A Little Princess

Last week I went to the library and I was looking through the books for children and young adults in English to see if there were any good books. I came across one book in particular. One I haven't read in a long time, but that I have loved since the first time I did read it. That book was A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

I first read this book when I was about 6 or 7 years old. It was not long after the newest movie adaptation of sorts had been released, and my dad had taken us out one evening to the shops and we ended up in a bookstore where he either told us we could choose a book each, or I bugged him until he got me a book. Either way I came home with the book and proceeded to read it. I loved it, and read it many times as a child.

Fast forward to last week and I decided to borrow it and read it. I have to say that I love the book as much as I ever did as a child. I'm not sure what it is exactly that made me love this book but I think maybe it's the fact that there is some mystery and romanticism to it. It also has some great imagery and descriptions. Having read it again, as well as having read The Secret Garden over New Years, it makes me want to go and rediscover more books from my childhood that I loved and read many times. I'm thinking I might see if the library has Little Women and borrow that and re-read it.

Archaeology's Dirty Little Secrets

So I have been planning on writing a new post recently. I even have ideas for it and kind of know what I want to write, but the last few weeks have been pretty crazy. I started a Finnish course at the end of May, the children I look after started holidays the next week, and I also started an online course or MOOC about archaeology. Needless to say with that and also making new friends and spending time with them I haven't been left with much time to write... plus I would feel incredibly guilty if I wrote a blog post without having done my archaeology course homework.

So anyway.... the course I started is through a website called Coursera. I came across it thanks to the Time Team Facebook page where they recommended the course that I signed up for. The course is called Archaeology's Dirty Little Secrets and into the third week now I am loving it! I have always enjoyed history and especially archaeology- I wanted to be an archaeologist for many years, and I am not really sure I've given up on that possibility yet, so it's fun. The course itself is through Brown University in the USA and the Joukowsky Institute which is situated at Brown.

So the course itself consists of video lectures, some required reading, weekly quizzes and weekly exercises or assessments if you want to call them that. The exercises are all peer assessed as with the sheer number of people who enrol in the course as well as the free nature of the course, there is no way that the staff could mark everyones exercises.

I just got the results of my week 1 exercise today and I was very happy. I got a 3- which is the top mark, and some really nice comments. As a result, I thought I would share what I wrote here. I will first post the requirements, then my response, then the comments I recieved.


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Option #2: Archaeological expressions

Find one form of artistic expression (poetry, film, literature, trash fiction, music) that draws on archaeology and archaeological uses of the past*. Write a reaction piece in which you:

1. Identify and describe the artistic work you have chosen.
2. If it could be helpful to your classmates, provide a link (URL) to any relevant online content (e.g., YouTube clip, SoundCloud sample, IMDB page, etc.).
3. Explain why you chose this particular piece.
4. Critique the piece. Does it convey an accurate impression of archaeology? Is it significant, either artistically or archaeologically? Do you like it? Would you recommend it to others, and if so, who?

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The work chosen for this archaeological comparison is called "The Curse", and it is episode thirteen of season four of the television series Stargate SG-1.

In this episode, one of the team members - Dr Daniel Jackson of SG-1, discovers that his archaeology professor from college - Dr David Jordan was killed in a lab explosion that has been attributed to the Curse of Osiris as he was working with artefacts recovered from a shipwreck of an expedition carried out in 1931. He attends the funeral and catches up with former colleagues he has not seen in five years. He stays behind after the funeral and discovers that items from the collection have either been stolen or misplaced, and works to help discover what has happened to them.

I chose this piece because it shows some of the issues that archaeologists and institutions face with regards to artefacts and ownership once recovered as well as the storage, testing and treatment of artefacts. It also addresses the beliefs of many people in curses being placed on items from tombs especially those of Egyptian mummies.

