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Doctor Who anniversary

11/24/2013

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I have always enjoyed Doctor Who. Any series that can last over fifty years deserves attention. I have been watching some of the newer editions of Dr. Who and the special anniversary episode.

Of all episodes, the one below is one of my favourites. It contains a correct allusion to Nietzsche's famous phrase that if you stare into the abyss it stares back at you. By that he meant that if you stare at something long enough, that something becomes you. In the line uttered by Rose, she says that she stared into the TARDIS and the TARDIS stared into her. The TARDIS is the vessel, disguised as a police officers booth, that travels through dimensions of space and time. I won't get bogged into the minutiae of the episode or series but essentially, Rose stares into it so that she can locate the doctor and save him. And, consequently, she absorbs as the spirit of the TARDIS.


Interestingly, in a further existential, Nietzschean homage, she says that she creates herself. In a kind of Kabbalistic manner she takes the text of "Bad Wolf" and scatters the text and words in space. The remaining slivers and shards will guide her, as a message, to this very place, this very time. In Kabbalistic mystical tradition, the text of the Hebrew words contain within them doorways to the divine. Through analysis of the text, we can reach the divine. Further, our duty as human beings is to engage in tikkun olam, meaning to heal and restore the world. In a like manner, the text "Bad Wolf", which occurs in the series, is intended to guide her to this moment when she can heal the doctor and set what was wrong, right again.

Empowered by the spirit of the TARDIS, she is able to protect her doctor, repel enemies and see into time and space. She says to emperor of the Daleks (the enemies), that he is "tiny". She accuses them of being false gods. A further allusion to Genesis occurs when she says says that she can see every atom of their existence and she divides them. In Genesis, the act of creation involved separation and division of light and darkness, land and sea, animal that swims and flies and even separation and division of humans into male and female. She cannot let go, she can even bring life. And brings life to one of the characters.

The doctor understands that she cannot have that kind of power and live. In a sacrificial act he takes the power from her, in an act of love, and then expels it back to the TARDIS. What is not played in this clip but which occurs later is that, as a result, he dies.

A lot of deeper allusions within this scene and powerfully acted and scripted. Enjoy!
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Eisenhower paraphrase of the Gettysburg address

11/19/2013

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Thanks and H/T to Joseph Komonchak of Commonweal for finding and posting this humorous paraphrase. It is a parody written by Oliver Jensen, a journalist who later founded and edited American Heritage and who must have attended too many of Eisenhower’s press conferences:

I haven't checked these figures but 87 years ago, I think it was, a number of individuals organized a governmental set-up here in this country, I believe it covered certain Eastern areas, with this idea they were following up based on a sort of national independence arrangement and the program that every individual is just as good as every other individual. Well, now, of course, we are dealing with this big difference of opinion, civil disturbance you might say, although I don't like to appear to take sides or name any individuals, and the point is naturally to check up, by actual experience in the field, to see whether any governmental set-up with a basis like the one I was mentioning has any validity and find out whether that dedication by those early individuals will pay off in lasting values and things of that kind. . . . But if you look at the over-all picture of this, we can't pay any tribute - we can't sanctify this area, you might say - we can't hallow according to whatever individual creeds or faiths or sort of religious outlooks are involved like I said about this particular area. It was those individuals themselves, including the enlisted men, very brave individuals, who have given the religious character to the area. The way I see it, the rest of the world will not remember any statements issued here but it will never forget how these men put their shoulders to the wheel and carried this idea down the fairway. Now frankly, our job, the living individuals' job here is to pick up the burden and sink the putt they made these big efforts here for. It is our job to get on with the assignment - and from these deceased fine individuals to take extra inspiration, you could call it, for the same theories about the set-up for which they made such a big contribution. We have to make up our minds right here and now, as I see it, that they didn't put out all that blood, perspiration and - well - that they didn't just make a dry run here, and that all of us here, under God, that is, the God of our choice, shall beef up this idea about freedom and liberty and those kind of arrangements, and that government of all individuals, by all individuals and for the individuals, shall not pass out of the world-picture.
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Natural High

11/18/2013

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The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health teamed up with the Chiefs of Ontario and First Nation youth to produce this video to address opioid use and abuse. It is a quietly powerful and positive public message. From the release (CAMH Support First Nation Youth):

Renee Linklater, CAMH’s Manager of Aboriginal Community Engagement says, “the opportunity to collaborate with the Chiefs of Ontario has provided an exciting opportunity to support First Nations youth. These public education tools will provide great resources for education and training, and more so, provide important messages to society.”

Renee says this campaign demonstrates that First Nations youth in Ontario are taking an active role in generating a youth-driven response to the prescription drug issues in their communities and are very concerned about the impact of addiction. She expects the PSA and video will be disseminated to a wide audience across the country and hopes they will be screened at film festivals.
  

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In Flanders Field

11/11/2013

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On this Remembrance Day thinking of you Ben. Stay safe and my prayers and thoughts are and were with you at 11:11! Come back to us safe. 

Love,


 Uncle George
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Raging Rob Ford

11/7/2013

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I promised myself months back that I would not discuss Rob Ford, the embattled Toronto mayor. He has certainly put Canada on the map! I know many people are getting a lot of cheap laughs from the whole episode but at the same time it underscores the ravages of addiction. It seems as if addiction is treated differently than any other medical conditions. Clearly, he needs help and it appears that he is trying in his own inchoate way to get it. At any rate, below is his interview today following revelations in The Star around one of his drunken stupors to borrow one of his phrases.
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    My Pensées

    The title of this blog is an allusion to the famous work of Blaise Pascal.  This blog represents the variety of my interests and thoughts on any given day and are  strung together, like Pascal's Pensees, in no particular order. I work in the field of mental health,  education, and human rights. I write and am a human rights advocate. I enjoy poetry, jazz, spirituality, politics and a potpourri of other interests that you will see reflected in this blog.

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