User:Morxenus

Freeman, Shane English P.4 April 18, 2010

Napoleon Dynamite

A hero as defined by the online dictionary is "a man of distinguished courage

or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities". Napoleon Dynamite has all of these characteristics. It may not be obvious during the first viewing, but

Napoleon Dynamite follows the typical journey of the ancient hero. He starts off in

humble beginings as a boy, recieves a call to adventure, completes a road of trials,

and finishes his journey as a man. Although he doesn't wield a sword, or slay a dragon

, a hero isn't defined by the tasks he performs, but the courage he uses to perform

those tasks. Napoleon begins very humbly. He is a gawky teenager with no friends to speak

of, other than his 30-yr old brother who wears braces, has no job and still lives at

home. He is bullied by his classmates and looked down by everyone at his school. But

he has dreams of something more. He has fantasies of wizards, ligers, and himself

being a hero capable of earning the respect of his classmates. He attempts to impress

his classmates by acting like a hero, he only succeeds in creating a charicature of a

hero, which his classmates see through and ridicule. One of the typical archetypes of

a hero is unusual birth. The unusal birth of Napoleon is the ambiguity of his parents.

His parents are never seen or even referenced in the entire movie. His lack of parents

most likely atributed to his social akwardness. (Luke Skywalker's parents were dead

for his youth). Had his parents been there he might have gorwn up slightly more

normanl, but then he would not have the oppertunity to rise to the occasion and become

the hero he was destined to be. When Napoleon's only parental figure (his grandmother) is injured and a new

parental figure is substituted. When Uncle Rico arrives Napoleon is thrusted into a

world of responsibility and manhood. The presence of a man in his life causes a chain

reaction that puts a spark in Napoleon's world. He asks a popular girl at school to

the dance, he gets a job and he gets a friend. In the context of our world it doesn't

seem like much, but in Napoleon's world he has just slayed the Hydra. Another

archetype that Napoleon follows is having a mentor who is a failed hero in his life.

(Yoda lost a fight with Emperor Palpatine). Uncle Rico failed to win the football game

that could have launched his career and made him a football star. However he failed to

do so. The failed hero is an important mentor figure because it teaches the hero by

example. The final trial Napoleon must face is the Pedro election. He faces his shyness

to help Pedro and dances in front of the entire school. Napoleon's biggest flaw was

him trying to act like a hero. It is when he is given the chance to act as himself

that he finally earns the respect of his classmates. With the triumph of the election

and the approval of his classmates, Napoleon finally becomes the person he was meant

to be. All of the films' problems are solved, and all is good in the world of

Napoleon. In the end Napoleon gets the reward which almost every hero gets. (Conan) He

now has a happy brother, his grandmother is healthy again, his uncle has left and

found happiness, he has a happy best friend and a new lady-friend. That is about as

close to a princess as you will get. Napoleon Dynamite is an unusual movie. The first time I watched it, I didn't

enjoy it, nor did I see it's purpose. The reason this movie is so brilliant is the

subtlety. It doesn't crash into your living room and smash you over the face with a

large man wielding a sword in one hand and a damsel in distress in the other. This

movie quietly sneaks in, serenades you with 70's era mood music and quietly sits next

to you and tells you a story. It is the story not yet told. Not the story of a ring

that needs to be returned to a volcano. But a simple story of a boy trying to become a man.

Weather:

Overview: Taiwan: China political talks

India: Indian officials continue presence in South China Sea

Pakistan: U.S. tensions rise

insert PACOM picture

Taiwan: September 25, 2011

Taiwan's president will open political talks with China if he is re-elected to a second term.

The issue is a sensitive one decades after Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949. China still claims Taiwan as its own and threatens the use of force if Taipei delays unification indefinitely.

Current president, Nationalist, Ma Ying-jeou is currently runing for relection against Democrat Tsai Ing-wen.

WikiLeaks cable, dated June 30, 2009, quoted vice president Vincent Siew as saying that political talks during a possible Ma second term would address key issues including "a peace treaty, a formal end to hostilities, and development of bilateral military confidence mechanisms" with China.

In the past, Ma has conditioned the opening of political discussions with Beijing on China's removal of the estimated 1,300 missiles it has aimed at Taiwanese targets.

In public statements, Ma has usually been vague on the China political talks issue, However, he has acknowledged in private conversations that China might be forcing his hand.

Assessment: While China will put on a friendly face towards the rest of the world about it's intentions, they remain strict on preserving superiority over Taiwan. Ma's feelings of being forced have likely been sparked from issues such as the failed F-16 deal with the U.S. which happened last week. Taiwan will continue to attmept to wriggle free from China's iron grip, but unless something drastically alters the way things are currently headed, China will continue to stunt the growth of Taiwan.

source: http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2011/09/25/taiwan_vp_president_wants_china_political_talks/

India: Sep 25, 2011

In the last few years, the increased commercial activities and naval exercises in the South China Sea by Vietnam and Philippines has made the Chinese readjust their security policy towards the ASEAN nations.

All or parts of the sea are claimed by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Comments from the Foreign Ministry came as Indian officials said India would continue with exploration projects in two blocks, over which Vietnam claims sovereignty. India has taken the position that Vietnamese claims were in accordance with international laws.

Asked about India’s reported decision to go ahead with the projects, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei, without directly referring to India, said “Any country engaging in oil and gas exploration activities in this jurisdiction without the approval of the Chinese government,” he said, “constitutes an infringement upon China’s sovereignty and national interest.”

At an ongoing meeting in Manila, experts from across Southeast Asia are discussing a Philippine proposal under which the claimant countries would delineate which areas are in dispute and which are not. Exploration could then go ahead in the undisputed areas, while the disputed areas would be turned into an area for joint cooperation.

Assessment: Much of China's displeasement over India's meddling in the SCS not only comes from the feeling of violated rights which China is feeing, but also from the threat of another superpower in Southeast Asia. India's economy has been on the rise in the past 8 years, and has presented itself to be a threat to China's goals to be dominant superpower in Southeast Asia. China will continue to make efforts to impede India's growth, such as the strong military, and economic ties China has with India's rival, Pakistan.

Sources: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/About-supremacy-not-sea/articleshow/10110752.cms http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2468317.ece http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_India#Income_and_consumption

Pakistan: September 23, 2011

The Pakistani prime minister slammed the United States on Friday over comments that a terror group attacking American troops is an "arm" of the nation's intelligence agency.

The Pakistan-based Haqqani network is actively targeting American troops across the border in Afghanistan, Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen told the U.S. Congress on Thursday. "Pakistan is "exporting" violence to Afghanistan," Mullen said. "The Haqqani network, for one, acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan's intelligence," He said Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency supported the insurgents who planned and executed the attack on the U.S. Embassy and other strikes in Afghanistan.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani decried the accusations Friday, stating, "They can't live with us or without us. If they can't live without us, then they should make efforts to clear up any misunderstandings."

"You will lose an ally," Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said. "You cannot afford to alienate Pakistan. You cannot afford to alienate the Pakistani people."

Assessment: Whether the statements made about Pakistan are true or not, Pakistan's stance towards the U.S. military is in fragile hands. The already rocky relationship is likely to be agitated by the People's Republic of China. This event would give them the perfect oppertunity to non-kinetically attack the United States. Now is the key time to maintain watchful eyes on the PRC, and attempt to heal the realtionship with Pakistan, or sever it.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/09/23/pakistan.us.accusations/?hpt=ias_c2

THE OVERALL CLASSIFICATION OF THIS BRIEF IS UNCLASSIFIED.