First of all, my condolences go out to the citizens of New Orleans, to all the families who are now homeless, and the children who may now be orphaned. I pray that God will grant you the strength and the courage to help those around you, and that those around you will offer you their help as well.
For those who are committing heinous acts of selfishness and cowardice, I believe God will punish them in due course, even if the judicial system cannot manage it at the moment.
Secondly, I have been increasingly busy with helping Muzpuppet and Chiquita Wonder with their wedding. Also, I will be starting a new teaching job next week, so I've been busy planning what to do for lessons.
That is really all that I feel like saying at the moment. I hope that in the coming days, the generosity and the kindness that the people of New Orleans and elsewhere show to the victims of Katrina will strengthen their hope and their resolve.
God bless them.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Thursday, August 04, 2005
New Governor General to Succeed Adrienne Clarkson
"Michaëlle Jean, the Haitian-born television personality who appears on both CBC's English and French networks, will become the 27th governor general of Canada. Prime Minister Paul Martin announced this morning that the Queen has approved the appointment of Jean as her next representative in Canada."
-The Toronto Star
"I know that I will put all my convictions and my strength toward defending people who need to be defended in terms of the dignity of women, dignity for freedoms, and dignity for the disadvantaged," Ms. Jean said.
"The most important value, in my eyes, is respect. The Canada I love is the one that defines itself through its respect for others, and through its recognition of each person's integrity and dignity."
-The Globe and Mail
The 48-year-old television journalist, who immigrated to Canada from Port-au-Prince in 1968 and grew up in Quebec, will assume her position as the country's representative to the Queen when Adrienne Clarkson steps down in September.
Ms. Jean's family fled the regime of dictator François (Papa Doc) Duvalier when she was 11 years old.
"Born in Haiti, she has known what it is to come to a new country with little more than hope, hope and a belief that with hard work a new country can bring new opportunity," Prime Minister Paul Martin said at a press conference.
"Hers is a story that reminds us what it is best about ourselves and what's best about Canada, a nation of equality of opportunity is our most defining characteristic, giving testament to our longest held values."
-The Globe and Mail
-The Toronto Star
"I know that I will put all my convictions and my strength toward defending people who need to be defended in terms of the dignity of women, dignity for freedoms, and dignity for the disadvantaged," Ms. Jean said.
"The most important value, in my eyes, is respect. The Canada I love is the one that defines itself through its respect for others, and through its recognition of each person's integrity and dignity."
-The Globe and Mail
The 48-year-old television journalist, who immigrated to Canada from Port-au-Prince in 1968 and grew up in Quebec, will assume her position as the country's representative to the Queen when Adrienne Clarkson steps down in September.
Ms. Jean's family fled the regime of dictator François (Papa Doc) Duvalier when she was 11 years old.
"Born in Haiti, she has known what it is to come to a new country with little more than hope, hope and a belief that with hard work a new country can bring new opportunity," Prime Minister Paul Martin said at a press conference.
"Hers is a story that reminds us what it is best about ourselves and what's best about Canada, a nation of equality of opportunity is our most defining characteristic, giving testament to our longest held values."
-The Globe and Mail
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
My Wand if I were a witch living in Potterverse
12", Holly, Dragon You scored 36 wisdom, 44 bravery, 10 emotional, and 22 martyrdom! |
Holly is a powerful protective wood that good for use against evil, but it also represents dreams and fertility. Your dragon's heartstring core makes your wand very effective in hexes. |
My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The Harry Potter Wand Test written by sputnik845 on Ok Cupid |
If you want to take your own test, you can click on the title of this post.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Review #3
What is the strongest image or emotion that I take away from this reading experience? The answer: Indignation.
What I find most disturbing is J.K. Rowling's portrayal of adolescent behaviour. What we saw in the Half-Blood Prince is the reinforcement of adolescent stereotypes. Boys are hormone-crazed to the point of abandoning all reason in favour of satisfying that primal urge. Girls are no smarter than setting up schemes to make these boys jealous, in the hopes that the boys will take notice of the girls, and finally appreciate them.
