Archive for June, 2007

News: In addition…

Jun 28, 2007 News

Wow, another…I guess I’m kicking back after not posting for a while…but also because I forgot to add a comment on another piece of news I’ve been following:

BBC: [link]
I was quite surprised by this piece of news because, for starters, they are an oil-producing nation. Then I found out the reason for the rationing. But yeah, the fact that they didn’t warn the population well in advance would obviously upset them. What’s interesting I guess about this is that I thought the general population was a bit subdued under Ahmedinejadh and his government and I guess I was under that impression that they can’t outright denounce the government or criticize the government. But I guess what’s also interesting to note about this is how dangerous this decision could be, particularly since this sudden rationing affects most people. If they don’t find some way to balance out the nominal effects of this rationing, the backlash could be very bad for the government. One should never mess with the masses this way.

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News: Finally Posting

Jun 27, 2007 News

I am such a bum for not updating this blog more often…with summer holidays hitting, I seem to be slacking and doing other things than commenting on the news here; I have been skimming but there are days where there’s nothing going on that everyone’s repeating the same soundbite for a few weeks at the time. But today is an interesting day…no, I am not talking about the whole Paris Hilton craze, I am talking about the transition of leadership in the United Kingdom…

BBC: [link] [link]
So this is it, today was the day that Tony Blair officially stepped down at Prime Minister of Great Britain and Gordon Brown ascended to take his place. It’s a rather interesting process, far more interesting to tune in than the shift of leadership here in Canada. I guess it took me to today to realize the scope and the influence and the journey Mr. Blair has had throughout the course of his political career. The fact that he has served as the representative for his riding (forgot the British political equivalent to this term—is it borough?) for over 24 years is impressive. And despite recent criticism over his ties with the United States and his involvement with the war, he has certainly made an impact in British politics, particularly with Northern Ireland (as many have pointed out). Serving over 10 years in 10 Downing, how could you not make an impact? I also never realized until today how long Gordon Brown had been waiting to becoming PM of Great Britain, and it’s funny how the press (okay, BBC World, since it’s my main source of information, lol) emphasizes on this. And he too had a very long journey into coming to power the way that he did…however, as impressive as his record was as Chancellor of the Exchequer, I wonder about the sort of PM he would be. Handling the business of an entire country is certainly different than handling the Treasury (however big and important that department is to a nation). And he certainly doesn’t seem like the personality of a leader (Blair was charismatic and open to people; Brown seems sombre, a man who seems more fit to play behind the scenes). He will certainly have to do a lot to win the support of the people, that he is meant to be where he’s at—and although people have mentioned that he has three years before he’s required to call for a general election, I have this feeling it’ll be called sooner. I just hope his time as PM doesn’t turn out as failing as Canada’s Paul Martin (remember that he too was Minister of Finance before succeeding Jean Cretien as Prime Minister of Canada…after about 2 years, he and his party were kicked out of power in a national election).

The London Times: [link]
The fact that Blair’s not taking much of a breather and is heading off to the Middle East as an envoy is quite impressive; you think that after 10 years in public office, the first thing you’d think of is “Hmm, it’d be nice to do nothing for the next year or so”. Of course, the move is, however fascinating as it is, subject to immense scrutiny and criticism. After all, he was the major ally that supported the invasion of Iraq so obviously his political clout is somewhat under question in the region. However, the fact that officially he was accepted by the Quartet and that most people living in the region supports his appointment seems to show not only that Blair still carries some clout and influence but that (perhaps I am bold to say this) Great Britain still has some clout and influence in the region. Although most of the Middle East was under its dominion during the Imperial periods of the 18c and 19c, there was always that understanding that the peoples of the Middle East would rather deal with the British and the Europeans more readily than with the Americans. We’ll have to see where this goes.