The episode starts with the characters of Dr Jordan and Dr Steven Rayner discussing some artefacts that had been recovered from a shipwreck of an expedition known as the Stewart Expedition undertaken in 1931. Dr Jordan lets Dr Rayner know that the opportunity has come up to have scans done on a canopic jar. Dr Rayner suggests that they just crack open the canopic jar to which he is told that the Egyptian government expects the items to be returned intact. He expresses some disagreement with this pronouncement stating that it is the find of a lifetime and they are "just handing it over".

This reflects on an issue that is facing the archaeological community and institutions around the world more and more often these days. Many artefacts were taken at times in the past when countries were either colonised, under occupation or before there were laws regarding what could be taken or even what could be excavated. As a result more and more countries are trying to recover items that they consider to have been looted from their past causing much controversy amongst those who believe they have a right to the items who make arguments on both sides of the divide as is the case with the Parthenon Marbles.

When Dr Jackson discovers the report of the death of Dr Jordan, the article states that the Curse of Osiris has returned. This alludes to the belief that curses will afflict those who disturb the tombs and holy places of ancient civilisations- in this case those of ancient Egypt. Later in the episode when Dr Sarah Gardner is showing Dr Jackson the artefacts, she says that they are supposedly cursed and that all the members of the original expedition died within a year of the discovery and Dr Jackson says that it had been attributed to mould spores. Her response states that mould spores do not make front page news.

These instances as well as later deaths of two more people show the pervasiveness of beliefs in "Mummy curses" which started in the 19th century with very little truth behind them as well as their common use as a trope in television and movies to make a plot more interesting or entertaining.

When Dr Jackson goes to find the museum curator in the storage area for the artefacts, she blames the state of the storage area on budget cuts. She also states that the crate in which another item was stored, was mislabelled and, that she had therefore only discovered the item a few days prior. She appears to be the sole person working in the department possibly due to the budget cuts she has stated and has a large number of items to catalogue. The sheer number of items shown to be in storage show the fate of many archaeological finds today with many artefacts remaining in storage for long periods of time after discovery and initial study, if study commences at all.

On a whole I believe this piece to show a somewhat accurate depiction of archaeology. It shows that not all archaeologists work in the field and that there is more to archaeology than digging up treasures and, that there are issues faced by those who work in the field of archaeology. I enjoyed it and would recommend this piece to people who like history and science fiction as well as people who like to see fictional archaeologists on film and not blowing up temples.

Gateworld: The Curse - http://www.gateworld.net/sg1/s4/413.shtml - Last accessed 9 June 2013

Wiki: The Curse - http://stargate.wikia.com/wiki/The_Curse – Last accessed 9 June 2013

National Geographic: Curse of the Mummy - http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/archaeology/curse-of-the-mummy/ - Last accessed 9 June 2013
 

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Peer 1 → You completed and clearly expressed your response. Very well done.

 

Peer 2 → Having watched a few episodes of SG-1 in the past I was familiar with it's format and the the origins of some of its ideas in ancient Egypt. I found the piece both interesting and well researched. Although fictional representations of archaeology and archaeologists are often ridiculous you have pointed out that this does not necessarily always occur and that they can sometimes put forward ideas and concepts that are very representative of the truth.

 

Peer 4 → Good use of an excellent episode from SG1 to illustrate the required topic. Certainly original and clearly expressed. Do you watch the Abydos videos with the same slant as I do? Thanks.

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I hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think.

~~Random Logic~~

Speak Up and Be Brave!

I've been thinking about what I wanted to do for a new post here for the past week or so. 

A few days ago I came across a video for a song by Sara Bareilles. I had heard the song before but thanks to a post she put up on Facebook I saw the official video for the song and I fell in love with the song even more.

The song is called Brave, and the basic message behind the song is to not be afraid of who you are or what you do. Don't let others decide who or what you should be and stand up for what you believe in and your own desires. The video shows this message through a series of clips they rotate through of people dancing in public spaces outrageously without any thought of what others think. It shows people being who they want to be. I think it's a great message. It's a message that I think needs to be told more and more often in today's society. 

It's a message that hits fairly close to home for me.

