Showing posts with label Censorship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Censorship. Show all posts
Random Thoughts on Tuesday
Carleen

Random Thought #1

Do you ever have days that start off perfectly fine -- Mary Poppins-like in fact, kind of "practically perfect in every way" -- only to have them go dreadfully wrong only a couple of hours later? Yesterday was like that for me.

I was on the ball and ready to conquer the world starting just after 3:00 a.m. In a couple of hours I managed to answer the business email, sort my personal email for answering later, complete the Monday meme posts, scoop the litterboxes, brush two of the four longhair cats, unload the dishwasher, get a new load of laundry started, and harvest my crops on Farm Town. James Brown's song "I Feel Good" was the anthem of the day. Then a single phone call brought it all crashing down around me.

I wasn't really paying attention to the time, but I think that it was shortly after 9 when Betty's estate attorney called. Evidently, he received a phone call from one of the daughters of Betty's deceased husband because she, after a single visit to Betty in the 8 years that she has lived at the board and care facility, was concerned that I might be mismanaging the trust. I don't think much of anything could have shocked me more than that phone call, but I do know that it's been a very long time since I was as angry as it made me!


This individual has no real relationship with Betty, has not bothered to check up on her except for a phone call last Christmas when she told the caregiver that she would come to visit but never showed up, and now, out of the blue, is "concerned" that her care is not being managed well? Where has this person been all these years? In a neighboring city, certainly not too far away to demonstrate this "concern" by visiting Betty to make sure that she is being well cared for. Last week was the first time in eight -- count them, I said E-I-G-H-T, years that Betty's caregiver ever saw this person! How's that for "concern"?


Random Thought #2

After yesterday's "excitement," I've had a headache that doesn't want to give up the ghost and die. I know it's because the anger is still seething in the pit of my stomach, bubbling to the surface every now and again to remind me how utterly brutal people can be. I can't place the blame for this one on The Brain; nope this misery is my own fault. At least the headache is not one of the Chiari types, so I am left to conclude that this must be the kind of headache that "normal" people get, LOL.


Random Thought #3

Surgery update (yes, Aunt Nola, this is for you): Next Thursday, the 27th, I am scheduled to have the thyroid surgery that should have happened last November but didn't because my pre-op blood work showed an elevated white blood cell count that turned out to be an indicator of the very nasty cold that made itself known on Thanksgiving. I have the pre-op appointment on Monday and barring any WBC issues, I will be AWOL for one day next week. Unless I have a seizure or some other Chiari related complication, the surgery is supposed to be out-patient. I am going to discuss with my doctor the possibility of having it done under a local instead of a general anesthesia as this significantly increases the likelihood that I will get to go home on the same day. Besides, how cool would it be to lie awake on the surgery table while a surgeon slashes a hole in your neck and takes out half of your thyroid gland? Sounds awesome to me!


Random Thought #4

Classes begin next week, and I feel sad. No school for me. I'm retired, remember? No animated discussions about censorship in the public school classroom. No more interesting essays defending the First Amendment as it applies to websites with disgusting content. No more introducing the uninitiated to John Milton's Areopagitica or John Stewart Mill's On Liberty. No more poring over the ALA's list of banned books to see which ones we've read. No more. No more. I'm sad.

And did I mention that I'm pissed off, too?


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Thursday Thirteen: Songs to Cry By
Carleen
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I am a sucker for songs that make me cry. In fact, I'm such a sucker for tearjerkers that the largest playlist on my iTunes is dedicated to them. Get your tissues ready and turn up your speakers, because my list this week is dedicated to thirteen songs that are guaranteed to bring me to tears, and they may have the same effect on you.

1. He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones: This song reminds me of my grandfather, whose life completely fell apart after my grandmother died. Like the man in the song, my grandfather never stopped loving my grandmother until he died, too. Whenever I hear this song, I think of him and cry.



2. Miss You Nights by Cliff Richard: The first time I heard this song not long after my mom died when I was seventeen. It became my anthem of mourning.



