I am a Canadian citizen.
There has only been one war on Canadian soil (not counting the wars between the French and English), and that was when we were attacked by Americans in 1812.
Other than that, no Canadian soldier has ever died for my rights. We got our independence from Britain through words. Our soldiers have died and are dying to protect the rights of other people, not mine. But soldiers are soldiers. They kill innocent civilians. 98% of all those killed in modern warfare are innocent civilians, not excluding women and children and including men who are not fighters. They rape innocent civilians. There are videos produced by news crews that are not allowed to broadcast in the United States about soldiers laughing as they mercilessly shot a father and his kids and then blew up a van that tried to rescue the wounded.
People want me to support the troops. I will not support the troops until I have proof that 100% of them are WORTH supporting. Until then, they can either come home and go to jail, because that's where most of them would end up if they were normal citizens, or they can continue to get themselves killed by an enemy that the media has demon-ized, but are really just normal human beings fighting for what they see as the right way.
I personally want soldiers to all come home now, and let the NGO's do the real work in the current war zones. An NGO doesn't kill people.
Now you might start asking me, well, what about 2001, 9/11? Well, more American soldiers have died since the outbreak of the war than American people did in the attack. 100,000s of innocent people have died at the hands of American soldiers. There's your revenge. Americans have to stop thinking about revenge and start maturing.
Revenge is so middle schooler.
Blessed be us
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Death Penalty April 25, 2010
My host grandmother came back from Osaka (or Tokyo) the other day, so today I ended up with a golden bear cell phone strap, what seems to be tiny, cute note paper, a prayer plaque from some 八坂神社(I don't know the romaji for that, but it means Eight Hills Shrine in English), a pretty little handkerchief and some more paper cranes. The last trip she went on, she brought me back cat note paper.
I just finished watching some news from Aljazeera and I found myself reminded that the death penalty is still legal in my lovely neighbour to the south. Why is there such thing as a death penalty in the modern world? If you kill a murderer, you yourself are a murderer, that murderer's family do not find themselves at ease once their family member is killed and the victim's family members do not rejoice either. It seems like a waste of life.
Sure, prisons fill up quickly, but for life without parole individuals, you could make them work at jobs that educated people don't want to do, and it would help the country out. There is also rehabilitation. If you can make sure that the individual is safe to go back into society, release them. There are so many tests and things you could do and that many of the advanced countries in the Scandinavian region do to make sure that criminals are fit for society. There is a much lower crime rate in those countries. Even jail for a short time can ruin an individuals life, and they find themselves repeating past actions because they have no other way to survive, say, having missed out on an education while in jail.
There are so many ways to just not use the death penalty. We as a people have moved beyond that--a medieval practice. Where is the compassion that the United States, a country filled most with Christian-faith followers, teaches? Why is there still government ok-ed torture and murder happening?
My fellow North Americans, where is your freedom?
A murderer, most often than not, is a person who has a mental handicap. What sort of person can take another person's life other than someone who has a lot of problems? Think for yourself, imagine going up to someone and killing them, for any numerous reasons that you may or may not have thought of. We all hate someone. Could you put your hands around their throat and watch as the light drains from their eyes? If you are a normally functioning person, then you should answer no to this question. I could never take the life of someone, no matter how much I hate them or say I would love to kill them. In reality, this is morbid, not the topic of a movie or a drama. Could you then, out of compassion, fix what is wrong with a murderer, so that they never take life again? There is therapy for mentally handicapped people, why is there no therapy for murderers, who are also a type of handicapped persons?
You say, "I hope that person gets the death penalty," but could you pull the trigger, is death penalties reversed from a needle back to a gun? Could you look that person in the eye if they killed your loved one and shoot them? Maybe you could. I would not be able to. The person I am pointing the gun at, the person who killed my loved one, is human too.
