An Easy Saturday Morning...

The first week of Term 2 is done and dusted.

I was up early this morning, for no particular reason, and decided I might write a post or two. So, it was off to the study, grab the laptop, back to the kitchen to make a Chai Latte, and then outside to sit on the porch in the brilliant morning sun. The mornings are cold, perhaps brisk is a better choice, but the days have been very warm for this time of the year.

Unfortunately, the sun was a little too brilliant this morning and sitting on the porch in the designer sunglasses did not do the trick. There was too much glare and I could not see the screen (which sort of gives one a slightly different take on the idea of 'touch typing').

Instead of blogging, in my disappointment, I opted to water the lawn. Although, it is fair to say that what we have at the moment resembles more of a "patch of bindies" than it does a flourishing landscaped country lawn and garden. The standard joke between us, Dyah and I, is that by the time we have a beautiful lawn and garden to enjoy we will be on the move to somewhere else. I guess though this is the nature of teaching and seeking promotion while living in Teacher Housing. But, we are not complaining as we live in a very spacious four bedroom house and pay AUD 12.50 per week.

The point of this post is just to ramble (some might say, prattle) on about not much at all.

Speaking of which, I have to read a couple of books this weekend. Therefore, blogging seemed like a legitimate reason to not get started on that task straight away. I am reading "Tomorrow When The War Began" by John Marsden. I have read it before, and have recently acquired a copy of the film (note to self: watch the movie this weekend as well) as well as an audio-book. I am teaching this to Year 9. In my search for materials I have learned that there is not a whole lot out there in cyberspace that matches the description of "unit of work", please steal me, and use me as you like. However, there are some good resources out there that I will use as a basis of creating "my own" unit of work for this novel.

The Tomorrow When The War Began unit of work leads into NAPLAN for this cohort and then extends beyond it. So, it seems the first couple of weeks will be devoted to activities and tasks that set the students up for a better understanding of language conventions and the like. The medium will be this novel.

The other book I have to read is one that I have not read in the past, "My Girragundji", by Meme McDonald and Boori Pryor. It was the book of the year for younger readers in 1999. I am looking forward to reading this one.

Anyways, off to read while watching cartoons, Yo Gabba Gabba. Will is now awake and raring to go.

"Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother"...

Parenting is an art form, of this there is no doubt. And, as an art form, there are styles one likes and approves of and there are styles that one does not like nor approves of. Yet, there is no one style that is 100% guaranteed to be successful in producing a well-adjusted and accomplished child who grows into an adult that contributes to their community in positive ways. Or is there?

There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal the other week written by Amy Chua, an American with a Filipino heritage and a Chinese ancestry. The article was titled "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior". The general gist of the article follows the substance of Chua's arguments for successful parenting that she describes in her book "Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother".

I have not read the book, so this is not a book review. It is not a critique of her parenting style either. It is merely an opinion piece on how one might decide which style to adopt. Perhaps the point is that each person is unique and each family is unique so maybe it is a case of manipulating styles by taking the best of many styles or those bits that work and co-opting them into a style of your own.

But, back to Amy Chua and what has worked for her. Stereotypes are powerful things and it is to see them when you want to, or feel the need to, label certain things. So, why is it that Chinese children are such high achievers? The generalisation aside assuming that there has to be one Chinese child somewhere that does not fit the stereotypical bill of "high achiever", but nevertheless this is the stereotype, right? Are Chinese children high achievers because they are intellectually more capable or is it that they are more driven courtesy of strict parenting practices.

The Chua argument probably follows the line that strict parenting plays a fundamental role in ensuring 'successful' outcomes for one's children. There are plenty of children who would balk at the prospect of a home where they were not allowed to do the following:

• attend sleepovers;
• have play dates;
• be in a school play;
• complain about not being in a school play;
• watch TV or play computer games;
• choose their own extra-curricular activities;
• get a grade less than A;
• not be the  No. 1 student in a subject (exceptions for gym / PDHPE and drama)
• play any instrument other than the piano and violin (and you have to play at least one of either the piano or violin)

As a parent I am balking at this list. Maybe that is because this is not how I was brought up. So, may be our parenting styles tend to reflect those of our parents before us. As a parent I do not want to be that strict. I want Will to be able to take some responsibility for the things he wants to, and chooses to, do. Admittedly, at two-years-old he is going to have less of a say in this.