I have worked in both high schools and junior high schools, and I can say that yes, such adolescents do exist. But, are they the majority? Certainly not. There is a large group of adolescents who do know what it means to respect their peers, to work hard and earn good grades, to uphold their principals and their honour against the ever-intensifying onslaught of peer pressure. What J.K. Rowling has done in Half-Blood Prince is to perpetuate all the negative stereotypes. Not only that, she romanticizes these stereotypes. Instead of showing what is wrong with this type of behaviour, she turns it into a comedic sequence to evoke amusement rather than disapproval.
J.K. Rowling has garnered so much respect over the years, and her voice is one of the most revered and idolized in our modern literary culture. She could have made a statement and taught a few lessons, set up some positive examples and role models. Instead, Rowling chose to sumbit to the degenerating stereotypes of juvenile pop culture. What a shame.
What I find most disturbing is J.K. Rowling's portrayal of adolescent behaviour. What we saw in the Half-Blood Prince is the reinforcement of adolescent stereotypes. Boys are hormone-crazed to the point of abandoning all reason in favour of satisfying that primal urge. Girls are no smarter than setting up schemes to make these boys jealous, in the hopes that the boys will take notice of the girls, and finally appreciate them.
I have worked in both high schools and junior high schools, and I can say that yes, such adolescents do exist. But, are they the majority? Certainly not. There is a large group of adolescents who do know what it means to respect their peers, to work hard and earn good grades, to uphold their principals and their honour against the ever-intensifying onslaught of peer pressure. What J.K. Rowling has done in Half-Blood Prince is to perpetuate all the negative stereotypes. Not only that, she romanticizes these stereotypes. Instead of showing what is wrong with this type of behaviour, she turns it into a comedic sequence to evoke amusement rather than disapproval.
J.K. Rowling has garnered so much respect over the years, and her voice is one of the most revered and idolized in our modern literary culture. She could have made a statement and taught a few lessons, set up some positive examples and role models. Instead, Rowling chose to sumbit to the degenerating stereotypes of juvenile pop culture. What a shame.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Review #2 - Spoilers
Over the years, the Harry Potter books have endured an ongoing debate about whether these are truly children's books? Or, do they have more complexity to satisfy the mature adult reader? I thought they did, and I defended the books by pointing to the characterization.
In the first book, we're introduced to an ensemble of stock characters. You have the pitiful, yet noble hero, Harry Potter. You have the less-than-bright, but very loyal Ron Weasley, the sidekick. Then you have the brainiac and annoying enemy-turned-friend, Hermione Granger. From that point onwards, these three characters have grown in complexity up until the 5th book, The Order of the Phoenix. Harry gains more confidence as a wizard, to the point of becoming over-confident and arrogant, and he paid the price with his God-father's death. Ron Weasley's blind loyalty was tested in book 4, when he became so jealous of Harry's accomplishments that the abandoned his friend and hero in a time of great need. In book 5, Ron Weasley finally started to come into his own by earning respect from his peers. Hermione Granger, one of the most complex female characters ever written in fantasy fiction, went from being a stern rule-follower to becoming an intellectual equal for Harry Potter. Not only is she incredibly smart, but she is also very wise. Without Hermione Granger, Harry Potter would likely not have survived past his first year at Hogwarts.
In the most recent book, the Half-Blood Prince, all three of these characters underwent such a tremendous change, and they are changes that had no basis the previous books, which begs the question of the lack of continuity from the first 5 parts, to this 6th part.
Now, Harry has turned into a wizard sleuth who gets almost all the answers correct. In the past, it was his fallibility that made him appear human, that gave him the semblance of a real person trying to go through life's struggles. Now, he's just the perfect hero who can virtually do no wrong.
Ron Weasley has turned into a hot stud, one who knows how to get the female students around him all a-flutter just for him being in the same room. His loyalty to Harry no longer means anything to the story because he is completely cut-off from the main action sequences. Then again, one might argue that his began in the previous book. The most disturbing part of his character-development is the sudden violent tendancies. In one scene, he is being teased by his older brother, and in his anger, he threw a knife at his brother. This is a very sinister change in Ron's characterization, and unless Rowling deals with it in book 7, it will be nothing more than a lame attempt to show how macho Ron has become. Violence = masculinity? Very disturbing to say the least.
