Conveniently Timed Backpain

For the first time in a while I had a terrible sleep last night. It seems to have come at a convenient time too, considering I have a big presentation to do today at about 1ish.

I know my back-pain well enough now to know that it doesn't act up out of sheer chronic dysfunction. There is usually a reason for it. I think that having something big to do like this presentation, added to all the other stuff that I am responsible for in the near future, creates a certain stress level that aggravates my back muscles. I think what this would indicate, as I've concluded in previous times, is that I REALLY need to take up some relaxation methods for use during stressful days. I think I'll try meditating for 20 minutes on days like yesterday, and see if that helps me to any degree.

Tiredly,

- Inkhorn

Hebrew Word of the Day 4

After a long hiatus my Hebrew Word of the Day series is back!

In today's posting I will compare two words that can mean 'to telephone'.

התקשר (heetkashair)
טלפן (teelpen)

The first verb is a reflexive conjugation of the verb 'to connect', whereas the second one is a definite borrowed term from English meaning 'to telepone'.

The reflexive conjugation is used to connote an action that you do but has more bearing on you than the outside world. When 'to connect' takes a reflexive conjugation, it is taken to mean 'to connect with', or simply, 'to telephone'. This word works better in Hebrew, in my opinion, because its conjugation into past or future tense is much clearer than the borrowed term.

For example:

התקשרתי החבר שלי ביום שני
אתקשר אותך כאשר אני רוצה!
אני חושב שתתקשרו האמא שלכם כאשר השמש בא לסוף שלה

I phoned my friend on Monday.
I will phone you when I want!
I think that you will call your mother when the sun comes to its end!

That's all for today!

תודה לקראות את הבלוג שלי!

- Inkhorn

Dog-Eating and Multiculturalism

I'm reading a book on immigration and the Canadian Economy called Who Gets In by Daniel Stoffman. I came across a really funny part where he quickly dispels any notion that Canada is a Multicultural Society, in the sense of cultural relativism:

Canadian dog lovers, if they really believed in multiculturalism, would respect the right of other cultures to be different. They could be faithful to their own culture by steering clear of restaurants with poodles on the menu. So why can't the Chinese and Korean parts of the Canadian mosaic fully express their culinary cultures? Because all hell would break loose. Dog lovers are passionate and uncompromising. Politicians can yak all they want about multiculturalism, they would say, but this is Canada and nobody had better eat any dogs. Korean-style dog restaurants would need armed guards.

I really enjoy this example, because it cuts right to the core of what multiculturalism is not. A country can not expect to have an official policy of cultural relativism and, at the same time, expect to survive for very long. This dog-eating example really shows how what are seen as the cultural values of the nation are imposed upon everyone - to create a sense of national identity I suppose! I think multiculturalism is more of an approach to politics than a policy. In the course of nation building, if the government of Canada is asked to evaluate a cultural commodity that isn't in conflict with any Canadian values, then it is retained and celebrated as a manifestation of our 'Multiculturalism'. Other cultural commodities, such as eating dog for dinner, get relegated to the annals of that which is unacceptable in Canada.

Canada: multicultural, or just like any other nation?

Ethnically,

- Inkhorn

Great quote from Elie Wiesel

It's been a while since my last post! Lots has been going on, from entering into a new romantic relationship with a girl from my school to chugging away at all the work that's been on my plate recently.

Anyway, I was just about to close a book I am using for my immigration policy paper when I discovered a really powerful quote beneath the next chapter title from Elie Wiesel:

I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormenter, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Whenever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the centre of the universe.

That was from his acceptance speech at the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

Wow :)

Justly,

- Inkhorn