Tomorrow, When the War Began

Okay, Janelle and I watched a movie last night called Tomorrow, When the War Began. I just have to say it's one of the best movies I've seen in a while! Afterwards, we looked it up on Wikipedia, and it turns out, the movie is based on the first book of a seven book series called the Tomorrow series by author John Marsden.

After I am finished with Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series, I intend to begin reading these Tomorrow books. Have any of you read them? If so, what do you think?

I think the relationship between books and films is the same as the relationship between a product and its TV commercial.

sick christmas, janelle is my hero

So, on Christmas Eve, my parents had a bunch of the extended family over for a big dinner and some games and nice stuff like that. I ate some generous portions of turkey, mashed potatoes and turnip, stuffing, salad, and delicious Christmas food. Afterwards I had a huge slice of cake for dessert, and then I sat around visiting and playing games with the family. It was nice. I got to reconnect a little bit with my long lost cousin, Josee.

About two hours after dinner, my stomach started acting up. I had to excuse myself three times to have some violent diarrhea. Yeah, not at all pleasant. But otherwise, it wasn't really stopping my enjoyment of the evening until a little later, when my I started getting really clammy and shaking and feeling really nauseous. I tried to ignore it, but the frequent trips to the bathroom for diarrhea weren't making the stomach cramps and nausea go away anymore. It was actually getting much worse and I was worried that I would have to throw up, something I hadn't done in... well, ten years or more. So I started hanging near the washroom, just in case.

I was beginning to feel like I should head for the washroom and, with my stomach making some violent noises, I turned to go... and was passed in the hallway by another celebrant. I didn't want to take any chances so I headed to the bathroom downstairs. Going down the stairs must have disturbed my stomach even more because the contents of my stomach started to come up...

So I dashed to the washroom only to find that it was occupied... I could hear someone singing softly to himself inside. In a panic, I turned around and went into the adjacent office and immediately spewed forth into the garbage can... Well, I had aimed at the garbage can.

Uncle Louis, coming out of the bathroom, saw me and bravely lifted the garbage can to catch the tail end of my upheaval, then sent me into the washroom to clean up. Then, he must have told my dad what had happened because when I came out of the washroom, dad was starting to clean up... because my vomit had gone EVERYWHERE. It was so disgusting. There was so much of it. It was like all the vomit that I hadn't vomited over the past ten plus years had built up and exploded out of me all across my parent's office... Having thrown up, I was feeling a little better, so I sent Dad upstairs and got some paper towel rags to start cleaning up... Janelle came down with a clean shirt for me shortly afterwards and took command of the clean up. Upstairs, the visitors were evacuating.

I was starting to feel sick again. I stuck around until we finished cleaning up... And then I dumped my clothes into the washing machine and headed for the shower. I had more diarrhea before I could make it into the shower. And after that I was so exhausted that showering seemed like an insurmountable task and I ended up standing under the water for what seemed like forever because I didn't have the energy to consider getting out and drying off and getting dressed and going to bed... besides, I was freezing.

I did make it to bed without any significant events, and fell asleep quite quickly. And I think Janelle joined me soon afterwards. By this time, it was well after midnight.

In Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time books, there are these women called Aes Sedai. They're kind of like wizards like Tolkien's Gandalf, but they're women and they have way more drama. Anyways, they've all taken an oath to never use their wizard power as a weapon, so they have these men with them, called Warders, to do all their dirty work. Each Aes Sedai is bonded to her Warder so that when one feels anything, the other feels it too. Anyways, sometimes I think Janelle and I must be bonded the same way because during the night I suddenly woke up with the realization that I was about to vomit again and there was Janelle, already shoving my head inside the bucket so I could vomit in it. Afterwards, I asked her how she knew I was going to throw up. She said she didn't know how it happened, she just knew she had to get around the bed and hold the bucket for me... Janelle is my hero.

Which, in retrospect, makes me a little ashamed of myself. I don't get sick all that often, but when I do, Janelle takes famously good care of me. When Janelle gets sick, I usually just sleep through it. Like one time, I woke up as Janelle was getting back into the bed and she said, "I just threw up." Instead of offering sympathy or anything like that, I said, "In the bed!?" I was horrified, apparently. (Now I know that the odds of Janelle throwing up in the bed are much smaller than the odds of Patrick throwing up in the bed.) And then I just went back to sleep! Can you believe how ridiculous I am?

Anyways, I was up off and on for the rest of the night with diarrhea and then I stayed in bed all Christmas morning. Sometime in the afternoon, I moved to the livingroom couch and lay down under a blanket so we could open presents. (Mom and Dad spoiled us rotten with Christmas gifts.) Afterwards I fell asleep and slept for most of the afternoon. I got up in the late afternoon to supply an answer to some kind of multiple choice question thing. I was feeling a little stronger. I ate some Jello and drank some water. A little later, I read a little and ate some chicken noodle soup... which I pooped out immediately afterwards. By this time my LBM had gone from brown to green to yellow to clear.

Thankfully, the next morning I was feeling quite strong. Strong enough to go to meeting in the morning and to eat some Chinese food in the afternoon and had only minimal diarrhea.

Now I am all better, and back in Thunder Bay. And Janelle is my Hero!

Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan

Summary


Faile and her women have been kidnapped by renegade Aiel running wild in a place where they should not be. Learning of this, Perrin goes after her, preparing for a deadly battle. To make matters worse, he is forced to bring The Prophet with him.

Mat is still trapped in Ebou Dar and the Seanchan have occupied it. Apparently the Return has begun and Seanchan are coming off boats by the thousands. He discovers that he isn't the only one trapped in Ebou Dar and he begins devising a scheme that will take him and them out of the city. Now, if only that boyish looking Seanchan woman would stop following him.

Rand, meanwhile, has taken off on a wild adventure. He jumps all over the place, Jumping Travelling between Rhuidean and Chachin and Cairhien and Caemlyn to finally stop in Far Madding, a city where no one can channel the Force Power. At all. Along for the party are some of Rand's Jedi Asha'man Gedwyn, Torval, Kisman, and Rochaid... but they tried to kill him in book eight. What could he possibly want with them?

What I liked


This book was suspenseful enough to make me keep reading and the story developed well. I really loved the prologue, it contained one of the most interesting events of the story so far.

What I didn't like


The book was boring far too often. Things just took way too long to happen. Also, the book I happened to have was the hardcover edition and it was FULL of typos, which was annoying to say the least.

Conclusion


A fair addition to the series. The story developed well. Suspenseful and boring by turns. A decent book, overall. 4/5 massively huge magical sculptures.

The Glory of the Revolution

Oh, in the beginning, our hopes were so high,

When a man was only a man

And every man, my brother.

What then? When the cold sets in?

And the hunger reduces to bone?

I have seen far too much of starvation.

Oh, the glory of the Revolution!

What do we do then,

When the system is good

But the people are wicked?

Ah, but you. I still have you.

I will always have you—

Thank God for you.

A Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan

Summary


This book begins where book seven, A Crown of Swords left off. Nynaeve and Elayne finally get their play date with the Bowl of the Winds and fix the weather. And the the Seanchan show up to ruin the party and send them running through a Gateway to Andor, where they face a two week journey to Caemlyn, where Elayne hopes to claim the throne. But, because they fixed the weather, it starts to snow, which hampers their journey. And then no one gets along and Elayne has a bad feeling that it's going to turn messy and someone might get killed.

Meanwhile, Egwene and her rebel Aes Sedai and the army they've put together is marching north. The only problem with that is that they've got to cross Andor and some disgruntled lords have moved an army into their way to prevent them from entering. And, with the weather fixed, the snow is seriously hindering her progress. And the Hall of the Tower is really giving her a hard time, trying to strangle her power and control her, but she'll have none of that! As if that wasn't bad enough, two of her maids have disappeared. Now where could they have gotten off to?

Meanwhile, Rand is about to move against the Seanchan who have taken Ebou Dar and are moving west towards his newly conquered kingdom of Illian. To protect his holdings, he marches against them. But something's going wrong with the Force One Power, it's behaving strangely and that's making some of his Asha'man nervous. Oh well, he's never let a small thing like that stop him before, why let it stop him now? So, he goes ahead with his attack on the Seanchan. If he's lucky, he might make it to Ebou Dar.

Perrin is about to meet up with The Prophet, like Rand ordered, but I have a feeling he'll soon be wishing he hadn't left his wfie, Faile, behind.

What I liked

Fairly good writing. Not quite as stellar as book seven, but definitely good. And a little interesting, with some very suspenseful parts. And foreshadowing expertly woven in totally adds to the suspense. I liked that.

What I didn't like


This is easily the most boring book of the series so far! The first hundred pages are all about who's more powerful in the Force One Power than who and what that means about who's more important than who. And nothing happens! They just talk about that for over a hundred pages! And then the book is all politics and manipulating and working behind other people's backs, which is kind of interesting, but not really exciting. So, it makes the six hundred or so pages of this book go by really, really slowly.

Conclusion


Unfortunately, you can't skip this book without missing some important plot points and character developments, so this book is worth reading for what it adds to the story. I don't think the boringness is forgivable, though. So 2/5  disgruntled, powermongering women.

This cover art is pretty cool, though:

A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan

Summary

Picking up pretty much where Lord of Chaos left off, this book begins after Rand has been freed from the Aes Sedai who kidnapped him and has returned to Cairhien. Perrin is with him and is a little restive and worried over the fate of the Aes Sedai Rand has captured.

Rand is still planning to take on Sammael in Illian, but he's taking his time with it. He may have a plan, but he's not letting anyone know. And he sure seems to like having Min around.

Also, the Sea Folk are still waiting for his visit and they've shown up in Ebou Dar as well.

Speaking of Ebou Dar, Mat thinks he is babysitting Nynaeve and Elayne in Ebou Dar and they're trying their best to keep him out of the loop. But they still haven't found the giant bowl they're looking for and it eventually becomes apparent that they aren't the only ones at work in Ebou Dar.

The action in this novel covers about two weeks, maybe a smidge more...

What I liked

... So the novel is pretty fast paced. It's got plenty enough action and ties up one or two loose ends that have been dangling for some time. Never mind that it dangles a few more loose ends of its own, but, I have every expectation that those will be tied up before the end of the series (this isn't Lost).

Also, the writing in this book is fantastic. The writing in previous books has been pretty decent, but this book definitely rises above the rest so far, as far as writing quality goes.