For us it is more about understanding what learning style will provide the best outcomes. Even at an early age it is easy enough to see that Will is a musical and visual learner. Nevertheless, he loves to read and enjoys acting and role-playing. So, the idea of not allowing him to pursue that seems to be counter-productive.

Then there are personal philosophies that have me believing that sleepovers and social interaction with his peers on his own terms through extra-curricular activities, like sport, and also fundamental to his overall development as a human being.

Parenting is a difficult skill. We are enjoying the ride, but it is certainly a case of learning on the job. It is also a case of trial and error, working through what gets the outcome we want to see and reworking those methods that don't or discarding them altogether.

The point overall, is I am not going to ridicule Chua's style and I am not going to write-off her book as a recollection of how she abused her children's rights, as some have. I am likely to be looking for the book next time I am in the bookstore. Besides, Chua is law professor at Yale...can't argue with that :)

With parenting, ultimately we all want the same outcome: happy, healthy, wise, and well-adjusted young people who contribute to their communities. How we get there, to each their own.

Mark Twain, "Nigger" and Political Correctness...

I read with interest a story about a recent edition of the Mark Twain classic "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" being published by NewSouth Books in Alabama. NewSouth has decided after some consultation to replace the word "nigger" with "slave". This means that the 219 times that the word nigger once appeared now see the word slave used instead.

The consultation was nothing more than a suggestion from Dr Alan Gribben of Auburn University who after having taught Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer for many years, and who had always balked at using the word nigger when reading aloud passages from the books decided that the word slave would be more acceptable to young readers and those with an interest in reading Mark Twain's works.

It appears that Dr Gribben believes that the reason Twain's books are not taught anymore is because of concerns over the use of the racial epithet. He believes that the sanitised version is more likely to find its way back onto reading lists.

The removal of the word nigger from the most recent edition is certainly going to give rise to debate on all manner of issues, particularly censorship and political correctness. The decision is one of censorship. Despite the intention, the changing of the words, "injun" was replaced with "indian", by its very nature changes the context of the stories.

The reality was that prevailing attitudes in the 19th century when Twain was writing was one where nigger and injun were acceptable terms. The fact that times have changed and the words are no longer acceptable in a general sense does not equate to a need to remove them from the original text. To the contrary, the fact that they remain provide an excellent "teaching" opportunity to discuss racism and the changing attitudes towards it.

I do wonder how we can encourage children to appreciate literary classics and to appreciate literature in a more general sense if we feel the need to censor it and make it "suitable" for certain readers. I wonder whether we should shy away from controversy or should we embrace it. Why not use the controversy as a teaching moment that can provide a "lights on" moment for people as they finally join all the dots and gain a deeper appreciation of the work, the author, and the intent.

Sadly, this was not the first attempt to be politically correct (Florence Kate Upton and her original creation of the Golliwog and Enid Blyton and Golliwogs) with a piece of classic literature and it is unlikely to be the last.

Ho hum...

A Stiff-Trunked Elephant...

In the inappropriate children's pop-up book category...we have a winner!

I guess this means that I will be paying a little bit more attention the next time that I buy a pop-up book for Will. The question though "how did the editorial and publishing process not pick up on this image?"

By the way, why is the elephant pink? I cannot ever recall seeing a pink elephant. The fact that it is pink...nah!

These were the words that were with The Huffington Post article: Children's Book Fail, Fail, Inappropriate Kids Book, Inappropriate Pop Up Book, Phallic Pop Up Book, Poll, Pop Up Book Fail, WTF, WTF Pop Up Book, Comedy News. I wonder whether anyone will end up here searching those terms?

Ho hum...

Confused, I Think...

I have bought a few books in my time from Amazon and I subscribe to get updates on books that I might be interested in. I received an email earlier today suggesting that I might be interested in a book on "Elastic Waves at High Frequencies ...". Amazon thinks that I would be interested in this book because I had purchased and rated Ian Brownlie's Book, "Principles of Public International Law".

I am not quite sure why Amazon would think this. I really, really sucked at science at school. In fact, I sucked so bad at science that I have done everything in power to avoid having to do it again. The only time I have even been remotely scientific since high school was during a course I did on forensic law at university. The forensic law course was excellent, but I was not inspired to go back and revisit science on any grand scale. I had pretty much determined that if I was ever to need forensic skills in law, then I would hire an expert to give that testimony and commit myself to gaining a sufficient skill set to examine in chief and cross examine without looking foolish. Period!

