December 14, 2007 by maureen.ulrich.

In a word - spectacular!

Check out the new addresses on my Blogroll - CM Magazine and Dewey Divas and Dudes. They have reviews of Power Plays.

Helen Wilding Cook selected Power Plays as one of the books on her Top Ten from 2007 — and she’s a fan of fantasy — not “old school” hockey!

While you’re at it,  check out my previous blog for an update on my Christmas story . . .

Posted in On the Media, On Writing | 1 Comment »

April 20, 2007 by maureen.ulrich.

I have a few thoughts about the catastrophic events unfolding in Blackburg, Virginia. I have two daughters in university. I can’t even imagine how the families and friends of the slain are coping with their anguish. It’s incomprehensible.

I watched an interview on Larry King Live with two former roommates of Cho Seung Hui. As they spoke, I kept thinking, I’ve known people like Cho, taught students like him. Did he have a healthy connection with even one human being? And if he had, would this tragedy have occurred?

I am not making excuses for Cho. I am not saying we should feel sorry for him. I don’t know very much about him, except that he was deeply disturbed and violent and angry.

I do remember the way many Asian students were talked of when I was in university. It shocks me to think that these stereotyped attitudes could lead to something as horrific as the senseless deaths of 33 people.

Will there be a backlash against South Koreans and other Asians – a visible minority? I’m certain there already has been. The tragedy just keeps evolving.

In a recent blog, I talked about censorship. I said I don’t support it, and I still don’t. No one should have forbidden NBC to show Cho’s “manifesto.”

They just should have known better.

When you see or hear something ugly, you don’t need to repeat it. I don’t need to see Cho’s quick time video clips. I don’t need to see the ravings of a madman. It’s not my right as a news consumer.

To replay them repeatedly is tasteless, cruel, and opportunistic. It’s not anything even remotely close to journalism.

One of the worst developments in recent history is the advent of 24 hour news broadcasts. The distinction between news reporting and tabloids is becoming hazier all the time. Have you checked out the CTV website lately? In a word — cheesy. It’s just an indication of how tough the competition must be in the struggle for ratings.

Virginia State Police Col. Steve Flaherty stated at a recent news conference that he is “disappointed” that NBC News chose to air the “disturbing images.” As others have pointed out so eloquently, NBC has done exactly what Cho wanted. They have turned him – whatever he is — into an instant celebrity.

The good news is that Cho’s fame won’t last. The next big ticket news item will obliterate him. Unfortunately he will remain a cult hero to people on the fringe (both of society and of mental stability), just as Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were Cho’s idols.

And now for gun control.

In time I’m sure strong arguments will be made about how “someone should have done something” and “someone should have seen this coming.”

Many people recognized that Cho was an extremely disturbed young man. His behaviour was reported to authorities. He was detained on more than one occasion by police for harassing young women.

I’d just like to know why it was so easy for someone in such a questionable mental state to buy handguns.

Violent, unstable people have always walked the face of the planet. However, current technology gives these people the tools to wreak havoc. Hitler was not the first leader to espouse antisemitism, but thanks to Zyklon B, he had the means to do it oh so efficiently.

So much hatred and violence in this world we live in. So much sadness.

And yet, when I think of the heroism of a university professor, surviving the Holocaust in order to give his life, decades later, protecting his students, I suddenly remember — there is far more courage and compassion in this world than the media could report in a lifetime. We just have to remind ourselves of it everyday.

We mustn’t let the tragedy of what happened on that dark day overshadow the beautiful and brilliant lives of Virginia Tech’s slain professors and students.

Walk out of the darkness and step into the sunshine. Feel it on your face. Life is still good.

Posted in On the Media | 1 Comment »

April 9, 2007 by maureen.ulrich.

This is blog is actually the Author’s Note which will be included in my novel Power Plays.
I firmly believe that bullying has ALWAYS been with us. It’s not a bizarre aberration of the 20th or 21st centuries. However, thanks to mass media, we are now more aware of bullying. The Reena Virk case in British Columbia and the shootings at Taber, Alberta and Littleton, Colorado are just a few high profile cases.

Yet, despite the best efforts of principals, teachers, support staff, parents, and students, bullying is still prevalent in schools. It’s hard to change attitudes and behaviour, especially when we are immersed in a society that thrives on criticism and judgment.

Isn’t everyone entitled to make mistakes and learn from them? It’s what makes us human.

I have seen students (and adults!) profess more sympathy for fictional characters on television than they do for the people they come into contact with everyday. I find this disturbing – and sad.

