You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2014.
No one should have to live in fear. Death by airstrike, death by rocket. Same result. I cannot even imagine having to deal with every day life in Gaza, especially if I had children.
“I am used to the bombings, but my children are worried. So I have to keep reassuring them.” Explaining what is happening in the skies to children sometimes proves difficult for some Palestinian parents. “When my child becomes scared I try to pacify her,” said Yasir Fatih. “I tell her the noise is far away and it’s not dangerous. Or sometimes I tell her it’s not real, it’s a game.”
One hell of a bogeyman no?
Of course the situation is complex, of course there is aggression from both parties. The violence being perpetrated though, should not be thought as a war between equals. If there ever was a case of David vs Goliath it would be the situation of Hamas versus the IDF.
We have different labels for similar situations…this comment from DierYassin summarized nicely how varied the world stage is.
“Facing international opprobrium over apartheid, Pretoria angrily asked why the world was focusing on them when far more serious atrocities abounded elsewhere.
They boasted of the better living conditions of blacks under white rule. And of how they were a “beacon of civilization” in a backward continent surrounded by countries wanting their “destruction”. They labelled armed resistance as terrorism and gave blacks truncated enclaves ruled by powerless chieftains and called it self-determination.Sound familiar?
Ah, but we in North America are ardent supporters of Israel so obviously, this cannot be the case…
[Source]
Next on the list of pieces that I’m learning. Super extra challenging aria because of the recitative in the beginning. But, as they say, nothing worth doing is ever easy.
“Ombra mai fu” is the opening aria from the 1738 opera Serse by George Frideric Handel.
In the opera, the aria is preceded by a short recitativo accompagnato of nine bars, setting the scene (“Frondi tenere e belle”). The aria itself is also short; it consists of 52 bars and typically lasts 3 to 4 minutes.
The instrumentation is for a string section: first and second violins, viola, and basses. The key signature is F major, the time signature is 3/4 time. The vocal range covers C4 to F5 with a tessitura from F4 to F5.
The title translates from the Italian as “Never was a shade”. It is sung by the main character, Xerxes I of Persia, admiring the shade of a plane tree.
|
Frondi tenere e belle Ombra mai fu |
Tender and beautiful fronds Never was a shade |
Ah, tell me more, O noble warriors of life.
A survey of Ontario high school students reveals more than one-third of all licensed drivers in Grades 10 to 12 admit to having texted while driving.
That percentage increases to 46 per cent of licensed students in Grade 12.
Approximately 108,000 adolescent drivers surveyed said they have texted while driving at least once in the past year, according to the 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS), a biannual study conducted for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
“We asked about texting while driving because research shows that this is a very hazardous behaviour,” said CAMH senior scientist Dr. Robert Mann. “We were surprised to find that so many young people are taking this risk.”
I’ll admit it, I’m a low grade hyper-klicker. I try as much as I can to extend the time between trips to the gas station. That means gradual acceleration and coasting toward red lights along with the basics, of course, correct tire pressure, minimal extra weight in vehicle etc.
One of the byproducts of this style of driving is that I tend to use large buffer zones in traffic so I can react to events in measured way, including avoiding people doing stupid things on the road.
Having that extra time while driving has saved my bacon more than once, that extra time and distance is invaluable in keeping me and those around me safe.
Enter texting – it splits your attention and reduces your ability to react while driving. Never a good thing, and with solid evidence detailing the deleterious effects of texting while driving, legistlation is the only option to stop this dangerous and costly behaviour.
If I didn’t see it happen, it did not happen. Dark Matter2525 takes on a argumentative tact adopted by some creationists in their crusade to bring civilization back the happy-fun times of the Middle Ages.
bleatmop
Mystro
The Arbourist
Dead Wild Roses 
Your opinions…