"Just a minute - just a minute. Now, hold on, Mr. Potter. You're right when you say my father was no businessman. I know that. Why he ever started this cheap, penny-ante Building and Loan, I'll never know. But neither you nor anyone else can say anything against his character, because his whole life was - why, in the twenty-five years since he and Uncle Billy started this thing, he never once thought of himself. Isn't that right, Uncle Billy? He didn't save enough money to send Harry to school, let alone me. But he did help a few people get out of your slums, Mr. Potter, and what's wrong with that? Why - here, you're all businessmen here. Doesn't it make them better citizens? Doesn't it make them better customers? You - you said - what'd you say a minute ago? They had to wait and save their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait? Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they're so old and broken down that they... Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well, in my book he died a much richer man than you'll ever be."
"You sit around here and you spin your little webs and you think the whole world revolves around you and your money. Well, it doesn't, Mr. Potter. In the whole vast configuration of things, I'd say you were nothing but a scurvy little spider. And that goes for you too! And that goes for you too!"
"You see George, you've really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a mistake it would be to just throw it away?"
"Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?"
"You want me to kiss her, huh?"
"Aw, youth is wasted on the wrong people!"
"You just come on back out here and I'll show you some kissing that will put hair back on your head!"
"Sentimental Hogwash!"
"Boys and girls and music; why do they even need gin?"
"I wish I had a million dollars... HOT DOG!"
"To my big brother George: the richest man in town!"
"Remember, George: No man is a failure who has friends"
"Look, Daddy! Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings."
"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"
Friday, December 19, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
45-35
Those numbers mean something. A lot, actually.
Congrats to Florida and Tim Tebow (who, coincidentally, was homeschooled! Rock ON!) for their win against the interminable Alabama. The 31-20 win was impressive. They beat a great team on a neutral field and now have a chance to play for the BCS Title Game. One point means a lot, I guess.
Texas, if any of you will remember, beat Oklahoma on a neutral field as well. The score? 45-35. 10 points. If only it had been eleven. So clearly, that must mean that Oklahoma is a better team and should play in the BCS game against the Gators, right?
This is madness. This needs to stop. It's time for a playoff system, just like the ever-so-popular NCAA men's basketball. 16 teams. Whittle it down to 2. One wins. One loses. Moving on. The polls and everyone involved, including the cold, calculating computers, can all go jump in a lake, as far as I'm concerned. It's a travesty, the most ridiculous way to choose a winner ever.
Yes, the system we have now is better than the one before. That's not saying much. Yes, the system we have now brings a lot of attention to college ball. And a lot of it's negative. No one likes getting ripped off, and every year there's a team. This time it's my Longhorns, who are now playing Ohio State, a team that has lost it's last two bowl games by a huge margin. Will I watch? Yes. Will it be a tense, hard-hitting, great game? Most likely. With a mediocre team like Ohio State, it's quite possible we'll have a repeat blowout. Like most BCS bowl games. Florida and Oklahoma should be a great game, and I'll be quite satisfied if Tebow kicks some Sooner tail.
Just like Texas did.
Not that it matters, or anything.
Congrats to Florida and Tim Tebow (who, coincidentally, was homeschooled! Rock ON!) for their win against the interminable Alabama. The 31-20 win was impressive. They beat a great team on a neutral field and now have a chance to play for the BCS Title Game. One point means a lot, I guess.
Texas, if any of you will remember, beat Oklahoma on a neutral field as well. The score? 45-35. 10 points. If only it had been eleven. So clearly, that must mean that Oklahoma is a better team and should play in the BCS game against the Gators, right?
This is madness. This needs to stop. It's time for a playoff system, just like the ever-so-popular NCAA men's basketball. 16 teams. Whittle it down to 2. One wins. One loses. Moving on. The polls and everyone involved, including the cold, calculating computers, can all go jump in a lake, as far as I'm concerned. It's a travesty, the most ridiculous way to choose a winner ever.
Yes, the system we have now is better than the one before. That's not saying much. Yes, the system we have now brings a lot of attention to college ball. And a lot of it's negative. No one likes getting ripped off, and every year there's a team. This time it's my Longhorns, who are now playing Ohio State, a team that has lost it's last two bowl games by a huge margin. Will I watch? Yes. Will it be a tense, hard-hitting, great game? Most likely. With a mediocre team like Ohio State, it's quite possible we'll have a repeat blowout. Like most BCS bowl games. Florida and Oklahoma should be a great game, and I'll be quite satisfied if Tebow kicks some Sooner tail.
Just like Texas did.
Not that it matters, or anything.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Twilight: A Moralistic Fog
Talk to anyone over the age of 40, and the word “vampire” conjures up images of a pasty white figure with a turned up collar, flowing cape, Transylvania accent, fangs, and thirst for human blood. Ask the younger (female) generation, and the response will be quite different. Instead of screams of terror, there are shrieks of joy. No capes, accents, or collars here. These girls are envisioning Edward Cullen, the dashing savior of Isabella Swan and a main character in the increasingly popular saga Twilight.
Twilight is a four-book series by Mormon wife and mother Stephenie Meyer, and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide since its inception in 2005. Meyer has been heralded as the new J. K. Rowling, and a film adaptation of her first book opened on November 21 to the tune of $70 million.
On the surface, all of this appears to be positive news, especially considering the fact that Meyer claims to be inserting her Mormon morals into the story. "I get some pressure to put a big sex scene in," Meyer says. "But you can go anywhere for graphic sex. It's harder to find a romance where they dwell on the hand-holding. I was a late bloomer. When I was 16, holding hands was just—wow." Katie Elliot, a high school senior, also described how much she enjoyed the morals of the first book in Meyer’s series. “I love how much Edward loves Bella, and will do anything to protect her. Another reason I like the book is that Edward’s family is extremely accepting of Bella even though she is a human. There is also an emphasis on family. Edward and his family are really close and protect Bella because she’s important to Edward.”