Finally, and most disappointing of all, Hermione Granger's character has been transformed into your average high school bitch. Becuase she couldn't get Ron to ask her out on a date, she goes with a total loser, Cormac McLaggen. She submits herself to McLaggen's groping just to get Ron jealous. When that fails, she fires a flock of canary birds to attack Ron. Hermione? Would she really do that, based on how she's been portrayed from books 1 to 5? What happened to studying hard to earn good grades? What happened to helping Harry solve mysteries and fighting dark forces? What happened to fighting for House Elf rights?
If these changes are J.K. Rowling's idea of character-development, then maybe she should write episodes for a new WB teen drama television series. Spare us the pain of having to buy and read such juvenile "children's literature," simply an insult to the genre.
In the first book, we're introduced to an ensemble of stock characters. You have the pitiful, yet noble hero, Harry Potter. You have the less-than-bright, but very loyal Ron Weasley, the sidekick. Then you have the brainiac and annoying enemy-turned-friend, Hermione Granger. From that point onwards, these three characters have grown in complexity up until the 5th book, The Order of the Phoenix. Harry gains more confidence as a wizard, to the point of becoming over-confident and arrogant, and he paid the price with his God-father's death. Ron Weasley's blind loyalty was tested in book 4, when he became so jealous of Harry's accomplishments that the abandoned his friend and hero in a time of great need. In book 5, Ron Weasley finally started to come into his own by earning respect from his peers. Hermione Granger, one of the most complex female characters ever written in fantasy fiction, went from being a stern rule-follower to becoming an intellectual equal for Harry Potter. Not only is she incredibly smart, but she is also very wise. Without Hermione Granger, Harry Potter would likely not have survived past his first year at Hogwarts.
In the most recent book, the Half-Blood Prince, all three of these characters underwent such a tremendous change, and they are changes that had no basis the previous books, which begs the question of the lack of continuity from the first 5 parts, to this 6th part.
Now, Harry has turned into a wizard sleuth who gets almost all the answers correct. In the past, it was his fallibility that made him appear human, that gave him the semblance of a real person trying to go through life's struggles. Now, he's just the perfect hero who can virtually do no wrong.
Ron Weasley has turned into a hot stud, one who knows how to get the female students around him all a-flutter just for him being in the same room. His loyalty to Harry no longer means anything to the story because he is completely cut-off from the main action sequences. Then again, one might argue that his began in the previous book. The most disturbing part of his character-development is the sudden violent tendancies. In one scene, he is being teased by his older brother, and in his anger, he threw a knife at his brother. This is a very sinister change in Ron's characterization, and unless Rowling deals with it in book 7, it will be nothing more than a lame attempt to show how macho Ron has become. Violence = masculinity? Very disturbing to say the least.
Finally, and most disappointing of all, Hermione Granger's character has been transformed into your average high school bitch. Becuase she couldn't get Ron to ask her out on a date, she goes with a total loser, Cormac McLaggen. She submits herself to McLaggen's groping just to get Ron jealous. When that fails, she fires a flock of canary birds to attack Ron. Hermione? Would she really do that, based on how she's been portrayed from books 1 to 5? What happened to studying hard to earn good grades? What happened to helping Harry solve mysteries and fighting dark forces? What happened to fighting for House Elf rights?
If these changes are J.K. Rowling's idea of character-development, then maybe she should write episodes for a new WB teen drama television series. Spare us the pain of having to buy and read such juvenile "children's literature," simply an insult to the genre.
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince Review #1- Spoilers
This 6th book should be renamed Harry Potter and the Half-Arsed Plot.
It's been almost two weeks since the release of HP and the Half-Blood Prince, the much anticipated 6th book in the Harry Potter septet. Now that the hype, the confusion, the anger and the disappointment has pretty much subsided, I'm ready to write a review of the book, as well as giving my thoughts on what has happened in fandom after the book's release.
To start off, what did I think about the Half-Blood Prince? Other than the first chapter, "The Other Minister", the rest of the novel was cliched and immature for a writer who has garnered so much praise over the years. Before I wrote this, I tried to think of what I can say about the book. What happened in this 6th novel? The answer: NOTHING. "That's not true!" "Lot's happened!" This is what other HP fans would be shouting at me if I said announced this in a junior high school cafetaria. Let me see if they're right.
What Happened:
1. Snape is revealed as truly evil.
2. Harry developes a monsterous infatuation with Ginny Weasley.
3. Ron is the jerk he's always been, except now, he's lost all faculty of reason and has turned more violent than ever.
4. Hermione has given up her education and given up on Harry's mission in favour of devising schemes to make Ron jealous enough that he'd finally ask her out.
