Pneumatised!

Someone sent the following article to me in email –
“Parliamentary law bars Harper from re-election. Found guilty of a culture of abuse of Parliament”

Here is my response to the sender about the above article (with some minor editing – mostly minor grammar, style, and linking to other pages):

I actually find the article a little misleading. While I detest Harper to the max and will never forgive how he treated protesters during the G20, I don’t think all the legal facts are accurate or presented in this article.

For one thing, the article itself does not cite primary legal sources (these would be relevant statutes and regulations of Canada). Only the person who commented provided some links. That person also left out some legal facts as well, such as what paragraph 502(3)(a) says. It says, “(3) Any person who is convicted of having committed an offence that is an illegal practice or a corrupt practice under this Act shall, in addition to any other punishment for that offence prescribed by this Act, in the case of an illegal practice, during the next five years or, in the case of a corrupt practice, during the next seven years, after the date of their being so convicted, not be entitled to (a) be elected to or sit in the House of Commons;” See Canada Elections Act, section 502. I shall point out that the person must be “convicted of having committed an offence that is an illegal practice or a corrupt practice under this Act” (“this Act” refers to the Canada Elections Act). This means that the person must be convicted of an offense under paragraph 502(1) and (2) of the Canada Elections Act.

As for “contempt of Parliament”, a quick search of the http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/ site does not provide any results. It is likely that while “contempt of Parliament” exists in Canadian law, it is not necessarily a criminal offense. Indeed, the Wikipedia article on “contempt of Parliament” states that only “Some jurisdictions consider contempt of parliament to be a criminal offence.” Another point to note is that Harper alone is not found in contempt of Parliament – his government was. This alone is a big distinction.

These are some of the things to consider when reading the article you sent me. Be very careful about random online articles purporting to report on legal ‘facts’ – a lot of the time they aren’t entirely accurate (usually due to the fact that the average person does not fully understand how the law really works, which is why there are lawyers and paralegals). Ever heard of “buyer beware” in terms of shopping? Well, reader beware! when it comes to journalists and the law. Journalists are not the same as law clerks who have been trained in legal research, unless the journalist has a legal background.

Thus, I would personally be very careful about disseminating that article without a caution to the reader and additional comments.

Additionally, since the presscore article mentions U.S. law, I would like to point out that Canadian law and U.S. law are different in many ways. Although I have not studied U.S. law, I do know that constitutional law is different in both countries, not just the constitution but in terms of procedure and how the constitutions came about. Furthermore, human rights are treated differently in the law in both countries. Additionally, laws on copyrights are somewhat different in both countries. I’ve come across Canadians who cite something they’ve heard based on U.S. law, but they are completely unaware of that fact. Notably, “fair dealing” as found in Canadian law is similar though not the same as “fair use” in U.S. law. Laws in one country are very complex and can become more confusing when viewed from an international perspective.

