Pakistan has passed a new law protecting women against rape on Tuesday.
This was the reaction to it.
In the old law, which was founded on the Islamic faith, a woman who was raped had to produce four witnesses. If she could not, she would be charged with adultery. With the new law this is not necessarily the case, although it is up to the discretion of the judge.
Over 8,000 people protested - almost all of them men. They are saying that the law is anti-Islamic, and will help to turn Pakistan into a secular state.
I can't believe how angry this makes me.
And on another current event note: what was Stephen Harper thinking with this Quebec "nation within a nation" idea? Why would he bring up this issue? No other party would even think to speak against it, of course, because then they would lose popularity within Quebec. I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea in itself, it just seems stupid to have brought up something that is only a few steps away from seperation from the country.
I think that British Columbia should push to become it's own nation. All the provinces can do it, actually. And don't forget the Aboriginals, the African Americans, and the Chinese and Japanese Canadians. Eventually we can change our name to the United Nations of Canada.
Now, don't get me wrong - I would much rather have Stephen Harper running our country than Paul Martain or Jack Layton. I just think he's made a dumb move. By trying to gain support in Quebec, he's alienated a lot of the west.
Ah well, it was passed by all three parties, so it's not just Harper who isn't thinking clearly. But just wait till the next election - they'll all be yelling about Harper being a seperatist. Just you wait.
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So, the question of the hour is
do I buy the new Nintendo system?
The New Zelda game, The Twilight Princess, is out. It's gotten amazing reviews. And that's largely what I would be buying the system for.
However, it's also coming out on the GCN. I could save a lot of money by just buying the Gamecube version. Apparently supplies of this version will be low, though. Only 200,000 being released in North America.
I've never been a fan of buying a new system for one particular game. But the new Super Mario will be coming next year, and a new Smash Brothers soon after.
The Wii (what were they thinking with the name?) has a unique controller that is motion sensitive. From the reviews I've read, it's quite easy to use and helps immerse you into the game. But it's completely different from all other systems, and I have to wonder if I'll enjoy swinging around a controller like a maniac. I probably will, but enough to warrent a new system?
I guess it's all down to a preference choice. But I won't know which I prefer till I spend $300 on a new system that, granted, I won't play as much as I would like to. I wouldn't care if I had a lot of money, but that is a little (a lot) tight right now. I don't know that I can actually afford to buy a new system.
I don't know. Motion sensitive controller? I'm a little hesitant.
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Listening to a certain singer reminds me of a certain someone, and I really dislike it. But I'm not going to stop listening to said singer, because she's really quite good.
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As inspiring as that entry on British porn is, I'm sure you'd all appreciate an update. That is, if you guys are still out there. The comment box has been empty as of late.
A girl I went to school with died on Tuesday. Her name was Emily Francis, and she died of pneumonia. She battled cancer in her grade 12 year, and the result was an immune system that was virtually non-existant.
She was in a few of my classes. I remember her being the only person to have a higher mark than me in grade 9 english. I sat beside her in grade 10 english. She was extremely smart, and
so nice.
I don't often get mad at God. But right now, I'm not impressed. It seems so backwards, so unfair. People my age shouldn't die. Not when they have such potential, so much infront of them.
The sermon on Sunday was about divine healing. We had people talk about how they had been miraculously healed - one guy fell thirty feet off a balcony and landed on his head. Another had an infection, similar to the flesh eating disease, that attacked his inner organs. He was also severely brain damaged from a week of a lack of oxygen to the brain (a result of being in a coma). Looking at a CT scan three days after the initial diagnosis, though, there is absolutely no sign of brain damage - and he was completely better within a few weeks.
I think it's great that those people lived, but I couldn't help but wonder why he didn't heal any of the people that were close to me. And it may be a selfish thing to think, but it comes into my mind when I'm missing my grandma.
I don't understand God, and I don't claim to. But there must be things that I cannot see. And I'm not so full of myself so as to think that I know better than God. So I guess all I can do is trust that this is what was supposed to happen, and I have no idea why.
It still sucks.
I hate pondering death, because I never find a satisfying answer.
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"
Just so everyone knows, British porn is not sexy. I don't even think Brits find it sexy. How can porn accomplish it's intended ambition if a proper sounding naked guy is stuffily saying things like, "Oh yes. You like it in your naughty ahhhsss, what?""
- From
The Life and Times of Zelda and Jethro.
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Last night I went through an interesting trip down memory lane, down roads I haven't been in a long time.
I was unpacking some of my boxes, and first I found some graduation stuff - the Valedictory program, my class picture, my hat, all that stuff. I can't believe what a different person I was back then. I've learned so much since then.