5. Harry discovers what keeps Voldemort alive.
6. Dumbledore, an arrogant fool, dies at the hand of a man he trusted blindly
7. Harry and Ginny break up
Some friends of mine have dubbed this 6th book, "Hogwarts Creek," "Hogwarts 90210," and "Half-Arsed Prince." I don't know which of these is worse, but they're all pretty indicative of how poorly written the Half-Blood Prince is. For a plot-driven novel (considered low-quality literature), there's hardly any plot! For shame!
What happened to the clues that are introduced at the beginning, and are revealed at the end to have significant impact on the story? None.
What happened to learning new spells and using them to save their own lives at the end of the novel? Remember the Summoning Charm in The Goblet of Fire? None.
What happened to the twist endings of the previous books? Remember Sirius Black in the Prisoner of Azkaban? None.
The Half-Blood Prince had none of these clever mystery story-telling techniques. Instead, you have a story where one boy chases after a girl, but he doesn't have the courage to, and they play jealousy games. You have a conflict that is explained and analysed through conversation, rather than through action. You have characters who act out-of-character to meet the demands of a simplistic and cliched plot.
Plotwise, I give the Half-Blood Prince 1 star out of five.
It's been almost two weeks since the release of HP and the Half-Blood Prince, the much anticipated 6th book in the Harry Potter septet. Now that the hype, the confusion, the anger and the disappointment has pretty much subsided, I'm ready to write a review of the book, as well as giving my thoughts on what has happened in fandom after the book's release.
To start off, what did I think about the Half-Blood Prince? Other than the first chapter, "The Other Minister", the rest of the novel was cliched and immature for a writer who has garnered so much praise over the years. Before I wrote this, I tried to think of what I can say about the book. What happened in this 6th novel? The answer: NOTHING. "That's not true!" "Lot's happened!" This is what other HP fans would be shouting at me if I said announced this in a junior high school cafetaria. Let me see if they're right.
What Happened:
1. Snape is revealed as truly evil.
2. Harry developes a monsterous infatuation with Ginny Weasley.
3. Ron is the jerk he's always been, except now, he's lost all faculty of reason and has turned more violent than ever.
4. Hermione has given up her education and given up on Harry's mission in favour of devising schemes to make Ron jealous enough that he'd finally ask her out.
5. Harry discovers what keeps Voldemort alive.
6. Dumbledore, an arrogant fool, dies at the hand of a man he trusted blindly
7. Harry and Ginny break up
Some friends of mine have dubbed this 6th book, "Hogwarts Creek," "Hogwarts 90210," and "Half-Arsed Prince." I don't know which of these is worse, but they're all pretty indicative of how poorly written the Half-Blood Prince is. For a plot-driven novel (considered low-quality literature), there's hardly any plot! For shame!
What happened to the clues that are introduced at the beginning, and are revealed at the end to have significant impact on the story? None.
What happened to learning new spells and using them to save their own lives at the end of the novel? Remember the Summoning Charm in The Goblet of Fire? None.
What happened to the twist endings of the previous books? Remember Sirius Black in the Prisoner of Azkaban? None.
The Half-Blood Prince had none of these clever mystery story-telling techniques. Instead, you have a story where one boy chases after a girl, but he doesn't have the courage to, and they play jealousy games. You have a conflict that is explained and analysed through conversation, rather than through action. You have characters who act out-of-character to meet the demands of a simplistic and cliched plot.
Plotwise, I give the Half-Blood Prince 1 star out of five.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
River, by Joni Mitchell
It’s coming on Christmas
They’re cutting down trees
They’re putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it don’t snow here
It stays pretty green
I’m going to make a lot of money
Then I’m going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry
He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I’m so hard to handle
I’m selfish and I’m sad
Now I’ve gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I made my baby say goodbye
It’s coming on Christmas
They’re cutting down trees
They’re putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
Sometimes, there are certain songs that you have liked for a long time, and then something happens to you that allows you to understand that song in a whole new way. This is one of them.
