It's so true!IZ
Sunday, 27 May 2007
Friday, 25 May 2007
Humanitarian Intervention 101
The question that has most plagued the minds of all those people who have a conscience and a deep desire to see justice and the fruits of liberty for all the oppressed peoples of the world is: what is the most effective form of humanitarian intervention? How does one go about freeing the globe's dispossessed of the inequities under which they must labour?
Here is an interesting and informative video, consisting mostly of highlights from a feature-length film which will be out later this year, which delves deeply into these questions. As you can see it contrasts two alternative views of humanitarian intervention. One is patently ineffective , crippled by outmoded and unrealistic ideologies and therefore bound to play into the hands of the very people who benefit from the oppression and exploitation of the weak. The other approach clearly seems to be a far more effective and efficient form of interventionism, based on a pragmatic appraisal of matters and a serious engagement with all the parties involved.
The video also engages with the heart-rending and difficult process of deciding whether to pursue interventionist as opposed to isolationist policies. Clearly and succinctly, the point is made that as tempting as isolationism may be in an increasingly disordered and chaotic world, those values and principles that we hold most dear compel us to intervene to improve matters as best we can.
A poignant and informative look at where the west is today, as well as a powerful vision of the way forward. As the padre in the video prays "it is in giving we receive."
IZ
Here is an interesting and informative video, consisting mostly of highlights from a feature-length film which will be out later this year, which delves deeply into these questions. As you can see it contrasts two alternative views of humanitarian intervention. One is patently ineffective , crippled by outmoded and unrealistic ideologies and therefore bound to play into the hands of the very people who benefit from the oppression and exploitation of the weak. The other approach clearly seems to be a far more effective and efficient form of interventionism, based on a pragmatic appraisal of matters and a serious engagement with all the parties involved.
The video also engages with the heart-rending and difficult process of deciding whether to pursue interventionist as opposed to isolationist policies. Clearly and succinctly, the point is made that as tempting as isolationism may be in an increasingly disordered and chaotic world, those values and principles that we hold most dear compel us to intervene to improve matters as best we can.
A poignant and informative look at where the west is today, as well as a powerful vision of the way forward. As the padre in the video prays "it is in giving we receive."
IZ
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
The Order of the Stick!
A most amusing web-comic, based on an AD&D dungeon crawl. It maintains a story-line throughout, making it most addictive.
IZ
IZ
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Hell, its About Time!
Ah... its been a long time coming. But now its finally on its way.
IZ
P.S. User-Friendly is another amusing web-comic.
IZ
P.S. User-Friendly is another amusing web-comic.
DM of the Rings!
This is one of the funniest web-comics I've ever come across. Its a hilarious look at Lord of the Rings, as if it were an AD&D campaign that today's players were playing through.
Particularly funny if you have at any point in time played AD&D. Even funnier if you have been a DM in an AD&D game.
Here's a taste:
Now go to the site and read it from the beginning
IZ
Particularly funny if you have at any point in time played AD&D. Even funnier if you have been a DM in an AD&D game.
Here's a taste:
Now go to the site and read it from the beginningIZ
Monday, 21 May 2007
A New Way to Say Hooray! (For April)
Firstly, I'm not sure why I titled this entry as 'A New Way to Say Hooray!' other than because its the title of a song by Shpongle that I listen to off and on...
Now I thought I was being all hoity toity by upgrading my 65 book challenge to a 75 book challenge, when I came across this dude! He's already read 100 books by the end of April... and in 7 different languages! Bah!
Anyhoo, I have come to the realisation that I am never going to actually get around to posting up reviews of all the books that I've read here. So, I thought I'd just post up lists of stuff that I've read - like a round up for each month.
So here's what I read in April:
1. Storm Front - Jim Butcher
2. The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury (re-read)
3. Every Man for Himself - Beryl Bainbridge
4. Letters From Atlantis - Robert Silverberg
5. Hybrids - Robert J. Sawyer
6. The Briar King - Greg Keyes
7. The Charnel Prince - Greg Keyes
8. Floating Worlds - Cecelia Holland
9. Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Hybrids was a very bland and rather disappointing finale to the Neanderthal Parallax series. The Briar King and The Charnel Prince were a fine pair of books to kick off the epic fantasy series: The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone. Storm Front is the first in the now super famous (and made into TV show) Dresden Files series of books that blends noir and urban fantasy elements. It was okay: nothing special but I wouldn't rule out reading more by the author. Letters from Atlantis was a fine novella by Silverberg. I'm beginning to realise that he was a pretty good writer after all, after having given up on him when I read 3 of his books with exactly the same plot back in the 90s. The Illustrated Man is a classic short story collection and should be read and re-read by every man, woman and child on God's green Earth (or anywhere else).