I am human. They are human. Why would I take their life and make myself like them? We're taught these lessons in kindergarten, and through the Bible or any other multiple cultures that have the "do unto other as you would do unto yourself".
That's all for now.
May we be blessed.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Spiritual Paths April 23, 2010
I had an interesting day today, which started out first by dressing in my school uniform P.E. clothes and going to a bus station to meet with my Japanese classmates. From there we were taken by bus to the middle of nowhere to enjoy nature.
I happen to like nature, but I don't like trying to enjoy it with a thousand other people. I also ended up getting muddy and wet, so when it started to sprinkle out I was already cold and tired!
When I got home, I changed and went back out and I had a wonderful "the earth is a beautiful place" moment, or, a very long stretch of time where I was in a very peaceful mood.
I found myself standing on a steep, cobblestone road with early spring sunshine warming my back. I was watching these little sparrows chattering and buzzing around me and I could suddenly breathe away all the tension in my body. The little birds and the nice weather after such a cloudy, dismal morning really cheered me up. As I strode on, I felt lighthearted. From there, I spoke with a trio of strangers and drank coffee with them. Everyone seemed so happy.
On the way home I ran into a male version of my puppy at home in Canada and talked with its owner, I spoke with two little girls no older than eight or nine years old. They had all the future in their eyes, and seemed to have the strongest characters of any girls I had ever met. I shot pictures of a gorgeous sunset, and a very furry dog ran up to me before its owner could catch up while I found myself staring up at sparrows who seemed to be staring down at me. I got to watch the Japanese hawks wheel about in the sky, and I realized how beautiful everywhere is, no matter where one lives.
If you chose to live in a place different from where you grew up, you more easily see the magic within everything.
God is inherent in everything we can see and touch and be, and God is everywhere that we can't. What is God to you and what is God to me may be different, but the message is still the same. When you wave your hand through the air, you have brushed fingers with God. When you hold a loved one close, you have embraced God. When you breathe in the scent of flowers, hear the cries of birds and the humming of the ocean, you have been touched by God.
When you look at yourself in the mirror, this reflection too is also God.
May we be blessed.
I happen to like nature, but I don't like trying to enjoy it with a thousand other people. I also ended up getting muddy and wet, so when it started to sprinkle out I was already cold and tired!
When I got home, I changed and went back out and I had a wonderful "the earth is a beautiful place" moment, or, a very long stretch of time where I was in a very peaceful mood.
I found myself standing on a steep, cobblestone road with early spring sunshine warming my back. I was watching these little sparrows chattering and buzzing around me and I could suddenly breathe away all the tension in my body. The little birds and the nice weather after such a cloudy, dismal morning really cheered me up. As I strode on, I felt lighthearted. From there, I spoke with a trio of strangers and drank coffee with them. Everyone seemed so happy.
On the way home I ran into a male version of my puppy at home in Canada and talked with its owner, I spoke with two little girls no older than eight or nine years old. They had all the future in their eyes, and seemed to have the strongest characters of any girls I had ever met. I shot pictures of a gorgeous sunset, and a very furry dog ran up to me before its owner could catch up while I found myself staring up at sparrows who seemed to be staring down at me. I got to watch the Japanese hawks wheel about in the sky, and I realized how beautiful everywhere is, no matter where one lives.
If you chose to live in a place different from where you grew up, you more easily see the magic within everything.
God is inherent in everything we can see and touch and be, and God is everywhere that we can't. What is God to you and what is God to me may be different, but the message is still the same. When you wave your hand through the air, you have brushed fingers with God. When you hold a loved one close, you have embraced God. When you breathe in the scent of flowers, hear the cries of birds and the humming of the ocean, you have been touched by God.
When you look at yourself in the mirror, this reflection too is also God.
May we be blessed.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
April 18, 2010 Quebec Hijab Law
AlJazeeraEnglish on Youtube has recently reported on, what to me, is a devastating blow to what Canada and its people are supposed to stand for. Freedom.
