Oh, Dear Gods

I finally got my computer working correctly (I managed to get the OS on, but then it would go to pieces on reboot; now everything's okay, and I still don't know what the issue was, but I'm happy to report I'm back).

So, I'm catching up on my e-mail between blowing my nose (I've caught a nasty cold) and I came across this via LISNews.

North Korean students learning hate from The Diary of Anne Frank.

The system there has totally turned the message of the diary on its head in a propaganda that discredits Frank as a heroine (they do not respect her because she was killed, so therefore they see her as a 'loser'). They are told that the Americans are all Nazis, our prisons are concentration camps, and that they must always expect war so long as we exist. They compare George W. Bush to Hitler--granted, I dislike him, but that's a bit harsh.

I know that none of us live in a bias-free world. A lot of people don't like Americans, and frankly, I can understand, since there are a lot more 'Ugly Americans' here than elsewhere. But...

I love living here. As much as I complain at times at what I see as our freedoms being impinged, I realise how fortunate I am. I may worry about my gay friends' right to marry. In some countries they'd be put to death just for loving one another. I may worry about the government restricting access to the Internet. In some countries, you'd have to look very hard to find anyone who could either afford or would be allowed to surf.

It's not all rosy here, of course. Our society tends to recognise wealth over ethinicity in terms of haves and have-nots, but even our poor are wealthy compared to some in other countries. We don't have good systems for dealing with poverty or lack of health insurance, but there are avenues for those in need, whereas in some places people would just be left to rot in the streets. We've built a country on the backs of slave labour and the lands of indigenous peoples, with no realistic way to give restitution, but we're struggling to make things better. We have crazies with guns, but they really are in the minority, despite what people abroad think.

The average American worries about his family, about paying his bills, keeping a roof over his head, trys to better his position through a career, wonders how he'll pay for his kid's college or deal with a medical crisis, etc. It doesn't seem to matter how rich or poor a person is, the worries are the same as a lot of other people through the world. Now, he's lucky in that he doesn't have to pay for primary or secondary education, but then there are a lot of people who have lost confidence in the public schools system, and many, if they can, opt to scrape money together for private schooling. Since we generally have two-income families far flung from the extended family these days, child care costs mount up quickly.

Most Americans aren't that political. A lot never bother to use their constitutional right to vote, which is sad seeing as there are so many people througout the world who don't even have that chance. We don't want to send our young people off to war and often curse our leaders who do so. If you asked the average American about people overseas, he'd probably say we should just take care of our own and leave them to theirs. Let's face it, it's easy to be isolationist when your own borders are relatively stable. I have never understood how shocked some people were by the terror of the Oklahoma City bombings and 9/11. I guess it's because it's been so long since wars were fought here. We live in a global world, and have for a long time. But a lot of people don't think globally at all.

I really think that the key to living in a global world is to educate ourselves about other cultures, work to establish peace, and learn to see the similarities between peoples rather than just the differences. Granted, it might be naïve of me to think so, but I think there are a lot more people in the world who would support peace than war. It's a shame that those children are learning so much that is just not grounded in reality, and even more of a shame that a book that has brought so many cultures together is being used to do it.

Happy Friday

Today was a day to take off a vacation day, be sick, work some more on my computer (it's still having a few issues), work on Dwana's [which is not as recalcitrant as mine], and being treated to lunch (Taco Bell) and dinner (Kung Pao tofu) for being a computer tech today].

Here's my Five...

What was...

1. ...your first grade teacher's name? Mrs Smith. I was only in first grade for a month, but I remember her name and the fact that she told us that lemons would rot our teeth. :)

2. ...your favorite Saturday morning cartoon? Not a cartoon, per se, but 'Land of the Lost' and other Sid & Marty Kroftt shows.

3. ...the name of your very first best friend? Paul Scarboro

4. ...your favorite breakfast cereal? Honeycomb

5. ...your favorite thing to do after school? Watch G-Force!

Toasted Writing

This is my first foray into a writing exercise where you start with a prompt and go with it. Here goes nothing...