The topic of the presscore article aside, this reminds me how important it is for people to develop analytical and critical thinking skills. As a blogger, I want my readers to think critically about what I write and to analyze the arguments and viewpoints presented. (Often, I write because I’m trying to understand something myself!) I do not encourage blind agreement, which is why I always try my best to provide citations, sources, and links in my blog articles. I expect good writers and journalists to also provide the same.

~~~C

Here are my latest reads:

The Transition of Titus Crow (published in Brian Lumley’s Mythos Omnibus) by Brian Lumley
Imperial Lady by Andre Norton and Susan Shwartz
The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley

I didn’t enjoy The Transition of Titus Crow as much as the first novel in the series. It seemed to have lost the ‘Holmesian’ feel from the first novel. Sad to say I was a tad disappointed, but I think the author was moving towards more science fiction. Not sure if/when I will read the third book in the Titus Crow series. There are other series’ and books I plan on reading first.

Imperial Lady is a fantasy novel based upon a legend/myth about a Han Chinese princess, Wang Zhaojun (Silver Snow in the novel), who was married off to a Xiongnu shanyu (equivalent to a king/emperor). In the novel, Silver Snow is living in North China (near the borders of the Xiongnu) with her disgraced father who was once a General for the Emperor of China. One day she receives a call to appear at the Emperor’s court because his favourite concubine died and he is looking for a new one. Although Silver Snow does not meet the Emperor at first as she and her father hoped (he gave her rare jade burial armour to present to the Emperor as a gift thereby hoping to restore his name and honour), she is eventually given in an arranged marriage by the Emperor to the Xiongnu shanyu. From there, the story tells of her rise to honour.

I was impressed by the writing of Imperial Lady. I have so far enjoyed Andre Norton’s novels, but was unsure about Susan Shwartz. The authors captured the sense of Han China, even capturing the sense of language that is used, although the novel is in English. In Chinese culture, it is considered polite to downplay your own attributes while exaggerating the qualities of the person to whom you are talking. This is even more important when someone from a ‘lower’ social class is conversing with someone from a ‘higher’ social class. I enjoyed the novel, and yes, there is a bit of magic (more in the form of shape-shifting) in it since it is labelled a fantasy novel.

The Firebrand was another enjoyable read by Bradley. Though not part of the Avalon series, the novel did read much like the Avalon books. The novel is based on the story of the Trojan War, but with Bradley filling in any pieces that are missing. Notably, the novel is told from the perspective of Cassandra of Troy – a good starting point since she predicted the war and the fall of Troy. Since little facts are known about Cassandra, Bradley had a good amount of freedom to be creative with parts of the story, especially in the beginning of the novel. This is a good read if you are a Bradley fan or if you are interested in a re-telling of the Trojan War. It is definitely a better re-telling than the movie Troy (although I respect Brad Pitt’s athletic abilities displayed in that movie).

As for my current fiction reading list:
Knife of Dreams (book eleven of The Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan
A Feast for Crows (book 4 of A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin
Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh

It’s a toss-up right now between The Wheel of Time and A Song of Ice and Fire. I love both series. While I personally think Martin is a better writer than Jordan, I find The Wheel of Time maintains a nice balance of mood – it’s not overly dramatic or serious. The overarching story of The Wheel of Time is interesting and while fans may have their favourite characters, they all want to know what happens at Tarmon Gai’don. Martin has a writing style that keeps you turning pages. You get to the end of a chapter and even though the next chapter changes points of view to another character, you just want to know what happens next. While there is an overarching storyline like in The Wheel of Time (‘Winter is Coming’, which may bring disaster on the continent of Westeros), there seems so far to be less emphasis on it. I do have a few favourite characters though (Arya, Daenerys, and Jon; and I like reading Tyrion’s point of view), which definitely keeps me reading.

Additionally, the first novel of A Song of Ice and Fire is being made into a mini-series on HBO. Yes, A Game of Thrones finally has a full cast and the first episode is to be aired on April 17, 2011. The fifth book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, is to be published in July 2011, which is why I am keen on reading book four, A Feast for Crows now. I think I mentioned previously that I was going to wait for the fifth book before reading the fourth since Martin originally wrote those two as one novel, but it was turning out to be too long and he had to split it into two.

I’ll probably end up reading back and forth between The Wheel of Time and A Song of Ice and Fire for a bit until I just want to finish reading one of the novels.

Seems likely that I will get to Cherryh’s novel a little later than intended. I did start it awhile back, but it was reminding me too much of Battlestar Galactica and I kept thinking of Helo, Sharon, Starbuck, and Apollo while reading (LOL). I will get back to that novel though at some point because the writing was pretty good and I wanted to read some more science fiction. Cherryh is a reputable author too and I have no complaints so far.

~~~C
Your local blogger ^_^

Finally finished reading A Storm of Swords (book three of A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin and Crossroads of Twilight (book ten of The Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan. So now I’m on book eleven of The Wheel of Time and book four of A Song of Ice and Fire. I decided I wasn’t going to read book four of A Song of Ice and Fire until the next one comes out. It has to do primarily with how Martin wrote the fourth book. I feel like it’d be too much of a cliffhanger to read the fourth book if the fifth book isn’t out yet.