And the story telling is pretty good, even if it slows down quite a lot in places for explanations.

What I didn't like

As always, the drama. But it's toned down a bit in this book, I think, compared to previous ones.

Conclusion

This book provides the conclusion that was lacking at the end of Lord of Chaos. This book is that conclusion. Lord of Chaos kind of left it all hanging, this one ties that up nicely. It's more like an appendage or an extra forty two chapters to Lord of Chaos than its own story. But it works well. The suspense keeps me reading. 4.5/5 man eating fogs.

Professor Bernard on Lots of Other Stuff

Final class in Cold War History with Professor J-I Bernard was yesterday. Here are a few gems from the past two weeks:

"I'm not an admirer of 'Tricky-Nick' but Nixon was wise--and Kissinger too, even though he had some hare-brained ideas about linkage."

"The Americans thought that China could be a partner in solving the world's problems, or more accurately, American problems in the world."

"The US had landed... or 'mooneded' a man."

"France had always been restive and worrisome--annoying."

"The French were upset by what they saw as the United States and the Soviet Union playing at nuclear dice."

"What you see in WikiLeaks is the daily bread of diplomacy. Diplomats are professional liars. It seems scandalous to some people but it is what they do."

Here's a joke he told in class:
Charles DeGaulle dies and goes to heaven. He appears in the presence of God, who remains seated as the former French President approaches. DeGaulle says, "Most people stand up to greet me." And God replies, "I'm afraid that if I stand up, you will take my seat."

"It's a cultural tradition in the US to assassinate presidents. It's a national sport."

"To the Spanish Communist Party who proposed Euro-Communism, Soviet Communism was outdated, prehistoric, and, you know, not valid."

In Defense of WikiLeaks and its Founder, Julian Assange

please excuse this politically motivated post. i like to refrain from discussing politics in general, but this is an issue i feel strongly about, and i believe it deserves everyone's attention...

Headlines this morning report that Interpol has put WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange on its "Most Wanted" list in connection with rape and sexual molestation charges in Sweden. I must say that, in principle, I doubt the charges. As professor Bernard put it this morning, if Assange had not been charged with rape and sexual molestation, he would have been framed with something else, underlining the simple fact that it has become necessary to get rid of Julian Assange and his WikiLeaks.

Tom Flanagan, a former senior advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said Monday night on CBC's "Power and Politics with Evan Solomon," that Assange should be assassinated, that President Obama should put out a contract for his murder, or use military assets (such as drones) to neutralize him. Tom Flanagan, a professor at the University of Calgary, claims that some of the secrets exposed by WikiLeaks "could conceivably lead to war" and concluded that "this is really not stuff that should be out," citing for example the revelation that Arab diplomats have asked the US to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

I am a strong proponent of Full Disclosure and I believe that WikiLeaks is a great stride towards Full Disclosure. By Full Disclosure I mean a system that places all affairs of state under public scrutiny. What this might look like is an independent press with unhindered and unlimited access to all government proceedings. The result would be, no government secrets and no state secrets and no personal secrets among government officials. Full disclosure is total transparency.

This is not good for states, but it is good for people.

I believe Full Disclosure is necessary because of the anarchic nature of the international system. There is no system of accountability in international politics. The United Nations Organization does not provide accountability, does not police the international system. The United Nations Organization is a forum for discussion between states. States with sufficient power can ignore the United Nations and lesser states are controlled by more powerful states through the United Nations. There is no accountability in the international system.

Furthermore, domestically, we have no true democracy. We do not live in a democratic state, in Canada. Rather we have a form of a representational republic, or a parliamentary republic, where the people are not the choosers, rather, the people choose the choosers. This is not, as we claim, democracy. I will not say this is a bad system of politics. It is, compared to many other systems, a good system of politics that I am content to live with. Nevertheless, it is not a true democratic system.

Full Disclosure holds governments accountable to the voting public and holds states accountable to one another within the international system. What results is greater democracy within states and greater democracy between states; governments are held accountable for their perfidy not only by the voting public within their own borders but by the people of all states.

If states are embarrassed by the information disclosed, they should be! They have conducted themselves in a way that is embarrassing both in foreign and in domestic policy. No state is not guilty of perfidy. As long as there are state and government secrets, there will be perfidy; as much perfidy as possible. Full Disclosure will not end perfidy, but will certainly restrict it.

Professor Raffo, in a lecture this morning, said that Full Disclosure will result in the breakdown of diplomacy and will ultimately cause chaos in the international system. I contend that Full Disclosure will result in the breakdown of secret diplomacy and a new open diplomacy will replace it. Something like what President Wilson envisaged: Open treaties of peace, openly arrived at. There will be chaos for a time. But out of that chaos will emerge a better international system based on something more closely resembling democracy. Not the current international system of dictatorship by Super Power, where global domination is shared among a few Super Powers who dictate policy to lesser states.

The Internet has brought about an age in which every individual has a voice. So, every individual ought to be informed as much as possible.

I doubt we will ever see such a system of Full Disclosure exist. Nevertheless, it is worth striving for, in the hope that some day there will be wisdom and justice in the international system. Until then, I believe that Julian Assange should be harboured and allowed to continue his work.

The Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan

Summary

Having conquered Caemlyn and Cairhien in the previous book, Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, begins to build an administration, but there are so many things to occupy his attentions. He has opened a new school in Cairhien, to do research and development in any and every field. He has opened another school near Caemlyn to train men to channel. Meanwhile, he's preparing a nasty surprise for his current nemesis, Sammael, who's hiding out in Illian these days and he just needs Mat there for it to be completely ready.

Meanwhile, rival factions of the Aes Sedai are sending embassies to him. He's pretty sure he knows which side he should trust, but before the end, he'll wonder if he should trust either side.

Mat heads down to Illian, but at the last minute gets diverted to an important mission, that ends up being pretty much the most frustrating one he has ever faced.

Meanwhile, Perrin, showing up again for the first time in two (or three?) books, returns from the Two Rivers where he defeated the Trolloc Hordes (well, not exactly hordes, but, you know...), and shows up on Rand's doorstep, offering to help. Now, if only Perrin could figure out what his wife wants.

Egwene gets called back to Salidar from where she's been learning from the Aiel dreamwalkers, and she suspects that she's going to be punished for passing herself off as Aes Sedai all these past months. Nynaeve and Elayne are holding Moghedien captive between the two of them, and may have just found out how to break the nasty heat wave that's been plaguing them. The only hitch is, they've got to go to Ebou Dar to do it. Whatever, though, they've been itching to get out of Salidar for a long time now, well, Nynaeve has, Elayne is not so sure.

The Forsaken are up to their usual sneaking around and plotting. Finally, it looks like they might get some success, with two more added to their numbers incognito. But they can't trust each other long enough to put together any kind of collective plan, so their plotting against each other as much as they are against Rand.

And the drama continues...

What I liked

The intrigue, the detail, the character development, the suspense. One of my favourite books of this series so far. The writing and story telling both seem to have improved. A solid addition to the series.

What I didn't like

Although the drama in this book was more palatable than in many of the previous books, it was still present. Elayne, Aviendha, and Min can't decide whether to fight over Rand or share him; Rand isn't sure he wants to be shared or forget about any kind of relationship altogether, if only he knew what was going on... Perrin can't figure out what's up with his wife, Faile. She's angry at him, but why? And a good many pages are devoted to that particular piece of soap opera... Gawyn thinks Rand killed his mother, and even though he's madly in love with Egwene, who tells him Rand hasn't killed Morgase, he still wants to kill Rand, maybe just on principle. And he won't listen to reason. Actually, none of the characters seem able to listen to reason... Anyways, yeah. It's just weird and mostly pointless drama.

Conclusion

Fun, adventurous, suspenseful, interesting. I pretty much tore right through this one. It's gripping. Some boring parts, and lots of explanations, but overall, packed with suspense. A real page turner. I'll give it 4.5/5 tricky witches. I can't recommend starting anywhere but at the beginning of the series, but so far, it does seem to get better and more interesting and more suspenseful as it goes along.

Deepak Chopra and Truth

In a debate on Nightline, Deepak Chopra said: "I want to seek the company of those who are looking for the truth but I want to run away from those who have found it."

(The debate should be available on the internet. Janelle and I watched the whole thing on youtube.com last night.)

This seems platitudinous to me. It's like searching for something so that, when you find it, you can deny it exists. That's a self-defeating exercise.

We don't approach science this way: while studying for an exam in biochemistry, I don't kick out of my study group the people who claim to know the answers to the problems, I seek them out and get them to teach me.

Or, if I was looking for something, if, for example, I lost Mr. Chopra in the mall and wanted to find him, I might go around asking people: "Hello, have you seen a pretentious man?" And give a brief description of the man's physical appearance. And they might say, "Ah, yes, I know exactly who you're looking for, he's doing a book signing at Chapters." I would not, then, go looking for him at Canadian Tire: I would go to Chapters.

Or, if I wanted to hire an electrician to upgrade the wiring in my house, I would look for one who knew the proper code and adhered to it. I would not hire an electrician who claimed not to know the code and avoided the company of those who did know the code. I would avoid such an electrician and perhaps take steps to have his license removed.

Why on Earth, then, should I apply this method to explore philosophy? It is foolish to simultaneously search for truth and deny its existence in so far as anyone else has experienced it. There are methods in philosophy for reasoning out truth with logic. If the truth that you eventually come to by logical and rational examination is unpleasant or does not square with your hypothesis, do not assume that your methods are unsound.

If, in science, our research and experiments continually disprove our hypothesis, we do not change the standards of critical examination and experimentation to prove our hypothesis. This is bad science. Instead we seek to reconcile the hypothesis with what we have learned through research and experimentation and emerge with greater knowledge: I previously believed that a+b=y but experimentation showed, and I now believe that, a+b=x. We do this all the time. Why approach one subject differently?

We claim that philosophical, moral truth is subjective. But if the universe is constructed around physical laws that are as rigid as we have found them to be, there can be no subjective area of knowledge or wisdom and the universe must be founded on rigid absolutes in every aspect.

(In my opinion. Of course it's my opinion. It's my blob, who else's opinion would it be?)

A Question of Power by Bessie Head

Summary

In Apartheid-era South Africa, Elizabeth was born in an institution for the insane because her father was a black native African and her mother a white woman. Her mother, a white woman, had committed a crime by having sex with a black man. Authorities concluded she was insane and had her committed her.