And two more points to add:

  • Canada should adopt the UK Parliamentary set-up and sit side by side on green cushy seats as opposed to the school-desk cubicles that they have right now. It gives a more cosy, democratic environment as opposed to the distant and sterile environment that the Canadian House of Commons (and perhaps other Commonwealth Parliaments) have. It’s good to know the tradition is alive and well where MPs are still squeezing between one another to stay comfortable, where MPs in the back have to stand up to voice their questions and critiques and party leaders have to stand up to the centre table to answer or give their reports. Good ol’ original British parliamentary sytem.
  • “I wish everyone, friend or foe, well. And that is that. The end.” – Tony Blair in conclusion of his session in Parliament. That has got to be the best last line any politician has ever made on their last day in the job. I wish I was as cool to come up with something like that.

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Review: Mansfield Park

Jun 24, 2007 Books

Mansfield Park
By: Jane Austen

At long last I have gotten around to the last of Jane Austen’s major novels. I was initially quite wary of reading it in part because of how many people said it was not as exciting as her other works and in part because it was just so hefty. But nonetheless I managed to read it…there is no doubt that this was Austen’s most society-conscious novel; from rank to upbringing to marriage relations all came down to society and your place in it. Central to this story is Fanny Price, the daughter of a drunken sailor and a woman who was demoted from her social standing. She is sent to live with her aunt and uncle, the Bertrams, in Mansfield Park, as a sort of investment and as a way to help Mrs. Bertram’s fallen sister. From there, as Fanny grows up, she is faced with all sorts of challenges that would test the character of both herself and her cousins. I know some have said that the character of Fanny is just too good for a human being, but she does perseveres from temptations and follies brought on by the lure of society and so forth. And you can’t help but feel for the character; she doesn’t talk as much as the other characters, particularly in the first half of the story, and you feel like reaching out and fighting back for her whenever someone like Mrs. Norris looks down at her and reminds her constantly of her place in society. She can be quite plain but it’s her humility and modesty that makes her rather quiet and often an observer to whatever’s going on around her. She has a quiet sort of strength, which, despite her constant despair/anxiety, was evident around the later chapters (chapter 30 and onward). I guess in some respects, I ended up relating to her in some ways because I also am quiet in that sense…the novel did end rather abruptly, Austen could have fleshed out the ending into two chapters instead of cramming it all into one. I do love how there were odd sentences here and there that came out as fairly amusing: like Mrs. Bertram telling Fanny she’s give her a puppy the next time Pug has a litter of them or what Mr. Bertram thought of Mrs. Norris at the end of the novel. All in all, it’s not my favourite Jane Austen novel of them all but it is quite interesting…

Rating: ★★★☆☆

More information about Jane Austen can be read here || Order from chapters.indigo.ca

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Review: Northanger Abbey

Jun 17, 2007 Books

Northanger Abbey
By: Jane Austen

Continuing my Jane Austen craze, I decided to read Northanger Abbey after seeing the 2007 ITV adaptation of the book (definitely worth checking out, it was quite enjoyable). I know the general sentiment is that this book is not up to par with the other Jane Austen books, and considering that this was actually the first book she completed, that was understandable. But I decided to read this before Mansfield Park because it was a surprisingly slender volume. I was surprised to learn was a quick read it was as well; the first part deals primarily with the social situation that Catherine Norland, the main character, is in and the second part deals more with the Gothic parody. I’ve never read Gothic novels, so this was a rather interesting introduction to the genre, but you can’t help but relate to Catherine; I know my imagination has a tendency to run when I read novels. But the plot is straightforward, amusing, interesting…but I don’t think it’s like those typical triangles you see in other Austen books (i.e. Mr. Darcy is attached to Elizabeth but she’s interested in Mr. Wickham or Emma is fascinated by Mr. Churchill and doesn’t realize Mr. Knightley’s affections): here it seems right of the bat that Catherine and Mr. Tilney are interested in one another and that there was no way that Mr. Thorpe would be able to compete for Catherine’s affections. It’s a cute story overall, very lighthearted in comparison to the other Jane Austen books and I don’t think it should be overlooked.

