Hungry for Change: The 30 hour famine

I finished the 30 hour famine yesterday at 6. Here's what I said about it last year. That's some pretty good stuff :), so go read it.

I'm not going to spam my readers for more money, so I'll raise it the typical way: bugging family and friends in person.

"Man can and must prevent the tragedy of famine in the future instead of merely trying with pious regret to salvage the human wreckage of the famine, as he has so often done in the past."
-Norman Borlaug

Review: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Can you say over-hyped?

Now, despite having a nice Special Edition version lying on the television stand downstairs, I didn't watch the first installment of the series. Having never convinced my parents to buy me one of the overpriced Hasbro action figures, I didn't really have a desire to watch a movie starring them.

Still, this being the end of the school year and all- we had to do something (we went downtown yesterday, but the CUPE strikers seemed to be everywhere we wanted to go.)

Anyways, expecting a crowd, we showed an hour early to buy tickets. There's a small cinema near my house- but everything considered, going early wasn't really necessary. It's the first day, yes- but elementary school students are still in school, and besides, this theatre isn't typically full (even in spite of $6 tickets).

We were about thirtieth in line, so by the time we got in, there were still plenty of good seats.

The movie was confusing at times, with the plot heading in so many directions, that it was difficult to keep track. By no means was this a sophisticated movie or anything- it was just poorly written. The entire thing seemed like a two and a half hour long cliche. SPOILER: Aliens destroying cities, attempting to block out the Sun, and a secret location set in Egypt/Jordan. END OF SPOILERS Doesn't this sound familiar? It reminded me of every other extraterrestrial warfare movie I've ever seen.

Now, for testosterone-fuelled  males, concerned more about big explosions, Megan Fox, and condo-sized robots than actual plot; well then, this is the movie for you.

The acting was weak, the special effects over-dramatic, and the soundtrack eerily reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Don't go see this.

Jon and Kate Split

Like usual, I'm extremely late on this one, and you obviously already know. But I thought it was important.

Jon and Kate filed for the dissolution of their marriage Monday. Ratings of course, spiked for Tuesday's show. There's been a lot of satarical proposed new titles for the show, so I'm not going to take my shot at it.

Still, it's sad. Here's a family, that was probably broken by the money and publicity, despite their insistence that it wasn't.

TLC has stopped production of the program. Due to the the conflict, filming was day-by-day, and they don't have enough footage for another show.

Who knows what's next? But it's likely the last season.

Trouble in Iran

I haven't covered politics for a few weeks- but now that school's over, I think it's time to start up again.

There's trouble brewing in Iran. If you watch the news/read the paper, you'll have already heard about the mass protests in Iran following the allegedly rigged election.

Of course, in a country with a government as volatile, and unpredictable as Iran's- political stability, and the democratic process are probably too much to hope for. Still- the dissidents are doing exactly what they set out to do. They're raising awareness, whatever the cost. If you follow this blog, you'll know that I'm an advocate of public protest. In a world with increasingly oppresive government systems, it's the only thing that keeps politicians honest.

Nearly every Western leader has issued statements, with extremely frank language. Of course, being politicians, and senstive to international opinion, nobody has actually taken action or anything. That's asking for too much.

Ahmadinejad is a dictator- so used to absolute power, that he's wary to relinquish it. Media in Iran is banned from broadcasting, Twitter having become one of the most reliable sources.

The UN needs to put some pressure on Iran, futile as it may be.

Something big is going to happen in the next few days. With this kind of international attention, this many protesters, and the escalating violence- some disaster is imminent.

Going, going, gone.

Woah. Exams are almost over. Twenty-four hours from now, and my summer break will have officially started. *sigh.

It always feels strange at the end of a year. You're finally finished, but it seems hard to accept. I find myself dreaming of going back to school in the middle of the summer.

Oh well. I'm not really doing anything this summer- jobs are hard to find, and I'm not really up for a trip. We'll have to see. I don't really mind not doing anything, but as the summer wears on, I'm sure something exciting will happen.

My fingers are weary. That means this post is done.

Winding down...

And I'm back! Sorry for the long delay in posting, but school seems to always get especially hectic towards the end of the year. Just some general updates, but keep reading! There's a pretty awesome story towards the end :)

I went to the Hillsong concert last weekend. It was awesome! Of course, the food inside the Molson ampitheatre was overpriced, the line to get in long, and the security checks irritating, but I think overall, it was definitely a net positive.

The school year is almost over, and I'm wondering what to do this summer. I didn't get that Wonderland job (I have no doubt that it was likely a combonation of my age, and the countless other applicants, considering the economy)- but that's okay.

I'm going to be doing some serious volunteer work this summer to get those pesky 40 hours out of the way. I'll easily clear them all with the 30 hour famine (which only gives 10 hours), and VBS, which gives a pretty substantial amount.

This story has been removed at the request of a reader.

June Fourth- The twentieth Anniversary

It's been twenty years to the day of the Tienanmen Square massacre. (Check out that link)

Dissent will never be silenced, and even two decades later- remnants of protest remain, despite China's desperate efforts to quiet their citizens.

Prior to today, Youtube, Hotmail, and twitter- along with a variety of other sites have been blocked. China is scared.

Another large scale protest- and China's already fragile image will crumble into pieces. Investors will pull out- scared of instability. Citizens will no longer accept the absolute control China exercises over its residents. China cannot afford another June Fourth.

But we will not be silenced.

Post-Retreat

Bleh.

I'm back from the retreat, and barely making my way through the school day.
It's funny how the week seems so much worse after you've had a great weekend.

Ten more school days.