ryan - b l o g

I was finally able to watch The Queen today, and it was an extremely sad movie. No movie has ever made me cry so much. I was very young when Princess Diana died, and I didn't quite comprehend what happened at the time. I suppose that this movie was my first sort of full exposure to the whole thing really. She really was a wonderful woman, and I can't help but wonder what the world would be like today or how my life would be different had she not been killed. I am also sympathetic towards the Queen. It was surely one of the most difficult times in her life, and it must have been very difficult to make a decision on what to do. Ultimately, I think she did the right thing.

I recently finished The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Again, I highly recommend it to anyone, religious or not. He presents a comprehensive overview (in my opinion) on the entire issue of religion. He examines everything from the improbability of a God, to the reasons for religion, and the effects of religion on society. The book has definitely broadened my perspective.

I would really like to read more often, so I have picked up another book from the school library for the summer. I've decided to take on the voluminous My Life by Bill Clinton. It seems interesting already and I am only 14 pages into the whopping 956 page total. It should keep me busy for a while. I might take a break from it to ready Gore's new book, The Assault on Reason though.

In other news, I got a phone call today from the one campaign where I got to listen to various congressmen answer questions that people were asking. Ben Affleck said a bit as well, it was rather interesting. I haven't really been focusing on the one campaign recently, but the call has gotten me thinking again. I'm going to contact them and see what I can do. I feel as though I could be doing something; I just don't know what.

So, the other day we did a worksheet in English about imagery and it had an excerpt from one of Hellen Keller's writings. I found it to be rather comical, and I sometimes wonder what people are thinking when they make those things. Anyway, this week was rather bland as usual. As the summer draws closer and closer, I find myself wanting school to just be over with more and more.

However, to keep myself busy during those times, I have started reading another book. I'm currently about half way through The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. It is a rather elegant and thought provoking work and I would recommend it to anyone; whether you be religious or not. I have enjoyed it quite a lot so far, it has really put the nail in the coffin for me as far as my beliefs go.