Elizabeth, the child of that criminal union, was born in the institution and rigidly classified as "coloured."

The story takes place many years later. Elizabeth, now a grown woman with a child, moves to the village of Motabeng in Botswana and teaches in a school. But she begins to go insane and much of the action in the novel takes place inside Elizabeth's mind with three or four characters in a deadly war over Elizabeth's soul.

What I liked

Very little. The evils of Apartheid are starkly demonstrated. For example, Elizabeth ends up in an institution for the insane where a white South African psychiatrist comes to treat her. She begins to spew hatred for black Africans, and the psychiatrist assumes that, since she hates black people, she must be sane and has her released. That was painfully funny.

What I disliked

Just about everything. Most of the novel, being the confusion of an insane woman's mind, was difficult to read. The third person narrator is meddlesome.

The story is well put together and well written, for the most part. However, it's not interesting, it's bitter, it's horrible. It's like all the worst parts of feminism or something. I'm not a fan.

Conclusion

An academic novel. Definitely worth the paper it's printed on, but not worth owning or reading. It's good to have, on a shelf in the library. 1/5 lobotomized vaginas.

Professor Bernard on the Vietnam War (Continued)

Today's class covered the last part of the Vietnam War and a little exam review...

About the exam, professor Bernard said, "You won't have to defend a major thesis, I don't want to saddle you with those kinds of topics." How nice of him.

During the lecture, a student asked: "Would it be right to say that the [Johnson administration] deliberately lied to get executive powers in Vietnam?" And professor Bernard replied, "Yes. Sure. They usually do that."

I love understatements like this one: "American behaviour at Hue, that city being shelled to dust, and My Lai, where several hundred civilians were slaughtered, did not endear the Americans to the South Vietnamese population that they were purportedly saving from Communism."

On War Crimes and Crimes against humanity, Bernard says that Great Powers are never held accountable for their crimes, the United Nations International Tribunal always goes after the small powers. For example, Chechnya had four million people, now there are only two million people. Were there war crimes committed there? Of course, but you will never see Putin dragged to the International Tribunal. Instead they will go after some black military dictator in a small African country.

About the US imposing its will on South Vietnam, "This is the way Great Powers behave."

Also: "Politics are very dirty and politicians too."

"I've heard we are in Afghanistan to help little girls go to school. I'm glad if that's what we do, but I doubt it."

"Thanks to a massive inflow of US money, arms, and weapons, South Vietnam expanded its forces to 1.1 Million soldiers. At the beginning of the 1970s almost the whole artificial economy of South Vietnam rested on war and American financial assistance. Saigon's population swelled from 300 000 to 3 or 4 million. Saigon became a brothel city, a prostitution city, and a drug city. The drug trade was very, very important in Saigon." (Statistics report that well over 70% of American soldiers fighting in Vietnam became addicted to Heroin. American Mafias began importing Heroin in the coffins of slain American soldiers.)

"After his re-election in 1972, Nixon launched the Christmas bombing campaign, which made Hanoi the most-bombed city in all of history. North Vietnam has been more bombed than Nazi Germany. Hanoi is not Berlin. It is small. Little bigger than Thunder Bay, I think."

"After My Lai, the American army was looking like a gang of disgusting thugs."

Professor Bernard on the Vietnam War

Today in my Cold War History class, professor Bernard introduced the Vietnam War. Easily the most interesting class so far this year. Here are a few quotes:

1. "I think the only ones who understood the situation were the French, because they had been there and left."

2. "Dean Rusk, Kennedy's foreign secretary, firmly believed that the National Liberation Front (the Viet Cong) was simply an arm of the North Vietnamese government people who were themselves Chinese stooges. Which is very dumb to say the least, of course, they weren't stooges for anybody."

3. "The leaders in Washington were pretty much conceited."

4. "They killed one million Vietnamese because they loved freedom so much."

5. "The people you train will not kill their brothers, they will join them."

6. "Weapons manufacturers don't need a war to sell their wares."

7. About President Kennedy: "It is very difficult sometimes to do what you want to do."

8. It snowed during the night, leaving a nice coat of fresh snow over everything: "For the Americans it was like having an arm in the snowblower--very difficult to extricate yourself once your arm is caught by the auger."

9. "Kennedy didn't appreciate the military situation."

10. "The Americans thought it was the bad communists in the north who were meddling with the south."

11. "Even now, I hear on the radio, these backwoods Canadians talking about how we have to fight the Talibans because if we don't they will come in their back yards. If you paid me, I wouldn't go into their back yards."

12. About the Tonkin Resolution: A student asks a question comparing the Tonkin Resolution to the post 9/11 Patriot Act. Professor Bernard deflects the question, a second student comments on how the Patriot Act came out only one or two days after 9/11, and wonders how they got "like five thousand pages" written in that short a time. A third student puts in, "Well, you're a good history student, you know all about that." And Professor Bernard says, "Yes, they enlisted some history students to write the Patriot Act." Student number three says, "That's not very patriotic" (referring to the deception of the Tonkin Resolution, but said right after the professor's comment about enlisting History students--there were two or three discussions going on at the same time.)

Stalin, Khruschev, and Brezhnev

My cold war history prof told this joke in class today about the Soviet leaders:

A Soviet train gets stuck in a snowdrift. When the problem comes to Stalin's attention, he says: "Find and shoot the saboteurs." The police randomly choose five passengers and shoot them, then force the rest of the passengers to push the train.

In the same circumstance, but years later, when General Secretary Khruschev is alerted of the problem, he boards the train and says to the passengers, "For the glorious advancement of socialism, come with me and we will shovel the snow."

And, when the same thing happens while Brezhnev is General Secretary, he gets on the phone with the conductor and says, "Close the drapes and shake the train so the passengers think it is still moving."

Here are some further quotes from my Cold War history professor that I found humorous:

1. About the atomic bomb: "President Truman thought: we paid for it, we might as well use it."

2. "Representative government has not the same meaning to the Soviets as to the Americans."

3. "I am not a great leader makes history person but the leader does make a difference." (On the difference between Roosevelt and Truman.)

4. "The bourgeoisie owns the capitalist system."

5. "There is no friendship between states, only interest." (This is one of his favourite sayings.)

6. "It was very easy for the Americans to make Stalin into a second Hitler."

7. "Humanitarian causes are never motivations for political action."

8. "1953 is a key date: Stalin died."

9. "The USSR had not much to give."

10. "Sovietization was extended to every aspect of life, with the USSR's academy of science demonstrating Soviet supremacy in every field ... they could say that the USSR invented the wheel."

11. "Propaganda was also used in the west. Sometimes the two systems are symmetrical."

12. "Stalin was a complicated guy."

13. "The Atomic Bomb is not something you use, but something you like to have."

14. "Roosevelt was considered a shoddy president for being too conciliatory with the USSR; after him, the presidency was reduced to two terms."

15. This one demonstrates the way he talks: About post-Korean war cross-border conflicts: "They would think, it would be interesting to have that hill, you know, fortified line."

16. "I cannot overstate this enough, Stalin was paranoid."

17. "You can believe that workers need decent pay without being a Bolshevik."

18. "Stalin drank vodka like water even in his 70s. So he was very tough."

19. About brinkmanship: "Or, if you prefer, brinkpersonship; I received a comment, so now I am prepared."

20. About post WW2 sentiment about Germany: "We love Germany so much that we want two of them."

21. "The USSR was okay with neutralism."

22. About the settlement of the Suez Canal Crisis: "The French were a lot tougher and quite sore at the British for backing out. They thought if you invade someone, you should have the wherewithal to see it through." (The British bowed to international pressure and withdrew from their short Suez Canal adventure, which they had commenced jointly with France and Israel.)

23. About the USSR's involvement in the Third World: "There was a lot of mischief that could be caused by the USSR."

24. "Politics is not a very very ethical activity."

25. "The soviet rockets were put together with glue, string, and scotch tape."

26. About Soviet and American nuclear war strategy: "I destroy Toronto, you destroy Budapest, I made my point, you made yours... This concerned the European leaders, as you can see, because what if, after a nuclear war has ravaged the allies of both countries, the USSR and the United States decide to make peace?"

27. He asks the class this question: "How did Khruschev use the sputnik success for foreign and domestic propaganda?" When the class doesn't seem to understand the question, he asks: "Was he in the sputnik capsule?" Someone from the class says, "No." He laughs, "No, of course not. But it was pretty annoying for the Americans."

28. "Everything happened in 1956."

29. "I think Eisenhower would have a heart attack if he saw today's deficit."

30. About Khruschev's international travels, compared to Stalin, who rarely traveled internationally: "This was annoying for the Americans. With Stalin it had been convenient to be able to make him into an ogre in the Kremlin."

31. About the Sino-Soviet Split: "There was a big crack in the Eastern Bloc."

32. "Mao was impractically driven by ideology."

33. About the Chinese Industrial Revolution or "Great Leap Forward": "This was an industry manned by peasants. The plan was to have small factories in villages. To the Soviets this was not Proletarian, it was unorthodox and it was impractical. It would produce scrap, and even today, the Chinese have become very successful at producing scrap. But the Soviets thought it was a hare-brained project."

34. "The USSR is always pro-peace for propaganda."

35. "Kennedy made big mistakes in the beginning."

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

Summary
Caelum Quirk lives in Littleton Colorado with his third wife, Maureen. He is a teacher at Columbine High School, she is the school nurse there.

When Caelum's aunt Louella dies suddenly of a stroke, Caelum, her last surviving relative, travels to Connecticut to arrange the funeral.

On April 20, 1999, Caelum is at his dead aunt's house in Connecticut, his wife Maureen is in the school library, helping a student when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold enter.

The plot of this novel follows Maureen's recovery from post traumatic stress disorder in the aftermath of the Columbine shootings. It's told from the perspective of her husband and deals with his issues as well.

Eventually, Caelum digs into his own past and into the lives of his ancestors.

What I liked
This novel was very well written. One of the best. And the storytelling was well done too. It was evocative, the characters were awfully believable. And the story wrestled with some really weighty questions that made me think real hard.

What I didn't like
It was a very difficult book to read. It's kind of dark until the very end. Even then, the light is murky. None of the characters are very likable. I could relate to them easily enough, but the story is more about how they succumb to their flaws rather than how they overcome them.

