Long days and pleasant nights: On King’s “The Dark Tower”
How did I end up reading The Dark Tower?
Ka.
The Dark Tower is a 7-book series by Stephen King, the master of the macabre. Known for his horror stories, he treads new ground with this fantasy story of Roland Deschain and his eponymous quest for the mysterious Dark Tower. In this tale, the world is one that has “moved on” and Roland is the last of a long line of revolver-wielding knights called gunslingers.
A reader of mostly history, politics, and non-fiction, I am an unlikely candidate for Roland’s ka-tet (fancy term in the series, look it up). Yet, the economic crunch forced me to do some belt-tightening and the number of new books I’ve bought over the past year drastically decreased. Not to my regret, I have been forced to dig deeper and read all those books I never finished. Chief among them was Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Was.
I made a bet with myself. I wouldn’t buy a single new book until I finished the monolithic volume and read of Frodo’s quest from the source itself. I’ve attempted it several times in the past but I never saw it through. I figured this was a good way to save up too, since I didn’t foresee finishing the book for quite a while. But alas, as fortuitous events would have it, a two-week break was declared due to an outbreak of AH1N1, giving me enough time to journey from Hobbitton to Mordor, and back.
Not too long I was aching for something new to read. Remarkably, I was craving for fiction. I wasn’t too excited to go back to reading about Iran, globalization, a new theory about the rise and fall of states, and a bevy of other pretentious topics. Middle Earth converted me into a believer of fantasy. Now it was a matter of which world I wanted to go to next.
Around that time, with all the fanfare surrounding the new Star Trek film, I recommended Fringe and LOST to a friend who was just about to begin his addiction to torrented TV. As forays into these shows often lead me to, I looked up interviews with JJ Abrams for insight into what the next Star Trek film would be. Then he talked about something else.
“We’ll be working on The Dark Tower,” he said. And by we he referred to two friends, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse — two names I know very well. They are the current showrunners of LOST.
I worship that show.
So I looked up The Dark Tower. All I knew then was that it was written by Stephen King and spanned several books. Upon further Googling, I discovered that King himself is a fan of LOST. With the stars aligned and my Tolkien pact fulfilled, I picked up the first new book I’ve bought in a while, The Gunslinger by Stephen King. It’s book one. The beginning. And in his introduction, he wrote that this is a story that he began at the ambitious age of 19. Then he set out to write his own magnum opus; his own Lord of the Rings.
Well, what do you know.
Tolkien begets Tolkien.
There is no other way to explain that than with two letters.
Ka.
In the lore of The Dark Tower, ka means destiny and a whole lot more. It is both reason and unreason, logic and illogic. It is the principle, a wheel, that keeps existence moving along.
So when the seventh book ended the way it did, I was overpowered with no other impulse than to read the entire series again. I agree with King; it is the only ending to the story.
(Intrigued? Read it.)
In lieu of writing a review that spoils the journey for everyone else, I saw it fitting to recount my own journey to the Tower. It is finished and it is also beginning.
It is ka.
Thankee big big, sai King. We are well met.
Long days and pleasant nights.
Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger
Top Ten reasons why Chiz Escudero is actually a robot
Sen. Francis Escudero (file photo)
10. My iTunes just notified me that a firmware upgrade for Chiz is now available. Fixes several bugs and addresses security issues.
9. Japan wants their prototype — Politiku! — back. Threatens embargo.
8. He is a hit with the college-educated, iPod-wielding, tech-savvy youth.
7. His AI is able to generate an infinite number of ways of saying “yes” and “no”.
6. Compassion, empathy, and sincerity algorithms have yet to be invented.
5. He almost had Loren Legarda for his running mate.
4. Headlines yesterday read: “Chiz resigns from NPC. Will reboot campaign.”
3. He is controlled remotely and his speeches are sent to him via Twitter.
2. He is a robot sent from the future, and he wants to dumb down our children so the machines can take over.
And the number one reason why Chiz Escudero is actually a robot –
1. The NASDAQ took a hit when he resigned, cancelling the gains made by Microsoft from the launch of Windows 7. Tech experts baffled.
Prelude
Dear blog,
I know I haven’t written lately. Been busy, you see?
Anyway, we’ll get to talk more soon. I’ll be traveling again (finally!) and you know how that does wonders for my soul. As always, you’ll be the first to learn of my exploits.
Can’t wait.
Thankee, sai.
Long days and pleasant nights.
Teaching the Past in the 21st Century
This is the presentation I delivered at a panel in NCRTE 2009, UP NISMED.
