2007 marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade. As Britain was the primary naval power at the time this effectively began the process of making the trading of human lives illegal around the world. The United States followed suit with their own ban in 1808 (it is important to note that this was planned into law 20 years earlier in the legal documents creating the American government). After the war of 1812 was over the mutual desire between the British and Americans to halt slave ships resulted in a partnership that would eventually blossom into the Munroe Doctrine, defining American foreign policy for some time to come.

Such consequences aside though the human story of the ending of the slave trade is a dramatic and emotional one, well-crafted in film form in the movie "Amazing Grace" that debuted in theatres last Friday. Chronicling the decades long efforts of the English politician William Wilberforce to abolish the slave trade, the film is a powerful reminder of the good that can be accomplished when people refuse to surrender to the worldliness around them. It doesn't hurt that the film also relates the story of one of the most powerful religious hymns in history, "Amazing Grace" (probably my favorite spiritual song).

Two other things that were incredibly striking about the film were its testimony to the fact that our world has been global much longer than many would have you believe and the similarities in popular political movements today to those of Wilberforce and his circle of friends in the late 18th/early 19th centuries. For example, you cannot help but find relevance in the "no slave sugar" signs in British tea and coffee shops in the movie to the fair trade signs you find in coffee and marketplaces today. It is a comfort to know that there have always been those crusading for the greater good and it is a crucial lesson that the past holds much helpful information if we only care to look for it.

So, do yourselves a favor and check out "Amazing Grace" this week or weekend, you'll learn a great deal and who knows, you may just find yourself inspired to fight for a cause that is important to you.

P.S. I am not actually reading the book linked to here, but it is the companion book to the movie and for anyone desiring a greater understanding of Wilberforce than what is available in the movie or at Wikipedia it seems to be a great place to start.

Sometimes you hear something so wonderful that you are afraid to tell anyone about it because you are scared if you do so that the beauty of it will escape elusively through your grasping hands and that the magic will be lost forever. That happened to me tonight and I am only going to risk saying a few more words before I sign off. I heard this evening the pleasing playing of the harp, occasionally joined by the rhythmic joy of tap dancing and the passionate strumming of a guitar. The music took me places, to my past, through sadness and happiness, around the mysteries of growing things and to teasing glimpses of futures dreamed. I left smiling and happy, hoping that others find the same fount of life and have the chance to drink deeply and discover within themselves the peace that was always there, waiting for them.

Follow this link to hear what I am talking about.

Robert Burns is one of my favorite poets and I often find myself reading his works for the enjoyment that it brings me. He is a Scottish poet, some would say "the" Scottish poet and of course that can only make me like him more. It is tradition to fete his poetry and accomplishments on or around the anniversary of his birthday, January 25th. I did just that last night with some friends and family, and as well as eating some traditional Scottish food and reciting some of his poetry, we passed the evening with several toasts. My toast was to Burns himself and I thought I would take this opportunity to post its contents below:

Reading about Burns in preparation for this toast I was struck by a declaration from a particular passage which concluded that, "In the long run, the poetry is what really matters." Too true. For the poetry is why after all we are here in the first place, without it, Burns would still be a colorful and lively historical footnote to study, as one imagines that his behavior with the lasses could never have gone completely unnoticed, but just that, a footnote and nothing else. Thankfully Burns has arrived in our time as a much chronicled artist of the highest quality, which a whole lifetime could easily be spent in perusing his prose and banter. For now we have tonight, and this dinner to celebrate the man and his works, an event that is widely repeated around the world amongst all those who appreciate literature, or just a good drink, or maybe both. Personally I am drawn to Burns for his humanity, for his many personal faults and imperfections, for giving me hope that a man can be judged on his works and not entirely on his sometimes dubious past. Just as another great master of language, William Shakespeare, Burns's poetry is successful for its ability to arouse our emotions, provoke our sympathies and invigorate our intellect. As with such subjects romance and love are often at the fore, but sometimes there are other ways to bring about such powerful reactions. The weather, for example, is a constant we must all endure, and though it varies from place to place, there are always those seasons that we correspond with certain thoughts and feelings. Winter is a time that many of us, including myself, find difficult as it can feel smothering and restricting on our desire to live as we want, pushing us with its not so gentle winds into more somber contemplations. Burns felt this as well strongly and put it to words in several poems, but perhaps none so obviously as in "Winter: A Dirge", dated 1781. Up until recently our winter has been much delayed and strangely absent in many ways. One would think this would make me feel more chipper and upbeat than usual, but instead it finds me in a strange funk, not knowing how to proceed. For, as with many things we like to complain about, the doldrums of winter are quite necessary and central to the passing of the seasons. And as we grow accustomed to such a cycle, being thrown out of it can be quite confusing to say the least. Most importantly, the reason we need winter is that spring follows, that wonderful time of year when life begins to glow again. Besides, as Burns says in his poem, it is simply the way of things, "Thou Power Supreme, whose mighty scheme These woes of mine fulfil, Here firm I rest; they must be best, Because they are Thy will!" But thankfully, we have been saved by the eagerly awaited cold (despite today's warming) and knowing that normality has returned, can once again continue towards a brighter and more hopeful future. Perhaps a better argument cannot be found for insuring our planet's environmental stability for the future generations to come. So, without further ado, to Burns and his immortal memory, may it be honored forever more!

To read some of the works of Robert Burns follow this link.

Lately I have been incredibly lucky with the quality of the films I've watched. I'm becoming apprehensive that this streak will end, but for now I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Most recently I saw Pan's Labyrinth at the AFI in Silver Spring. Directed and written by Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, The Devil's Backbone), it is Mexico's nomination to the best foreign picture category for the Academy Awards, and for good reason. Set just after the Spanish Civil War Pan's Labyrinth explores the pains and beauty of the human experience through the imagination of a young girl abruptly forced out of her childhood to confront the most troubling of life's choices. I'll stop there as I don't want to give anything away and hopefully you will soon be seeing for yourself what is so good about the movie.

A few weeks ago I was also fortunate enough to pick up a copy of the movie Brick on DVD. I had heard from several of my close friends that this was a good film, but hadn't seen it yet for myself. After checking it out I was definitely happy to have picked it up. A film noir murder mystery set in a high school, there was not much here not to love. Gritty, pointed and full of amazing diction (as well as a great mention of Tolkien, I know, random!) Brick sucks you in fast and leaves you wanting more of this director's gift of storytelling. One of my favorite aspects of the film was that despite the fact that there was no narration the atmosphere of the film was so enveloping I found myself playing my own narration in my head to the events unfolding on screen. Maybe I'm just going nuts, but I think you'll know what I mean if you see it. The main actor also provided a surprising turn from his days as the dorky lover of Bianca from 10 Things I Hate About You. Just goes to show you how you can never tell where people may end up.

The lat film I will mention here is Children of Men. Featuring stellar performances by Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine and Claire-Hope Ashitey, the film shoots you to a near future where humanity is on the brink of extinction as women can no longer bear children. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Y tu mamá también) and based on a novel by P.D. James the story is brilliant and is particularly effective in displaying the savages of urban fighting. In fact in that aspect the film was in many ways reminiscent of the Battle of Algiers, which along with the recent plot-line in the new Battlestar Galactica involving a freshly colonized human world occupied by hostile androids, are some of the few pieces in pop culture which give anywhere near the sensation of what it would feel like to have your country's sovereignty torn from you and show how even the best intended of occupiers will almost always end up being seen as villains by the occupied.