When will we learn to appreciate and accept others BECAUSE of their differences? When will we learn not to take offence over some perceived slight? When will we start living by the old adage, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”?

A group of Grade Sevens recently told one of their teachers that bullying is “a part of life.” They also said it “makes you tougher.” I strongly disagree. I don’t think anyone who has been bullied is grateful for the experience.

Although statistics indicate that most bullies are boys, girl bullying is widespread. Girl bullies generally use exclusion, name-calling, and gossip to victimize others, but there are also numerous instances of physical violence.

Thanks to the internet revolution, bullying is easier, faster, and even more anonymous. It seems that every technological innovation comes with a perversion of its original purpose. Cell phones and digital cameras have been used to take pictures or video of children in locker rooms and washrooms. These images are then uploaded onto websites aimed at targeting the victim. Blogs are used to disparage children and adults. Recently I saw a Grade Twelve student justifying such actions as “freedom of expression.”

I have seen numerous presentations, delivered by sincere and eloquent guest speakers of all ages, about the effects of harassment. Reaction to these presentations is generally along these lines: “I really felt sorry for the girl/guy they were talking about. People are so cruel. Somebody should have done something.” The bullies promptly resume tormenting their victims because they “deserve it.”

I suspect that many teen suicides are connected to homosexuality and bullying. No matter what side of the fence you sit on the issue of gay rights, I think we can all agree that no one wrestling with his or her sexual identity during adolescence deserves to be victimized because of it.

The GOOD news – in this increasingly complex world — is that most people – young and old — are horrified by bullying. They are eager to help if given the opportunity.

Here are some simple ways to reduce bullying in your school:

1. Ask yourself, does my behaviour each day make my school better – or worse? How do I want people to remember me when they look back years from now?

2. Say ‘hello” to every person you meet. Don’t make a distinction between who is worthy of your notice and who isn’t. Everyone deserves this simple courtesy. Make “small talk” each day with someone to whom you don’t normally speak.

3. No matter how tempting, don’t spread — or worse fabricate — gossip. Gossip is a powerful and destructive addiction, and many people view it as a means to increasing their own popularity. Yes, information is power – power that can kill.

4. If you come across someone being bullied, try to distract the bully. Ask a question unrelated to the situation. Change the subject. You don’t have to be confrontational to stop the abuse from taking place. Later, urge the victim to report the incident.

If you are being bullied, here are some things you can do:

1. Look the bully straight in the eye and tell him or her firmly and politely to leave you alone.
2. Try not to cry or show you are upset. Bullying is about power. Don’t make the bully feel powerful.
3. Talk to an adult you trust.
4. Never give out your password for email. If someone is abusive on MSN, don’t respond to the abuse. Block the person and stop accepting their emails. The same applies to text messages.

Good luck. And remember, ANY effort to reduce bullying is worthwhile.

Maureen Ulrich

Posted in On the Media | 3 Comments »

April 7, 2007 by maureen.ulrich.

As a family we went to see the movie 300 last night. My oldest daughter had already seen it and raved about it, so we decided to give it a go.

I am a history buff, so I was interested to see how the ancient Battle of Thermopolae would be depicted. History tells us that a band of 300 soldiers, under the leadership of King Leonidas of Sparta, held back a Persian force of 100 000 (some sources say more) for two days. The Spartan defence of the famous pass by the sea was a rallying cry for the rest of Greece, and in time, the Persians were defeated and driven off the Greek peninsula.

300 was gorey, but I’ve been watching Rome for the past two years, so I am somewhat inured to violence. Rome makes The Sopranos and 300 both look like PG-13.

300 held my attention. I thoroughly enjoyed the scene where the Spartans first engaged the Persians at the entrance to the pass – and used superior strategy (the phalanx) to win the day. There was some really good dialogue, particularly in the scene where the Spartans are dispatching wounded Persians while King Leonidas munches on an apple. Very ironic. And irony always has a way of making a situation seem more plausible.

Still a good film creates sympathy for both sides. The Persians also had wives and children back home. Yet, we are to regard them simply as bugs being squashed. Interesting.

But . . . I digress.

The cinematography was intriguing. Apparently most scenes were filmed in Montreal against a blue screen. Since I’m a fan of the old epics like The Ten Commandments and Spartacus, I’m usually annoyed by computer-generated special effects. I didn’t feel this way about 300 – apart from the scenes with the wolf and the gigantic mutant with no shoulders. They looked fake, and I therefore wasn’t engaged for those portions of the film.

I do feel 300 raises some interesting points.