When I was younger and to a much lesser extent these days I was a very shy and quiet person. I didn't have many friends in primary school. Not so much because I didn't want to have friends, but more because I didn't really know how to connect with most of the people I went to school with. I always felt like an outsider and putting myself in the spotlight was something to be avoided. Not only that, but I was also I guess a bit more of an I guess intellectual child compared to most of my classmates. I spent a lot of my time reading as a child, which is something I am not ashamed of by any means, and I spent many lunch times in the school library both in primary school and high school. 

The problem was not my being ashamed of who I was and what I liked, the problem was other kids making fun of me for those reasons. I was teased for wearing glasses as well as reading and had books snatched from my hands and thrown across the playground on a few occasions as a child. Because of these incidents I ended up with pretty low self esteem. I used to pretend I was sick at school so I could go home because I didn't want to be at school. It was my way of trying to avoid the bullies because the school wasn't doing anything to help with a problem they had been told about.

As I got into high school things changed for me. I went to a high school where there were very few people from my primary school and they were people that I could and did get along with mostly. One of my first moments in high school that I remember was being asked by someone I had known when I was quite young what I was interested in. I told them that I loved Star Wars. The response I got was along the lines of "Star Wars? That's for boys!" She then turned to a random girl behind her and tapped her on the shoulder and asked her "Don't you think Star Wars is for boys?". The response was unexpected by both myself and the girl who asked. "No, actually. I quite like it myself."

I made new friends in high school including the girl who also liked Star Wars, friends who liked to read, who liked science fiction and fantasy and I could talk to them about these things. We shared books and spent as much of our lunchtime in the library as we did out of it. Just from having those friends and being able to talk to them about things I began to truly feel that I wasn't a freak and I wasn't so strange. I began to embrace my "weird". I still got bullied on occasion but I didn't let it get to me as much as previously because I had a support system in my friends with similar interests

At around the same time as this I started to get into online forums and message boards associated with my fandom of Star Wars. It was a very liberating thing because I began to connect with people who had similar interests. Many were around the same age as me due to the resurgence of the series with the prequels. Some of my best friends to this day I made through fan sites.

So when I heard the song for the first time I really felt close to the message of the lyrics. I know what it's like to have words thrown at you so as to belittle you. I know the feelings that you feel when that happens. I know what it feels like when the adults who are meant to be your support system and and guidance don't do anything to stop it or help you. I hate to see bullying.

Most recently as I have mentioned on several occasions I have been working as an au pair. In the first family I worked for the children would often call each other names and I really hated it. One day when it was getting particularly bad I got the three children together- even the four year old, because I think you are never too young to learn not to be a bully. I had them in a circle and I asked each of them what they felt like when someone called them names. I asked each of them what it felt like when their brother or sister called them names and I asked them what they think their brother or sister felt like when they called them names. The response was they they felt horrible and that their brother or sister or anyone else they called names felt horrible too. I told them I knew what it felt like. I was bullied as a kid. It is NOT a nice feeling. After that day I do believe I saw and heard less name calling and teasing between the kids. Maybe I was just imagining it or maybe I really did see less of it. Either way, it is better to try than to let bullying go on.

So I just want to say if you are reading this. Watch the video. Listen to the lyrics and if you have children, work with children or just know children- then share it with them too. It's never too soon to teach children both not to be afraid of bullies, but also that it isn't right to be a bully.

~~Random Logic~~

The Da Vinci Code Book Review

Back in 2003 when I was still in high school a new book was released to great publicity and popularity. That book was The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Now I love to read but I often don't read books that are subject to a lot of hype because I find I often don't like them. If I do read them, then it usually happens much later once all the hype has died down.

So, last weekend, just over 10 years since the book was first released, I borrowed it from the local library. I was hoping that it was going to be a good book- the premise isn't a bad one, and I like thrillers with a religious and/or historical twist to them. Unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed by the book.

Dan Brown is definitely not the best writer. Even before I got too far into the book I was finding that I was getting bored and forcing myself to read more hoping it would get better. It didn't really. There are many pages where I found myself wanting to skip the page, but also the rest of the chapter.