Also, I've never read anyone who could make sex as dirty as Lamb makes it in this book.

Conclusion
I have very mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was well written, it tells a story that's well worth reading, and it wrestles with very important questions. On the other hand, it's unnecessarily dark. At the end, it talks about hope, but hope in what? The ending seems to point to human goodness or innocence as a source of hope... but it's not convincing. Realistically, human goodness isn't something you can count on, so, to me, it doesn't seem to float much as a source of hope. All in all, it's a book worth wrestling with, though. I'll give it a 3.9/5 alcoholic school teachers.

Patrick Misses Janelle

So, Janelle's new job has taken her to Winnepeg for a week of training. I miss her. Here's some reflections on a week of singleness:

1. It sucks. Seriously. I don't go to bed late and sleep in, and then feel like I missed my whole day and end up staying up late again to make up for it, which makes me tired in class the next morning. I forget to eat. I forget to take my vitamins and my apple cider vinegar... which reminds me.

okay, i'm back now.

2. It's really lonely. We talk on the phone every day, but it's not the same.

On the plus side, it was really nice on Tuesday and I had a nice walk. I walked all the way to meeting and it only took me about half an hour. I got to think about stuff. Also, I got to work more on my story, and I'm really happy about that!

I've also been working on an essay about the Soviet Union's General Secretary/Premier/President Mikhail Gorbachev (of the late 1980s and early 1990s) for my Cold War History class, which I'm liking a whole lot. It's my favourite and most interesting class and my professor is really, really cute. He's French, and he says funny things, like last week he was talking about Egypt's Aswan Dam project and he said they wanted to use it to control the "fluudes" on the Nile. And then he said, "Fluudes, fluudes. I do not know how to pronounce this anymore." And someone yelled "Floods!" And he said, "Ah yes, floods." It was funny. :)

The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan

Summary

Book five of the Wheel of Time series opens where the previous book left off. Rand is in Rhuidean, in the Aiel Waste, waiting for the Aiel to gather so he can take them across the Spine of the World (also known as the Dragon Wall) to fight against the Forsaken, who have entrenched themselves there.

Of concern is Couladin, an Aiel chieftain who has proclaimed himself the Dragon Reborn, claiming that Rand is a false Dragon.

When Rand learns that Couladin is moving his army across the Dragon Wall to ravage the West, (the Wetlands), Rand has no choice but to go after him and try to stop him. As he moves his new army after Couladin, though, four non-aligned clans follow him across the Dragon Wall.

Meanwhile, Nynaeve and Elayne are traveling back to Tar Valon, having been victorious over the Black Ajah in Tanchico. When they discover that Siuan Sanche has been removed from her position as Amyrlin Seat and replaced with Elaida, who is determined to apprehend and control Rand, a drastic change of plans is required. Now, if only Nynaeve could remember where the Blue Ajah was hiding out these days.

What I liked

The suspense was riveting. Easily just as good as the previous book in the series, which, if I remember correctly, I gave a relatively high rating.

Well written too, and a well developed story with plenty of surprises. Overall, a very good job.

What I didn't like

As always, the drama. This book is no exception. While the drama is toned down a little, compared to previous books, it's still there and still annoying.

The suspense will keep me reading, though.

Conclusion

A very good book and a great addition to the series. 4/5 jealous girlfriends.

God's Bits of Wood by Sembene Ousman

Summary

After World War Two, in French West Africa, African natives who had been hired to work on the Dakar-Niger railway formed a union and went on strike, demanding pay equal to their white coworkers, back pay for the years they worked at lower wages, family allowances, and pensions.

The executives of the Dakar-Niger railway rejected all their demands.

This novel is about that months-long strike and the ultimate victory of the African Worker's Union.

On the first day of the strike, thousands of the workers assemble near one of the stations, and women and merchants gather around them, either curious, or hoping to sell them something. The army arrives to dispel the crowd and disorder breaks out, at the end of the day eight strikers have been killed, countless have been injured, hundreds of bystanders, including women and babies have been killed and wounded, and one soldier has been killed.

And then the railroad company cuts off the water supply to the cities along the railroad.

That clash sets the tone for the rest of the book. There's lots of bloodshed, outright murder, and politics.

What I liked

The story made me angry, I sympathized with the strikers. It was moving. Also, the story was well told, written from the perspective of dozens of characters, each with a different role in the strike.

What I didn't like

The book is a translation of the French novel. It's a good translation, well done and easy enough to read.

However, the writing becomes a bit cumbersome. It's hard to keep track of all the characters. There are jokes that are difficult to understand, without knowing the language.

Aside from that, though, the story is compelling and worth reading.

Conclusion

Interested in Africa? Read this book. Sembene Ousman is known as a militant artist, (think Che with a typewriter). This book demonstrates his passion and love for his people and his empathy with their suffering. 4.9/5 babies named Strike.

Call Me Lumpy

So, some time in June or July, I'm not sure which, while I was working nights at the Superstore in Halifax, Janelle discovered a little lump on my leg.

The lump was about the size of a ping pong ball, soft, and painless. It was on my inner thigh, right next to my balls. I wouldn't have noticed it if Janelle hadn't discovered it. For obvious reasons, she was concerned and told me to go to a doctor. I agreed to go, but kept putting it off.

I hate going to the doctor. I always feel like if they can't write me a prescription, I'm wasting their time. Last time I saw a doctor for something other than stitches it was for some kind of outbreak or allergic reaction on my hand and his reaction was something like this: "Well, I don't know what it is, but I could prescribe something for it and we can see what happens." Yeah, like I'm going to take drugs so you can "see what happens." No thanks.

Anyways, we moved to Thunder Bay and I started going to school. Most of the time I wouldn't think about the lump at all but Janelle kept remembering it and telling me to go the doctor. So I googled it, something like "soft, painless lump on leg" and a whole pile of the results said sarcoma, which got me worried enough to see the doctor, so after a little more procrastinating, I made an appointment with the medical clinic at the University. The receptionist asked what the appointment was for and I told her about the lump. She got all concerned and asked if I would like to make an emergency appointment but I declined. The one she'd originally made was soon enough for my taste.

Anyways, I went to my appointment, sat in a brightly lit little room and a nurse asked me about my medical history, and about the lump. And then the doctor came in and asked me some more questions and then asked me to haul off my pants and put on a paper gown, and she left the room. I got into the gown and sat on the examining table, when I leaned forward, though, the front of the gown tore open. How embarrassing.

So the doctor came back in and prodded my lymph nodes. While she was putting her hands in my arm pits I tried to remember if I had remembered to put on deodorant that morning. Then she poked at my groin but couldn't find the lump, so I had to spread my legs and show it to her and she squeezed it and poked it. After examining it for a minute, she said I could get back into my pants and she left the room.

I got dressed as quickly as I could and prepared to leave, but the doctor came back in and said that, at first, she had been concerned but she now believed the lump to be a benign cyst. However, there was a slight chance of lymphoma so she made me a requisition slip for an ultrasound. And that was that, I thanked her and left.

Of course I put off making the ultrasound appointment, but Janelle kept after me, (I think it's just wonderful how she cares so much about me... and no, that's not sarcastic) and I finally called the ultrasound clinic. They made me an appointment that was much too soon for my liking.

Today, I went to that appointment. I walked over after my Cold War History class. After a short wait in the waiting room, the ultrasound person came in. He was a short, bearded man, with shoulder length hair. He looked a lot like my cousin Vince, except shorter. He couldn't be much older than me. Groan.

In his dark little examining room, he was all friendly. "So, where's this lump?"

I pointed to it and he said, "Ok. Get off your pants and lie down on the table."

He got me to tuck a little towel into my underwear so the jelly didn't get all over it, and then he probed my lump with some kind of scanner for what seemed like a really long time, all the while asking questions like, "How long have you had this lump?" "Does it hurt?" "Is this the first test on it?" Which I answered as monosyllabically as possible.

He seemed about as excited about scanning my groin as I was about getting my groin scanned.

Finally he finished, let me wipe the jelly off with the towel that had been tucked into my underwear and I hurried back into my pants, thanked him and said goodbye and practically ran out of the clinic...

Now I'm at home and suffering from post traumatic shock disorder. Just kidding. I'm okay. Okay enough to blog about it, anyway...

The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction

Summary

My professor selected this one as the course textbook for my Cold War history class this term and I absolutely love him for it. It only cost $10 at the university bookstore and had less than two hundred pages. I finished reading it on Saturday.

This book deals with the period of history between 1945 and 1991 known as the Cold War.

What i liked

This book was very short and mostly well written. It gave a good survey of the Cold War so that I could understand the big picture of the war. It didn't go into huge detail about individual events. For example, the Korean War, which was a very important conflict during the Cold War only got about a page and a half of coverage, even though it lasted a few years. I liked how short it was.

I also liked how it described the individual leaders, like Kennedy, Reagan, Kruschev, Stalin, etc. and how they influenced the war. My favourite Cold War leaders are: Roosevelt, Kruschev, Adenaur, Brandt, and Gorbachev.

What i didn't like


It was sometimes difficult to read and required plenty of concentration.

Conclusion

All in all a very good book. Definitely worth reading if you're interested in this period of history.

the incident

so yesterday morning, janelle and i were awakened by some loud noises out in the hallway. well, actually, janelle was awakened by some loud noises out in the hallway, i would have slept right through it, thankfully, though, she woke me up and i didn't miss all the excitement.

we huddled around our peephole and tried to make out what was going on out there. it sounded like someone was beating in a door and yelling, but we couldn't see anything. so, we waited until the guy left and the police showed up (of course the police would only show up after the guy had gone...) before janelle ventured into the hallway. (i went back to bed.)

it looked like the door had been attacked with a pipe or something. it was in pretty bad shape. there were huge splinters out of it all over the floor. scary stuff. anyways, janelle gave a statement to the police and then we tried (unsuccessfully) to get some more sleep before our alarm went off...

later in the day the police came back to talk to the occupants of the apartment and it turns out that the 'victims' had stolen drugs and money from the attacker. crazy.

i'm just glad the attackers knew the right address.

things i do while i'm procrastinating

so, i'm at work. well, i'm at my desk, my computer is plugged in and turned on... i am sitting comfortably, if a little sleepily (i should be drinking coffee.) i've turned on my word processor...

and nothing. but the funny thing is, if i can write here, why can't i write there?

so for the past hour i've been procrastinating. at some point i know i have to just staple my ass down and write something, just one word after another as it starts... and then i have class at two thirty. i am so not looking forward to that.

so i've been surfing the blogosphere. i open up my blog and hit the "next blog" link at the top of the page. i try to leave comments on most people's blogs, here are few that i liked:

1. a novelist whose most recent post commented on a study conducted by her university that concluded that men don't notice women in high heels. a man commented on this, saying that if you notice a woman for what she's wearing and not for who she is, that's "just wrong." i commented, "that's funny. heels are totally sexy."