Also finished reading Sorceress of the Witch World by Andre Norton. This book completes the first cycle of Witch World novels. Primarily considered a fantasy series, it’s interesting in that it has some steam punk elements and treads on the sci-fi side. Witch World is one of Andre Norton’s more popular series, though the author has written many books in her lifetime.

This is my current fiction reading list:
The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
The Transition of Titus Crow (published in Brian Lumley’s Mythos Omnibus) by Brian Lumley
Imperial Lady by Andre Norton and Susan Shwartz
Knife of Dreams (book eleven of The Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan

Right now, reading the Titus Crow novel.

~~~C

Strangely, I hadn’t been in a big writing mood lately. Just been dealing with life and so on. I noticed though that my last blog post didn’t get posted to Tumblr, Twitter, or Plurk, so here’s a blog to test that out. I’ve been reading fiction again. Just too much else going on for me (taekwondo, family issues) to concentrate on doing any serious writing.

This is my current fiction reading list:
The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Crossroads of Twilight (book ten of The Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan
Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
A Storm of Swords (book three of A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin
The Transition of Titus Crow (published in Brian Lumley’s Mythos Omnibus) by Brian Lumley

Finally got a copy of volume 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8. 😀 Decided to continue reading the Angel comics as well. The latest is Angel: Immortality for Dummies. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read it at first because I thought since it was written by Bill Willingham, he might try to prolong the storyline. It turns out though that the IDW run of the Angel comics will be completed soon, and the series will move to Dark Horse comics to coincide with the upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 :D. Frankly, I think that’s a good move. I rather like Dark Horse better somehow. In any case, read volume 7 of Buffy and Angel: Immortality for Dummies.

Next… hm… more reading.

~~~Cass
Your local blogger

I hadn’t read much fiction the past few months. Here are the most recent novels I’ve read:

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
The Forbidden Tower (part of The Forbidden Circle omnibus) by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Warlock of the Witch World by Andre Norton

I mentioned Sophie Scholl and the White Rose by Annette Dumbach and Jud Newborn in my previous post.

~~~C

Here are some photos I took at the G20 Inquiry Rally on July 17. Just click on the slideshow to begin. If you don’t like slideshows, go to the main page for “G20 Inquiry Rally – July 17, 2010”.

I also shot a few videos.

First, bubbles! There was a bubble rally in response to a cop who apparently hates bubbles. (See “‘Bubbles’ exchange between protester, police blows up online”. I’ve embedded the video of the dialogue between the cop and bubble blower at the end of this blog.)

At some point, a counter-protester shows up saying he supports the police and the military. He has the right to come to Queen’s Park too, though he just might not get a warm reception…

Next, is a clip of some music courtesy of Sara Marlowe (I hope I got the name right).

After Judy Rebick’s speech, she encourages the people to get up and dance. Here’s some people “gettin’ jiggy wit’ it”.

Next up: Small world. These two girls train in taekwondo at the do jang where I help teach. Wonderful girls and good students. I’m very proud that they went on stage and spoke out. 😀 Teaching kids confidence is a part of what we teach.

They want the police to say “sorry” for beating up Bailey’s dad, who wears black clothes nearly all the time. He reportedly has broken ribs.

A few more videos on the G20 Inquiry Rally can be found on my youtube channel, feyMorgaina.

Here’s the video of the cop who hates bubbles – I think he needs a tranquilizer or something.

I’d also like to point out that the male cop didn’t let the female cop handle the situation. I’m sure she’s quite capable of handling a young woman blowing bubbles. If you’ll notice, the male cop interrupts the female cop in the middle of the conversation and just starts in on the young woman blowing bubbles. Why didn’t he just let the female cop do her job the way she wants? Sexism in traditionally male-dominated jobs is common. Some men feel threatened by a woman who can do the job better. (Believe me, I know. See a diatribe I wrote a while back, “Please no tears, no sympathy”, which mentions the chauvinism I had come across in doing some volunteer work that was basically public security.)

For a background into what was going on before the bubble blower got arrested, watch this video.

At 11:40 into the video, the lawyer, Riali Johannesson, points out that “Your average Canadian who has the full protection of those rights every single day, all day long, their entire lifelong, in my experience, doesn’t appreciate the tremendous value of those rights until they need to avail themselves of the rights.” Johannesson is also the daughter of a former OPP officer. She clearly disagrees with the actions of the police during the G20.