3. Skin (Sarabeth) by Rascal Flatts: I can't get through the first verse of this song without crying! The story of a teenage girl with cancer whose chemo causes her to lose her hair on the day of the prom is enough to make me run for a tissue, but when her boyfriend comes to pick her up, I need the whole box. Why? Watch the video and see for yourself. Make sure that you have some tissues handy first, though!



4. Even Now by Barry Manilow: I can't listen to this song very often and do my best to avoid it completely in the months of March and December, the months when my mom was born and died. Although it's a song about the hold a lost love can have on a person, the lyrics of the second verse fit perfectly the way that I miss my mom, even now.



5. Memories by Elvis Presley: My first recollection of this song was from watching the Aloha from Hawaii television special with my mom. Little did I know that only a few years later, the song would take on a whole new meaning for me.



6. These Dreams by Jim Croce: "And sometimes at night, I think I hear you calling my name...These dreams, they keep me going these days." Jim Croce wrote some of the most hauntingly beautiful tales of love gone bad that I have ever heard!



7. Honey by Bobby Goldsboro: This sad song is one that my mom and I used to listen and cry to together. Hmmmm....I wonder if my penchant for sad songs is genetic?



8. Alone Again (Naturally) by Gilbert O'Sullivan: When this song was first released in 1972, I became a lifelong fan of Gilbert O'Sullivan. This song did for me what Catcher in the Rye does for most teens; something about it spoke to my teenage angst. Along with "Miss You Nights," this song was one that I listened to quite a bit after my mom died.



9. Father and Son by Cat Stevens: One of my closest friends in high school was crazy for Cat Stevens and although I like a few of his songs, I never really considered myself a fan. About fifteen years ago, one of the Amazing Egyptian Dude's nephews came from Germany (the AED's brother emigrated from Egypt to Germany, where he married, had two sons, divorced, and died) to spend some time with us. Ramses reintroduced me to Cat Stevens through this song which he said, perfectly described the relationship he had with his father.



Here's the same song, performed in 2007 by a much older Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam. The song takes on a whole new meaning when the singer is a father himself as evidenced in the more reflective sound of his voice!



10. Impossible Dream by Luther Vandross: The story of Don Quixote is one of my all-time favorites, probably because I can relate to his idealism on so many levels. I love the way this song expresses that idealism and will listen to it no matter who is singing, but Luther Vandross' version is my favorite; the power and beauty of his voice add an element of poignancy to the lyrics that other artists seem to miss.



11. Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel: The combination of a beautiful melody and heartfelt lyrics in this song get me every time. I'm a great fan of Simon and Garfunkel and love all of their music, but this song is, for me, their very best.



12. Not Ready to Make Nice by The Dixie Chicks: This song doesn't move me to tears as much for the lyrics as for the story behind the reason why Natalie Mains felt compelled to write it. That country music fans, a group of people who call themselves "patriots," could so easily cast aside the free speech that the First Amendment guarantees when they don't like what someone says yet implement that same right to destroy careers is more than enough reason to make me cry. If that's "patriotism," you can keep it, 'cause I'm not ready to make nice, either!




13. Danny Boy: You don't have to be Irish to be moved to tears by this beautiful expression of a father's acknowledgment that his son must leave home and how much he will be missed. I've chosen a few of versions of this immensely popular cover song.

Declan Galbraith's version:


Celtic Woman's version:


Jim Reeves' version:



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Random Thoughts on Tuesday
Carleen
  • It's been a while since I posted anything about having problems sleeping, which is a good thing because it meant that there wasn't a problem. Like everything else related to Chiari, I never know when the demon of insomnia is going to emerge from the cave and make itself known until it happens. And it has happened. Bleh! I'm back to sleeping a couple of hours and being awake for three or four, all day and all night long. How this is going to work when it comes time to go to class is beyond me. I'll just have to play it by ear.
  • I missed a documentary on HBO last night that I have been waiting to see ever since I heard about it from the Sundance Film Festival. The film, Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech, directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus, "examines the balancing act between protecting civil liberties and national security in a post-9/11 world, asking whether all speech is equally free," according to HBO's website. Now I have to monitor the TV schedule to see when it will air again and mark it on the calendar on my iPhone so that I don't miss it a second time!
  • Last night, I heard on the news about a plane crash involving a Yemeni airlines flight over the island of Comoros. At that time, the 150 passengers were not expected to have survived. Just minutes ago, though (it's just before 3:30 a.m.), CNN reported that a toddler was pulled ALIVE from the wreckage! Alhamdullilah ---> in English, that's Thank God!
  • So I took the plunge, made a decision, and filled out the questionnaire for the person whom I chose to design my new blog template. Boohoo for me, her queue is full until sometime in July. :( This would be a good time to remind myself that patience is a virtue, LOL!