Apparently 80% of all Canadians accept the new hijab law that is pending in courts. 95% of Quebec, where the law will be passed, are also in support. Women who choose to wear the hijab will be blocked from using government offered programs, such as schools, and government jobs.
Support of this new law goes something like "male relatives are pressuring these women into wearing what we see as a symbol of oppression". I think people are simply more afraid of the Muslim culture right now than they are of women being oppressed.
Hopefully I can find more information to comment on, but for now it seems to be a law of racism and fear. I am ashamed of my country.
Apparently 80% of all Canadians accept the new hijab law that is pending in courts. 95% of Quebec, where the law will be passed, are also in support. Women who choose to wear the hijab will be blocked from using government offered programs, such as schools, and government jobs.
Support of this new law goes something like "male relatives are pressuring these women into wearing what we see as a symbol of oppression". I think people are simply more afraid of the Muslim culture right now than they are of women being oppressed.
Hopefully I can find more information to comment on, but for now it seems to be a law of racism and fear. I am ashamed of my country.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Immigrant Deportation
Arizona has passed a new law stating that anyone who seems to be of immigrant status can be stopped by the police and questioned. If found without their immigration papers they can be detained and fined money.
But what if they are non-white American citizens? They won't feel the need to carry around citizenship papers in their own country, and they most certainly won't be carrying around immigration papers.
This law is a racist one. On top of the fact that a human being should be allowed to live wherever he or she wants to live, and especially if their labour is making the government money, then the government should not be concerned.
People in Arizona should be speaking out against the racists in their government. People all over the world should be fighting to protect their fellow man. I cannot understand how anyone could be so blind when there is information technology all around us. It makes me sick to my stomach knowing that too few people care about the situations around them.
May the gods bless.
But what if they are non-white American citizens? They won't feel the need to carry around citizenship papers in their own country, and they most certainly won't be carrying around immigration papers.
This law is a racist one. On top of the fact that a human being should be allowed to live wherever he or she wants to live, and especially if their labour is making the government money, then the government should not be concerned.
People in Arizona should be speaking out against the racists in their government. People all over the world should be fighting to protect their fellow man. I cannot understand how anyone could be so blind when there is information technology all around us. It makes me sick to my stomach knowing that too few people care about the situations around them.
May the gods bless.
Monday, April 5, 2010
April 5, 2010 BoA Love&Honesty Free Sample
Uploaded BoA today on my Japanese Music page
BoA
Love and Honesty:
1. http://www.mediafire.com/file/ddh1dmyjguz/01 Rock With You.m4a
2. http://www.mediafire.com/file/vnn0zluzd40/02 Shine We Are!.m4a
3. http://www.mediafire.com/file/nk0zmnz5mlm/03 Some DAY ONE DAY.m4a
4. http://www.mediafire.com/file/hjzmhw143w4/04 Love & Honesty.m4a
5. http://www.mediafire.com/file/ktgdyuzg1vt/05 Midnight Parade.m4a
6. http://www.mediafire.com/file/yw55m4knzzq/06 Be The One.m4a
7. http://www.mediafire.com/file/ncoojtj1cov/07 Expect.m4a
8. http://www.mediafire.com/file/mzeqrtg5hmz/08 Over ～Across The Time～.m4a
9. http://www.mediafire.com/file/ftmq5d3g1wh/09 心の手紙.m4a
10. http://www.mediafire.com/file/enkytl0nwhl/10 Double.m4a
11. http://www.mediafire.com/file/m2yc4mygqmn/11 Easy To Be Hard.m4a
12. http://www.mediafire.com/file/mtheuyna2tm/12 Song With No Name ～名前のない歌～.m4a
13. http://www.mediafire.com/file/mzdrnifwiy2/13 Milky Way -君の歌-.m4a
Please help by buying the CD!