Rating: ★★★★☆

More information about Jane Austen can be read here || Order from chapters.indigo.ca

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Review: Emma

Jun 17, 2007 Books

Emma
By: Jane Austen

I admit, I’ve been in a bit of a Jane Austen craze as of late, watching all the adaptations I could find. And so I finally got around to finishing this book. I admit, it was pretty dense, like reading Pride and Prejudice for the very first time back in high school and at times I needed to refer to sparknotes.com just to make sure I understood what was going on. But it is an amusing read, reading as Emma attempts to match Harriet Smith to a number of men while at the same time figuring that she herself would never settle down and marry. At times it can be tedious, wondering when Emma would ever truly give up matching Harriet up with someone or wondering if Emma would ever get off some of the embarrassing situations she managed to get herself into. My favourite parts of the book definitely has to be whenever Mr. Knightley and Emma would talk (Chapter 48/49 is probably my favourite from the entire book). The issues of marriage and social standing are very prominent in this book, much as in many other Jane Austen books, but you do get a sense of the comedic effect going through the book. It’s not my favourite Austen book, but it was quite amusing nonetheless.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

More information about Jane Austen’s work can be read here || Order from chapters.indigo.ca

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Review: The Russia Hand

Jun 17, 2007 Books

The Russia Hand: A Memoir of Presidential Diplomacy
By: Strobe Talbott

Okay, I normally do not read memoirs or autobiographies unless they are really really interesting (prior to picking this book up, I had a grand total of maybe three books that are considered memoirs/biographies). In fact, I initially did not bother picking up this book despite my interest in Russian history and politics but after reading the reviews for this book and the fact that my bookstore was recommending it, I decided to check it out. Strobe Talbott is a very impressive man; his academic credentials, his experience prior to becoming deputy-Secretary of State…very interesting indeed. And he wrote a very concise and clear memoir about his time as deputy-Secretary of State and his hand in Russian-American diplomacy during the Clinton Administration (perhaps another reason why I didn’t want to pick this book up originally). He does give a very interesting look at not only Clinton’s way of handling foreign leaders and relationships and about Yeltsin’s political tactics but he also showed a very interesting and rather detailed glimpse as to how foreign policy is conducted through these summits and visits. He also gives an interesting take on how American-Russian relations were during this period and how important it was especially since they had entered a “post-Cold War” period. The only issue I had about the book was the narrative in Chapter 15; Mr. Talbott had written the narrative chronologically but in Chapter 15, there was a bit of a fling back to the late Cold War period and then the dealings with the nuclear program problems and failed treaties in the 1990s. It’s a bit jarring since the rest of the book proceeded in a relatively well pace and chronologically. Otherwise, a great read, very fascinating and useful if you’re into Russian history, Russian politics and international relations.

Rating: ★★★★★

Information about Mr. Talbott can be found here || Order from chapters.indigo.ca

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Review: The Blood Knight

Jun 17, 2007 Books

The Blood Knight
By: Greg Keyes

The Blood Knight is the third book in Greg Keyes’s Kingdom of Thorns and Bone fantasy series (there are four books in this series). If you have never heard of this fantasy series, I definitely recommend it—it’s a unique series, the detail of the world in which this story takes place is just astonishing and the scope is amazing…Keyes has a knack for weaving all these intricate storylines and colourful characters together for this epic. It’s hard to summarize what this story is about…needless to say, it’s a real mix of politics, love, betrayal, mystery, suspense, war and shinecraft…the world of humans is changing with the reawakening of old forces and at the center of this story is the youngest daughter of the Royal family, Anne Dare. It’s a fairly dark fantasy in my opinion; the terror that these characters face are pretty dark and freaky in a way that I don’t think I’ve really come across in other fantasy series I’ve read, at least not at this level, which makes it even more engulfing. Book Three, The Blood Knight is action-packed from start to finish and the continuity is very much there (though I do hope that there will be some sort of appendix at the end of all this because I’ve been losing track of some of the lesser characters). There is a sense of the hefty risks attached to what’s going on getting even larger. I think this book wraps up much of the political problems that were laid down in book one, I guess to make way for the showdown with the more earth-shattering problems in this world. We do get some revelations, such as about the Sefry and we get to see more development in all of our characters, particularly Anne’s rise to becoming a truly queen-ly figure. The last few chapters were especially a kicker, which means the last book, The Born Queen (coming out in January 2008) will start right off the bat. All in all, a very enjoyable read to a very interesting fantasy series.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Visit his official website || Order from chapters.indigo.ca

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