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Thursday Thirteen: Books with Universal Themes
Carleen

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Most people are familiar with the literary masterpieces that are often called the "great books." Mark Twain joked that a "classic" is "a book which people praise but don't read." My list today is made up of thirteen "great books" that I believe everyone, irrespective of language, gender, culture, or religion, should read because they express themes that transcend all of these boundaries designed to make us think we're different and demonstrate just how similar we really are.

1. The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone by Sophocles
  • fate vs. free will
  • Is it better to be "blind" to the truth or to uncover and "see" no matter the cost?
  • laws of man vs. divine laws
2. All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
  • horrors of war for all involved
  • dangers of nationalism
  • war is not a romantic adventure
3. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
  • change vs. tradition
  • What does it mean to be a "man"?
  • importance of language
4. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
  • qualities of a strong leader
  • the power of political deception
  • types of governing strategies
5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • laws vs. customs
  • compassion vs. justice
  • importance of education
6. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
  • the necessity of law and order
  • individualism vs. community
  • man vs. nature
7. Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
  • man vs. nature
  • knowledge vs. ignorance
  • western civilization vs. eastern civilization
8. Children of the Alley by Naguib Mahfouz
  • the importance of memory
  • new ideas vs. old traditions
  • tyranny vs. justice
9. 'On Liberty' and Other Writings by John Stewart Mill
  • civil liberties
  • importance of free speech
  • social contract
10. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
  • censorship
  • life and death
  • knowledge is power
11. King Lear by William Shakespeare
  • political authority vs. chaos
  • father/daughter relationships
  • If both the wicked and the good die, what is justice?
12. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
  • appearances vs. reality
  • frailty vs. strength
  • revenge vs. justice
13. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
  • law vs. morality
  • selflessness vs. selfishness
  • freedom vs. slavery



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Al Jazeera English: What's to Fear?
Carleen
Back in 2006, when Al Jazeera English, the English language sister news channel to Al Jazeera in Arabic, launched, I really wanted to watch it. I called our satellite company and asked which channel number it would be assigned, only to discover that they had no intention of carrying the station -- ever. When I asked why, I was told in no uncertain terms that this company did not support "terror television." Since the channel was brand new, I wondered how they had determined that it broadcast "terror" and decided to shop for a cable service that carried it instead. My luck was no better in that arena than it had been with the satellite provider. Just like the kid who has never tasted spinach announces that he doesn't like it, our local satellite and cable providers had blacklisted Al Jazeera English before the station had had an opportunity to prove itself.
"Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage." -- Winston Churchill

Three years later, the new satellite system that the Amazing Egyptian Dude had installed several months ago has given us access to Al-Jazeera English under the Free-to-Air format. I have been able to watch it and assess for myself just how much "terror" the station broadcasts. Instead of "terror television," as countless fear and many believe it is, I have found Al-Jazeera English to be a news source every bit as valuable to the American audience as the Western mega news channels.

Much like CNN, Al-Jazeera English's hosts and reporters come from around the world. With such a diverse base, the channel is able to offer a true global perspective on the news. Take, for example, the case of Josh Rushing, whose report on Fault Lines, "Lone Star: The Death of a Small Town," chronicles the decline of the steel industry in his hometown of Lone Star, Texas, and illustrates how a small town with a population of less than 1700 people is dying because of the current economic crisis. The coverage of California's budget crisis and its impact on the state's poor in "California: Failed State" has been exemplary, as well. I suppose, though, that considering how bad off the Golden State really is at the moment, one could call this report, at least, "terror television." All in all, though, I fail to see what the hype and fear-mongering over Al Jazeera English is all about.