I stand gladly corrected: Noynoy Aquino shows promise
Woe to me!
Woe to me for making an opinion on his performance without actually watching the said performance.
Woe to me for relying on Newsbreak, a news magazine that I once considered intelligent, fair, and balanced. Their piece made Noynoy Aquino come across as weak and indecisive when he in fact showed sincerity, pragmatism, and fairness. That magazine has just lost credibility.
In some way I am glad that I caught the forum’s rerun with a tinge of negative bias — this allowed Noynoy Aquino to shatter my expectations. Now, I will listen to him first and foremost. I apologize. Mea culpa.
I am now convinced that there can be something behind Noynoy Aquino after all. I observed that he wants to firmly cast himself as a listener and consensus builder. He showed respect for the expertise of the LGUs and believed that it made no sense for Imperial Manila to dictate how things should be run in localities kilometers away. What the Newsbreak writer perceived to be Noynoy still ’studying’ the issues is actually a Noynoy that wants to collaborate with stakeholders all across the board.
This may come across as weak or indecisive to a people who have long been used to a President calling all the shots. We are not used to someone more open and willing to form and strengthen partnerships that work. He may yet be the change we need.
What Noynoy Aquino still has to work on is conveying exactly what his guiding principles and positions on issues are. After all, he will still be the leader. We need to know what sort of legacy he intends to leave behind if only to understand his decisions. Consensus building is good, but that may not be enough to weather the different crises that will rock our still developing nation. There is still an argument to be made for a strong and decisive leader for our time, but the form Aquino brings is welcome too.
It would also help for him to be more concise while retaining his certain folksy charm and personal grasp of the plight of other people. I can’t wait to see what the campaign will look like.
I’m listening more closely now, Mr. Aquino.
Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize — really?
I am a supporter of Barack Obama.
He is one of my heroes. I can say that he has single-handedly restored my faith in politics. Having been a political science major, I saw politics as just a phenomenon to observe and analyze. Living in the Philippines makes that position all the more convenient. But Obama has compelled me to take a more active part in it. His story has inspired me to write my own, believing that there is an arc to our lives that summons us to do greater things. After eight years of George W. Bush, America looks so great again.
But the Nobel Peace prize? This early?
Congratulations are in order, of course, but I am left scratching my head. I suppose this says more about how the institution of the Nobel Peace Prize has grown more irrelevant than how little Obama has accomplished in less than a year in office. I emphasize little because we have to put things in perspective here — this is just his first year and he kicked off his administration with a broad attack on all issues. All these initiatives need to be given time to bear fruit.
But right now, Afghanistan is still a mess. His commitment to improving America’s carbon footprint has yet to transcend his rhetoric. He has restored multilateralism in the world, but how far will that take him with Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela? Domestically, things are still shaky. His promise to reform the financial system threatens to be mere lip service again. And health care? Oh my.
It seems that the committee actually awarded Candidate Obama rather than President Obama. The power of his promise has indeed spurred a global consciousness shift of sorts — just look at how our own 2010 National Elections is already being framed — but is that all it takes to win the Nobel Peace Prize?
I recommend the following articles:
Noynoy Aquino, unimpressive in leadership forum
Four presidential aspirants Noynoy Aquino, Manny Villar, Chiz Escudero, and Gibo Teodoro — all without local government experience — faced 100 local government officials in a forum in Makati City. ABS-CBN News, together with Newsbreak, reported on the story.
To be fair, the local government officials were unimpressed with all four. Rafael Coscolluela, chair of the Galing Pook Foundation, one of the organizers of the forum, said “If all that the candidate can tell us is that he will study it, we’ve been through that already. He has to say and do something good for us (the sector) and the country.
“If a candidate claims sympathy for [the plight of] local governments, he should be clear with his stand [on issues]. All I heard were motherhood statements. I want to hear specifics,” he added.
I am singling out Noynoy Aquino however.
For one, this is the first policy-oriented forum he is attending since declaring his candidacy. I want to see whether there is some substance to him, whether he is worth the hype.
Secondly, he is the chair of the Senate committee on local government. This should be his territory.
So how did he do? Here is the full report by Newsbreak.
Noynoy: Funding only for performing LGU
by Reynaldo Santos Jr.Senator still ‘studying’ how to deal with local government concerns
Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, a presidential aspirant, on Tuesday admitted that he’s still in the process of “studying” how to deal with the concerns of local governments once he’s elected, but made clear that automatically giving them additional funds was not an option.