Anyways...Amazon, thanks but no thanks on this one!

Armenia: The Case For A Forgotten Genocide...

Truth be told, I am packing my bookshelves into boxes in preparation for a move later this year or early next year, once I have finished my masters. It is a long process, not only because there are thousands of books to be packed away, but because I find myself stopping ever now and then to read a few pages or more of a book before putting it into the box.

I came across a photocopied version of "Armenia: The Case For A Forgotten Genocide" by Dickran H. Boyajian (LLM) in my collection of books. The original version it seems was once held by the Permanent Mission to the United Nations of the Republic of Indonesia. I guess, this means that I probably picked it up through my previous work.

Anyways, it is a book I have read a number of times before. I read it and used parts of it in an honours thesis that I wrote for my LLB (Bachelor of Laws). Although for some reason it never ended up getting graded and the rest is history so they say. The book is a challenging read and makes a compelling case. Nevertheless, there are always two sides to any interpretation of history, and this is certainly the case here.

The fact that the Armenian genocide is still so contentious after almost a century having passed is testament to the passionate opinions and interpretations held on each side of the genocide claim.

The purpose of the post is not really to review the book. It is really more to recommend it to anyone that might have an interest in matters such as these. I have been doing some reading on the holocaust of the Jews during World War II. Having read Boyajian's book it has certainly provided a lot of food for thought as to how I might go about teaching subject matter that relates to genocide more generally with respect to people's ability for inhumanity against their fellow human beings.

So, if any one has a fascination for learning in this area or about the history of the Armenian genocide, then this book might be a good jumping off point.

More than anything else, for me this time it was really about wanting to get away from the compulsory reading I have had to do to complete assessment tasks of late. But, in the end, I still find myself thinking about ways and means to teach the material and content that my reading illuminates for me.

Ho hum...

Pluperfect Tense...

I recently bought a copy of Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. Angus & Robertson was having a sale of "5 books for $25" on their Wordsworth Classics editions. I have read Lord Jim before, more accurately I was forced to read it in high school.

I could not find a copy in my collection of books, and I am keen to read it again on my own terms. As one gets older, I find myself thinking more about the dilemmas of conscience, honour and loyalty.

However, this is not a book review.

I figured that I would start at the beginning and just read the whole book from page 1 through to the last page. This edition starts with a "General Introduction" by the general adviser to the classic series. This is then followed by an introduction by a selected expert or teacher.

Now, here is the funny part, and the part that gives rise to the title of this post. The general introduction states that the purpose of the introduction is to assist readers in gaining a deeper understanding of the work by not attempting to provide any analyse or allude to a dominant reading. The idea being that readers can read it any way that they want and make of it as they will. This, we are reliably informed is going to be done through getting rid of all the jargon.

Well, this little gem from the introduction puts paid to that idea (and I quote):

The grammatical construction of Jim's confession is significant. It suggests a dislocation of consciousness at the very moment of action. He describes his action - 'the leap' - in the pluperfect tense, located in the distant past of his memory, while the use of the intransitive '"seems"' introduces present equivocation, suggesting a sense of ambiguity about his knowledge of, responsibility for, and reluctance to 'own', his deed.

Hopefully, that jargon free introduction to one of the main themes of Lord Jim enlightened you somewhat.

129,860,884...

Ladies and Gentlemen, the number is 129,864,880! Yes, Google has determined that the total number of books written is that rather large number above. It needs to be noted that this figure is only indicative of modern history. The definition of modern history suggests a period from the end of the middle ages through to now.

I am very sad to say that I have not written one of them. Bugger! Just thinking that there is that many books out there, and not one of them is written by me is kind of embarrassing. Therefore, I am resolving right here and right now to rectify this oversight of mine, and write a book! Although, it might have to wait a little while until I have some more time.

Google, as Google does, has developed an algorithm that they feed into a computer and just like magic it spits out a number. Not being of the mathematical kind it all sounds sort of a little like playing lotto and the numbers dropping out of a big ball. Anyways...

Hotel Kerobokan -- Kathryn Bonella

Kathryn Bonella has released a new book through Pan Macmillan Australia, Hotel Kerobokan. According to the blurb on the Pan Macmillan site the book's release date for sale is 1 November 2009. I might have to trundle down to the nearest book store and grab me a copy. Until then I can only ponder what the book might include based on the release issued by Pan Macmillan and perhaps past performance.

