Monday 26 March 2012

Monday 19 March 2012

KONY 2012 Opinions

Maybe I was wrong to think “KONY 2012” was too good to be true. Before I watched the video and knew very little about it, I was thinking that it’s just another moving story about the poor lives of Africans and that all they needed was heaps of money. And though eventually that is what Jason Russell (the guy who wants to make this all happen) asks of you, he made the video in such a way I almost felt like doing what he says was what I needed to be doing. I understand that news is spreading that it’s all a scam but considering about 85 million people have seen this video the chances of nobody questioning it is impossible.
The more I think about it the more it drives me insane. There is always a chance that all Jason Russell wants is money and popularity. Yet the way he crafted that movie reeled me into the cause. He was close friends with one of the victims of Joseph Kony, he sounded like he was a trust-worthy man and he had a little kid to top it off. By the end of the end of the video all I could remember was the name Kony and the prices of the wrist-bands.
Looking back on all I’ve said, I think I have managed to convince myself the campaign is bad. And it doesn’t help that I now know Jason Russell was caught on a drunken rampage in the nude. But of course another thing has changed my mind. http://www.kony2012.com/ has a list of what they call “The Culturemakers.” They are people whose voice and opinions count. Celebrities, put simply. And a lot of them I know. People like Ellen DeGeneres and Mark Zuckerberg. People who have only made my life better and I really doubt these people would sign up for scams. KONY 2012 has made my mind crowded with confusion and I’m going to settle on one decision…
KONY 2012 is a good, legitimate campaign and Jason Russell has merely crumbled a bit with the pressure of millions.      

Sunday 11 March 2012

Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer - Review


Death Bringer is the sixth book in a series wrote by an Irish man named Derek Landly. The series is unique and very enjoyable. It follows two main characters; Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain. Skulduggery is technically dead, though his life as a walking and talking skeleton is still rich with excitement. He can also do magic (and is very good at it). His role in the story is being awesome and fighting crimes. Valkyrie is a sorcerer and detective with mysterious ancestry and incredible power. She is Skulduggery’s partner in crime-fighting and has only recently been introduced to magic.

Death Bringer has somehow introduced a new way for Valkyrie and Skulduggery to save the world from utter terror. It focuses on necromancy (death magic). Necromancers believe that someone with ultimate power can rid the earth of death, meaning immortality for everyone. This person is called The Death Bringer. The Death Bringer’s job is simple… kill millions of people all at the same time.

I loved this book. It was anything I could have asked for in a book. Derek Landly’s style of writing is incredible, in my opinion. His book usually make me laugh incredibly (this one still did) but it got serious awfully fast. From the first chapter this book is awesome. There is rarely a boring part in any of his books and I have often lost track of time while reading them. Death Bringer was fast paced, with lots of action, humour and twist. I can happily say that the romance in the book is not silly or cliche and there isn’t much of it at all, which is great.  The end, I liked especially. It’s not the only time Derek has left readers with a cliff-hanger. I’d recommend this book to anyone who really wants to have a good time reading. Maybe nine is the minimum I would say to start reading the series. But if you want to read Death Bringer maybe eleven is the minimum; because I do recall a fair amount of violence and the book isn't small. But I guess it depends on who the reader is. 

Monday 5 March 2012