Another issue I had, was that I often felt like I was reading the same things over and over again and that added to the boredom factor. I think the main issue with the writing beyond the style itself was the flow of the story. I found myself guessing the plot twists(who is the mysterious 'Teacher'?) or answers to the little riddles(the answer to the second cryptex) throughout the book, well before they occurred. I felt many scenes just dragged out and that it could have been a much better book if the pace was picked up. The events of the book itself take place within a very short period of time, but there isn't a massive amount.

All in all I wouldn't recommend this book to someone looking for a novel with a bit of vatican/religious or historical conspiracy thrown in. I would recommend books by authors such as Charles Brokaw, Andy McDermott, Raymond Khoury and James Rollins. All of these authors have novels that are well written, thrilling and most importantly not boring to read.


~~ Random Logic ~~

Castle Season 5 Finale Time!

Ok so it's that time of the year again. The time most of the tv shows that we have been watching since around September last year have their season finals. This week was the final of Castle. A friend requested that I write a post about the finale. I agreed, but it's going to be a bit more of a season retrospective I think.

---- WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW ---- 

Now, if there is one thing I can say about the season finals for Castle, it's that they are good ones. In particular the final for season three- in which Kate got shot and the final for season four which I wrote about here, where Castle and Kate finally admitted they liked each other and got together.

The past season has been a pretty great one for the show and the characters. Whilst we didn't have any of the tension of the previous season where Kate was hiding her knowledge of Castle's feelings, there was a different kind of tension. Their secret relationship added some great moments to the season.

One of my early favourite episodes ended up being Murder He Wrote (5x03) in which Castle and Beckett went away for the weekend to his house in the Hamptons and ended up having a murder disrupt their weekend. This episode did many fans a great service when the characters gave themselves the shipper name "Caskett", by which they have been known on fan sites since very early on.

Following hot on the heels of that episode a few weeks later we got The Final Frontier(5x05) in which a fan is murdered at a big fan convention. We find out a bit more about Beckett who was apparently a huge fan of a particular sci-fi show as a College student, even going so far as to cosplay one of the characters. As an attendee of conventions and a rather big geek myself I have to say that this was an extremely fun episode.

We also got a little bit more in the case of Beckett's mother's murder. In the first episode of the season Beckett was able to find out who was in charge. It turned out to be a senator. She confronted the senator and threatened that if anything should happen to her then the details of what happened to her mother would be released to the press. Later in the season he became the target of an assassination attempt and she ended up having to protect him which was also an interesting turn of events.

By far the most tense episodes were those of the two parter. In the first half- Target(5x15) we find out that Alexis has been kidnapped, along with another girl they manage to escape briefly and contact Beckett and Castle. They soon find out however that they are no longer in New York, instead they have been taken to Paris.

In the second half- Hunt(5x16), Castle has decided to take matters into his own hands where he makes contact and teams up with a character by the name of Jacques Henri(Christopher Heyerdahl). As a fan of Heyerdahl from previous shows he has starred in I just about hyperventilated when I heard his voice. All I can say is that his voice is just one of the many things I love about his acting. It has the ability to change his character from one incredibly nice one, to one incredibly evil. Heyerdahl aside, this episode introduced the fans as well as Castle himself to his father. It was a great moment and ultimately the two of them managed to rescue Alexis.

Now the creators of the show promised that the relationship between Castle and Beckett wouldn't be all smelling of roses and that they would have their troubles. That finally started to show in some of the final episodes. In one episode, Beckett feels ignored, then because of the case Castle feels threatened by another man (Ioan Gruffudd).

In the following episode she almost dies when she steps on a pressure sensitive bomb linked to a timer and Castle stays to keep her company. The end of that episode was particularly good and something I did not see coming. Captain 'Iron' Gates revealed that she's known all about their relationship but wanted to leave herself with plausible deniability when she tells them to just kiss already.

This all leading into the finale left me curious as to what was going to happen. We had a bit of a break last week with the relationship stuff with a case that had the team being stonewalled by the Attorney General's office. The big moment of the episode I guess, came at the end. Beckett was pulled aside by the man who had been stonewalling them and offered an interview for a position in DC.

