Archive for June, 2011

Jack Layton and the NDP Convention

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

I went onto the computer and did my daily exercise of link walking. Oh, not to get anything new but to go to all the links I check first thing after turning on the computer for the first time of the day. Click favorites and go methodically down the list.

What… something new has been added! It wasn’t me so it must have been my mate. It read like a comical news release. This weekend the NDP are having their convention in Vancouver. So I naturally thought it must be talking about leader of the opposition Jack Layton and the building where the NDP delegates were gathering.

What was the title of the link in the favorites drop down list… “PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE DIABOLICAL BOX.” What a hoot, what a laugh I got from reading the link title. This should be a fun read. So I click on the link and it brings me to a game walk-through that Linda is currently playing. Ah, what a shame. I really wanted a good laugh.

Then I think about the title once again. I think about the convention and everything that will be discussed. The new policies that will be adopted. Their efforts to come closer to the political center… and then I laugh because their convention really could be called… “PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE DIABOLICAL BOX.”

Vancouver Riot – The Spirit of the Anarchist

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

I watched all seven games of the NHL finals. Seven games which have played (plagued) upon my emotions from elation to despair. Oh, I am certain we can all make interesting commentaries on the play of the game and have a plethora of reasons and excuses for the outcome. Know this, regardless of the outcome of the game, the riot in Vancouver was going to happen outside the arena. It was not helped by the fact that Vancouver lost the last game.. But it was not hindered either.

Why did the crowd riot? It wasn’t the crowd that rioted… it was the elite, the criminal and the audience. And they were led by a spirit working upon the minds of those people…

Whether you believe in spirits or not, they are out there and they are leading mankind into rebellion against, God inspired laws and institutions of man and against God himself. They do this, not in one great uprising, but by a multitude of small events. Most will bring shock to the general public. Some will inspire that same public. It is based upon that axiom, “The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease.” The central theme behind these riots is to “change the times” we live in. It can come in the form of a child’s tantrum up to, and including, an “Arab Spring,” a revolution of the people.

You may say to me… “Whoa pardner, that seems a bit extreme!” Only because you fail to understand the spirit of disobedience at work in the hearts of men, women… and children. It is a natural response of the carnal mind, sometimes inflamed by a spirit(s), to a perceived wrong. What about last night? A handful of individuals, soldiers of The Spirit of the Anarchist, took it upon themselves to arm and revolt at the conclusion of Game Seven. They were there to cause turmoil, to shock people, to inspire crimes and to draw an audience to look upon a spectacle… to entertain the masses. It is: an expression of evil, to inspire acts of lawlessness, to entice the lost soul and eventually manipulate the general population.

In the aftermath there will be whispers of Shame. There will be upset hearts. There will be a call to make things right. Voices that will call for justice, tolerance and reason. The soul of the nation will once again sigh… and then not truly understanding what has occurred, they will come one step closer to making a policy decision that will miss the mark and will add one more strand of straw to the proverbial camel’s back.

Yes, we lost… a game… a series… and we are saddened. That is the nature of competition. To the victor go the spoils. Last night there was a successful act to spoil that victory for others. Let us recognize that it was led by the enemies of civilization and made worse by the criminals around them. Let the authorities deal with them specifically while we deal with the shame it brought. Perhaps next year we can have a victory celebration without the spoilers ruining it for all of us.

Alex Cross’s: Trial

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

James Patterson w/ Richard Dilallo
Alex Cross’s: Trial
Publisher: Vision

First:- Who is the author of the story? I know that Patterson helps some authors get printed by allowing them to co-author a story. Much like an apprenticeship or is it mentoring? This story “Trial” has me a bit confused. Patterson is involved in the story making with Dilallo as the co-author… but who is Alex Cross? Is he fictional or real? And the story originated with Alex’s GrandMa? And it is the story of her uncle? I feel like I have fallen into a rabbit hole and haven’t found Alice or the Wonderland.

Second:- The story itself. I liked it a lot. It is set in the early 1900’s. Starts in Washington and goes to Eudora Mississippi. Ah, the deep south where men were men, women were brainless and blacks were cattle. This was the beginning of the era of change that left our world, at the closing of that century, turned on its head. The story itself is about the beatings, torture and lynchings of black folk that “didn’t remember their place.” It is about the revolution started by one white lawyer and a community of blacks, to stand up for rights Granted in the North but Denied in the South. The focal point is the trial of three white men for taking the law into their not so clean white hands. A snapshot of history to remind us what evil can lurk in the minds of men.

Third:- The layout of the story. Like all of Patterson’s books it is a quick read. The guy loves to create chapters whenever and wherever possible. Only have one minute to read? Perfect, you can read a chapter in about a minute. There are only 140 chapters spread over 392 pages with a lot of white space… and the story seems to end too quickly.

A pleasant read and somewhat educational. You should enjoy it, unless you can’t manage second hand offenses.

Resurrection

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

Resurrection

The human remains, in the earth?
The human remains in the earth!
A new creature rises to eternity,
A new creation… to victory.

Fall of Giants by Ken Follet

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

title: Fall of Giants
author: Ken Follet
publisher: Dutton

I have been reading Ken Follet’s works since the early eighties. The first book was “The Eye of the Needle” read out loud while I and a friend drove down to Florida for a golfing vacation. I was hooked and reeled in by his writing style. A behind the scenes look at history (fictional and almost ((ahem)) plausible). So picking up “Fall of Giants” to read was a given.

The first thing that should be noted is that it is book one of a trilogy. I don’t think book two has been written yet. The trilogy will cover a time span of perhaps a hundred years. Book one starts with the brief prologue of Billy, a Welsh miner to be and his initiation into the coal industry. This prologue is a short story in itself. Then the main story begins. It covers the period from January 1914 to January 1924. Honestly? The book is about the First World War: what lead up to it, the war itself and the aftermath.

It is a story about the triumphs and the tribulations of “Class Warfare.” A Welsh coal mining family with the main characters Billy and Ethel, brother and sister. The Earl of Aberowen and family, the Earl and his Russian wife (a princess). Then a German Aristocratic family… A Russian Workers Family… An American “Nouveau Riche” Family… You see the World War through their eyes. Yes, that means a lot of story jumps from one family to another, one character to another. Besides being a book with three parts: before, during and after the war; the story breaks down into dates where the action takes place and mini stories within those dates about one or more of the families and what they did. If you are a bunny rabbit you will be able to keep up with all of the hoping around. If not…

If you never studied this period of history this book will be a good primer for understanding that time period. Not the historical events as they unfolded but the mind-set of that moment in history. It is only a hundred years in the past but baby, you have come a long way. In other ways we haven’t changed at all. I like history when it is revealed through story and not dry facts. This story is entertaining and educational. Though a bit long I got through it rather quickly… for me. I do recommend reading the book. However, be forewarned that some of the scenes are sexual in nature. If you are easily offended or aroused, ignore the book and read something more wholesome.