I Really Enjoy Criticizing The World
Ok, maybe complaining about the world is a better way to put it. I put a lot of these facts up on my facebook account, but I'm adding some fandom bitching/commentary (HP and JE) to my journals/blogs. Those will be at the bottom for those of you not interested in world affairs. Oh, and there will be some Harry Potter spoilers, so be wary those of you who care and haven't read the book yet. And I will have an Otakon update soon. That's next on the list. Being appalled and bitchy comes first though. :)
One of the fun parts of my summer internship is that I get to do a whole lot of research on really interesting topics, particularly relating to world affairs. Yesterday, I came upon a bunch of things I thought some of you might be interested in, particularly my fellow IS/Poli-Sci geek friends. :) So here are the facts:
~5 states in America don't have minimum wage laws. (America makes me cry sometimes. This is so NOT ok.)
~The Iraq study group refused to visit the Kurd dominated northern part of the country when they were there. (Perhaps because that is the part of the country that is doing the best? Although it will likely be a major player in any future Civil War the country may experience because of the ethnicity and amount of resources (the Kurd controlled area has one of the two major Iraqi oil fields))
~A Mexican drug kingpin has been taken down by the FBI with one of the largest cash confiscations ever. He is Chinese. (Globalization anyone? I also wonder what his citizenship statues is. If he were to have been caught for this in China, he would definitely be executed. I'm not sure if they are taking him back to Mexico, or if the US will fight to keep him because we get so much of his products and he was caught here. I also wonder what Mexican laws are like relating to drugs...)
~The Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka = inventors of modern suicide bombing (I'd heard this before, but I still find it interesting. How many people do you think are aware of this, or, better yet, are aware of who the Tamil Tigers are? (I'd discuss it, but it'd be a long discussion. Wiki them if you're curious))
~Islamism (or political Islam) is a movement that calls for an Islamic political order in which Islamic law (sharia) is applied. It argues that Islam is an all-encompassing system that covers not only spirituality and worship but also politics and law. The understanding that Islam is not Islam unless it is politically expressed has become the status quo in Egypt, where support for secularism has been waning since the 1970s. (Did not know this about Islam or Egypt. The more I learn about the state of Islam now, the more I see parallels with the Catholic Church of its yester-years in Europe)
~The word jihad is derived from the Arabic word jahada or juhd, meaning ability, exertion or power. In this sense it literally means using or exerting one's utmost power, or maximising one's ability to contend with an object of disapprobation, which may be a visible enemy, the devil or one's self. In modern Arabic, the word jihad has many meanings. It has been used to mean class struggle, the struggle between the old and the new, a spiritual struggle for the good of Islamic society or an inner struggle against one's evil inclinations. (In case you were wondering. I find all the multiple meanings very interesting)
~In the Sudan, the punishment for apostasy (renouncing your religion) is death, and Christian proselytisation (trying to convert others) is forbidden. (So Darfur isn't the only thing about Sudan I should be upset about. >.< This is one of the policies I absolutely despise in some branches of Islam. And really, why must you kill someone if they renounce their religion? If they think it is so evil, then the person who renounced is likely going to hell anyways, so why not just let him live until, since he will suffer for eternity anyway. Exile the person if it bothers you that much, but don't kill him)
~In Saudi Arabia, non-Muslims cannot be citizens. (I'm pro-freedom of religion, so this irks me)
~The roots of this sectarian violence are complex. Some disputes start out as personal and subsequently develop sectarian dimensions. Socio-economic tensions between the groups also fuel tension: while Copts are politically under-represented, they tend to be more economically advantaged. (This is referring to Orthodox Christians in Egypt, who aren't always treated nicely. I like the fact that it points out the socio-economic root of the problem. So many people think this whole "War on Terror" and everything is all about religion, but so much of it really stems from economic disparity throughout the world)
~"Such states are also notable for their failure to establish autonomous peace support capacities on the model of Europe/NATO or Africa." (This is referring to countires in the Middle East. My gripe is that Africa so not the best example of an area with excellent peacekeeping skills)