~~~C

I read about the Omar Khadr case a while back. Recently, he decided to fire his lawyers. Why? Read “Omar Khadr: In his own words”. Clearly, this seems to him to be the only thing he can do to protest the “kangaroo court” in which he is being tried.

Amnesty International Canada has been trying to convince the Canadian government to request for Khadr’s repatriation to Canada. To date, the Canadian government has done nothing except send a “diplomatic note to the US”, despite the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision that Khadr’s human rights have been violated for the past 7-8 years.

Please consider signing Amnesty.ca’s “Take Action: Omar Khadr: Repatriation to Canada is the only option!”

I have added the following comment to the petition:

Recently, Khadr fired his lawyers as refusal to participate in a justice system that he considers a sham, a “kangaroo court”. For about eight years, his human rights have been violated. Repatriating Khadr is clearly the only way to end the injustices done to him.

I urge the Canadian government to act in accordance with the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision (that Khadr’s human rights have been violated) and repatriate Khadr now. To not do so sends the message that the Canadian government chooses to be complicit in the continued violations of Khadr’s human rights. Canada, being a member state of the United Nations, has a duty to live up to international human rights law.

Repatriate Omar Khadr now!

Amnesty.ca also suggests writing to U.S. President Obama urging him to abandon military commission proceedings against Khadr. See “Omar Khadr: Canada ordered to find remedy as trial looms”.

~~~C

This is one of my favourite songs by Linkin Park – “Hands Held High”. This is a live version.

Turn my mic up louder I got to say somethin’
Lightweight step it aside when we comin’
Feel it in your chest, the syllables get pumpin’
People on the street, they panic and start runnin.’

Words on loose leaf sheet complete comin’
I jump on my mind, I summon the rhyme I’m dumpin.’
Healing the blind I promise to let the sun in
Sick of the dark ways we march to the drummin.’

Jump when they tell us they wanna see jumpin’
Fuck that I wanna see some fist pumpin’
Risk somethin’, take back what’s yours
Say somethin’ that you know they might attack you for.

‘Cause I’m sick of being treated like I have before
Like it’s stupid standin’ for what I’m standin’ for
Like this war’s really just a different brand of war
Like it doesn’t cater the rich and abandon the poor.

Like they understand you in the back of the jet
When you can’t put gas in your tank
These fuckers are laughin’ their way to the bank and cashin’ the cheque
Askin’ you to have compassion and have some respect.

For a leader so nervous in an obvious way
Stutterin’ and mumblin’ for nightly news to replay
And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day
In their living room laughin’ like “what did he say?”

[Chorus:]
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
Amen

In my living room watchin’ but I am not laughin’
Cause when it gets tense I know what might happen
The world is cold, the bold men take action
Have to react or get blown into fractions

Ten years old it’s something to see
Another kid my age drugged under a jeep
Taken and bound and found later under a tree
I wonder if he had thought the next one could be me.

Do you see the soldiers that are out today
They brush the dust from bullet proof vests away
It’s ironic at times like this you pray
But a bomb blew the mosque up yesterday

There’s bombs in the buses, bikes, roads
Inside your market, your shops, your clothes
My dad, he’s got a lot of fear I know
But enough pride inside not to let that show

My brother had a book he would hold with pride
A little red cover with a broken spine
On the back, he hand-wrote a quote inside
“When the rich wage war, it’s the poor who die”

Meanwhile, the leader just talks away
Stutterin’ and mumblin’ for nightly news to replay
And the rest of the world watchin’ at the end of the day
both scared and angry like “what did he say?”

[Chorus x6]

[x6]
With hands held high into a sky so blue,
As the ocean opens up to swallow you.

It’s actually been a while since I’ve read much fiction. The month of June was a busy month. Following is a list of novels I read between February and probably around April:

The Laughing Corpse (an Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novel) by Laurell K. Hamilton
Year of the Unicorn by Andre Norton
Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Ancestors of Avalon by Diana L. Paxson
Dime Store Magic by Kelly Armstrong
