See how differently they treat the first years from the upper years! With kid gloves, I tell you!
Happy Hallowe'en, by the way.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Welcome
See how differently they treat the first years from the upper years! With kid gloves, I tell you!
Happy Hallowe'en, by the way.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Green Children
I read an article about the curious case of two green children, a boy and a girl, found in the 12th century, wearing strange clothing, speaking in an unknown tongue and would only eat beans at first. The boy sickened and died, but the girl thrived and soon lost her green colour. When later asked where she came from, she said "she and her brother had come from a country that was entirely green that was inhabited by green-skinned people. Even their sun, which was very feeble, glowed green". Interesting. Though the cause of her green-ness is probably not genetic, since she later lost the colour.
Anyway, what amused me particularly about this story was when, after offering an endocrine disorder as a scientific explanation of the green children, the writer states that "the chances of such diseases and disorders occurring in two youngsters simultaneously however, are highly unlikely. The only credible possibilities seem to be the extraterrestrial or parallel world hypotheses."
Hahahahaha. Yes. The disease being carried by siblings is highly unlikely, so obviously the only other explanation is that they're from another world.
Well, the account being from so long ago, I suspect there's a great deal of exaggeration, some fabrication and a few things not mentioned because they seem too mundane. Fun story, though.
Anyway, what amused me particularly about this story was when, after offering an endocrine disorder as a scientific explanation of the green children, the writer states that "the chances of such diseases and disorders occurring in two youngsters simultaneously however, are highly unlikely. The only credible possibilities seem to be the extraterrestrial or parallel world hypotheses."
Hahahahaha. Yes. The disease being carried by siblings is highly unlikely, so obviously the only other explanation is that they're from another world.
Well, the account being from so long ago, I suspect there's a great deal of exaggeration, some fabrication and a few things not mentioned because they seem too mundane. Fun story, though.
Friday, October 28, 2005
News
A few days ago, I read in the newspaper that Rosa Parks had passed away on Monday. And I thought, she only recently passed away?
It came a bit of a shock to realize that racial segregation in the US is still recent history, only about 50 years or so, within living memory. I mean, I guess I knew it in my head, but still felt it was a thing long past; but actually, there are people living today who remember those days. Wow.
I know racism is far from gone - it disturbs me when I become aware of how not gone it is - but let's hope things will continue to get better. What will the world be like 50 years later?
Speaking of racism, I read an article about the 'head tax' on Chinese immigrants to Canada, between 1885 to 1923 in response to anti-Chinese sentiment. I hadn't known about this (perhaps it was mentioned in passing in grade 7/8 Canadian history class, when we learned about how Chinese immigrants worked on the Canadian Pacific railway). Anyway, I didn't really feel its nastiness until I read that this Chinese man had kept the head tax certificate in his wallet for 50 years until his death in 1970. Just imagine with what thoughts he must have kept it.
Another thing that struck me was my own reaction to the article. An organization is seeking redress for the family of the men who had to pay the head tax, and for a moment I thought, "What for?" Then I blinked, thinking, isn't this the attitude taken by the Japanese toward Koreans to whom wrongs have been done in the past (what an awkward sentence!), like the comfort women and so on. So I hung my head in shame.
On the other hand, if compensation was sought by a First Nations organization, I don't think I would have wondered why. Perhaps I just think that a country owes little to immigrants? Hrm.
Anyway, the moral of the story is 'apathy with ignorance, sympathy with identification' (silly, but tired of writing full sentences). Must try to be informed.
It came a bit of a shock to realize that racial segregation in the US is still recent history, only about 50 years or so, within living memory. I mean, I guess I knew it in my head, but still felt it was a thing long past; but actually, there are people living today who remember those days. Wow.
I know racism is far from gone - it disturbs me when I become aware of how not gone it is - but let's hope things will continue to get better. What will the world be like 50 years later?
Speaking of racism, I read an article about the 'head tax' on Chinese immigrants to Canada, between 1885 to 1923 in response to anti-Chinese sentiment. I hadn't known about this (perhaps it was mentioned in passing in grade 7/8 Canadian history class, when we learned about how Chinese immigrants worked on the Canadian Pacific railway). Anyway, I didn't really feel its nastiness until I read that this Chinese man had kept the head tax certificate in his wallet for 50 years until his death in 1970. Just imagine with what thoughts he must have kept it.
Another thing that struck me was my own reaction to the article. An organization is seeking redress for the family of the men who had to pay the head tax, and for a moment I thought, "What for?" Then I blinked, thinking, isn't this the attitude taken by the Japanese toward Koreans to whom wrongs have been done in the past (what an awkward sentence!), like the comfort women and so on. So I hung my head in shame.
On the other hand, if compensation was sought by a First Nations organization, I don't think I would have wondered why. Perhaps I just think that a country owes little to immigrants? Hrm.
Anyway, the moral of the story is 'apathy with ignorance, sympathy with identification' (silly, but tired of writing full sentences). Must try to be informed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)