An ode to my favourite gadget
My pocket PC. It's great. Apart from being able to keep a record of what I'm getting up to, it can send emails, show me my photos, surf the net, read my beloved .pdf files, nag, er, remind me not to procrastinate, help me check the meanings of words, let me look at (small versions) just about every document I'm using at the moment, keep information in one nice easy place, play music and show me films(but I don't bother with these functions, 'coz of my magic MP3 player and our big TV). It can also talk to my mobile phone (scintillating conversations they have too, I can assure you) and it makes a fine cup of tea (joke).
Of all the gadgets I have or have had, it's one of the most useful and is used more than my phone, which is saying something. It is so dinky and portable that I can take just about anywhere.
British for children
Does the title of this entry make sense? If so, please enlighten me. And perhaps the education authorities here in Milan, for it was they who entitled a section in their brochure promoting infant schools with these words. The title in Italian is "Inglese per bambini", which, thankfully is more likely to be understood correctly by parents flicking through this booklet. It's not a typo either, seeing as this expression is repeated within the text of the section.
Before they go about teaching children English, maybe they should study the language.
I did (note the use of the past tense) have quite a lot of faith in the Italian education system.
I don't know. I really don't.
Lord of War - a film
It's been a long time since a film has genuinely frightened me, but I have to tell you, dear reader, that 'Lord of War' not only scared the wits out of me but left me wondering just why the whole human race deserves to exist: perhaps it's all little hard on the humanity to question its existence, but you can certainly question exactly why certain people are the way they are; and it got me thinking whether we really know what the word 'civilized' really means. Or maybe it's just me who does not understand the concept of 'civilized'.
By now you are probably wondering what this film is all about, unless, that is, you have already seen it. Well, for those who have not, its the story of an international arms dealer. A person who would sell you the means to exterminate a race, but someone who does not care whether you go ahead and do such a thing, so long as it does not affect him. The concept of morality does not even enter this creature's head, or rather, it does, but in some weird and warped way; or so it would seem to someone like me, who would be happy if we all just tried to get with each other. Anyway as I was writing, this person seems to be able to gloss over and justify the evil that he is propagating by simply saying 'everyone is at it'. By 'everyone' he is referring to, not only others similar to himself, but heads of state and other democratically represented individuals all over the world. This is what is frightening, because what he says is true. OK, you may say that people are sold/given weapons to defend themselves with, which may be true, but what it all boils down to is that guns kill. Sell someone a gun and, especially in war torn areas, people will get killed. Good guys, bad guys, kids and parents. Bullets and bombs are becoming intelligent, but, so far they are unable to stop themselves at the last moment because they have understood that they are about to take the wrong life, as if the taking of any life should be necessary.
Stop.
I've gone on too much. You can see that this film got me to react. My other half cried herself to sleep, after having laid the blame firmly at the feet of us guys. Thing is though, she has a point. Many men cannot stop themselves from being violent, or so it would seem. We start young. My son is barely three and he is already demonstrating that he is capable of resorting to violence to get his own way. Add a few years, convince a few others to take part in order to get their own way and you have a war. And yet more sales for your local arms dealer.
We are animals. When will we evolve?
PS This is a good film.
PPS We should show our kids this film.
PPPS Nick Cage is very good at what he does.
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Photos from Flickr
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