Cinderella In a Party Dress

Love the Killers - always killing it.

Moving to Maine

This report was released this month by the Schott Foundation for Public Education.

Yes, yes - like everyone else I was alarmed by the generally dismal graduation rates among black males, but I was even more intrigued by the really high rates in Maine, North Dakota, New Hampshire and Vermont. Surely, even though they have higher rates they are still graduating less black males than say, Maryland. However, if you compare Maine's 2,613 black males enrolled to Alaska's 2,552 or Hawaii's 2,552 black males enrolled, you will still notice a huge gap in the percent who actually graduate: 98% for Maine, 47% for Alaska and 44% for Hawaii. Wyoming has the lowest enrollment of 697 but only graduates 50%. So this higher graduation rate in Maine cannot be accounted for entirely by the small numbers with which they are working. Compare Wyoming to Texas' 341,219 black makes enrolled, but still able to graduate 52%, and New Jersey's 121,934 enrolled with a 69% graduate rate. So what's the problem in Wyoming, Hawaii and Alaska? Yes, we can get on Texas' case --- but we can guess what the contributing factors are in that state with such a huge populations of African Americans. But I think the more intriguing questions are:

1) What's right in Maine, North Dakota, New Hampshire and Vermont?

2) What's wrong in Wyoming, Hawaii and Alaska?

If you wanted the sky...

In the Cask

Be Lost in the Call

Lord, said David, since you do not need us,
why did you create these two world

Reality replied: O prisoner of time,
I was a secret treasure of kindness and generosity,
and I wished this treasure to be known,
so I created a mirror: its shining face, the heart;
its darkened back, the world;
The back would please you if you've never seen the face.

Has anyone ever produced a mirror out of mud and straw?
Yet clean away the mud and straw,
and a mirror might be revealed.

Until the juice ferments a while in the cask,
it isn't wine. If you wish your heart to be bright,
you must do a little work.

My King addressed the soul of my flesh:
You return just as you left.
Where are the traces of my gifts?

We know that alchemy transforms copper into gold.
This Sun doesn't want a crown or robe from God's grace.
He is a hat to a hundred bald men,
a covering for ten who were naked.

Jesus sat humbly on the back of an ass, my child!
How could a zephyr ride an ass?
Spirit, find your way, in seeking lowness like a stream.
Reason, tread the path of selflessness into eternity.

Remember God so much that you are forgotten.
Let the caller and the called disappear;
be lost in the Call.

--by Rumi

Let all that I am Praise the Lord

¹ Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
² Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
³ He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
⁴ He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
⁵ He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

⁶ The Lord gives righteousness
and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

⁷ He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
⁹ He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
¹⁰ He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
¹¹ For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
¹² He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
¹³ The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
¹⁵ Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
¹⁶ The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
¹⁷ But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
¹⁸ of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!

¹⁹ The Lord has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.

²⁰ Praise the Lord, you angels,
you mighty ones who carry out his plans,
listening for each of his commands.
²¹ Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels
who serve him and do his will!
²² Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

-- by David, Psalm 103

When I was One and Twenty

A Shropshire Lad

When I was one-and-twenty

I heard a wise man say,

"Give crowns and pounds and guineas

But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies

But keep your fancy free."

But I was one-and-twenty,

No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty

I heard him say again,

"The heart out of the bosom

Was never given in vain;

'Tis paid with sighs a plenty

And sold for endless rue."

And I am two-and-twenty

And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.

-by Alfred Edward Housman

All Along

The minute I heard my first love story
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was.
Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.
They're in each other all along.

-by Rumi

Inception

Warning: If you have not seen the movie and intend to do so, then do not read the below content.

Grades:

Concept: A+

Plot: B - (not as seamless as it should be)

Execution: C +

Focus: B

Script: C

Characters: B -

Resolutions: B -

Beginning: A -

End: C +

Special Effects: B

Actors: B+

Types and Shadows: A

Inception is easily a likable film but it is not without flaws. From the beginning to end it is a ceaseless romp through that fantastic labyrinth called the mind. Isn't it a wonder that the Christ requested that we love God with ALL our minds? It is an intimidating task to bring ALL of the mind under the subjection of love. It is filled with treasures and sweets, but also unruly thorns, briars, insects, spiders, reptiles, shadows, endless deserts and -- unshakable memories.

Unshakable memories. This was the bane of Cobb, the main character. He is analogous to a conscious alcoholic who is trying to quit, but goes to a bar anyway with the unreasonable expectation of staying sober. He goes to the bar to do business, to chat with friends; to serve alcohol to others -- while forgetting that he is the ultimate alcoholic and that he too is susceptible.