~"Bin Laden returned to the theme twice in 2006, labeling attempts to mandate and deploy international forces in Sudan's Darfur and Somalia as part of a "continuous Crusader-Zionist war against Muslims" aiming to divide and destroy the Umma." (To me this proves Bin Laden is just a stupid prick who will try and take advantage of any situation he can to further his own twisted agenda. I mean, this makes him sound like a crazy internet conspiracy theorist. Oh yes, peace forces wanting to intevene in Darfur are all about destroying Islam. It has nothing to do with the fact that they want to help the millions who are being routinely slaughtered for no good reason. Bastard)
~At 29 per cent of global peacekeeping commitments, the Muslim world is therefore pulling more than its weight. However, almost half of this total comes from just two countries, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Another quarter of all 'Muslim' troops come from sub-Saharan African OIC members, several of which are majority non-Muslim. (Just some interesting figures)
~Russia has 8,000 mosques and more than 50 Muslim religious schools compared with 300 mosques and no schools in 1991 (more interesting figures. I wouldn't have guessed this many)
~~A major problem with these figures (money supplied for the Iraq war) is that actual expenditures of many non-US sources have fallen far short of pledged amounts. According to Iraqi government statistics, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are both half a billion dollars in arrears, despite their surging revenues caused by higher world oil prices. The United Arab Emirates, which pledged USD215 million for Iraq reconstruction, has not actually provided any of its promised contribution. Although Washington established a high-level team in June 2006 to harangue foreign governments about meeting their pledges, the war in Lebanon and other developments have effectively stalled most of the money flow. The last time the international donor committee, which oversees Iraqi reconstruction, convened was in 2005. (Still more interesting figures. So it's not 100% our fault that this thing has been a total fuck up. It's still a good portion our fault, but not entirely)
~In recent months, US officials have abandoned the 'Halliburton strategy' of relying on major US companies to undertake large infrastructure projects. (Gee, I wonder why...)
~...that last year Iraqi ministries failed to spend more than a third of their annual budget (approximately USD13 billion). (You think it's because they realized that pretty much anything they tried to build would be blown up and didn't see the point of wasting money?)
~Al-Ghazali and later thinkers posited a universe continually recreated at the deity's discretion. (This is about one of the branches of Islam (which I stupidly forgot to note.) I find this an interesting concept)
~The 2002 Arab Human Development Report notes that the entire Arab world translates 330 books annually, one-fifth the number translated in Greece alone. Further, the report notes that in the past millennia the Arab world has translated as many books (about 100,000) as Spain translates in a single year. (I just find this fascinating. As a person who likes to devour as many books as she can get her hands on, this makes me feel kind of sad for kids who don't have access so many books. I understand that part of the problem is because of religious issues, and I respect that to an extent, but I think no one should be denied the joy of reading anything and everything they want to)
~Concerned about public opposition, defense officers have spied on antiwar advocates and journalists perceived as critical, the Defense Ministery acknowledged after incriminating documents were recently obtained by the Communist Party in Japan. (The opposition refers to people who are not happy that Japan is stepping up its re-militarization (a subject I think I could write a 10 plus page paper on now). Oh Japan. So the yakuza and earthquakes aren't the only things people in Japan should be worried about. And how many of you knew Japan has a Communist party? I didn't until recently)
~"Northeast Asia is still in an arms race and we cannot just sit back and watch." --South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun, in reference to Japan's recent military acquisitions and attempted acquisitions. (I don't think I really need to comment on this...)
~A popular joke in Israel has it that with Ehud Olmert's popularity at three per cent in the polls and the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's at 97 per cent, together they have a 100 per cent mandate to make peace. (Wow. Just, wow)
~"When we are strong, we just spit on them," says Alon Liel, the ex-director general of Israel's foreign ministry. (referring to how Israel treats other states. No wonder Israel has such a hard time making friends with its neighbors)
~Iran has the world's second largest known oil reserves and second largest natural gas reserves but imports more than 40 per cent of its gasoline. (Um... wtf?)
