image, the lives of pirates of old, and doubtless their latter day counterparts, were short and brutal. Nearly all of them suffered from VD because of loose living and they received as little quarter as they gave.

Note: Dr White specially asked me to state that the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth is presenting an exhibition Chasing Freedom from 3rd February, 2007 to the end of the year. It addresses dealing with slavery after it was outlawed.

THE END

This article was published in the 22 February, 2007 issue of the Bangla Mirror, read all over the world - from the Arctic Circle to the sub-Antarctic.

PIRATES AND PIRACY

The golden age of piracy is over but it lingers on in odd corners