Mal, his dead wife, is the alcohol which, though it offers momentary satisfaction, threatens to truly destroy him in the end. She is deadly habit that started out as a seed, which is still unseen by those in his natural world, but has grown into a massive, complex and hardened root system stretching 200 miles wide and deep below the surface.

Below the surface. Above the surface Cobbs is composed and a pillar of strength. Below the surface he is a man clinging to his ugly, malformed baby. A baby which kills anything that dares to peek below. The longer he clings to it, the uglier it becomes, and the more he becomes dependent on it for satisfaction.

Cobbs knew she was no longer real, but he clung to her anyway. A perfect example of knowledge not translating into action. At the juncture after knowledge is a fork in the road. Cobbs chose not to cling to his memories though they were sapping him. This somewhat implies that addictions have an element of choice. Is there a choice? We can choose to alter our environments which can reduce our likelihoods of being tempted. Cobbs chose not to do that. That's why friends are important.

Enter the friend. Ariadne. She is the first one to recognize that he has serious, unresolved issues with his wife. She was the first one who dared to peek below the surface. She is the first one who realizes how dangerous Cobbs is. All along they've been allowing Cobbs to drive the car while he himself was -- drunk. Though he a skilled at penetrating peoples' dreams, that is driving, he should not be doing it while he is subjected to an unruly subconscious, that is, drunk. He was not only a danger to himself, but also to others. Like the Ariadne in mythology, she helps him slay his minotaur with a fatal shot.

The movie has some powerful ideas which synchronize well with my current read of the The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. I fell like most of the concepts can and have been in explored in real life. However, I have a few issues with the movie.

1) It wasn't as seamless as it should be, and there were quite a few illogical transitions and dialogs. The movie generally lacked real focus and was not as well executed as I had hoped.

2) In quite a few scenes substance was sacrificed for action.

3) I like Leo, but he did not occupy this role as well as it required. A Keanu Reaves, or even a Cilian Murphy would have a done a better job. His acting was quite awkward and off-time throughout the film.

4) The role and significance of the "architect" was not brought to life. It should have been explored more.

5) Eames was cool. I like the concept.

6) It was a very predictable film. After avoiding like the plague anything that would give away the plot prior to seeing the film, I must say that I was quite bored and disappointing.

7) It was very hard to get emotionally involved in the film, which was a shame.

8) I don't blame Christopher Nolan, I blame the screenwriter -- which was, gasp, Christopher Nolan. The script wasn't that good. It was quite rushed, unfocused with low resolution. However, still leagues better than Avatar's 1st grade script.

9) Buildings crumbling and things blowing up didn't impress me. Sorry.

10) As one who dreams profusely, most of the dreams were not dream-like. I'm not talking about wispy nonsense -- but rather the disjointed yet convergent nature of dreams.

Some folks would like to compare this movie to the first Matrix movie, but there is really no comparison. Matrix was clearly well thought-out and hence more seamless. Matrix was better executed and more focused, and hence a better movie.

I will watch again. I'm more in love with the concepts than the movie itself. Tsk tsk Christopher Nolan -- you should have allowed this magnificent idea of yours to incubate for another 3-5 years.

Knocking Down the Pins

As I moved through my late teens and twenties quite a few pins were encountered. They presented themselves in many forms with varying degrees of boldness. Some were casual and ephemeral fascinations. Some were intrusive like a sudden thunderstorm and lingered like a bad headache. Others were translucent like the morning dew on the Bartica green hillside, a suspension of guileless, gentle, watery beauty which froze my being in a state of bliss and winsome wonder. But like the dew, it came every morning, and dissipated as soon as the sun declared its dominance.

There was even one pin who desalinated me like a mangrove tree. A bona-fide genius full of spots and wrinkles, and emotions more tumultuous than the Atlantic Ocean escaping from the wind. A modern David of sorts, fighting the Goliath of traditions and uncontrollable passions.

One was a gentle, giant pin which could be seen from a 1000 miles away. One more dazzling than the alizarin crimson sun. One more fragrant than jasmines in April, and warmer than a lone smile in winter. One who was the steady light in a dark mine of coal and methane. One who suffered because of a series of errors.

Another was like the little Engine who could; on a mission to be.

Another was like the Tin Woodman who was on a mission to obtain a heart, only to find out one was there all along.

And so forth and so on.

These pins have stood erect for years; forming their own brick walls. An impedance of sorts.

But this year -- one by one they are being knocked down by some mysterious bowler. Some surgeon is severing each artery, and excising the tumors.