Second I found a box full of old letters that my friends in Ottawa had sent me. I've kept every single one. Most of them are from Julia and Alice, but there are a few from Jenna and Rachel (she moved away to Jordan, close to Kenya).
I remember those girls so well. Mostly, though, I found my thoughts drifting to Alice. I remember the very day I became friends with her. She was new, and I had noticed her on the bus (she was the last stop). Then I learned that she was in my class. I remember looking over at her and noticing that she was different - and that I wanted to be friends with her. So that afternoon when got back on the bus, I grabbed her and asked her to sit with me. Ever since then we were friends.
Alice was from Israel. She and her family had come over for one reason or another. They brought their grandma as well, who spoke absolutely no english. We all referred to her as "Babushka", grandmother in Russian. And when I went back to visit, her grandmother and I had a lot of unspoken conversation - smiles, winks, hugs. For pictures she put her arm around my shoulders. She remembered and loved me.
I wonder if she's still alive.
Alice was extremely talented. She was a fantastic artist. But one thing I noticed was that she was concerned about her weight. I met her in grade three. One of her biggest worries was that she was fat (she was
not fat). I didn't even realize that how you look mattered till grade six, when I moved to Vancouver.
I haven't thought of those girls in ages. But now I really would love to know what they're up to. I found Alice's old phone number - I wonder if she still lives in the same house? I'm going to give it a call sometime soon, and see if she is. Now that email is much more common, we could spark up a friendship again. And now that Dad lives and works in Ottawa, I could potentially see them this year.
Remembering old times is bittersweet. It's great to think of them, but it's really hard to think that it's all over. I remember so many moments. But my strongest memory was how much I loved all of them.
I wish I could go back...
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I have to stop reading old emails at night.
I stay up late reading them.
I've got a whole file of them from an old friend, one who seems quite different now. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but situations change. People change. When I talk to him he feels heavy, weathered. He's got a lot on his plate, and I understand that - but I feel like we're strangers.
He was such a huge part of my life. To not know him anymore, for him to only be a memory - I don't know how to deal with it. I don't want to accept it. I would give anything for it to go back to the way it used to be. But it's simply not possible.
I never thought that this would happen.
A part of me still wonders - if circumstances were different, if I met you at a different point in life, what kind of relationship would we have? What would have been the outcome?
My life changed when I met you.
I'm wondering if I should delete the emails. I don't think it's healthy for me to go back and reminice about things that will never again exist. I transport myself into another world. I wonder if too much daydreaming is a hindrance to getting on with life, an impediment on my happiness. My situation in Vancouver isn't ideal, but right now I can't change it - I should be looking for the good in what I've got, rather than wishing I had more.
Grasping at memories won't bring anything back.
I remember when every email was sent. I remember the circumstances, I remember sentances that meant more to me than others. I remember how much each one meant to me.
I've got to get over this, I've got to move on. But I don't know how to turn off my emotions, I don't know how to change the way I feel. Letting someone go hurts so much - it's the end of an era, the end of a dream.
I'm not ready for it.
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"The latest sensation", George, is currently in Vancouver, accompanied by Backstreet Boy Howie D. And all the girls go wild.
I have to wonder if his fan base have properly working ears. His song "Talk to Me" is terrible - I can't understand why it's so popular. Not only does he sound whiney, the words are basically him being excited about the prospect of getting some action. How does that translate into being sexy?
Maybe I'm being a little harsh. If I were him, I'd be excited too. He has, after all, been waiting his whole life. His
whole life. As in from the time he was born. I thought that most boys' sexual desires begin around puberty; he must have been a special case.
On a completely different note, one of the girls I went to elementary school got married a few weeks ago. She's only eighteen, but "they're crazy about each other". Now, I'm not against getting married young (they do live in Georgia, after all). It just seems odd to me that someone would want to get married before they really have time to live their life. More than that, though, it's weird that someone in my class is married now. Almost an adult.
I always thought I would be the kind of person to get married young. I tend to run away with my emotions. But I've been single for a year and eight months so far, and within that time my perspective has changed a bit. I've come to realize that one of my biggest fears is being tied down in one place. I love having the ability to go wherever I want, whenever I want. With marriage everything changes. Your desires and dreams are suddenly put on hold for the sake of a family.
I don't know if I'm speaking out of immaturity or wisdom. Wanting to go out and live my life without having to worry about anyone else. Wanting to expirience the world before I worry about buying a house and a family. I just don't want to waste my life.
What I need is a person who will come along.
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