Kenny wasn't exactly the sharpest crayon in the box. But standing on the playground, he shone with a cerulean spirt that drew your attention immediately. Whether it was squatting down to look at a dragonfly or bringing his teacher a blade of grass or the face-splitting grin as he flew higher and higher on the swing, Kenny knew how to live life to the fullest. Other children arranged themselves in a sort of pecking order of popular and unpopular; Kenny was outside it completely. Some kids, the worst kind of kids, called him dumbo or retard, but he really didn't pay them any mind. He didn't really understand that they were jealous, or craving attention. What he did know was that they were hurting, and he'd just treat them nicer.

But most of the kids stuck up for Kenny. He was both mascot and precious secret. Kenny could make you laugh, no matter how sad you were. He never lied to you. He gave his all in every game, and even though he'd stumble, the other boys gave him a grudging respect. He would come up and hug the girls and they'd giggle. He didn't find playing house silly. He loved building things with blocks, and always wanted them HIGHER and HIGHER. He had a wonderful sense of colour. His drawings were full of strange purple people and animals of all kinds, and never seemed to make sense to anyone but Kenny, but they were beautiful and alive on the page.

On the day that Kenny died, a grey chill crept over the playground, and the teachers moved about like hushed shadows. It was the kind of autumn morning when the leaves had turned from fiery red and orange to a dull brown, and the relentless rain and wind muddied everything, draining anything vibrant of all colour .

Who says book reviews can't be fun?

I received a book entitled The Big Book of Masturbation: From Angst to Zeal in the mail yesterday. A colleague in California put out a call for reviewers and I couldn't pass up such an intriguing title. It is not a how-to. Rather, it explores all sorts of subjects relating to masturbation: biological, anthropological, historical, religious, humour, etc. I've just glanced through it so far, but it promises to be an interesting read.

I'm back

: Relieved

So, it took awhile, but my computer is now up and running again. I had to format/partition the drive and re-install the OS. Last night it refused to work; it just kept hanging throughout the XP run-through. Today I stripped the BIOS-recognised hardware down to the basics and then partitioned the drive with a smaller section to install Windows, and everything went fine. Now I'm just putting the rest of the programs back on. :) Yippee!!!

Yay!

I can blog from home again! Still working out some kinks, but I'm back online.

Sad

At least 100 killed in Iraq explosions

For some background on Ashura, check out Salam Pax' blog. It is the first time this festival is being held in decades in Iraq. His mother is Shia and he was going to Kerbala to the festival. Hope he's alright.

I cannot understand the motives that would drive anyone to set off a bomb or fire upon a crowded street. The victims and their families are in my prayers.

Quote for the day

Came across this whilst searching on Jewish art for a webpage I'm working on:

Despite the troubles of our world, I have kept faith with love of the inner life in which I was raised, and man’s hope in love. In our life there is a single colour, as on an artist’s palette, which provides the meaning of life and art. It is the colour of love. Basically we are all alike. And we’re probably nostalgic, not for what we would like to know or for things outside ourselves, but for our own dreams, our own impulses towards a revolution in our inner life, which is - the discovery of purity, of simplicity, of naturalness, such as the faces of children or the voice of the one whom we have the habit of calling Divinity.

--Marc Chagall

I support gay marriage...

There is no reason why two people of the same sex who love each other should not be allowed to make the same committment and have all the benefits and disadvantages therein. Some benefits of marriage can be found in 'workarounds', but not all. The court will not recognise spousal privelege. The Social Security will not pay death benefits to longtime partners who have been prevented by the system to marry.

Most arguments against gay marriage are religious; religious marriage is not the issue. The church is not required to approve of any civil marriage (and in fact, many churches will not recognise a marriage performed by a justice of the peace). Religious approval is a matter for the churches. Civil marriage is a matter for the state. Because of the separation of church and state in America, there should be no reason to prevent men and women who love each other from making a loving committment.

Gay marriages will not be the death knell to marriage. Heterosexuals, who have a huge divorce rate, have already proven that they cannot use their monopoloy on marriage to maintain the institution.

Why punish two reasoning adults who love one another? Why do some people fear this so much?

Marriage is love.

Monday Madness:

Per week:

1. Watching television=15 hours
2. Sitting at the computer=40 hours
3. Reading a book=I'm so ashamed, as a librarian, but maybe 5
4. House work=3 hours
5. Cooking=(Does this include microwaving? PBJ sandwiches?) 1/2 hour?
6. Eating=10.5 hours
7. Driving=7 hours
8. Working outside of your home=22 hours
9. Blogging=21 hours
10. Sleeping=49 hours