2. another novelist who posted a "frequently asked questions" thing. on it were questions like "i want to write a new york times best seller, any advice?" and her advice was, "change your goal."

3. i'll keep this last one to myself, but it was really, really funny. i suggest you read the first chapter of the unabridged version of Gulliver's Travels and notice the repetition of Gulliver's master's name. it wasn't about that, but that was also funny.

i guess it would have been helpful if i had posted links, huh? oh well.

so that's what i've been doing instead of working. i think i'll get to work now.

the mormons are taking over the blogosphere!

anyone else notice that the mormons are taking over the blogosphere?

i wonder if their preachers tell them to do that when they go to church... i wonder if any of them will ever blog about their consecrated underwear... 'cause i'd read that.

Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka

Summary

Wole Soyinka's classic play opens in the market at Oyo in Nigeria. Elesin, the king's horseman, dances onto the scene, outrunning his entourage of singers and drummers, who pursue him, singing and dancing and drumming. A confusing celebration ensues, and it eventually becomes clear that Elesin is acquiring another wife.

The scene changes, Simon Pilkings, the District Officer for the British Empire, is preparing for a ball with his wife, they are practicing the Tango and test running their costumes. A policeman enters and conveys the message to Pilkings that Elisin intends to "commit death." Cue suspenseful music.

What i liked

This play is very funny. Probably one of the most hilariousest plays I have ever read. I would like to see it performed. In fact, it is so good that it merits the invention of a new word to describe it.

What i didn't like

It was kind of hard to figure out what was going on in the first scene.


Conclusion

Better than Shakespeare and just as easy to understand. Set in Nigeria. Ridiculously funny. 5/5 ceremonial suicides.

Anthill by E.O. Wilson

Summary

This is a kind of coming-of-age novel. It follows the life and adventures of Raff Cody, first as a child, and later as he grows older. It is about the people, events, things, and places that shape who he becomes.

As a child, Raphael Semmes Cody grows up in Clayville, near Mobile, Alabama. His favourite place to go is the Nokobee Tract on the west shore of Lake Nokobee. He explores it until he knows it intimately, all the species of insect and animal; all the trees and plants.

This leads him to study natural history and biology at Florida State University. He writes a thesis paper on the ants of the Nokobee Tract and succeeds very well in his schooling.

But, when he discovers that the Nokobee Tract is up for sale and a big developer is looking at it, he decides that he must do something. So, with the help of his uncle Cyrus, he goes to law school at Harvard and specializes in environmental law.

And then he begins to unfold his scheme to save the Nokobee Tract.

In the middle of the novel, a few chapters chronicle the rise and fall of an ant empire as a sort of proverb about conservation and continuity.

what i liked

This book was extremely well written. The characters are very real and the writing is so well done I really got it. E.O. Wilson takes his time writing, every character gets a good description, even the minor ones. The novel takes you through their whole life story in one or two paragraphs so you really get a feel for who they are. I liked that.

what i didn't like

It's a slow paced novel. It takes a long time for things to happen and the action to develop. Actually, there's very little action. The first chapter is particularly difficult. But now that I've finished reading it, I don't think I'd have it any other way. It's a very enjoyable read.

Conclusion

A very good book. A little long and slow paced, but worth the time it takes to read. It takes you into the world of conservationism and the life of a little boy who grows up to be a man determined to make a difference. The ant empire parenthesis was exceptionally unique and definitely adds to the story. I give this book 4.5/5 anthill empires.

The Catalyst, an unsolicited commentary on the music video

i recently read PluggedinOnline's review of Linkin Park's new single, The Catalyst and its music video, so i listened to the song and watched the video on youtube and here is my unsolicited commentary on both the song/video and pluggedin's review.

About the band's upcoming album and this song's music video, guitarist/vocalist Mike Shinoda said, "It kind of comes from the idea of, like, if you could imagine when nuclear fission was invented, or a moment in time when something can be used for positive or negative. Something can be beautiful or it can be destructive. Or even, you know, if you've ever seen a dangerous fire from far away, it's devastating up close, but from far away, it can be beautiful. Those are the kind of themes that run throughout the album, and they're also themes that you see in the video."

Pluggedin's reaction was: "You do? Where are the beautiful things? The contrast Shinoda mentions just isn't there. Instead, "The Catalyst" depicts only horrific judgment—and it's not even close to pretty."

i strongly disagree. the concept of apocalypse is hopeful in a twisted kind of way. it's hopeful because it's the self-destruction of all of the nonsense of our society's consumerism, twisted politics, and international jibber-jabbering that never seems to amount to anything. in the apocalypse, all that nonsense will be destroyed and those who survive--if anyone does--will have a fresh new start.

this probably explains the recent spate of post-apocalyptic things going on in popular culture, books and movies like The Road, The Book of Eli, all the zombie-apocalypse movies, and games like Fallout.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Summary

Cassandra and her family live in a castle. Don't get too excited. It's a ramshackle old broken down castle. But it's still pretty spectacular. Not as spectacular as how spectacularly dysfunctional Cassandra's family is.

They're a poor family. Father, James Mortmain, lives up to his name: he's a writer, but he hasn't written a thing since his last great book Jacob Wrestling. And that was years ago. Now he sits in an isolated section of the castle and reads the detective novels he gets from the library.

Topaz is father's second wife and stepmother to the children. She makes the household run and cares for everyone the best she can. Although she's a little quirky (she likes to commune with nature, in the nude) she's pragmatic. She mends clothes, and makes what food they can grow or barter for last.

Cassandra's older sister can't stand living in the castle and living in poverty but she's perfectly useless, can't be bothered to help around the house, or contribute to the family's income. Her one best hope is to marry a wealthy gentleman.

Cassandra's younger brother, Thomas, is still in school.

Attached to the household is a young man named Stephen. He lives in a dark room off the kitchen and does most of the work around the house, even though he hasn't been paid in years. He has a massive crush on Cassandra.

The wealthy gentleman of Rose's dreams arrives in the form of a new landlord, a young well educated American named Simon. Apparently he studied Mortmain's book in college and was a big fan. So he and his brother, Neil, spend more and more time with the Mortmains. Eventually Simon asks Rose to marry him.

And then the worst possible thing happens...

What i liked

The writing was superb. Cassandra is the first person narrator and the book is her journal. It's honest and real.

The characters are super real. And I appreciate that very much.

What i didn't like

nothing, really. Or at least, nothing I can remember.

Conclusion

It's a very complex book, it has a whole tonne of layers and it's very deep. One day I would like to write a paper on it. I'll give it 5/5 medieval castles.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

Summary

Bree Tanner is a vampire. She spends her days in a dark basement with eighteen or so other vampires. At night she hunts human blood in the rough edges of Seattle and hides the bodies in the sound.

Riley is the babysitter. All these vampires were created by a mysterious her. Riley teaches them the rules: don't go out in daylight, don't make huge messes, keep a low profile. That sort of thing.

Bree meets Diego. An older vampire, older than her, by a few months, which is a lot. They hunt together, and hide together in a hole in the ground when they find themselves far from home at daybreak. Through experimentation, they discover that not everything they've been taught about vampires is true. But why would Riley lie?

What I liked

The book is well written. It's easy to read and somewhat interesting too. Plus, it's short. I like seeing how Riley and Victoria manipulate people by lying to them and how people are controlled by the lies they've been told and can't see it because they are so driven by their own appetites.
 

What I didn't like

I found it difficult to connect to the characters. The writing isn't very evocative.

Conclusion

A good short read. It expands a bit on the story told in Eclipse, and it is nice to see the other side of it. 3.5/5 vampire hedgehogs.

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

Summary

Book four of the Wheel of Time series follows the continuing adventures of Rand al'Thor and his companions.

This book's story begins shortly after the events of the previous book. Rand, Perrin, Mat, Egwene, Elayne, Nynaeve, Moirraine, and Lan are hanging out in the fortress called The Stone of Tear with their new Aiel friends and the uneasy nobility of Tear.

The 'Great Lord of the Dark' isn't happy and sends some bubbles of evil at them. At least that's how Moirraine explains it. Rand ends up fighting his reflection, Perrin gets attacked by his axe, and Mat gets stabbed in the finger by a playing card.

Rand decides to send all the lords of Tear on foreign missions to get rid of them, and plants his sword into the floor of the Stone so that the folks will remember him and heads off on another mysterious quest into the Aiel waste. His adventure takes him to Rhuidean, the mysterious city where the Aiel go to become clan chiefs or 'Wise Ones.' He goes in and has a vision explaining the entire history of the Aiel people and their link to the Dragon. When he comes out, he is marked with two dragons on his forearms, and the Aiel make him their chief of chiefs or something like that. He then takes a journey to a place where all the Aiel will gather so he can tell them. On the way, they get attacked by Trollocs and Draghkars and by the end, some of the Forsaken even show up.

Mat goes through a mysterious twisted doorway and enters another world where he can have any three questions answered. He finds out that he has to go to Rhuidean with Rand and ends up finding another twisted doorway, but when he goes through the people there try to kill him or something, but he won't talk about it. After that, he just follows Rand around and gibbers in the Old Tongue, and finds out that he has other people's memories in his head.

Perrin finds out that the military society, The Children of the Light, has invaded his home town, looking for him (because he killed a few of them in book one). So he gets Loial, the Ogier, and his girlfriend, Faile, and their three Aiel friends Gaul, Bain, and Chiad to come with him. At first he intends to surrender to the Children of Light to make them leave his family alone, which is why he tries to leave Faile behind, but she persistently follows him. When he arrives, he finds out that his hometown is being ravaged not only by the Children of Light but also by Trollocs. So he buckles down and helps the people defend themselves against the increasingly savage Trolloc attacks.