More and more, news reporting has become like the informercials that plague late, late night television: full of hype, rife with loaded language, and often downright comical to watch. CNN says it delivers “All news, all the time”; FOX claims to offer “Fair and balanced news reporting”; MSNBC uses technology to deliver "a fuller spectrum of news." Bells, whistles, catchy tag lines, slogans, and visually appealing hosts aside, each of these mega news channels claims to report the news. While this all sounds well and good, the truth of the matter is that even in the No-Spin Zone, far more spinning than reporting takes place on these channels. MSNBC caters to the far left, FOX delivers news with a distinctive far right twist, and CNN feeds both audiences.

Perhaps because I have a background in language analysis and research, or maybe just because I love to argue (not in the negative sense as in to scream and hurl insults, but to weigh the pros and cons of an issue using reason, logic, and facts), I learned long ago never to rely on a single source for important information. Recalling my mom's wise advice to me and my sisters whenever we fought with one another, I know that the truth lies somewhere in the middle of the "my side vs. your side" equation. And it is that middle ground, that truth, that I strive to find. Thus when it comes to the news, I follow a single story from multiple sources, analyzing the use of language, word choices, and presentation of facts to determine wherein that middle ground, or truth, can be found. It's not as hard as one might think to figure out a news source's position on an issue just by examining word choices and understanding denotation and connotation.

Mega news channels do have their place in American society. They all spin events to suit the ideology of their viewing audience; they are, after all, for profit entities and without an adequate rating to generate advertising dollars, these mega channels would fail. For those of us who long for the days of old-fashioned news reporting Edward R. Murrow style, however, they all leave a much to be desired.

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Random Thoughts on Tuesday
Carleen
Sherlock, you're quite the inspiration! Not only did you inspire me to fix up my blog's template, but your post of random thoughts has inspired me to start a meme for myself -- Random Thoughts on Tuesday. From now on, I won't feel compelled to come up with a formal post on Tuesday mornings; instead, I'll just post a collection of whatever pops into my head when I hit the keyboard. This could be fun, frightening, thought provoking, comment invoking, interesting, or maybe even entertaining. Let's see what happens!
  • Is anyone besides me starting to get worried about the Swine Flu and its potential to become a deadly pandemic? This morning, I found an interesting article in the Times (UK edition -- because I love to read interntional newspapers) called "Ten Facts About Swine Flu" and one of those facts is that "The most lethal flu pandemic of the past century was also caused by a swine flu strain. One billion people are thought to have contracted "Spanish flu" in 1918-19, of whom around 50 million were killed - although the death toll could have been much higher." Now, isn't that just what we all needed to know?
  • I'm becoming addicted to blog widgets. There are so many nifty and fun things to put on a blog these days that I have to force myself to remember that not everyone has a high speed internet connection and that too many widgets can slow the load time significantly on a dial-up service. Maybe I could satisfy my widget addiction by rotating them a couple of times a month. . .
  • My 50th birthday is coming up in about three weeks, and I've been trying to figure out what I want. Ok, well, actually I know what I want; I'm just having a hard time justifying its purchase, LOL! It's kind of hard to build a convincing argument for a $250 iPhone case!
  • Today is D-Day for my retirement paperwork. I will take the last of it to HR after my class this afternoon and see what comes next. It took forever to get the info I needed from one of the community colleges and although I finally got it on Friday, I'm not sure that it's all that I needed from them. Let's just say the employee from payroll was anything but interested in helping me. Maybe, fingers crossed, what I have is enough to get the ball rolling to coordinate the pensions between the two plans for which I qualify.
  • On the censorship front, the ALA (American Library Association) has released its list of the Top 10 Challenged Books for 2008. I wasn't surprised to see that And Tango Makes Three remained at the top of the list from last year. What I did find interesting, though, is that none of Judy Blume's books made the top 10 this time! Ms. Blume does, however, remain the most frequently challenged author in American history. What an honor!
If you want to join in the fun of random ramblings, just post five random thoughts this Tuesday. Enjoy!
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