They’re cutting down trees
They’re putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it don’t snow here
It stays pretty green
I’m going to make a lot of money
Then I’m going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry
He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I’m so hard to handle
I’m selfish and I’m sad
Now I’ve gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I made my baby say goodbye
It’s coming on Christmas
They’re cutting down trees
They’re putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
Sometimes, there are certain songs that you have liked for a long time, and then something happens to you that allows you to understand that song in a whole new way. This is one of them.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Blog Updates
I've added a Buddy list of of links. Please go check 'em out!
p.s. Nevermind, the links don't work for some reason. :(
p.p.s. OH! It works! They're all working now! :D
p.s. Nevermind, the links don't work for some reason. :(
p.p.s. OH! It works! They're all working now! :D
Monday, June 06, 2005
Luke 16: 19-31 The Story of the Rich Man and Lazarus
I find it incredibly ironic.
Two weeks ago, I did a presentation in Sunday School with another Christian, and we presented the passage of the Rich man and Lazarus. We had been studying for several weeks about how the poor go to heaven and the rich go to hell.
The story in this specific passage is about a sick man named Lazarus, who lies at the gate of a rich man's house. He is so poor and so sick, he cannot go and make a living for himself and buy food to eat. He has sores all over his body, so even if he could walk, he would likely not have been able to find a job with any employer. So, all he wants are the crumbs that fall from the rich man's table and he would have been happy. But, the rich man walks past Lazarus day after day, and he does nothing to help Lazarus, or even to inquire about Lazarus' condition. He just ignored Lazarus day after day. After they both died, Lazarus went to heaven and the rich man went to hell.
I find that it is incredibly ironic how two weeks ago I read about how God judges uncharitable behaviour, and this past weekend, I witnessed it. Instead, the surprising thing is that Clare and I, the semi-non Christians were Lazarus, and the Christians were the rich men.
Two weeks ago, I did a presentation in Sunday School with another Christian, and we presented the passage of the Rich man and Lazarus. We had been studying for several weeks about how the poor go to heaven and the rich go to hell.
The story in this specific passage is about a sick man named Lazarus, who lies at the gate of a rich man's house. He is so poor and so sick, he cannot go and make a living for himself and buy food to eat. He has sores all over his body, so even if he could walk, he would likely not have been able to find a job with any employer. So, all he wants are the crumbs that fall from the rich man's table and he would have been happy. But, the rich man walks past Lazarus day after day, and he does nothing to help Lazarus, or even to inquire about Lazarus' condition. He just ignored Lazarus day after day. After they both died, Lazarus went to heaven and the rich man went to hell.
I find that it is incredibly ironic how two weeks ago I read about how God judges uncharitable behaviour, and this past weekend, I witnessed it. Instead, the surprising thing is that Clare and I, the semi-non Christians were Lazarus, and the Christians were the rich men.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Christians Leading by Bad Examples
After attending church regularly for a year, and on occasion, Sunday school classes, one thing I've learned from listening to the sermons and studying the scripture is that Christians are supposed to lead by example and be role models of kind, generous and charitable behaviour. What I witnessed today was far from that. So far, I am very disappointed still.
Today, I brought some cakes I made to my church's softball tournament. It's a bake sale, for which all the proceeds will go to a charity, the Canadian Cancer Society. Instead of supporting such a meaningful cause, and supporting our efforts to do something good, what I got from some of my "brothers and sisters" was mockery and put-downs. If they don't want to support my cause, fine; but it is really necessary to continually belittle our efforts.
This is the second time that I have encountered something like that. But this time, it hurts more becuase this time, these are my "brothers and sisters" who have done this to me, not some strangers that I met at another church. I will take this as God's challenge to me. As like in the Bible, there are good Christians and there are no so good Christians. Today, what happened to me was really caused by a few bad apples. I will try to put this into perspective and understand what having faith and dealing with adversity means.
Today, I brought some cakes I made to my church's softball tournament. It's a bake sale, for which all the proceeds will go to a charity, the Canadian Cancer Society. Instead of supporting such a meaningful cause, and supporting our efforts to do something good, what I got from some of my "brothers and sisters" was mockery and put-downs. If they don't want to support my cause, fine; but it is really necessary to continually belittle our efforts.
This is the second time that I have encountered something like that. But this time, it hurts more becuase this time, these are my "brothers and sisters" who have done this to me, not some strangers that I met at another church. I will take this as God's challenge to me. As like in the Bible, there are good Christians and there are no so good Christians. Today, what happened to me was really caused by a few bad apples. I will try to put this into perspective and understand what having faith and dealing with adversity means.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Barry Pepper in "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada"
Barry Pepper's new movie is this one directed by Tommy Lee Jones.
