Posted by samson on Jan 2, 2008 in
Random Thoughts Well, its the second day of 2008. World didn’t end (unless I slept through it…. yeah, I missed the count down. I accidentally exhausted myself on the Wii), stocks still falling, and a gloomy outlook until June 2008, simply because of the Sub Prime Mortgage problems.
Recently, it is getting more difficult to blog. It was moderately difficult to look at the world with a pleasant point of view with the stock market’s down fall. One of the stock that I have considered money maker, even if I didn’t buy any, Canadian Imperial bank, dropped a 30% just before Christmas. What a lovely gift from Santa Claus eh?
As my Site announcement said earlier, I am planning to launch a sister site. I’ll fill everyone in with more information later on.
Posted by samson on Nov 12, 2007 in
Random Thoughts I know I am a day late, Remembrance Day is the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month of each year. It is a day we, the living, remember those who fell in the wars.
If you are wondering, what is Remembrance day, read on, and an answer will be provided. If have on you any Canadian currency, take a look on the back of a 10 dollar bill, you’ll find the words of ‘In Flanders field’.
In Flanders Field.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
- John McCrae
In Flanders field is one of the most recognized Remembrance Day Poem, not only does it describe how horrific it was on the war front, it was written by a person who saw it first handed. However, that might not be as emotionally moving to some. Nor would the story and reason to why we should wear a poppy be obvious.
If you are one of those readers,
then you you must stay and linger.
Read on and you’ll understand,
why at the 11th hour the world must stand.
This is a poem I was taught while I was a youngster,
till this day, I still clearly remember.
The author explains in a briefly way,
to why we wear a poppy today!
Why Wear a Poppy.
“Please wear a poppy,” the lady said,
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.
A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
“Lady,” said he, “may I have one?”
When she’d pinned it on, he turned to say;
“Why do we wear a poppy today?”
The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered; “This is Remembrance Day.
And the poppy there is a symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free -
That’s why we wear a poppy, you see.
I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird, he would race about.
As the years went by, he learned and grew,
And became a man - as you will, too.
He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he’d seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day.
When he smiled at me and said, ‘Goodbye,
I’ll be back soon, Mum, please don’t cry.’
But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.
Till at last, at last, the war was won -
And that’s why we wear a poppy, son.”
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, “Thanks, lady, I’m glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight
But your son - did he come back all right?”
A tear rolled down each faded cheek;
She shook her head, but didn’t speak
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me, you’d have done the same:
For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,
Though our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!
And so, when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country’s call
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy! Remember - and Give!
Don Crawford
Thank you.
Thank you brave souls, for your gift of life.
Its just sad our leaders are still lost as mice.
Death itself should not and never be feared,
but merely those behind that steered.
Why can we never eliminate war?
Because, I tell you, power corrupts all!
-Samson
Posted by samson on Oct 31, 2007 in
Random Thoughts Now that we have finally reach Halloween, I know you must have read or at least heard about these safety precautions from all sorts of media. However, I really would like my readers a happy Halloween, and therefore am repeating these 10 Safety reminders again.
- Do join your children when they go out for ‘Trick or treating’
- Make sure you sort the candies for possible allergic sources, eg Peanuts.
- Look for possible blades in candies, every year some one would find some sharp blades in Halloween Candies.
- Avoid drinking and driving at Halloween Parties, there will be children on the roads.
- Avoid dark alleys, three jobs that have no holiday, peace keeping, people saving, and criminal activities. Avoid being a victim of the later two.
Posted by samson on Oct 24, 2007 in
Random Thoughts Homosexuality, something that have existed in human society since there was recorded history. Some say Shakespeare surrounds himself with young handsome men, while others believe that King Edward II is in love with Piers Gaveston. As a fan of English literature, I merely laughed and accepted those facts as alternative history. Especially on topics related to historical figures that none can be of certain, unless we somehow invents a time machine of course.
With the recent revelation by the world famous author J.K. Rowling, Potter fans world wide now either accept that Albus Dumbledore is gay or started on a hopeless journey to fight it. The real question that remains is, what was her motive?
In today’s societies, homosexuality is not a common accepted trend. It might be in some nations, but there are still crowds that fight it. On the very top of the ‘against’ list is Vatican, capital and country to all the Catholics world wide. By drawing attention to the homosexual lifestyle of a character in her books, J.K. Rowling might have made an opposition of the Catholics.
There is a fair chance that this is not the effect Rowling had planned. These words could bring forth the down fall of the Potter franchise, if she did not handle them carefully. The Harry Potter series is a successful enough franchise that its marketing budget can be leveraged. So successful that it is no longer necessary to draw attention to the series by starting an argument on a jerkwater character.
However, if you think about it a bit, is it possible that J.K. Rowling is planning for a new book? One that predates all the Potter books. Famous authors such as C.S. Lewis have used this style of series continuation. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia started off with ‘The Lion, the witch, and the Wardrobe’. However, that is the second book of the series of seven. The first book, Magician’s Nephew, was actually the second last one to be publish. What if J.K. Rowling is planning a new, eighth addition to the now ended Potter series, by inserting a book before the very first.
After writing my post on Friday, link, I carried the fear of a possible World War III starting in the not so distant future with me all weekend long. This feeling stayed with me until I witnessed a sudden increase of traffic southbound.
Being landmass connected to the United States, Canadians are now some of the most blessed citizens on this planet. With the Canadian Looney being above par to the dollar, what used to be cheap to Canadians when the Looney is of lesser value has just become even cheaper. With this, it is reasonable for Canadians to flood to the States for their shopping needs.
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