And check out my other uploads on my page: http://h-r-c-b.blogspot.com/p/japanese-music-samples.html
BoA
Love and Honesty:
1. http://www.mediafire.com/file/ddh1dmyjguz/01 Rock With You.m4a
2. http://www.mediafire.com/file/vnn0zluzd40/02 Shine We Are!.m4a
3. http://www.mediafire.com/file/nk0zmnz5mlm/03 Some DAY ONE DAY.m4a
4. http://www.mediafire.com/file/hjzmhw143w4/04 Love & Honesty.m4a
5. http://www.mediafire.com/file/ktgdyuzg1vt/05 Midnight Parade.m4a
6. http://www.mediafire.com/file/yw55m4knzzq/06 Be The One.m4a
7. http://www.mediafire.com/file/ncoojtj1cov/07 Expect.m4a
8. http://www.mediafire.com/file/mzeqrtg5hmz/08 Over ～Across The Time～.m4a
9. http://www.mediafire.com/file/ftmq5d3g1wh/09 心の手紙.m4a
10. http://www.mediafire.com/file/enkytl0nwhl/10 Double.m4a
11. http://www.mediafire.com/file/m2yc4mygqmn/11 Easy To Be Hard.m4a
12. http://www.mediafire.com/file/mtheuyna2tm/12 Song With No Name ～名前のない歌～.m4a
13. http://www.mediafire.com/file/mzdrnifwiy2/13 Milky Way -君の歌-.m4a
Please help by buying the CD!
And check out my other uploads on my page: http://h-r-c-b.blogspot.com/p/japanese-music-samples.html
Sunday, April 4, 2010
April 5, 2010 I Am A Cat
Well, I have survived another April Fools day without so much trouble and Easter has passed unremarkable in the Country of the Rising Sun. For the last few months I have been lazily making my way through the book "I Am a Cat" by Natsume Souseki (the English version). Souseki is an amazing writer, but sometimes the book gets a little dry, or I can't seem to follow the purpose behind the main character's (who has no name!) digressions.
I am more fond of Kokoro, which is shorter, and really keeps the reader guessing as they go through the book. Kokoro tells the tale of a young man finding his place in the world through an older man who never really could. It speaks of the trials of love and family relations in a rapidly developing 20th century Japan. Throughout both Kokoro and I Am a Cat, the reader can find the hints and subtleties of what could be called Japanese sexism. At points in I Am a Cat, I often find myself irked at how Souseki portrays the wife and servant characters. They often say things like "since I am a woman, I cannot understand what you are saying".
Many Japanese anime lovers might be prone to tell me that I am being racist when I call the Japanese sexist, but they are sexist, unfortunately. It's sort of a "romantic medieval" sexism, where men want to protect their women, but in this modern day women do not need to be protected--we can do it ourselves! Japanese culture has sexism inherent in it, right down to the building blocks of the language. For example: 女 this symbol means "woman". 安 while this symbol (note the smaller version of the symbol for woman) means "cheap" or "inexpensive".
Japanese are also (though it is slowly disappearing) anti-left handed people. It is considered incredibly rude to hold the chopsticks with the left hand. I feel out of place to say these sorts of things, for who am I to say what one culture believes in wrong? Maybe left handed people really are evil! But I don't believe so, and I believe that the Japanese will be forced to change by modernization.
But for those of you who want to discover how the Japanese think (or used to think), I believe that reading Souseki is a good idea, which is why I've included some links in amazon.com to where you may find the books, but there doesn't seem to be many English versions there. Search Amazon.com for natsume souseki
if you buy anything at the amazon provided link, I may be rewarded with cash.
the following links are free and do not give me cash!