The Spell Sword (published in the omnibus, The Forbidden Circle) by Marion Zimmer Bradley

And, some of my favourite graphic novels:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Retreat (season 8 – volume 6)
Fallen Angel: Reborn (It guest-starred Illyria! :))
Angel: Only Human
Angel: Last Angel in Hell (Angel volume 6)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is published by Dark Horse Comics while Angel and Fallen Angel are published by IDW.

My current fiction reading list is:
The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong (I rather liked Dime Store Magic, but am curious as to how well she can write as different characters since she writes in first person)
Crossroads of Twilight (book ten of The Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan
Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh
A Storm of Swords (book three of A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin
Gormenghast (the sequel to Titus Groan) by Mervyn Peake
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (I am on part three of book two, page 443)
The Transition of Titus Crow (published in Brian Lumley’s Mythos Omnibus) by Brian Lumley (or possibly Necroscope seeing as I enjoyed Lumley’s writing, I am curious if I might like his other series as well)
Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn

I find I rather like the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. It is “smart and sexy” like many reviewers have commented. At the same time, the stories are adventurous mixed with a little bit of mystery, and a certain if morbid sense of humour. One distinction of the Anita Blake series that I like is that vampires have rights. It’s an interesting premise that subtly creates a different world for an urban fantasy series. It also provides some real food for thought about how we determine who has rights. I personally think it goes beyond the tired “life versus death” duality, it’s about conscience and the ability for people, animals, a species to feel pain. But I digress into a topic best left for another time.

Ancestors of Avalon was an interesting enough story. It has a happy ending at the very least, and you probably expect that since it’s about how the Atlanteans arrived on the British Isles. The novel itself starts some time after The Fall of Atlantis, which Bradley actually wrote before The Mists of Avalon. While I liked The Mists of Avalon, I found that The Fall of Atlantis had its own appeal. In many ways, the Atlantis story is darker than the Avalon one, the heroines slightly more tragic. At least that is my sense in comparing the two. Perhaps it’s simply because we know King Arthur is meant to die in the Avalon story, but in the Atlantis story we have no preconceived notions as to what is to happen to the Atlanteans. Arguably, the appeal and success of The Mists of Avalon over The Fall of Atlantis was simply that King Arthur and his sister, Morgan le Fay, are popular mythical characters/legends.

Ancestors of Avalon was meant to bridge the stories of Atlantis and Avalon together. It was written after Bradley’s death by Diana L. Paxson, who co-wrote Priestess of Avalon. There are some differences in Paxson’s writing as compared to Bradley’s. It’s only slight though. It’s actually hard for me to describe the difference because it seems such a slight difference that I can’t put my finger on what exactly is different. Maybe the language is slightly more modern. That’s my best guess for now. If you’re a Bradley fan, maybe you have a different sense about it than me and might have a better way of describing the differences between Bradley’s writing and Paxson’s. I had no real problems reading Paxson, so it’s no big deal to me. Just a curiosity.

After reading Dime Store Magic, which was rather an amusing story, I decided to read Armstrong’s first novel, Bitten, in her series titled “Women of the Otherworld”. Another urban fantasy series like Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Armstrong does not just write about one character, but rather writes about a variety of characters. The first character in the series you are introduced to in Bitten is Elena, a female werewolf – in fact, the only female werewolf. As mentioned, I decided to read Bitten because I wanted to see how well Armstrong writes from another character perspective. So far, I have no complaints, but I have yet to finish reading Bitten.