All of the above is true—for the first book. Things slowly degenerate into grotesque, graphic depictions of violence, as well as an increased sensuality. It’s almost as if Meyer toned down her first book to get readers hooked before giving them the real Twilight. And yes, the series can be addicting, even for a male who has only read portions of the novels and several synopses for the purpose of this article. But even the romance in the first book, though technically supportive of abstinence, is very sensuous.
Beyond that, Bella is a less than ideal role model, which is problematic seeing as 99% of the story is told, first person, from her view. Her unhealthy obsession with Edward reaches way beyond infatuation. Meyer devotes dozens of pages to Bella’s inner musings revolving around the vampire’s seemingly endless positive attributes and her dreams of being with him forever. Even when his interest in her is akin to my interest in barbecued ribs, she is determined to have him, even if this means giving up everything from friends to family to her soul. When he leaves her, mostly to protect her from him sucking her blood, she’s heartbroken and attempts several extremely dangerous activities when she discovers she can hear his voice during those moments.
On top of that, Bella lies several times, and is excessively self-deprecating. And I’m not the only one who is unsure about the safety of girls consumed with the Twilight saga. Sci-fi novelist Orson Scott Card was excessively critical of the series in his article in Time magazine. "Is this Anne Rice lite? Not in the eyes of the teenagers—and their mothers—who have embraced this book. But Stephenie Meyer's Twilight does raise some questions, and I've asked them. 'You really want your teenage daughter to live inside the story of a girl who lies to her parents, invites a boy to sleep in her bed and trusts him not to take advantage of her?'"
The greatest problem, however, lies at the heart of the Twilight story, and that’s the twisting of morals. Since they were first imagined, vampires have been regarded as the villain. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines vampire as: “an imaginary demon, which was fabled to suck the blood of persons during the night.” Then came Twilight. The traditionally evil character is now good. On top of this, according to Twilight, vampires are eternally damned, which doesn’t shed a positive light on the Cullen family, or on Bella’s crazed desire to become a “bloodsucker,” as the series describes them.
The term “twilight” refers to the brief time between light and darkness. Meyer’s series takes readers on a trek through a similar moralistic dusk where neither good nor bad, light nor dark is clear cut, and the story slowly descends into darkness. The wise reader will ask: “Is it worth it?”
Twilight is a four-book series by Mormon wife and mother Stephenie Meyer, and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide since its inception in 2005. Meyer has been heralded as the new J. K. Rowling, and a film adaptation of her first book opened on November 21 to the tune of $70 million.
On the surface, all of this appears to be positive news, especially considering the fact that Meyer claims to be inserting her Mormon morals into the story. "I get some pressure to put a big sex scene in," Meyer says. "But you can go anywhere for graphic sex. It's harder to find a romance where they dwell on the hand-holding. I was a late bloomer. When I was 16, holding hands was just—wow." Katie Elliot, a high school senior, also described how much she enjoyed the morals of the first book in Meyer’s series. “I love how much Edward loves Bella, and will do anything to protect her. Another reason I like the book is that Edward’s family is extremely accepting of Bella even though she is a human. There is also an emphasis on family. Edward and his family are really close and protect Bella because she’s important to Edward.”
All of the above is true—for the first book. Things slowly degenerate into grotesque, graphic depictions of violence, as well as an increased sensuality. It’s almost as if Meyer toned down her first book to get readers hooked before giving them the real Twilight. And yes, the series can be addicting, even for a male who has only read portions of the novels and several synopses for the purpose of this article. But even the romance in the first book, though technically supportive of abstinence, is very sensuous.
Beyond that, Bella is a less than ideal role model, which is problematic seeing as 99% of the story is told, first person, from her view. Her unhealthy obsession with Edward reaches way beyond infatuation. Meyer devotes dozens of pages to Bella’s inner musings revolving around the vampire’s seemingly endless positive attributes and her dreams of being with him forever. Even when his interest in her is akin to my interest in barbecued ribs, she is determined to have him, even if this means giving up everything from friends to family to her soul. When he leaves her, mostly to protect her from him sucking her blood, she’s heartbroken and attempts several extremely dangerous activities when she discovers she can hear his voice during those moments.
On top of that, Bella lies several times, and is excessively self-deprecating. And I’m not the only one who is unsure about the safety of girls consumed with the Twilight saga. Sci-fi novelist Orson Scott Card was excessively critical of the series in his article in Time magazine. "Is this Anne Rice lite? Not in the eyes of the teenagers—and their mothers—who have embraced this book. But Stephenie Meyer's Twilight does raise some questions, and I've asked them. 'You really want your teenage daughter to live inside the story of a girl who lies to her parents, invites a boy to sleep in her bed and trusts him not to take advantage of her?'"
The greatest problem, however, lies at the heart of the Twilight story, and that’s the twisting of morals. Since they were first imagined, vampires have been regarded as the villain. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines vampire as: “an imaginary demon, which was fabled to suck the blood of persons during the night.” Then came Twilight. The traditionally evil character is now good. On top of this, according to Twilight, vampires are eternally damned, which doesn’t shed a positive light on the Cullen family, or on Bella’s crazed desire to become a “bloodsucker,” as the series describes them.
The term “twilight” refers to the brief time between light and darkness. Meyer’s series takes readers on a trek through a similar moralistic dusk where neither good nor bad, light nor dark is clear cut, and the story slowly descends into darkness. The wise reader will ask: “Is it worth it?”
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