Bonella helped Schapelle Corby co-write Schapelle's autobiography, My Story.

Hotel Kerobokan is the name, apparently, given to the Kerobohkan prison in Bali. Kerobokan is home for a good number of Australians, among them Schapelle Corby and the Bali Nine. The gist of the book, according to the blurb, is the fact that murderers sleep along side petty criminals, drugs and alcohol are freely available which in turn leads to devastating addictions, and guards who are on the take for all manner of things. The corruption of the place making it a hell hole.

The book focuses on the inmates stories of life on the inside of Kerobokan and the contrast to the holiday wonder world that is Bali, and which exists on the other side of the prison walls. The book should be a good read considering Bonella has apparently had daily access to the prison and the inmates for the purposes of gathering their stories. This suggests that the book was written with the full knowledge of the prison authorities if she has been granted this level of access to prisoners / inmates. So much so, that the Pan Macmillan review states that "the truth about Hotel Kerobokan explodes off the page."

To get the readers in, the review ends with, "Hotel Kerobokan paints a confronting picture. Everything you've heard is true. And there's much, much more than you ever imagined there could be."

The spiel on the author over at Pan Macmillan is this:

Since studying journalism at RMIT in Melbourne, Kathryn Bonella has worked as a journalist in television and print. She moved to London 18 months after graduating and spent several years freelancing for 60 Minutes as well as numerous English and American television programs, magazines and newspapers. She returned to Australia in 2000 to work as a full-time producer for 60 Minutes. She moved to Bali in 2005 to research and write Schapelle Corby's autobiography, My Story.

On a side note. I have been taking a fair bit of flak on another thread on this blog about Robin Tampoe (here), as seemingly anyone who writes a blog that includes posts on Schapelle Corby must be doing it because they are motivated by the prospect of making money off of her misery in Kerobokan. I can state unequivocally that I have made no money of posts about Schapelle Corby. This blog is not a commercial venture in a money making sense.

However, I wonder whether anyone would similarly question Bonella's motivations by suggesting that she is capitalizing on the misery of those whom she interviews for Hotel Kerobokan.

In the bigger scheme of things, I wonder how the sordid details and descriptions of squalor that are apparently the focus of the book benefit those that remain behind Kerobokan's bars. This is particularly so if some of those interviewed have been expressly candid regarding the conditions of the prison and the manner in which it is run.

My final point of wondering here is whether Schapelle Corby has been re-interviewed for this book. I am particularly interested in what she has to say considering there is a growing movement seeking to have her released on the grounds of her ongoing depression and claims of innocence.

As I said, I will head down to the bookshop and see if I can get a copy, unless Pan Macmillan or Bonella would like to send me an advance copy for me to review?

Henry David Thoreau and Books

How many a man [and a woman] has dated a new era in his [her] life from the reading of a book!

Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)
American Poet, Essayist, and Mystic

Moving House

To all my 3 loyal and regular readers. I am moving house and this is the reason for my lack of postings. It is not writers block or boredom or anything else, such as pure unadulterated laziness.

So, it has been a hectic couple of days. It is funny to see how quickly the new place has filled up. In fact it seems to be smaller than the place we have just moved from. I should know by now that an empty house always looks much bigger than it really is. This said my problem is that I am a bit of an accumulator of stuff, especially books. I must have a personal library of a couple of thousand books. I have bookcases full all over the house and still have 4 more removal boxes full of books. I am out of bookcase space. I also have half a dozen storage boxes of accumulated articles and other goodies collected over time.

I am a voracious reader and this accounts for my collection. I am attached to most of the books that I own and never seem to get rid of any once I buy them. I own a few novels but most of the "stuff" that I read is academic. This is also the reason I have such an extensive general knowledge and the reason I am always good for a comment on any topic.

The better half is probably dreading a serious move, say to Australia, as she knows that parting with my library is going to be a big call. I must admit that of late I have been thinking of donating them to a worthy cause, such as an under-funded library somewhere. This probably would have to be at the university level as the majority of the collection would not really fit into the junior / senior high school scene. Then again, I could try and sell them to a second-hand bookstore.

Time flies when you're moving. I need to get some work done. Later!

Books I Have Open at the Moment

I am a pretty good reader and collector of books! I now have six book cases that are full and a table that is stacked high with another two book cases worth of books. I am almost at the stage where I am going to have to start cataloguing them so that I can find them quickly.