I’m still trudging my way through Jordan’s The Wheel of Time. I’m on book ten and like many of the previous books, the book is at least 800 pages. I said “trudging”, but don’t get me wrong, I like The Wheel of Time, it’s just sometimes you wonder if Jordan couldn’t have told the story with fewer words. LOL. Really, I’m only complaining because I don’t read as fast as I’d like to, I’m not a speed reader, although I can skim quite well if I’m pressed for time or am searching for something particular in what I’m reading. However, I read fiction for the sheer joy of reading and occasionally I linger over passages for various reasons (amusement at the writing, found something humourous, just can’t believe I read that, and so on). I do like The Wheel of Time story, and like many others, want to know what’s going to happen when the last battle, Tarmon Gai’don, comes. I’m on book ten right now, I have up to book eleven. After that, I might take a break from the series and see if Brandon Sanderson actually finishes the story by book fourteen. There’re a few other books I wouldn’t mind getting around to reading (nevermind the other things I need/want to do).

Currently, I am reading a non-fiction book. Sophie Scholl and the White Rose is an account of a group of Munich University students (in Germany) who were involved in a passive/nonviolent resistance movement against Hitler’s regime. I meant to read this book for a while because I’ve always been drawn to stories about resistance movements since they are usually about the fight for freedom against an oppressive and tyrannical force (government or otherwise). In light of recent events in Canada, I was reminded of the book again and thought I should just read it now. Sophie and Hans Scholl were a sister and a brother who grew up during the Nazi regime. She was twelve and he was just over fourteen at the time of the Nazi takeover. Both were “free-thinkers” having grown up with a liberal-minded father. Later, they would both be part of The White Rose, a passive resistance group hoping to educate fellow students to oppose the Nazi regime. Hans and Sophie Scholl were later executed for treason. One other member of The White Rose was executed along with them, later other members were also executed.

It’s been 65 years since the end of World War 2 and 92 years since World War 1. While I may have grown up with an awareness of how horrible the events of those two wars were (in primary school, we were introduced to some war amputees; the missing legs apparently upset my system so that I actually fainted afterwards – I since have built up a better control over my body so I don’t faint quite so easily, also I ascribe my fainting issues back then to lack of proper nutrition and diet), I fear that over time people will forget and will never understand the horrors of those events. I still remember when Remembrance Day was actually a holiday, but then it changed and although we were still required to go to school on Remembrance Day, the school still held Remembrance Day ceremonies. That eventually changed to simply having a moment of silence at 11 a.m. I have no idea if they even still do that now in school, though the Wikipedia article linked above suggests they do. Yes, I do fear that as we move further away in time from the World Wars, people will never understand how truly terrible it can be to have another one. We have been lucky to not have had another world war for 65 years; yet, at the same time, has this made some people complacent? The threat of oppression from a tyrannical government or regime is never too far away. This threat does not just occur over night, but quietly and subtly. All it takes is the wrong person (or rather, right person depending on how you want to discuss this) to gain a position of power for that person to gradually and subtly make changes that lead toward oppression from a tyrannical government. Then, to end that oppression we will need resistance groups to fight the tyranny, to help spread knowledge and information, we will need resistance groups like The White Rose and many others.

Thus, I am reading Sophie Scholl and The White Rose to remind myself of a time when we didn’t have civil liberties/human rights, to remind myself that throughout history, we will always need the freedom fighters, the resistance groups; otherwise, human civilization is doomed to die, doomed to fail. A thousand years later, will humans still be here? Or will we be a lost civilization? And if a lost civilization, what will be the cause of our ultimate destruction – a war amongst ourselves or devastation from a “natural” disaster that we caused? Either way, we are responsible for whether or not human civilization will continue, if we indeed actually care about it continuing. “What is the meaning of your life?” I ask. Something for my readers to think about.

~~~C

P.S. Yes, I did read The Diary of Anne Frank when I was younger, probably when I was around the age of twelve.