Meanwhile, Egwene contacts an Aiel Wise One in her dreams who promises to teach her how to dream better if only she'd come meet her in the Aiel waste. So, she goes along with Rand and Mat.

Nynaeve and Elayne keep pursuing the Black Ajah and their hunt takes them to Tanchico and throws them in the middle of some kind of civil turmoil. They meet Egeanin, who is a Seanchan, sent back to mop up after the Seanchan's failed invasion at Falme in book two.

What I liked

The suspense. This was the most suspenseful book yet. It kept me turning the pages late at night.

Also the character development. I liked how the characters developed in this book. I found the characters a little more complex and interesting than in the previous books.

What I didn't like

The drama. As always. Elayne loves Rand, she sends him a letter to tell him so. Rand doesn't react the way she wanted him to, she sends him a nasty letter. Rand is very confused. Berelain tries to force herself on Perrin. Faile finds out and gets angry at Perrin. Perrin tries to make Fail stay behind when he leaves for Emond's Field. Faile gets even more angry and gives him the silent treatment almost the whole way there. It seems a little too melodramatic--like if these people come from a dumpy trailer park and watch too much Jerry Springer and Maury.

This book was LONG! One thousand pages! It took me a really long time to get through it and it was extremely suspenseful. At the end of the book, Rand uses a talisman that he has been carrying to open doors while he's having his climactic battle but I couldn't remember where he'd picked it up or what its significance was or anything and it had all been explained near the middle of the book.

Conclusion

This is my favourite book so far in the series. A little long, but good, and entertaining. 4/5 dragon tattoos.

Creed (the band) and its Spin-offs

Introduction

Way back in 1999, when I first started listening to rock music, or any music at all for that matter, Creed was my first favourite band. I listened to their first two albums My Own Prison and Human Clay over and over again. I eagerly anticipated the release of Weathered in 2001 so I could download it illegally on Napster (or was it Kazaa? I really don't remember), and I did. And I was only slightly disappointed.

Then Creed broke up and three of its original members formed the band Alter Bridge while Scott Stapp started his solo career. Now Creed is back together with a new album. Needless to say I was curious about the new album, so I got my hands on it and gave it a listen.

Now, instead of just reviewing that one album, I decided to listen to all of Creed's albums and the albums of its spin-off bands, and I present them to you now in chronological order. For your interest, I will also include some details of the drama surrounding the careers and public and private lives of its members.

(Almost all the information supplied in this blob is either stuff that I already know or something I read on Wikipedia. I found the lyrics on the internet too.)

My Own Prison


Creed formed when Scott Stapp (vocals) and Mark Tremonti (guitar), who were friends at Florida State University in Tallahassee and classmates at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando recruited Brian Marshall (bass) and Scott Phillips (drums) into their band called Naked Toddler in late 1994. When they decided to change the name of their band, Marshall suggested the name Creed, after the band he had previously played in, Maddox Creed.

The debut album, My Own Prison, was released on Blue Collar Records, their independent label on June 18, 1997. The album was distributed to radio stations around Florida. Shortly afterwards Diana Meltzer of Wind-up Records heard them live at a small gig and signed Creed to her label. The album was remixed and re-released by Wind-up Records across the country.

It reached the top 40 on the Billboard 200, and its singles, My Own Prison, Torn, What's This Life For, and One placed very high on rock radio charts.

The lead single, My Own Prison peaked at #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and #7 on the Modern Rock Track chart. The album itself has been certified six times platinum (ie. it has sold six million copies) by the RIAA in 2002 and is one of the top 200 selling albums of all time in the United States.

Needless to say, Creed went from being a local indie rock band to a super famous, super wealthy, internationally known band with their first release and its members became the kind of superstars that occasionally show up on the evening news and the front cover of entertainment magazines and tabloid newspapers.

Personality

My Own Prison is a hard rock album. So, like a typical hard rock album, it's a little dark and angry. It opens with, Torn, an angry song about control or something like that: "Despise you that control me" and "Torn, I'm filthy/born in my own misery/stole all that you gave me/control you claim you save me." So it's not too clear who's doing the controlling, but it's really upsetting. The next track, Ode is no less vague and just as angry: "Let me see you smile as I die .../one step on your own/and you walk all over me."

The album is also a little dejected. In the track titled Pity for a Dime, Stapp sings, "So I sat down for a while/forcing a smile/in a state of self-denial/is it worthwhile?/sell my pity for a dime, just one dime." In Illusion, he sings, "My constitution keeps changing/'til it slips away/so I lie awake and stare/my mind thinking just wandering/does anybody care?" And, "This life remains the same/but I change/I try to fool myself into believing/things are going to get better/but life goes on." What's This Life For? seems to question the purpose of life, but supplies no hope.

Some of its songs look up. My Own Prison pictures a courtroom scene where a man is condemned for his sins: "I cry out to God/seeking only his decision/Gabriel stands and confirms/I've created my own prison" but, "I hear a thunder in the distance/see a vision of a cross/I feel the pain that was given/on that sad day of loss/a lion roars in the darkness/only He holds the key/a light to free me from my burden/and grant me life eternally." Sister seems to sympathize with someone in a dysfunctional family. And In America is a social commentary: "Only in America/we're slaves to be free/only in America we kill the unborn/to make ends meet/only in America/sexuality is democracy/only in America we stamp our god/'in God we trust.'"

So it's a mixed album. It's short on optimism, though. 3/5.

Lyrics

The lyrics are often difficult to decipher. They're kind of cryptic. The anger comes through loud and clear, but the rest is a little garbled. So high points for rage, low points for communication... and communication trumps rage, so 2/5.


Sound

The sound of this album is phenomenal. It's not exactly unique, every post-grunge hard rock band pretty much sounds the same. But Creed has its own flavour. This album uses the bass prominently, it's even the lead instrument on a few tracks, and Illusion has an extended bass solo. I'm a big fan of that. They don't use many instruments (one guitar, one bass, one drum kit) so it's not a very layered sound, but they certainly make good use of the instruments they have. And Mark Tremonti's back up vocals are phenomenal. Also, My Own Prison is a very unrefined album, very raw, and that works extremely well. I'm a big fan of the sound. 5/5.

Conclusion

When I used to listen to this album all the time, I thought it was deep stuff. But ten years later I just don't get it. Maybe I was angrier back then and could relate. Maybe I was just a little naive and inexperienced. I don't know. Maybe I just don't have patience for self-pity anymore. I'll give the album an overall 3/5 mud sucking song birds, riding on the high points of its sound.

Human Clay

Creed's second album, Human Clay, was released on September 28, 1999. It sold eleven and a half million copies in the United States alone (as of 2007) and did extremely well internationally as well. The album's fourth single, With Arms Wide Open won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song and the first single, Higher was listed by VH1 as one of the greatest hard rock songs of all time in 2009.

The album's four singles are, Higher, What if, With Arms Wide Open, and Are You Ready?

Higher and With Arms Wide Open crossed over to pop radio.

Following the release of this album and with the band's growing popularity, there was a great deal of media speculation and controversy about Creed. A big question in the media frenzy around the band was, 'Is Creed a Christian Band?' Scott Stapp replied, "Are we a Christian band? This is a question we are asked a lot because of some of the references made in the lyrics. No, we are not a Christian band ... Those references were made at a time in my life when I was questioning how I was raised, and searching for where I stood concerning those issues. This is not to say I have abandoned those beliefs, just searching for where they fit into my life."

Every media source out there had an opinion on the question. Even Focus on the Family's Plugged In magazine published an article titled, The Gospel Truth About Creed, commenting on the above quote and several others, including this one, also by Scott Stapp:

When asked, 'Are the members of Creed Christians?' Stapp replied, "This is a very personal question because the whole foundation of being a Christian is a personal relationship. I can say that all the members believe in God, but we each differ on our methods to reach Him. We are still learning and growing, and God can only answer this question, because who are we to say that being a Christian is the only way to heaven."

Creed's albums can be found in many Christian book stores and music retailers.

In the same year that Human Clay was released, Creed's front man, Scott Stapp, and his wife of sixteen months, Hillaree Burns, were divorced. Shortly afterwards she gave birth to Stapp's son, Jagger.

So, what's my take on this album? And on the band at this point?

Personality

Human Clay is a polished album. Its tone is more optimistic than My Own Prison, it's still a little angry, a little dark, but it definitely looks up.

Higher, the album's first single, wishes for a better place "with golden streets" "where blind men see" and insists that "the only difference is/to let love replace all our hate." Inside us All says "there's a peace inside us all/let it be your friend/it will help you carry on." Never Die daydreams about a "swim in the fountain/of youth" and says, "so let the children play/inside your heart always/and death you will defy/'cause your youth will never die."

Elsewhere, What If asks, "What if you lied?/what if I avenge?" and concludes with "I know I can't hold the hate inside my mind/'cause what consumes your thoughts controls your life." Faceless Man describes an encounter with a supernatural entity who "looked me right in the eye, direct and concise to remind me/to always do what's right." In that same song, Stapp sings, "Next time I see this face/I'll say, I choose to live for always/so won't you come inside/and never go away." Say I includes the lines, "We're incomplete and hollow/for our maker's gone away."

Wash Away those Years sympathizes with a victim of domestic abuse, I think. And Beautiful reflects on the emptiness of physical beauty: "beautiful is empty/beautiful is free/beautiful loves no one."

With Arms Wide Open, perhaps the most meaningful song on this album, commemorates the birth of Stapp's son, Jagger.

So it seems that, to counter the doom and gloom of My Own Prison, Creed turned to wishful thinking and vague spiritual references. The optimism here has no substance. Death is inevitable, and while the world can be made better by love, it won't fix blindness. The vague spiritual references sound kind of cool, though. Overall, I'll give this album a 3/5 for personality. It would have been nice to see some substance.

Lyrics

Overall, some better writing than what was exhibited in My Own Prison, a little development there, but still vague and lacking in substance. 3/5.


Sound

A strong sound. More polished than My Own Prison. Heavy and consistent. Grinding post-grunge sound. Strong bass. I miss Tremonti's back up vocals on this album, though. 4/5.


Conclusion

High marks for sound. Average marks for personality and lyrics. The band, at this point, has a lot of personality, it's just not very meaningful or even intelligent, although it tries to sound like it is. The Albums liner material contains symbolic images that reflect some of the symbols in the lyrics, and it feels kind of cool, but it's still shallow. Overall score 3.5/5 clay men.