So that brings us to the final. At the start of the final, Kate was standing in front of a window looking out over DC. She'd decided to go for the interview. Later on she is running late to the crime scene we find out she hadn't told Castle about the interview or going to DC. Gates has given her a glowing recommendation and a heart to heart with Lanie leaves her thinking hard....

...Then Castle finds her boarding pass stub for the plane after it falls out of her jacket pocket. Cue the discussion/argument over trusting each other and not telling each other things. Beckett says it's just an interview and it doesn't mean anything.

The next day Castle has a heart to heart with his mother which makes him think hard about his relationship and where it is going.

Kate gets a phone call. She got the job in DC. She decides that she is moving up to bigger and better opportunities and that it will be the last case for her. She solves the case with the boys and then tells them there is something she needs to tell them, but that she has to speak to someone else first.

And the final scene. It all comes back to the swings where they had the fateful discussion about brick walls in season four, and where she sat in the rain in the final of season four.

But what happened you ask?

Well I will leave you with this reaction I posted to Facebook last night:

THEY DID NOT JUST END THAT SEASON OF CASTLE LIKE THAT! OMG! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

 

Okay.... so maybe I won't leave you like that really... but if you want to know what happens, you either have to wait a bit longer or watch it yourself. 

Whatever your choice, it won't change the fact that season 6 is going to be VERY interesting. I can't wait to see how it starts and I really don't want to have to wait until September... but if I have to wait, then at least I will have some Rizzoli & Isles to watch when it starts at the end of June!

0.4 Book Review

 'My name is Kyle Straker. And I don't exist anymore.' 

So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on to old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world...

If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. 

And if everything we know is a lie does that mean that we are, too?

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Have you ever picked up a book just because the title intrigued you? Ever read a book like that, and been glad that you got your hands on it? I did just that last Saturday at the library. I decided to see what books they had in English for younger readers and came across a book called 0.4 by Mike Lancaster.

Even though I had read the blurb on the back, I didn't really know what to expect. It has one of thost intriguing blurbs that doesn't really tell you what is going to happen but makes you want to read.

Opening it and reading the first page only confirmed what a good idea it was to pick it up.

WARNING

THIS DATA STORAGE UNIT, OR "BOOK", HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO REPROGRAM THE HUMAN BRAIN, ALLOWING IT TO REPLICATE THE LOST ART THAT WAS ONCE CALLED "READING". IT IS A SIMPLE ADJUSTMENT AND THERE WILL BE NO NEGATIVE OR HARMFUL EFFECTS FROM THIS PROCESS.

WHAT YOU ARE DOING: "READING" EXPLAINED

EACH SHEET IS INDELIBLY PRINTED WITH INFORMATION AND THE SHEETS ARE VISUALLY SCANNED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, AND FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

THIS SCANNED INFORMATION IS PASSED THROUGH THE VISUAL CORTEX DIRECTLY INTO THE BRAIN WHERE IT CAN BE ACCESSED, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER DATA.

With a first page like that, it is the perfect book for someone who loves to read.

The book is from the point of view of a boy called Kyle Straker. It is revealed that the story was found recorded on old cassette tapes belonging to his father and that it has been released in book format for a reason. A reason that will become clear to the reader, as they are reading.

It is a fast book by nature of the story. Whilst recounted after the facts, almost the entire story takes place in the period of a single day.

We find that on this normal day Kyle woke up and went to watch the annual talent show in his village. He volunteered to be hypnotised and by that simple action decided his future. When he wakes up after the hypnotism he and the other volunteers find everyone else frozen in a moment of time. It is at this point that the story really starts.

I won't say anymore of what happens but I will recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind teen fiction and likes a bit of dystopian sci-fi. It is definitely worth reading and will make you think at least a little bit.


Random Logic

‘My name is Kyle Straker and I don’t exist any more.’ So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world . . . If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. And if everything is a lie does that mean that we are, too? Plug into a gripping new generation of sci-fi.