He plays a U.S. border patrolman named Mike, who shot and killed an illegal immigrant worker, Melquiades Estrada. The mistake is covered up by Estrada's body being burried in the desert, but Estrada's friend and ranch owner, Peter (Jones), wants to do his friend the justice of at least returning the body to Estrada's native Mexico for a proper burial.
Mike is then kidnapped by Peter to carry out this journey.
Currently, this film has been screened at the Cannes Film Festival in France, and it has garnered rave reviews. Although Cronenberg's film has also been highlighted by the Cdn. media as a worthy and likely winner, I wouldn't mind if Tommy Lee Jones wins it; this could throw Barry Pepper into the spotlight again. Pepper is such a skilled actor, and I am so happy that he got the chance to work on such a humanistic film. Maybe this will finally put the "Battlefield Earth" nightmares to an end.
He plays a U.S. border patrolman named Mike, who shot and killed an illegal immigrant worker, Melquiades Estrada. The mistake is covered up by Estrada's body being burried in the desert, but Estrada's friend and ranch owner, Peter (Jones), wants to do his friend the justice of at least returning the body to Estrada's native Mexico for a proper burial.
Mike is then kidnapped by Peter to carry out this journey.
Currently, this film has been screened at the Cannes Film Festival in France, and it has garnered rave reviews. Although Cronenberg's film has also been highlighted by the Cdn. media as a worthy and likely winner, I wouldn't mind if Tommy Lee Jones wins it; this could throw Barry Pepper into the spotlight again. Pepper is such a skilled actor, and I am so happy that he got the chance to work on such a humanistic film. Maybe this will finally put the "Battlefield Earth" nightmares to an end.
Friday, May 20, 2005
CSI: Season Finale, Dir. by Quentin Tarantino
The finale was very exciting for the most part. Where I felt disappointed was when the daughter mentioned to Sidle and Brass that she used to work at a nursery, planting things, and neither of the investigators caught on to that clue. I don't know if the daughter deliberately gave it to them, or if she was just trying to be dramatic at that moment. In any case, if Sidle had picked up on that, they would have been able to find the place where Nick was buried.
Of course, if they had done this then there would not have been the sequence with the fire ants. That was just disgusting. It wasn't as agonizing as watching Nick about to give up and kill himself.
This flaw in the story really bugs me becuase Sidle and Brass are supposed to be very intelligent officers. How could they have missed that clue?
Of course, if they had done this then there would not have been the sequence with the fire ants. That was just disgusting. It wasn't as agonizing as watching Nick about to give up and kill himself.
This flaw in the story really bugs me becuase Sidle and Brass are supposed to be very intelligent officers. How could they have missed that clue?
Olive Trees Lyrics
Olive Trees
music by Li Taichang
lyrics by Sanmou
Don't ask me where I came from
From a far away place is my home
Why do I wander, wander far away?
Wander...
For the birds that fly in the sky
For the streams that flow between the mountains
For the vast green meadowlands
Wander far away, wander...
Wait, there's more
For the dreams of the Olive Trees
Olive Trees
Don't ask me where I came from
From a far away place is my home
Why do I wander?
For my dreams of the Olive Trees
music by Li Taichang
lyrics by Sanmou
Don't ask me where I came from
From a far away place is my home
Why do I wander, wander far away?
Wander...
For the birds that fly in the sky
For the streams that flow between the mountains
For the vast green meadowlands
Wander far away, wander...
Wait, there's more
For the dreams of the Olive Trees
Olive Trees
Don't ask me where I came from
From a far away place is my home
Why do I wander?
For my dreams of the Olive Trees
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Stronach Defects to the Liberal Party
Right now, this is really exciting news. What Belinda Stronach has done she has shown her courage to act on what she believes is right.
Harper and other Conservatives accuse her defection to be motivated by career ambitions. They claim that she has never expressed any doubts to them about the Conservative platform. If that's what they truly believe, then they must not have been listening to what Stronach has been saying to the media and the public over the past three weeks. Namely, she is hesitant to vote down the government's budget to force an election because now is not the time.