After giving either vague or indirect answers to questions on how he would empower local government units (LGUs) when their resources are meager compared to their responsibilities, Aquino said his position boils down to this: “Hindi lahat ng problema ang solusyon ay tapunan mo ng pera (Infusing funds is not the solution to every problem).”
Aquino was among the 4 “presidentiables” who were interviewed by local officials who had been recognized for their innovative and successful management of their localities, in a forum organized by the Institute for Popular Democracy, Synergeia Foundation, Galing Pook Foundation, Ateneo School of Government, and the Local Governance Support Program in ARMM.
Aquino said that it’s possible for LGUs to receive bigger amounts from the revenue collection of the national government without increasing the percentage of their share in it.
Currently, the internal revenue allotment (IRA) is split 60-40 in favor of the national government. LGUs want the sharing schemed adjusted to at least 50-50.
The senator said he has found some “leakages” that limit the sources for the IRA limited, and that he has already identified the ways to collect these. He didn’t elaborate.
For somebody who chairs the Senate committee on local governments, Aquino couldn’t state a definite stand on issues raised by the local executives, especially about devolution. He kept on saying, “Pinag-aaralan ko pa ho” and “Ako’y nag-aaral pa” (I’m still studying it).
‘Review devolution’
He said the policy on devolution should be reviewed because it might be ideal to local officials but not beneficial to their constituencies. Devolution is mandated in the Local Government Code which, ironically, was passed on the 11th hour of his mother’s presidency.
He cited the example of Tarlac, where he served as congressman for 9 years, where the quality of services in hospitals declined due to devolution. He failed to take into account that the reason the LGUs couldn’t properly maintain hospitals is because these were devolved to them without the corresponding funds.
Local governments, according to him, must first demonstrate their capacity to manage resources well before these are handed down to them. “You bring down the resources to those who can make the most out of it,” he said.
Aquino advised local officials to observe localities that successfully handled devolved powers and responsibilities, and to pick up lessons from their successes or failures.
Aquino addressed that the LGUs should demonstrate their “potential to address whatever problem is besetting their community” in able to gain greater resources. “Kung may capacity ’yung LGU, bakit hindi (If LGUs have the capacity why not)?”
He didn’t say what mechanism he has in mind to determine which LGUs are performing, how they can receive additional funds from the national government, and from what allocations these extra funds for LGUs will come from. (Newsbreak)
The change we need?
I’m still studying it.
(Blogging this before leaving for work. I’ll be late now. Commentary to follow.)
AKSIS initiates Balik Eskwela!
In response to the call of Tulong Kabataan, AKSIS initiates Balik Eskwela. Read on about how you can take part.
The shape of things to come
I couldn’t have asked for a better start to October. The best part? I almost gave up on it.
I was pretty overwhelmed at around 12 noon. The work I have lined up for October hit me like a tidal wave. And I was hungry. Haven’t eaten anything for six hours. Finally grabbed an Oliver’s sandwich and a Krispy Kreme Iced Latte for lunch at around 1pm. Krispy Kreme at The Fort, Bonifacio High Street is my safe zone. No matter how stressed or rattled I am, it gets all straightened out when I have a working lunch there. Didn’t grab a donut too.
At around 3pm I felt somewhat refreshed, more relaxed. The path became clearer to me. Then I felt the urge to hit the gym. Grabbed a Gatorade Propel on the way out of KK and it turns out to be the best thing I ever did. I love that drink. It really gave me a boost (placebo effect?) and allowed me to have my best workout ever. I want more days like this.
So what do I have lined up?
AKSIS is launching it’s Balik Eskwela initiative to support the efforts of Tulong Kabataan. I foresee a donate and cleanup operation on the weekend after exams. We have a GA tomorrow.
Periodic exams are next week, and I take enormous amounts of care in crafting my exams. This will occupy a lot of my time until Friday.
On October 15, I have a paper to deliver at a conference. I. Have. Not. Started. Cramming powers, I need you. Once I’m done with the exams, I turn my attention to this.
After exam week, I introduce my first of two projects this 3rd quarter. I am sooo excited for this. My classes will transform into an organization — something I learned in the years building AKSIS.
Underneath all this, I am preparing for a trip to India this November. This week will be doubly busy since we’re finalizing our candidates to the conference. I’ll be working on this from Wednesday to Friday (while I do my exams). Then the rest of the month will be full of paper processing (yay).
And I might have another speaking engagement towards the end of the month. (Paging, Rob Roque.)
In between these busy days, I hope to catch a day just like this.
I hope to take my advisory class out on a Field Trip before I leave for India. Then I’ll take AKSIS out when I get back (where do you want guys?).
This is going to be one great month. Let’s go!