Weathered

Following the release of Human Clay, more controversy fueled more media frenzy.

In addition to the question of Creed's Christianity, there was also much speculation comparing Creed to other bands. Creed was often criticized for being a derivative of Pearl Jam. Allison Stewart described front man Scott Stapp as having Eddie Vedder-like mannerisms. In response, bassist Brian Marshall issued a statement, saying that Scott Stapp was a better writer and a better vocalist than Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam's front man. Stapp immediately distanced himself from Marshall's comments and issued a statement negating Marshall's statement.

Shortly afterwards Brian Marshall voluntarily left (or was fired from) Creed. The reasons are unknown, but Marshall left saying that he would never again play on the same stage as Stapp. And both parties have been silent about it since.

(My unsolicited commentary: Eddie Vedder is an excellent vocalist with a unique voice and unique style. He cannot be compared to Scott Stapp who has an equally unique style but not a unique voice. As far as their writing abilities, I would have to say that Stapp is the better writer, but only because he's slightly less vague. In any case, it doesn't matter. The point is, if my band mate made a statement comparing me favourably to another band's singer, I would certainly back him up, and maybe even challenge the other guy to fisticuffs or something, just to stir up more publicity.)

Creed's third album, Weathered, was released on November 20, 2001 by Wind-up Records. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 by selling almost nine hundred thousand copies in its first week. It has been certified six times platinum

Its singles are My Sacrifice, Bullets, One Last Breath, Don't Stop Dancing, and Weathered.

On the album, Mark Tremonti recorded the bass parts in the absence of Brian Marshall and Brett Hestla joined Creed as a touring bassist until the band's break up in 2004.

Personality

Weathered tries to be more meaningful than Human Clay, with a little success. It's a contemplative album. It's optimistic, but its optimism has more substance. It's also a little more understated than Human Clay, which, I think is a step in the right direction.

Bullets is an angry sounding song that seems to confront the band's (or Stapp's) critics: "the mindless clutter my path/oh these thorns in my side" and "in my lifetime when I'm disgraced/by jealousy and lies/I laugh aloud 'cause my life/has gotten inside someone else's mind." That song concludes with, "those who hide behind the shadows/live with all that's dead." The next song, Freedom Fighter seems to continue on that same theme: "The mouths of envious/always find another door .../I'll scream it from the mountain tops pride comes before a fall;" and "so many thoughts to share/all this energy to give/unlike those who hide the truth I tell it like it is." In that song Stapp describes himself as "a freedom fighter ... raging on in holy war."

Who's Got My Back alludes to a covenant that "has been broken/by mankind" but affirms that "all that has been devastated/can be recreated" by "pick[ing] up the broken pieces/of our lives/giving ourselves to each other." Lullaby says, "If there's one thing I hope/I showed you/just give love to all."

Signs may be an attempt on the band's part to weigh in on all the media frenzy surrounding it, "This is not about age/time served on the earth doesn't mean you grow in mind/this is not about God/spiritual insinuations seem to shock our nation ... this is not about race/it's a decision to stop the division in your life/this is not about sex/we all know sex sells and the whole world is buying." If so, the line "I'm fading underneath the light" is significant.

In the title track, Stapp sing, "I'm rusted and weathered/barely holding together." And on One Last Breath he says, "I'm holding all to all I think is safe/it seems I found the road to nowhere/and I'm trying to escape ... I'm down to one last breath/and with it let me say//hold me now/I'm six feet from the edge." In Hide, he sings, "I've been dancing with the devil way too long/and it's making me grow old."

My Sacrifice says hello to a long absent friend: "hello my friend we meet again/it's been awhile, where should we begin/feels like forever" and says, "when you are with me, I'm free/I'm careless, I believe/above all the others, we'll fly/this brings tears to my eyes." And Hide begs, "Let's leave, oh let's get away/run in fields of time/where there's no reason left to hide."

Don't Stop Dancing acknowledges the darkness of the world: "at times life is wicked and I just can't/see the light/a silver lining sometimes isn't enough/to make some wrongs seem right" but refuses to be suppressed by it: "but I know I must go on/although I'm hurt I must be strong/because inside I know that many/feel this way." That song asks God, "Hey God, I know I'm just a dot in this world/have you forgot about me?"

So the album has a lot of different stuff, some anguish, some rage, some other emotions. There seems to be a little more substance than the last two albums. 4/5.

Lyrics

The writing has improved. There are some consistent themes, more substance. 4/5.


Sound

The sound in this album is a little more understated than the previous two. The album opens with two heavy tracks, Bullets and Freedom Fighter, but becomes a little more subdued. It ends with the soft, acoustic, Lullaby. The sound is more guitar driven, but less grinding and more melodic. The bass takes a background role and supplements the drums, rather than being featured prominently like in My Own Prison. I still missed Mark Tremonti's background vocals. The sound isn't bad, it just isn't great and I think that justifies a score of 2/5.

Conclusion

Stronger writing, more substance, but poorer sound. When one aspect improves, the others suffer. A total score of 3/5 weather men.

Interlude: The Big Break Up and Anecdotes

Scott Stapp was involved in a car accident in April 2002 and suffered a concussion and some back damage. Creed canceled the rest of its Weathered tour but Stapp recovered quickly, and the band rescheduled many of its show dates during the summer. However, Stapp developed an addiction to Percocet and he began taking many other medications while on tour, including Xanax and Prednisone. The tour ended with a performance in Chicago in which an obviously inebriated Stapp performed one song lying on his back.

A disappointed fan had this to say about that show; it was posted on The Creed Pit forums: "As soon as Stapp staggered on to the stage it was obvious it was going to be bad. He about fell down numerous times. Sat down through the majority of the show. Layed flat on his back and could hardly get back up. When he did get up he slammed his mic and took out his ear plugs and pack."

Creed issued this statement: "We apologize if you don't feel that the show was up to the very high standards set by our previous shows in Chicago. ... For now, we hope that you can take some solace in the fact that you definitely experienced the most unique of all Creed shows."

Stapp told the Orlando Sentinel that he hadn't passed out but that he had made "a symbolic personal gesture" by dropping to the floor and playing unconscious. He later admitted, "I don't even recall doing that show."

This kind of crazy behaviour led to the unraveling of the band.

On June 4, 2004, Creed officially announced its break-up. And "once home, Scott Stapp quit all drugs, at which point, he says, like any rational human being, 'I wanted to end my life.'" (Quoted from the celebrity drama website, Encyclopedia Dramatica.)

Apparently, Scott Stapp then tried to commit suicide but, when he saw a picture of his son, Jagger, he shot up his house instead.

In an interview with Christianity Today before the release of his solo album, The Great Divide, Scott Stapp said this about the break up of Creed:

"Mark and I had been working together for the last ten years. There comes a point with any collaboration like that where you start having other interests creatively. I was moving in one direction musically, and as a guitar player, Mark wanted to move in another direction. That was essentially the reason we broke up. Those feelings actually started happening right after Human Clay (1999), and we went ahead and made Weathered (2001) together... When something like that happens, people want to try to find some dirt and make it more of a soap opera. But I think we both walked away with the door still open, if we want to do something together again. So yeah, I would call it a friendly break-up."

Feuds

During a Thanksgiving Day break in Baltimore, a drunken Scott Stapp started a fight with the members of 311 who were watching a basketball game in a hotel lounge with their wives and some of their friends. The police arrived and restrained everyone. Stapp was asked to leave the hotel.

While on tour, Creed shared a venue with Limp Bizkit. Limp Bizkit was scheduled to play earlier in the day but refused to play during daylight and took the stage an hour and a half later than scheduled. Fred Durst, Limp Bizkit's front man, proceeded to insult Creed and Scott Stapp saying, "I want to dedicate this next song to the lead singer of Creed ... that guy is an egomaniac." He then threw microphones into the audience. Stapp found a book on anger management and, as a joke, wrote a dedication in the cover for Fred Durst and had it hand delivered. When Creed took the stage, Stapp said, "It takes a lot more guts to say something to somebody like that than from behind their backs." There were rumours of a boxing match challenge between the two men, but nothing ever came of it that we know of.

A drunken Scott Stapp told an interviewer that Dave Grohl, front man of The Foo Fighters had a small penis. What I want to know is, how did he know? No, I don't want to know.

In 2006 the California pornography company, Red Light District, tried to release a sex tape featuring Scott Stapp and Kid Rock with four of their groupies. One of the girls featured on the tape filed an injunction that blocked its release. Scott Stapp and Kid Rock also filed injunctions against the release of the tape. Kid Rock later called Stapp "an idiot" and blamed him for the tape's being leaked.

Alter Bridge

Alter Bridge was formed in 2004 after the break up of Creed. Guitarist Mark Tremonti and drummer Scott Phillips reunited with bassist Brian Marshall and recruited Myles Kennedy (formerly of The Mayfield Four) to form the new band.

The band was named by Mark Tremonti after a bridge that used to be near his home on Alter road in Detroit.

One Day Remains

Alter Bridge's first album was released on August 10, 2004 by Wind-up Records. It sold seven hundred fifty thousand copies world wide.

Mark Tremonti said in an interview that the title of the album is a reference to the movie, Donnie Darko.

Because Alter Bridge is made of the orphaned members of Creed, it can't escape comparison to the old band. But to anyone who is tempted to think that Alter Bridge is just Creed with a different lead singer, I say, Alter Bridge is totally different. It's a whole new thing.

Personality

This is an aggressive, energetic album. It's neither dark, nor optimistic, it has a totally different personality than anything Creed ever did. It's more uplifting, for certain. It's a little more self-conscious, a little more personal, I think. It looks for change, but it's not angry.

Find the Real is about finding real satisfaction: "And all that I've taken/I hunger for more/'cause I'm selfish/and all I'm left with is a crown of thorns/and I'm helpless//well it seems I've finally thought of everything/I want to love/I want to feel/find peace/find the real."

Metalingus looks ahead, and presses on after defeat: "I've been defeated and brought down ... /On this day I see clearly everything has come to life/a bitter place/and a broken dream/and we'll leave it all behind/I'll never long for what might have been/regret won't waste my life again .../on this day ... another chance to chase a dream .../another chance to feel alive."

Down to My Last thanks Alter Bridge's fans and audience, I think: "And to the ones in which we sing/we are honored you let us in."