But, here is the google books English Version http://books.google.ca/books?id=SYkS-Vj-g3wC&printsec=frontcover&dq=I+Am+a+Cat&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false for I Am a Cat, and this way is eco friendly! (though I personally would rather own the book)
Here is the Chapters.com link http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Am-Cat-Three-Volumes-One-Soseki-Natsume-Aiko-Ito/9780804832656-item.html?ref=Books:+Search+Top+Sellers buy it new for 18.44 (Canadian) or buy it used starting from 12.79
Kokoro (Used: 11.34, New 14.06 (CAD) ) http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Penguin-Classics-Kokoro-Natsume-Soseki-Mckinney/9780143106036-item.html?ref=Books:+Search+Top+Sellers
Kokoro (Free) http://books.google.ca/books?id=obTZP1S0aXMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Kokoro&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false
If you would like to learn Japanese Kanji (Kanji - Chinese characters):
http://books.google.ca/books?id=BCGylyOazSYC&pg=PA436&dq=Tuttle+Kanji+Kana+1945&cd=2#v=onepage&q=Tuttle%20Kanji%20Kana%201945&f=false (free)
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/search?keywords=Kanji%20Kana%20Tuttle&pageSize=10 (various different kinds)
Thank you for reading
May the gods bless
I am more fond of Kokoro, which is shorter, and really keeps the reader guessing as they go through the book. Kokoro tells the tale of a young man finding his place in the world through an older man who never really could. It speaks of the trials of love and family relations in a rapidly developing 20th century Japan. Throughout both Kokoro and I Am a Cat, the reader can find the hints and subtleties of what could be called Japanese sexism. At points in I Am a Cat, I often find myself irked at how Souseki portrays the wife and servant characters. They often say things like "since I am a woman, I cannot understand what you are saying".
Many Japanese anime lovers might be prone to tell me that I am being racist when I call the Japanese sexist, but they are sexist, unfortunately. It's sort of a "romantic medieval" sexism, where men want to protect their women, but in this modern day women do not need to be protected--we can do it ourselves! Japanese culture has sexism inherent in it, right down to the building blocks of the language. For example: 女 this symbol means "woman". 安 while this symbol (note the smaller version of the symbol for woman) means "cheap" or "inexpensive".
Japanese are also (though it is slowly disappearing) anti-left handed people. It is considered incredibly rude to hold the chopsticks with the left hand. I feel out of place to say these sorts of things, for who am I to say what one culture believes in wrong? Maybe left handed people really are evil! But I don't believe so, and I believe that the Japanese will be forced to change by modernization.
But for those of you who want to discover how the Japanese think (or used to think), I believe that reading Souseki is a good idea, which is why I've included some links in amazon.com to where you may find the books, but there doesn't seem to be many English versions there. Search Amazon.com for natsume souseki
if you buy anything at the amazon provided link, I may be rewarded with cash.the following links are free and do not give me cash!
But, here is the google books English Version http://books.google.ca/books?id=SYkS-Vj-g3wC&printsec=frontcover&dq=I+Am+a+Cat&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false for I Am a Cat, and this way is eco friendly! (though I personally would rather own the book)
Here is the Chapters.com link http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Am-Cat-Three-Volumes-One-Soseki-Natsume-Aiko-Ito/9780804832656-item.html?ref=Books:+Search+Top+Sellers buy it new for 18.44 (Canadian) or buy it used starting from 12.79
Kokoro (Used: 11.34, New 14.06 (CAD) ) http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Penguin-Classics-Kokoro-Natsume-Soseki-Mckinney/9780143106036-item.html?ref=Books:+Search+Top+Sellers
Kokoro (Free) http://books.google.ca/books?id=obTZP1S0aXMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Kokoro&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false
If you would like to learn Japanese Kanji (Kanji - Chinese characters):
http://books.google.ca/books?id=BCGylyOazSYC&pg=PA436&dq=Tuttle+Kanji+Kana+1945&cd=2#v=onepage&q=Tuttle%20Kanji%20Kana%201945&f=false (free)
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/search?keywords=Kanji%20Kana%20Tuttle&pageSize=10 (various different kinds)
Thank you for reading
May the gods bless
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