Archive | 1/18/2010

Quotes of the Week

Jan18

“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti. People might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French, uh, you know, Napoleon the third and whatever . . . and they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said, ‘We will serve you, if you get us free from the Prince.’ True story. And so the Devil said, ‘Okay, it’s a deal.’ . . . Ever since they have been cursed.” ~Pat Robertson
O.K. I think Pat was wrong about his story and wrong about the way God works. God doesn’t curse a whole country with an earthquake or any other disaster because some evil people got together and did a little voodoo ceremony, if they ever did.
However, I listened to the clip, and Mr. Robertson is obviously concerned for the suffering of the people of Haiti, asking people here to pray and to donate money for relief. Even though his theology and his history are both a bit (a lot?) wonky, he doesn’t deserve the lambasting he’s received from some quarters. See this blog post by David Sessions.
Gene Veith on what really happened with Haiti and Napoleon and why we owe Haiti.

Al Mohler: “Does God hate Haiti? God hates sin, and will punish both individual sinners and nations. But that means that every individual and every nation will be found guilty when measured by the standard of God’s perfect righteousness. God does hate sin, but if God merely hated Haiti, there would be no missionaries there; there would be no aid streaming to the nation; there would be no rescue efforts — there would be no hope. . . . In the midst of this unspeakable tragedy, Christ would have us rush to aid the suffering people of Haiti, and rush to tell the Haitian people of his love, his cross, and salvation in his name alone.”

Google reconsiders China: We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
I don’t know what they mean by finding a basis for cooperation with the Chinese government, but it’s about time Google refused to be stooges for the censors in China.

And the Winners Are . . .

Jan18

Newbery Medal
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Semicolon review here.

Newbery Honor Books:
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. Semicolon review here.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin.
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick.

Caldecott Medal
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney.

Caldecott Honor Books:
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon. Illustrated by Marla Frazee.
Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce SIdman. Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski.

Sibert Medal
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone.

Sibert Honor Books:
The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton. Semicolon review here.
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca.
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose.

Printz
Going Bovine by Libba Bray. My thoughts, mostly negative.

Printz Honor Books:
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman.
The Monstrumologist by Richard Yancey.
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp.
Tales from the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance 1973 by John Barnes.

My two favorites, Anything But Typical and Marcelo in the Real World won the Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience. Too bad, but better than nothing, I guess.

Many Happy Returns: January 18th

Jan18

Alan Alexander Milne, b. 1882
The Most Important Book I Read in College and other Milne links.
Favorite Pooh quotes.

Did you know that Milne wrote a parody of Conan Doyle and of Pope called “The Rape of the Sherlock”?

His first book was called Lovers in London, a collection of sketches about a young Englishman and his American sweetheart. Doesn’t that sound sweet? Milne was ashamed of the book and said that he hoped it never came back into print.

He wrote plays and was a good friend of J.M. Barrie, also a playwright.

Dorothy Parker wrote a very critical review of The House at Pooh Corner to which Milne responded that he didn’t write it for Dorothy Parker but rather for the children who loved Pooh. ” . . . no writer of children’s books says gaily to his publisher, ‘Don’t bother about the children, Mrs Parker will love it.'”

Quotes:

Ideas may drift into other minds, but they do not drift my way. I have to go and fetch them. I know no work manual or mental to equal the appalling heart-breaking anguish of fetching an idea from nowhere. (Autobiography, 225)

When I am gone
Let Shepard decorate my tomb
And put (if there is room)
Two pictures on the stone:
Piglet, from page a hundred and eleven
And Pooh and Piglet walking (157)…
And Peter, thinking that they are my own,
Will welcome me to heaven.

Blogs from Haiti

Jan18

Adventures in Life: “Hymns were rising up all around us by groups of people singing praises in the streets, calming themselves with their faith, relying on spiritual strength to hold them up. It did not cover up the wailing. The sirens.”

The Livesay (Haiti) Weblog: “The Haitians say, “kenbe fem” or hold/stand firm. Our prayers in the days ahead are for exactly that. And for those coming to their aid – that they will be able to do the same.”

There Is No Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town: “Please, please pray. Things are worse than anyone can imagine. Our whole family is fine and our house and school are standing and apparently undamaged. 14 others at our house.”

Ellen in Haiti: “There needs to be a massive aid effort to restore order (I saw random incidents of mass hysteria), feed people, and get clean water to the population. Large refugee camps need to be set up throughout the city and it will be important to have security forces that can restore order, especially as time goes on. There also needs to be a huge effort to evacuate people who were injured by falling debris and concrete.”

Real Hope for Haiti Rescue Center blog.

The Apparent Project: “Haitians pray with hands waving and eyes open, much like the early church “orant” posture for prayer. The hills and streets were alive with waving hands, and above the wailing and weeping, we could hear many people saying “Meci Jezi, Meci Senye” (Thank you Jesus, Thank you Lord).”

Buxman Haiti: “Shock can carry you a long way – you feel numb and just function. I keep waking every morning hoping it was just a bad dream. I have a home, water, food.”

Life and Times of the Mangine Many: “Everyone here mourns. The Bible says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” I ultimately trust God and believe his word is truth… but man, right now– there just is no comfort to be found… everyone has lost someone. There is no one here to be the comforters.”

Rollings in Haiti: “The reality is that no one has any answers right now about anything. We don’t know what food supplies will be like in two weeks or even a month. We don’t know how much fuel will be available. Nobody knows much of anything right now.”

Cry Haiti: “Haiti is a country in which so many people had nothing, and yet now, these people have lost everything. The Haitian staff tell me that schools, universities and workplaces have been obliterated. The government buildings have all been damaged or completely destroyed. None of the government ministers can be located. When all is said and done, there will be no return to normal in Haiti.”