I think Shed My Skin reflects on the freedom found in personal expression: "I am not alone/I live with the memories/regret is my home/this is my true freedom:/express all the feelings of what I've become/I watch the rising sun."

In Loving Memory is a tribute to Tremonti's dead mother.

Burn it Down 'burns down' a past of defeat and failure and rebuilds: "So burn it down/discover the dusk of your day has reached its dawn/so burn it down/remember to find a new way to carry on."

So, like I said, it's mainly uplifting stuff that admits failure and defeat and regret and looks to a new beginning. That works for me. 5/5.

Lyrics

Mark Tremonti shows off his writing ability in this album. He is the writer of most of the songs. Most of the material for this album was already written before Myles Kennedy came aboard, so most of this stuff is purely Mark Tremonti.

It's not super strong writing, I'd like a little more concrete imagery, a little more specifics, but who am I to complain? For what it is, it's good, and it works. The metaphors get the message across. 4/5.

Sound

I like the sound. It's got energy and it's aggressive. It's loud, and it's heavy. It doesn't sound like Creed at all. Tremonti uses a completely different style. Where Creed sometimes tended towards a pop sound, Alter Bridge heads towards metal. The guitar is very distinct. This album also features a little of Tremonti's harmonizing back up vocals. I like that. If I have any complaints about the sound, it would be that the guitars feature a little too prominently here, leaving the bass and the drums in the background. I like instrumental variety. But it's not a big complaint, it sounds great anyway. 4/5.

Conclusion

A fantastic sound with lots of energy, decent lyrics, and an uplifting personality. It's good for me. 4.5/5 Detroit cityscapes.


Scott Stapp's Solo Career: The Great Divide

After the release of his solo album, Scott Stapp married Miss New York, USA 2004 winner (and Miss Florida America 2008) Jaclyn Nesheiwat in Miami. On their way to their honeymoon in Hawaii, Stapp, who was inebriated at the time, was arrested for causing a disturbance in the airport. He was later released without being charged.

To date, they are still married and have two children, Milan Hayat Stapp (born January 4, 2007) and Daniel Issam Stapp (born July 4, 2010).

The Great Divide was released by Wind-up Records on November 22, 2005. It went platinum within a month of its release.

Right up front, I think this album sucks, so instead of exploring its personality and lyrics and sound, I'm just going to show you why it's such a terrible album right off and be done with it.

If you read the lyrics or listen to the album, you'll probably agree with me. I think the album sounds okay--I was actually pleasantly surprised by the sound when I listened to it because the single: The Great Divide made my list of most annoying songs ever when I heard it on the radio. So, I've got no major problems with the sound, except that it's not amazing, my problem is with the personality and lyrics. So here goes:

Reach Out, the introductory track, is straightforward: "welcome friends/I have nothing to hide .../I'm sure you've heard the rumours, jealousies/and all the lies."

So right off, Stapp admits this is personal. Good for him. I like personal. Let's move on.

Same song: "No victimes/these choices were all mine/looking within/these scars will heal with time/there's no excuse for weakness, selfishness/or compromise."

And the next song, Fight Song is combative and confrontational: "you still think I look upon this with hatred in my mind/I won't lie/it took some time//but I know one thing/it took me away from/all the things love gave me/so I had to let things go//I can go another round despite you//I'm still healing/no I'm not reeling/ yes I'm feeling/this is my fight song." It ends with: "I will land on solid ground/I will go another round."

Hard Way is just as combative and just a little threatening: "Just when I thought I had it all/caught a sucker punch and lost it all/Just never thought it would have come from you... /I found out the hard way/and your day's coming soon... /I sit here on this park bench/knowing what you are thinking/I wonder how you close your eyes to sleep."

So far, it's been an angry, confrontational, and combative album. It makes no apologies.

The next song, Justify sounds a little self righteous and arrogant to me: "So let me tell you a story/let me feed it to you//we fly around like we're superman/live in another trance/a different way to dance with dark romance/you get another chance to do that dirty dance without consequence//I do not have to justify the way I live my life...//Let me change the timber of this section/add a little booze to ice/I guess you probably noticed/I've been living a double life."

It goes without saying that you don't have to justify the way you live your life, unless your a crazy fool and you don't want people to think you're a crazy fool. If not, then it should go without saying. I kind of want to smack people who go around saying, 'I don't have to justify how I live my life.' It's just annoying. It's like saying, 'I can do whatever I want, you have no moral authority over me.' Of course I don't. So on the one hand, stop assuming that everyone is judging you wrongly and on the other hand, stop being so confrontational, it alienates people.

I've already mentioned The Great Divide and how it made my list of most annoying songs ever. Here's one reason why: "You set me free/to live my life." Apparently, the song is addressed to God, Stapp claims to be a Christian. I think his theology is a little shoddy, though. He sure seems to live like he's been set free to "live his life" "without consequence." Lame.

Does this album give any advice about how to succeed in life? You bet it does! Here it is on You Will Soar: "Keep hoping and dreaming/and you will soar/with a little faith and love/you will soar." So lame.

Broken is equally lame: "Look above to find love and you've found eternal life ... why can't everyone tell the truth and learn to love again?" Like, it's that easy!

Where this album gets optimistic, it's just the same old substance-less optimism and wishful thinking that plagued Creed's Human Clay. The rest of the album is self-righteous, confrontational, and arrogant.

I'm not a fan.

Now back to Alter Bridge...


Blackbird

Apparently Alter Bridge switched from Wind-up Records to Universal Records because Wind-up kept pushing for a Creed reunion. So Blackbird was released by Universal Records on October 9, 2007. It peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard 200 chart. In its first week it sold forty seven thousand copies, and by December 2008, over one year later, it had sold two hundred twenty seven thousand copies.

Personality

This is an even more aggressive album than One Day Remains. It's a little more self-conscious and introspective than One Day Remains and it takes a more self-focused perspective on the same themes as that album. Here are some examples:

Before Tomorrow Comes says, "I couldn't sleep I had to listen/to a conscience knowing so well/that nothing comes from indifference/I look inside of myself" and concludes: "so don't let it be/before tomorrow comes.../you could change everything."

Coming Home says, "As I peel away/all the years of pain/I discover what's been all along/you were so right/I was so wrong...//I'm coming home...//every broken man/comes to understand/that he'll never find paradise/when all that he wants/was there all the time//I'm coming home."

Blackbird was written for a friend suffering from sickness: "Let the wind carry you home/Blackbird fly away/may you never be broken again."

You get the idea. Same themes, a little more introspection. I like honest introspection. This sometimes sounds a little bit cliche, though, especially after One Day Remains. The metaphors aren't that great, either. Not bad though. Lower points for being cliche 3/5.

Lyrics

The writing here is a lot like on One Day Remains. It's pretty good. I'll give lower points for lack of development, though. 3/5.

Sound

Alter Bridge has a trademark sound. It's not exactly unique, but it's good. You could hear a little bit of post-grunge hard rock influence, but also some influence from heavy metal and stuff like Led Zeppelin. It makes a good mix, to me.

I disagree with people who say it's not original. I don't think Alter Bridge tries to sound like anyone else, they produce their own material, so they are original. Just not unique. Like Creed, it's original, in that the material is their own, nevermind that it can be compared to Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains.

This album is a little heavier than One Day Remains, but aside from that, there's not much development in the sound. I'll give it a 3.5/5.

(I have to confess that it's hard for me to judge sound, not being a musician myself. I just have to go by what I like and don't like, and by comparison with other sounds. I think I've listened to enough music and have a distinct enough taste that I can make that comparison well, though.)

Conclusion

Overall, 3.5/5 scary looking sick black birds. Not a bad album, but just more of the same.

Creed's Full Circle

On April 27, 2009 Creed announced the reformation of its original lineup for a new tour and plans for a new album on its website.

In June 2009, the band performed together for the first time in six years on AOL Sessions. Creed's reunion tour started on August 6, 2009.

Creed's fourth album, Full Circle, was released on October 27, 2009. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 (Second to Michael Jackson's This Is It) and sold one hundred ten thousand copies in its first week. Most recent figures say the album has sold three hundred fifty thousand copies so far.

It has been confirmed that Creed plans to release some more albums in the future.

Personality

This is a different album. It has some of Creed's traditional feel, but it also feels strongly influenced by Stapp's solo work. Needless to say, I'm not much of a fan.

Though not as arrogant as The Great Divide, this album's attitude is very self conscious.

The lead track and first single, Overcome, refuses to be a victim, but says, "Everything I am and hope to be/cannot be lost/I'll be damned/fighting you/you're impossible/say goodbye with no sympathy//I'm entitled to overcome." ("Entitled," are you?)

Elsewhere Rain looks to a new beginning: "I feel it's going to rain like this for days/so let it rain down and wash everything away/I hope that tomorrow the sun will shine/with every tomorrow comes another life."

Away in Silence asks a partner not to give up on a relationship.

So there's a varied personality here. It's a little more confessional and a little more vulnerable than Creed's older stuff. The personality doesn't come across very consistently, though and it's kind of hard to decipher. It's like this album is not sure what it's about. I'll give it a 3/5.

Lyrics

All of the metaphors and symbols that featured so prominently in Human Clay and My Own Prison are gone. The writing is more like what was featured in Scott Stapp's solo work. That's not an improvement, especially after we've seen what Mark Tremonti is capable of in Alter Bridge. 2.5/5.

Sound

The sound is also kind of varied and hard to pin down. There are elements of Creed's old sound, and comparisons with Alter Bridge can be made, I'm sure. Bread of Shame reminds me a bit of Alice in Chains. Scott Stapp even has a different singing style than in earlier Creed albums. It's like he's taken his solo work into the band. I'm disappointed. 2.5/5.

Conclusion

Not such a great album. Because I'm generous, I'll give it 3/5 awkward reunions.


Conclusion


Why am I picking on Scott Stapp so much? Well, three reasons come to mind. The first reason is that Creed was my favourite band when I was younger, and now I find them so disappointing. The second reason is that he claims to be a Christian but has a totally weird life. (Not that I think Christians should be perfect or have their lives all sorted out nicely. But a little humility would go a long way towards changing my opinion.) The third reason is that Scott Stapp is totally ridiculous! I get the impression that he's trying to be the Britney Spears of rock music. Lame, so lame. Enough said.