Read More at http://booknerd.ca/review-0-4-by-mike-a-lancaster/, Written by Giselle, Copyright © BO-OK NERD CANADA

‘My name is Kyle Straker and I don’t exist any more.’ So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world . . . If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. And if everything is a lie does that mean that we are, too? Plug into a gripping new generation of sci-fi.

Read More at http://booknerd.ca/review-0-4-by-mike-a-lancaster/, Written by Giselle, Copyright © BO-OK NERD CANADA

‘My name is Kyle Straker and I don’t exist any more.’ So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world . . . If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. And if everything is a lie does that mean that we are, too? Plug into a gripping new generation of sci-fi.

Read More at http://booknerd.ca/review-0-4-by-mike-a-lancaster/, Written by Giselle, Copyright © BO-OK NERD CANADA

‘My name is Kyle Straker and I don’t exist any more.’ So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world . . . If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie. And if everything is a lie does that mean that we are, too? Plug into a gripping new generation of sci-fi.

Read More at http://booknerd.ca/review-0-4-by-mike-a-lancaster/, Written by Giselle, Copyright © BO-OK NERD CANADA

The Stormlord Trilogy Book Review.

Title/Author: The Stormlord Trilogy: The Last Stormlord, Stormlord Rising and Stormlord's Exile by Glenda Larke
Publisher/Year: Orbit Books. 2009, 2010 and 2011.
How I Got This: The library
Why I Read It: It looked interesting and I enjoy fantasy novels
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Ever get one of those moments when you read a book and finish it and then just want to tell everyone about it?

A few weeks ago I started reading a trilogy of books called The Stormlord Trilogy(Goodreads lists them as the Watergivers trilogy) by Glenda Larke. The books are The Last Stormlord, Stormlord Rising and Stormlord's Exile. They are about 600 pages each and tell the story of a parched land(The Quartern) where those who have water have power. Some are born with the ability to manipulate water and they, at their strongest are- The stormlords, rainlords and reeves. They each have their roles to play in society in order to ensure the lands of the Quartern recieve enough rain to fill their cisterns and to make sure nobody wastes that water.

The first book starts with the land in grave peril. There is only one stormlord left in the land with the ability to bring rain to the Quartern and he is old and ill. The rainlords are sent on a hunt to try find more people with water powers. It does not however remain as simple as that with not all the rainlords being content to do what they are told. What follows are power struggles as the different peoples in the land fight for what they believe and to have power over the sole stormlord in the Quartern once the previous one has passed away.

Cities are burned, enemies made and destroyed as easily as friends are made.

Into this all comes mysterious new power giving a rainlord the ability to shift sands after a near death experience as well as a man with a mysterious painting talent and a girl who he claims is his great granddaughter and both with the ability to change the future.

But the most important character of all is the waterless (born without the right to free water), outcast, son of a man who may turn out to be either the saviour or the death of the Quartern. Born with water powers his story intersects in the lives of every character in the books. Imprisoned by a rogue rainlord after his town and family are destroyed and/or imprisoned he is educated and taught to use his water powers but not expected to think much for himself. He rebels against what is expected and forges his own path that changes everything.

My favourite thing about these books is although different chapters will focus on different characters you are never left to read about the same characters for long enough to get bored and really just want to see what is happening to another character (something that I occasionally have felt whilst reading The Wheel of Time series).

My second favourite thing about these books is the pace. The first book is over 600 pages long and the other two are just on and under 600 pages but they don't drag. They are fun to read- I read the second and third books in the last four days without getting bored.

And last but not least- as a trilogy that is complete, you aren't left waiting months or years to read the next book that might be written. You aren't left with an annoying cliffhanger ending that makes you want to cry because the next book is nowhere in sight. Anticipation is great and all but with fantasy books that run to 600 pages the wait can just turn a person off if it all drags on too long!

If you are looking for a great fantasy read then I would strongly recommend these books. I would not hesitate to reread them in the future myself.