Watching Harper giving his statement today in reaction to Stronach's defection, I have even less respect for him. The least he could do is acknowledge other people's concerns, instead of flatly denying them and labelling it with the word "ambition." This shows his narrow-mindedness and his inflexibility. How these qualities make him appealing as a candidate for Prime Minister, someone who is supposed to run a country adn to listen to the diverse voices of millions, is something that I will never understand.
Harper and other Conservatives accuse her defection to be motivated by career ambitions. They claim that she has never expressed any doubts to them about the Conservative platform. If that's what they truly believe, then they must not have been listening to what Stronach has been saying to the media and the public over the past three weeks. Namely, she is hesitant to vote down the government's budget to force an election because now is not the time.
Watching Harper giving his statement today in reaction to Stronach's defection, I have even less respect for him. The least he could do is acknowledge other people's concerns, instead of flatly denying them and labelling it with the word "ambition." This shows his narrow-mindedness and his inflexibility. How these qualities make him appealing as a candidate for Prime Minister, someone who is supposed to run a country adn to listen to the diverse voices of millions, is something that I will never understand.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Prof. Eric Reeves on "The Sunday Edition," CBC Radio One
On the drive to church on Sunday morning, Bro and I were listening to The Sunday Edition broadcast. It featured an interview with English Lit. Prof. Eric Reeves about the genocide that is going on in Darfur, Sudan. At one point, Michael Enright, the host, asked Prof. Reeves if Darfur is the next Rwanda in the making. Prof. Reeves responded in a way that really made my heart ache. He said, and I paraphrase:
Darfur is Rwanda in slow motion. It's as if the Gods of History decided to give us another chance, a chance to redeem ourselves for our neglect of what happened in Rwanda. It's as if they said, "we'll give you as much time as you need, and this time there should be no excuse not taking action."
Our second chance is passing us by, and do we even notice it?
Darfur is Rwanda in slow motion. It's as if the Gods of History decided to give us another chance, a chance to redeem ourselves for our neglect of what happened in Rwanda. It's as if they said, "we'll give you as much time as you need, and this time there should be no excuse not taking action."
Our second chance is passing us by, and do we even notice it?
Friday, May 13, 2005
Nature Metaphors in "Butterflies"
One thing that I always look for, and which always gives me a delightful little thrill, is when I read about how nature is used as a metaphor in a story. In the Time of the Butterflies has plenty of these. The first one I already described in the post below, about the acaquita tree. This one is about planting flowers.
Dede's sisters, Minerva, "Mate" and Patria have come to appeal to her to join their communist cell. They love their sister, and they want her to be a part of what they believe is one of the most important events of their lives, and of their country's history. Dede is hesitant, because she knows her husband is adamantly against it. As her sisters pull out of the driveway on their way home, Dede goes to the newly dug up area of the garden where she is planting new flowers. She puts the soil back into the earth, then she patches up the bed with rocks lined neatly as a border. As she is patching up this flowerbed, she decides on how she will proceed, and she is satisfied that both the flowerbed and her mind has been made up. And then, she realizes that she forgot to put the seeds in the soil.
What do the seeds represent? I'm not sure at this point, but I will guess that it's her desire, or her determination. To me, this whole sequence of imagery represents Dede's eagerness to help resolve the problem and please everyone, but she will fail because the most important ingredient was left out.
I'll continue reading and see what happens.
Dede's sisters, Minerva, "Mate" and Patria have come to appeal to her to join their communist cell. They love their sister, and they want her to be a part of what they believe is one of the most important events of their lives, and of their country's history. Dede is hesitant, because she knows her husband is adamantly against it. As her sisters pull out of the driveway on their way home, Dede goes to the newly dug up area of the garden where she is planting new flowers. She puts the soil back into the earth, then she patches up the bed with rocks lined neatly as a border. As she is patching up this flowerbed, she decides on how she will proceed, and she is satisfied that both the flowerbed and her mind has been made up. And then, she realizes that she forgot to put the seeds in the soil.
What do the seeds represent? I'm not sure at this point, but I will guess that it's her desire, or her determination. To me, this whole sequence of imagery represents Dede's eagerness to help resolve the problem and please everyone, but she will fail because the most important ingredient was left out.
