Every morning, I read the newspaper on the bus ride into town, making mental notes of stuff that might be interesting to blog about. This morning, there is so much going on that I have no idea where to start!
First and coolest, NASA will be launching the space shuttle Discovery at a little after 3 pm today. I love shuttle launches – they give me the same breathless feeling of wonderment that the boys do, but originating in a different place in my heart. Some day, I’d love to go to Cape Canaveral and see one in person. I’m hoping the launch goes off on time so I can watch the Web cast at the end of my work day.
Also in countdown mode, only three more days until my Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince arrives via Canada Post special delivery on Saturday morning. Ahem, not exactly my copy – I pre-ordered it for Beloved as a Christmas gift, so I know I’m supposed to let him read it first, but he reads with glacial slowness, savouring each word and idea, whereas I read voraciously, as if the words cannot be gobbled up quickly enough. Sharing is all well and good for the preschool set in the house, but I may well have to buy my own copy or die of impatience.
At the risk of coming of as completely against religion (which is not entirely true) after probably alienating half of my loyal readership with my comments on creationism in the schools, I must now turn my mocking attentions directly to no less personage than the Pope for castigating the HP books as being a “subtle, barely perceptible seduction” that can “corrupt the Christian faith in souls even before it is able to properly grow.” (From the Ottawa Citizen)
This continues to make me crazy. Teachers around the world are falling all over themselves complimenting JK Rowling on getting children, especially harder-to-reach boys, into reading. Yet people who have likely not even read the damn books are castigating them as corrupting the faith. I’ll never forget the first time I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the feeling of wonder it gave me. I couldn’t get over how many ways it appealed to me: to my barely-repressed inner 12 year old geek; to the parent who can’t wait for her boys to be old enough to have these stories read out loud to them; and, to the wanna-be writer in me who would give her left arm to be able to spin a tale with such imagination and appeal.
Without any kind of segue at all, the third thing on my list of things to draw to your attention is the campaign by Brit blogger Nosemonkey. In a very British (and lovely) response to the terrorist attacks, he and an American friend discussed that what is needed in London is not so much the Red Cross disaster relief kind of aid as a morale boost for those still working in the aftermath of the bombings. So he’s raising funds to buy a few pints for emergency workers – and has rasied enough so far for “a hefty piss-up for at least one London police station” – in the neighbourhood of 200 pints. To me, this perfectly encapsulates what I so admire about the British response to the bombings – a stoic determination to carry on regardless, and up yours while we’re at it.
And finally, just a little post-script to confirm that yes, we both survived yesterday’s dental interventions. Tristan was an angel, so much so that I am wondering where I can get my own supply of behaviour-enhancing antihistamine/laughing gas cocktails. For therapeutic use only, of course.
What, you mean if someone reads harry potter they might become a witch, like me? That would be a terrible fate indeed.
I think that’s what bugs me most about those types of comments: a) the Potter books have absolutely nothing in common with wicca/witchcraft, as anyone who’s even moderately informed about either should know, so as a marketing device or evangelical tool it’s a pretty poor one, and b) what is so awful about being a witch, anyway? I like to think I’m a half-decent person who’s suitably concerned about human welfare etc. Bleh.
One comment I would like to make is that the comments made by the now -current Pope were issued back when he was still a Cardinal. He was then serving as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. I believe that he was acting in his role, in that position. Don’t get me wrong Dani, you know how I feel about this subject matter, but I think this has less to do with the Pope/Catholic Church coming out against the HP books, but more about the media spinning words in an attempt to drum up controversial headlines to sell more copies. The quotes from your beloved newspaper are taken from March 2003. I would tend to rant more towards modern journalistic approach than against what/ or what not the Vatican says.
Excellent points, both Andrea and Ubergeek.
Andrea, I love your perspective! My question is, do you float? (Sorry, I imagine you’ve grown rather sick of that joke by now.)
You are quite right, UG, about the media thing, and I can spin quite a rant on that one if you like (file under: blog ideas for another day). However, the comments are on the record, and my beef is that whether Pope or Cardinal, I highly doubt His Holiness has read the books in question.
But isn’t the beer thing just awesome??
xo Danigirl
the beer thing is totally awesome. 🙂
Unlike you, I despise the space shuttle, and everything space related. I used to feel the same sense of awe that you do, until I watched live that one morning in 1986 the demise of 7 humans. And since then, it has happened again. When will we learn? WHY are we going to space? WHY do we spend billions of cashola on space projects that really don’t serve us much at all (not directly at least) where our health, education, society (i.e. homeless) suffer.
I will confess to not really having done any homework on this one, so perhaps I need an eye-opener as to how walking on the moon has improved the quality of life as we know it. Go ahead – teach me, please (not being sarcastic here, for once, honestly).
Harry Potter? Sorry, can’t play along here neither, read the first one, loved it, have never moved on. Too many pages, very intimidating.
Sending beer to the Brits? Agree with suze, awesome.
Oh, and of course I am tickled that Tristan’s dental adventure was a positive one.
How’s that for my playing along with a little bit for everyone?
And HEY!! Waves to UG – he lives!!.
I buy HP for the kids. Yeah, that’s the ticket. I don’t love it alot and stay up all night to finish it fast. Nope, not me. For the kids.
DAni: Yes, if I hold my breath.
Surprisingly, I don’t get many witchy jokes…. I think most people are just too weirded out at first to think of anything witty. “You’re a … really? That’s, um, interesting.”
We are A HP household On saturday 3 of us will be fighting to read snipets of it while the other is not looking.
I’m sure it will turn me into a Witch…Sorry the w should be a B.
I watche as that space shuttle Blew and came crashing to earth. I don’t like it as much or with as much wonder just like you nancy but I think that came with age and nothing else. I feel if they know the risks then go ahead and explore. And they DO KNOW the risk and it’s NOT one I could take at all.