Review of Aftershocks
Some thoughts on the fan fiction Aftershocks.
We need to know without a shadow of a doubt that Padma did not
kill Parvati before we can move on.
I am extremely confused about this whole work. On the one hand
there are some parts which are really trully excellent. Whole
situation about Padma loosing her twin sister and all the pain
around is written in completely excellent manner, which is quite
rare anywhere. I really really like your Lovewoods (especially
Xenophilius as a lawyer is an excellent idea), I really like
stories about recovering from trauma and shock and grieving about
unexplicable loss. I think this only makes this work worthy of
being read and finished.
However, there is then a scene with the trial of Padma and
I cannot believe how tortured and poorly designed it is. In the
cannon Kingsley Shacklebolt to be fair, level-headed wizard, and
especially the one with quite understanding of law, regulations,
etc. Such person would just not be physically able to say things
like the quoted above. It is just exactly opposite. They have to
know without a shadow of a doubt that Padma DID kill Paravati
before they can move on. If they don't find her guilty (and it is
quite unlikely because of horrendous lack of evidence), they have
to move on with treating her as innocent. Yes, it is possible
that some administrative measure can be used for obviously
distressed witch, which can be danger to her surroundings in her
mental state (like temporary removal of her wand, or keeping her
under supervision of her guardians), but it is absolutely
horrible just to imagine society where people could be punished
without proof of their guilt. You then put this seemingly
post-Voldemort wizarding society on the same level with the worst
dictatorial regimes of the twentieth century (namely it was only
Soviet Russia in 1930s when people could be found guilty without
sufficient evidence; even the Hitler’s Germany at least to keep
up pretences of rule of law). This is hardly improvement from the
times of all previous Ministers of Magic (including Pius
Thicknesse), and if Mr. Shacklebolt cannot do better than an
imperiused Death Eater, there is something wrong with his rule.
However, even in the middle of in my opinion rather disastrous
trial, there are scenes of utter brilliance. Of course, Neville’s
speach about the guilt of all teachers of Hogwarts, all those
thoughts about keeping too many secrets by Dumbledore and Haryy,
are excellent.
I really wish this novel was finished, it could be really lovely.
And yes, some story between and George and Padma would be
awesome. I always love stories looking at the history from the
point of view outside of the Weasley-Potter clan!
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What We Were Made For: Gratitude For Normal
(unfortunately, FanFiction.net allows only one review per
chapter, so I was not able to add this to my review of
chapter 90 of The Missing Moments by Ash-and-Vine).
When I was something like fourteen I was in hospital for surgery
which made me for a week unable to move …
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What is racism?
With relation to the current affair of kids running on their
father on live BBC News there was discussion on our the
internal email list of my employer. This is one side comment
I made there:
[…] Yes, it is a wrong idea, slightly racist, perhaps, but
these thoughts happen.
(Someday …
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The Problem of Neil Gaiman
So, it happened. I read “The problem of Susan” by Neil Gaiman and
I am completely disgusted by it. Not because Aslan did the White
Witch proper, or because he ate all those lovely little
children. Serves them well, and it is certainly the author’s
prerogative to decide that …
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1. září 1939
W. H. Auden
Původní překlad anglického originálu vytvořil Ivo A. Benda, upraveno.
Sedím v jedné z putyk
Na Dvaapadesáté ulici
Jsem nejistý a mám strach
Zatímco umírají chytré naděje
Ubohého, nepoctivého desetiletí:
Vlny hněvu a strachu
Cirkulují v jasných
I temných zemích světa
A tíží naše soukromé životy;
Nevyslovitelný pach …
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Láska nebo strach. Vyberte si.
Dan Drápal napsal do dnešních (7. února) Lidových novin velice
hezký článek „Co chybí Junckerovým scénářům.“ V zásadě mi
nezbývá, nežli s ním souhlasit, ale přece jenom bych rád přičinil
několik poznámek na jeho okraj.
Jednak je asi třeba zdůraznit, že je velice dobře, že nějaká Bílá
kniha vůbec vznikla …
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Harry Potter … poznámky jako odpověď
Argonantus napsal poměrně rozsáhlou recenzi všech románů Harryho
Pottera. Pokusím se zachovat starověce a dodat dostatečně dlouhé
citace, aby to dávalo smysl.
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Harry Potter as the teacher of DADA
I just want to shout loud agreement with many these negative
reviews of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”. It is really
a bad fan fiction signed off by J. K. Rowling for reasons I don’t
want to speculate about (yes, I guess, most her money go to
Lumos …
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Nezlořeč králi
(původně psáno jako odpověď příteli na podzim 2016, ještě před
zvolením pana Trumpa za amerického prezidenta)
V poslední době mnoho lidí zlořečilo zvláště v Praze panu
presidentu Miloši Zemanovi. A to nikoliv v soukromí, ale na
veřejných shromážděních.