First of all, I don’t think it gave a balanced view of history. The Persians were presented simply as evil – so evil that a number of them were severely mutated – as if physical ugliness is a manifestation of evil. I suppose a six-pack (or twelve-pack) is therefore equated with rightness and goodness. My daughter maintains that this is the way the Spartans would have SEEN the Persians – hence the exaggerated size of the rhinoceros and elephants.

The queen of Sparta (who wore some very nifty togas) made frequent references to “reason” in her efforts to urge the Council to send an army to aid her husband. I always thought the Spartans were an unimaginative race, and that their culture glorified physical prowess to the exclusion of all else. I didn’t know the Spartans used words like “reason.” I guess they – like most cultures – have been victims of stereotyping.

Any Spartan references to the city-state of Athens – where a person’s physical and mental attributes were developed – were disparaging. However, it’s a safe bet that our present society has been influenced far more by the Athenians than the Spartans. I shudder to think what our world would be like if we reacted to every global crisis the way the Spartans would have.

It can be argued that Leonidas was brave where the Athenians, who ran to their ships when the Persians invaded, were cowardly. And bravery and resolve in the face of certain defeat are certainly admirable. Upon reflection, admirable seems like a paltry word to describe such commitment. The bravery of the Spartans reminds me of the ceremonies presently taking place to commemorate the Canadian troops who took Vimy Ridge 90 years ago. This battle defined us as a country. At Vimy our soldiers accomplished something no other country’s forces had been able.

In 300 was there a subtle – or not so subtle message – defending the American invasion of Iraq? Were we supposed to equate the Spartans with the West – and the Persians with the Middle East? Were we to see the Spartans (Americans) as the preservers and defenders of our present way of life? Perhaps the producers of the film never intended such comparisons be made.

But, as a teacher, I always ask myself how young minds will be influenced by a film. Hence the question, will a young person’s view of the Middle East be negatively shaped by 300? I think so.

Does that mean 300 shouldn’t have been made?

Absolutely not. Anytime a movie is made about a significant historical event, I applaud. It’s an opportunity to learn something about our past. And any time history is depicted, there is always the danger that events will be twisted and coloured to suit the film-makers’ views and/or marketing ploys. We just have to keep reminding ourselves that it isn’t necessarily ALL true just because someone made a movie about it – or wrote a book – or put a blog on her website. We need to inform ourselves more about the event or issue and sort out the fact from the fiction – and more importantly the fact from the opinion.

I’m not a proponent of censorship. Any time a controversial film is made it presents an opportunity for intelligent dialogue and for the reinforcement of a reasonable, humane world view. The truth is generally complex and layered in varying shades of grey – not black and white. In short, we are not always right, and the other guys are not always jerks.

What’s really fascinating to me is the positive response the movie is getting from young people. As a whole, they are impressed by the Spartan “ideals” that the movie glorifies. Concepts like loyalty and sacrifice and honour are foreign to our society – where the wants of an individual preclude all else.

I recently read a magazine article about the attitude of entitlement in Generation X, who have been coddled and spoiled by parents, determined to shelter them from any discomfort or disappointment.

How many times have I heard a parent say, “My child deserves to play on a better team”? Too often.

How much more refreshing it is to hear: “My children need to learn to ‘suck it up.’ My children need to learn to get along with everyone they meet. Eventually they will go out into a world where I won’t be able to contrive every situation for them, and I want them to flourish in that world. I want them to understand what it means to be honest and loyal and committed because this is where true self-worth and happiness come from.”

Integrity. The determination to do the “right thing” – even when no one is watching. What a concept.

Anyway, I seem to be a long way from 300. Let me know what you think – whether or not you’ve seen the movie.

Posted in On the Media | 1 Comment »

April 5, 2007 by maureen.ulrich.

If you have never watched Friday Night Lights, you have no idea what you’re missing. It’s very much like the movie — because it shows the ups and downs of a Texas high school football team — but it goes so much further than the movie.

The fact that it is about football is really irrelevant. This could so easily be small town Saskatchewan and a hockey team.

We’ve watched a handful of high school kids grow up over the course of the season and have fallen in love with every single one of them along the way. Every character is fallible and heartbreakingly real. Every line of dialogue is a direct hit.

Just when you think you know what to expect from a character – think again. The character’s lives just keep on intertwining, yet it is absolutely not a soap opera. In my opinion, it’s the best written show EVER.
My family is the only one I know that watches it so I hope it won’t be cancelled next season. In any case, next week is the season finale, and you can bet I won’t be missing it!

Posted in On the Media | 2 Comments »