I'll continue reading and see what happens.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Jury Duty Day Two
I only had to attend for half a day, and I am relieved of any jury duty for the next 3 years! =D
Today, I waited in room 167, which is a lot more spacious and better ventilated. The conditions were perfect for reading.
I started reading a novel that my good friend Grace gave me for my birthday last year. It is titled, In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez. It is the story of four sisters who lived through the dictatorship regime of Tujillo in the Dominican Republic, circa 1945.
I was drawn into the book from the first chapter. Alvarez's main protagonist, Dede, doodles a picture of a tree on the back of an envelope, with half of the tree being drawn on the flap. It is a tree that grows at the entrance to the pathway that leads to the house, where Dede's family have lived for generations, presumably. I can sense that the tree has been a landmark of many important family events. Now, a visitor has arrived to research the life of the Mirabel sisters.
This image spoke to me of incompleteness, brokenness, a gap. When the flap is closed, the picture is complete. The picture is broken when the flap is opened. People's memories of the past might be pleasant until one opens up the little envelope inside one's heart, an envelope that holds the sad and painful memories. Opening and closing the flap is easy to do, but does one want to do it?
Today, I waited in room 167, which is a lot more spacious and better ventilated. The conditions were perfect for reading.
I started reading a novel that my good friend Grace gave me for my birthday last year. It is titled, In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez. It is the story of four sisters who lived through the dictatorship regime of Tujillo in the Dominican Republic, circa 1945.
I was drawn into the book from the first chapter. Alvarez's main protagonist, Dede, doodles a picture of a tree on the back of an envelope, with half of the tree being drawn on the flap. It is a tree that grows at the entrance to the pathway that leads to the house, where Dede's family have lived for generations, presumably. I can sense that the tree has been a landmark of many important family events. Now, a visitor has arrived to research the life of the Mirabel sisters.
This image spoke to me of incompleteness, brokenness, a gap. When the flap is closed, the picture is complete. The picture is broken when the flap is opened. People's memories of the past might be pleasant until one opens up the little envelope inside one's heart, an envelope that holds the sad and painful memories. Opening and closing the flap is easy to do, but does one want to do it?
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
First Day @ Courthouse for Jury Selection
Sleepy. Hot. Stuffy.
Those are the three words I would use to describe today's events at Jury Selection. That courthouse seriously needs to install a ventilation system. We were breathing the same air all day long. Imagine that! *barf*
I can imagine that sitting on a jury's panel during a trial might be exciting and engaging, but sitting in a room waiting to be selected or rejected is BORRRR-ING! It was even more boring than I had imagined.
Hopefully, tomorrow we'll do something.
Those are the three words I would use to describe today's events at Jury Selection. That courthouse seriously needs to install a ventilation system. We were breathing the same air all day long. Imagine that! *barf*
I can imagine that sitting on a jury's panel during a trial might be exciting and engaging, but sitting in a room waiting to be selected or rejected is BORRRR-ING! It was even more boring than I had imagined.
Hopefully, tomorrow we'll do something.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
YAY! for Steve Nash!
YAY! WOOHOOOO!!
Nash is a very intelligent guy, and he's not afraid to display his political views to the public. *two thumbs up!*
Nash is a very intelligent guy, and he's not afraid to display his political views to the public. *two thumbs up!*
Canada will send troops to Darfur?
It was the fruit of nine months of work by Prime Minister Paul Martin and officials from the defence department, the foreign affairs department and the Canadian International Development Agency.
The initiative stressed that Canada's activities in Darfur are based on the so-called "3D approach," which combines diplomatic activity, development and humanitarian aid, and support for improving the security situation through defence and police involvement.
-Graham Fraser, The Toronto Star, May 8, 2005.
When I first heard about this, some media said that Martin agreed to this because he wanted Kilgour's vote, a man who is an independent MP. Could this be true? Or, is it really the result of almost a year's amount of work by the Cdn. gov't to devise a plan to help the people of Darfur?
I think it's a bit of both. About a year ago, Canada had started appealing to other Western gov'ts that they should all join in with the UN and the African Union to resolve the genocide that is happening in Darfur. Nothing came out of that, and Canada's representatives were clearly frustrated. It seems like they've finally found some tangible way of making a contribution.
At the same time, Martin's gov't needs all the support it can get. If this is truly the motive behind it, then I will have to take comfort in knowing that Martin decided to provide some aid to a cause that is truly worthy.
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