Every Man For Himself is an elegant book set during the voyage of the Titanic - I've now read two outstanding books by Beryl Bainbridge and if her other books are as good she may well establish herself as one of my favourite authors. Floating Worlds was a lovely surprise - a thumping big space opera with an outstanding main character and filled to the brim with a feminist and anarchist sensibility, a la Le Guin. Its been a long, long time since I've read anything like it. Lastly there was Temeraire - fantasy bubble-gum that combines Master & Commander-like antics with dragons set in Napoleonic times. Fun, warm, and I must say I'm looking forward to see what it will turn out like when Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings fame) brings it to the big screen.
So I have finally reviewed (sort off) the stuff I read last month. Hooray!
IZ
Now I thought I was being all hoity toity by upgrading my 65 book challenge to a 75 book challenge, when I came across this dude! He's already read 100 books by the end of April... and in 7 different languages! Bah!
Anyhoo, I have come to the realisation that I am never going to actually get around to posting up reviews of all the books that I've read here. So, I thought I'd just post up lists of stuff that I've read - like a round up for each month.
So here's what I read in April:
1. Storm Front - Jim Butcher
2. The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury (re-read)
3. Every Man for Himself - Beryl Bainbridge
4. Letters From Atlantis - Robert Silverberg
5. Hybrids - Robert J. Sawyer
6. The Briar King - Greg Keyes
7. The Charnel Prince - Greg Keyes
8. Floating Worlds - Cecelia Holland
9. Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Hybrids was a very bland and rather disappointing finale to the Neanderthal Parallax series. The Briar King and The Charnel Prince were a fine pair of books to kick off the epic fantasy series: The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone. Storm Front is the first in the now super famous (and made into TV show) Dresden Files series of books that blends noir and urban fantasy elements. It was okay: nothing special but I wouldn't rule out reading more by the author. Letters from Atlantis was a fine novella by Silverberg. I'm beginning to realise that he was a pretty good writer after all, after having given up on him when I read 3 of his books with exactly the same plot back in the 90s. The Illustrated Man is a classic short story collection and should be read and re-read by every man, woman and child on God's green Earth (or anywhere else).
Every Man For Himself is an elegant book set during the voyage of the Titanic - I've now read two outstanding books by Beryl Bainbridge and if her other books are as good she may well establish herself as one of my favourite authors. Floating Worlds was a lovely surprise - a thumping big space opera with an outstanding main character and filled to the brim with a feminist and anarchist sensibility, a la Le Guin. Its been a long, long time since I've read anything like it. Lastly there was Temeraire - fantasy bubble-gum that combines Master & Commander-like antics with dragons set in Napoleonic times. Fun, warm, and I must say I'm looking forward to see what it will turn out like when Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings fame) brings it to the big screen.
So I have finally reviewed (sort off) the stuff I read last month. Hooray!
IZ
Hometown Baghdad
Somehow or the other I missed the Reality TV revolution. I've never actually watched an episode of any reality TV show, other than maybe a few seconds in between switching channels - nothing ever caught my eye.
Well except now. Hometown Baghdad makes for very interesting watching. Three twenty-something Baghdadis chronicle their lives. Each episode is a few minutes long and is distributed on the web. Its sometimes funny, sometimes sad... mostly sad I guess, but always moving. I would go on about it but its easier just to link to their webpage. I'd recommend watching the episodes in order. Some are better than others, but, as a whole, they are really give you an insight to some of what's happening in Baghdad outside of the news accounts and war stories.
IZ
Well except now. Hometown Baghdad makes for very interesting watching. Three twenty-something Baghdadis chronicle their lives. Each episode is a few minutes long and is distributed on the web. Its sometimes funny, sometimes sad... mostly sad I guess, but always moving. I would go on about it but its easier just to link to their webpage. I'd recommend watching the episodes in order. Some are better than others, but, as a whole, they are really give you an insight to some of what's happening in Baghdad outside of the news accounts and war stories.
IZ
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