This could be a bit of a problem if the Missus and I do decide to head back to Australia at the end of the year. It will cost a fortune to ship them home. Maybe I will just donate them to a worthy cause, if I can find one!

Being a good reader and a devout learner I am always starting one book before I finish the one before it. Then it just becomes a juggling exercise to make sure that they all get read, eventually.

Right now I have the following books open (part read):

1. Islamic Law: From Historical Foundations to Contemporary Practice (Mawil Izzi Dien);
2. Muslim Jurisprudence and the Qur'anic Law of Crimes (Mir Waliullah);
3. Practical Balinese: A Communication Guide (Gunter Spitzing);
4. Indonesia's Secret War in Aceh (John Martinkus);
5. The Real History Behind the Templars (Sharan Newman); and
6. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades (Robert Spencer).

I am more than half way through on all of them so hopefully before the month is out I will be done on all of them...

Culture Shock -- Jakarta

I am not quite sure why I bought this book!

Maybe it was to make sure that the authors (Terry Collins and Derek Bacon) get at least some royalties for their efforts or perhaps the more likely excuse is that I needed to see whether my experiences were the same or similar to others. Then again maybe I bought the book because I just wanted to criticize the characterization or stereotyping of what it is like for us white folk living in Indonesia and particularly Jakarta!

The book set me back some IDR 163,000 from Kinokuniya in Plaza Indonesia. I was in Kinokuniya to buy a cross-stitch magazine for my better half and I happened to see the book and thought, why not? So, I whacked it on the counter and I now have my very own copy!

You might be wondering why a bloke who has spent so long in Jakarta wants to read anything to do with Culture Shock. Well, even after all this time living in Indonesia I am still "hey Mister" and perhaps this is both the beauty and the beast that is Jakarta; no matter how long you might have lived here and no matter how much you have integrated into society, you will never get away from being "Hey Mister!"

The book is well written (at least for my mind) and I found myself smiling and chuckling to myself as I read through it. It is surprising how much of the experience is common and how much we tend to forget of what has happened. It was nice to read and remember some of those long forgotten experiences that were jogged back into the more conscious memory!

I know one of the authors (Terry Collins) and perhaps I should make this as a disclaimer. Nevertheless, those of you that know me would know that I pull no punches. If I thought the book was garbage I would say so in not such an eloquent way! Yet, the book, I have found has been worth the money I outlaid for it, if for no other reason than it reminded me of moments that I have enjoyed during my stay.

Funnily enough most people are reporting that they are not finding this book in the arrival halls to Jakarta but rather in the departure shopping areas. I guess this might afford those on their way out of Jakarta a chance to buy the book for the purposes of answering this question: "what the hell just happened to me?"

I would have thought though that the best spot for this would be in the departure lounges of foreign locales and the arrival lounges of points of entry into Indonesia...but I guess this is why I studied law and not marketing!

But for anyone interested in learning the "ins and outs" of the Jakarta experience then this is perhaps the book for you. The book contains sections on the history and politics of Jakarta, settling in for those of you who might want to be more than tourists, visa and immigration information, business information, food and entertaining, fitting in, and communicating, among a number of others.

I think the most valuable learning tools in the book are the short glossary at the end, the culture quiz, and the "do's and don'ts" section.

So, go out and buy the book as it might just help you understand the experience you are about to have or the experience that you have just had!

Only in Indonesia - The Bule Files

Here is one for the "only in Indonesia" file!

A book on how to catch a white bloke...the blogs have been active of late on the issue of white folk who are known, affectionately so we're told, in Indonesia as bules.

Sure to add fuel to this fire is a posting at Indonesia Matters about a book recently published by Gramedia (review in Indonesian -- sorry) in Indonesia titled: "How to Catch Mr. Bule - A Guide Book for Women Wanting to Date Foreign Men". This will set you back the meagre sum of just IDR 25,000.

It is a bit late for me to go out and buy this book today. But loyal readers I will be on a mission to go out and buy it tomorrow and report back my findings.

I am guessing though that this is a harmless yet serious attempt to help out women who are keen to find the Mr. Right White Fella. So, in that sense it is just another self-help manual and what's the harm in that?

Besides the advice is probably characterized in such a way that it would be universal for any women who are looking at or considering a mixed-race relationship/marriage...As I said, more to follow tomorrow after I have had a chance to buy and read it.

Never criticise a book by its cover...so off I go to buy it with an open mind.