Random T.S. Eliot and METEOR!

Before leaving work I went up on the roof to try and get a look at the purported meteor showers. I don't know that I'd ever been able to see a meteor before, I do tend to suck at observing astrological phenomena.

"Is that something??"

It's a plane.

But because the moon had set I could see a lot more stars than usual-- scanning scanning-- okay, THAT is totally Orion's belt. Awesome.

I was looking up for a while, enjoying the scenery, but still no meteor. I was about to turn to leave when ffft THERE IT WAS!

It wasn't even me seeing it peripherally or anything, just straight on yes- quick streak through the sky. Meteor.

I gave a loud "Yes!" and did a little fist pump.

Read through Wednesdays Toronto Star, Thursday's first section only Toronto Star, and Friday's Toronto Sun.

The Sun really sucks. I'm glad I read so I can see a diversity of opinion, but everytime I read the Star it seems clear that its ideals are congruent to my own. It talked a lot about the social cues leading to the London riots, without adding too much as far as specific solutions- because it's a complex issue!

Whereas the Sun specifically called out the Star for it's namby-pambyness, social cues smocial cues, they should just call in the army, give weapons to store owners, and see how many people want to riot then.

While it's truuue that that would stop the rioting, what the Sun seems to not want to acknowledge is that the root causes for people to act out like this won't just disappear. They'll surely manifest in some other way.

Of course, so long as it doesn't manifest itself in violence towards the wealthy, the dudes in charge are probably good for whatever.

I wrote down a great quote from (ah fine I'll go down and get the paper) the Wednesday Toronto Star that was quoting this blogger Laura Penny (I specifically didn't write down in my notebook that she's 24, because her age shouldn't be relevant to the quote, but obviously I still remember it 'cause I'm imagining a hot Lois Lane type. I'm sorry!!)

"Riots are about power, and they are about catharsis. People riot because it makes them feel powerful, even if only for a night. People riot because they have spent their whole lives being told that they are good for nothing and they realize that together they can do anything - literally anything at all."

I know people will read that and think: "No! These rotten kids just want to destroy and steal, they don't have any political messages they're trying to get out!" But what those commenters fail to realize is that they're only dealing with the reality at hand in the most immediate and literal of fashions. Even the kids who haven't considered their actions (the vast majority) are still reacting to feelings caused by SOMETHING. Feelings of disenfranchisement, isolation, purposelessness, and hopelessness.

I feel like there's a T.S. Eliot quote in the back of my head that I should have ready to write here... but it's not coming to me.

Well, here's one (I'm looking on google now for quotes), but it's definitely not what I'm looking for:

"Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them."

"It's not wise to violate rules until you know how to observe them." <- this isn't it either, but it's similar to a Splinter quote from Ninja Turtles that I grew up with.

Well, this one isn't it either, but it speaks to how the people act without understanding why: "Poetry may make us from time to time a little more aware of the deeper, unnamed feelings which form the substratum of our being, to which we rarely penetrate; for our lives are mostly a constant evasion of ourselves."