Dovol mi abych se k tomuhle vyslovil, protože si myslím, že tohle …
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Post-Communist Conservatism
While listening to the episode 30 of the Eastern Border
podcast (a very touching one, thank you, Kristaps), I was touched
by his notion of the post-Communist conservatism. The idea is
that many nations in the former Eastern block seem to be a way
more conservative than people in the …
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Otevřený dopis katolickému příteli
Povídali jsme si trochu o ekumenismu a Večeři Páně (resp.
svátosti Eucharistie; pro zjednodušení dále „Večeře Páně“, ale
nechci se tím nijak evangelicky vymezovat) a když jsem se vrátil
na místo na zbytek programu, tak jsem si uvědomil, že bych Ti
chtěl říci ještě něco. Nechtělo se mi ale otravovat …
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Cycles of Christianity
I was just listening to the series of three podcasts by Dave
Schemlzer on the Hero’s Journey and Fresh Christianity (episode
one, two, and three).
I haven’t came with some opinion on the series itself, but Dave
also mentioned on the side a book by Phyllis A. Tickle …
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P. Halík na cestě ke zradě?
(původně komentář k článku P. Halíka k americkým prezidentským volbám)
Pane profesore, jakkoli si Vás velice vážím a jakkoli jsem
naprosto znechucen vítězstvím pana Trumpa v amerických
prezidentských volbách, a jakkoli zbytek příspěvku je naprosto
přesný, přesto Vás musím opravit v jednom bodě. Pan Trump sice
doslova řekl, že miluje …
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Stages of grief
I am just reading an interesting blog post by my Melinda Selmys
reflecting on her reaction to the Mr. Trump’s victory in the US
elections.
I am Czech, so I have a little experience with the similar
situation, which I would like to share. Since 2013, Mr. Miloš
Zeman …
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Missing socialism
While listening to the Decline of the West episode I was told
about this quotation when John Steinbeck was supposed to describe
the political landscape of the US 1930s’:
I guess the trouble was that we didn’t have any self-admitted
proletarians. Everyone was a temporarily embarrassed
capitalist.
—John Steinbeck …
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On Personal Truth
Our Senior Pastor John Mullen talked one Sunday during communion
about the distance between head and heart and that it is
absolutely crucial to transform the truths which we have only in
our head to those which are in our heart, and which are the only
ones which actually drive …
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Already and not yet
Reading about the Synod of the Bishops of the Catholic church,
and instead of thinking about the important matters of the
remarriage, divorce, and ordination of women, what comes to my
mind is what came through my mind when listening to the past
dialog about the so called “gay marriages …
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The Age of Irresponsibility
I was listening to the story on BBC how the British pensioners
are forced by the fear of Brexit to move from Spain back to UK,
because they are afraid Spanish government would stop paying them
their pension when (and if) UK leaves EU. And that’s just
because two …
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KChO konference 2016: Změním úděl svého lidu
Stále přemýšlím o přednášce „Změním úděl svého lidu“ na Katolické
charismatické konferenci 2016, kterou měli Kateřina Lachmanová
a Pavola Streža. Celou dobu co jsem tu přednášku poslouchal jsem
přemýšlel o Nehemiášovi. Ani Kateřina, ani Pavol, ho v přednášce
nezmínili (pokud se nemýlím, nebo rozhodně to nebylo dominantní
téma), ale myslím …
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Uncle Abner and Mr. Trump
(originally started as a comment on the article on First
Things).
Yours country used to be found on principles “to the end it may be
a government of laws and not of men”, and now the biggest concern of
everybody is which of the nine unelected guys (or gals) will …
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Tož tu Evropu už máme, teď potřebujeme ještě nějaké Evropany
V tomto okamžiku to vypadá, že absolutně všichni obyvatelé planety Země,
zejména pokud žijí někde v blízkosti Evropy, cítí potřebu se vyslovit
k příčinám, následkům a všemu možnému ohledně vystoupení Spojeného
(zatím :)) Království z Evropské unie. Vzhledem k tomu, že jsem sám
spíše zmaten nežli co jiného z celé situace …
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On Natural Law
(written as a comment on the blogpost by Melinda Selmys, “10 Reasons
Why Homosexuality is Not a Natural Law Issue”)
First of all, yes, the title of the blogpost is wrong. However, who of you
(especially a parent of couple of months old baby) never wrote a title, and
then …
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Stating the Obvious
(originally posted as a comment on the blogpost “Few quick thoughts on
Brexit” by Chris Arnade)
I am still confused by the book “Status Anxiety” by Alain de Botton.
Either it is just a stupid banality stating the obvious, or Douglas
Adams is right and “It is a rare mind …
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On Brexit
OK, so I was wrong. I wonder what happens next.
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Beethoven in the Prague Castle
Comment I posted on the First Things blog.
I have just returned from the open air concert of the Czech
Philharmonic in the Prague Castle, which finished with the last movement
of the Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. I would really love this to be played
in some great park in …
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