~On 27 June, having only five weeks earlier hiked the price of gasoline from the equivalent of USD0.08 to USD0.11 per litre, Iran decided to delay for a month the launching of the long-awaited first phase of a plan to ration the sale of subsidised gasoline, but then abruptly reversed course. (8 and 11 CENTS?! I'm pretty sure people would committ mass murder in the States for gas prices like that. And I know litres are different from gallons, but that's still cheap (for America anyway). It was much more expensive when I was in Japan in '05. The article makes it sound like that is expensive in Iran though (which I don't doubt))
And that's all the fun facts for today kiddies. As I research today, I might come up with more later. Oh, and FYI, most of this info came from Jane's, which is an intelligence and defense publication. You can check them out at http://www.janes.com/ (and I really suggest it, especially as a place for info on future papers some of you might have to write. If my internship company, a governement defense contractor, trusts their info, I'd say that means it's good stuff). The facts relating to Japan come from an article in the NY Times from 7/24.
Now for the facts/thoughts that aren't related to what I was discussing above (there are still some non-fandom ones first):
~The fact that the Bush governement boycotted the Palestinian governement when Haamas took control in DEMOCRATIC elections. (Yeah, it's old news, but it just pisses me off so much. Fucking hypocrits going back on their word because things didn't turn out like they expected).
~A guy recently got off for child rape because a translator for his native language could not be found and a judge deemed it was impeding on his right to a speedy trial. (That's just fucking worng. You teach the man sign language or use pictures if that's the case. The judge who allowed this is a moron. I'm all for prisoner's rights (for the most part. Sometimes I think they have it too easy), but this is just ridiculous)
~I hate how time goes slowly when you are waiting for something, especially lunch. >.<;
~I've been reading a lot more about Japanese atrocities and war crimes from WWII, and 0-o OMFG holy crap! I knew they were bad, but I didn't know they were that bad. Apparently, medical researchers would conduct experiments on POWs that involved cutting off their limbs one at a time without anestheisa until only the head and torso were left. Also, cannibalism was sometimes practiced by Japanese soldiers. Yikes.
~Gen. McArthur (or is it MacArthur? Can't remember at the moment), may have been a good war leader, but he was a dick, especially regarding policy. I've got nothing against the royal family of Japan or anything, but it pisses me off that McArthur went out of his way to exonarate the family of any war crimes when it was clear that Hirohito had authorized some pretty horrible stuff.
~Does anybody else know anything about the American-Philippine war? Thanks to some chatting with Kring, I did some research. Don't hear much about that one in our history books, and I can see why. The Philippines isn't the only place we colonized though. We so colonized Hawaii, but we decided to make it a state instead of give back its sovereignty.
~I've been realy cold lately, and I'm not sure why. I even slept with the heat on in my room last night.
~My Middle East and Africa geograpy is HORRIBLE. I always end up flipping the countries in the middle east for some reason. I really need to improve this.
~So, book 7 was good stuff up until the end. I thought the epilogue was garbage. It felt like JK Rowling just stole it from a cheesy fanfic she found online. I think she could have done soooo much better. I was really expecting her to go a few days, months, or a year ahead at most.
~JK = Watase Yuu when it comes to killing off charas. Fred Weasley so did not need to die. And killing Hedwig? What was up with that? Snape I expected, though I still cried. Colin Creevy was an interesting kill (I put it up to showing the horrors of war). Dobby made me sad too, though I think it was a good death for him.
~Am I the only one who thinks we were kind of shafted on the Regulus backstory? I didn't get why he betrayed Voldie.
~The SnapexLily relation also seemed like something out of a fic, though I think JK did it well.
~Major props for having some minor charas kicking ass! Neville totally pwned. I originally would have perferred him killing Bellatrix, but now I think that it's kind of good that he didn't. It doesn't seem in chara for him. And Mrs. Weasley doing it was so awesome. And points for the Oliver Wood guset appearance. Made me so happy. And Draco's mom is freaking awesome (as is Draco). Kreacher kicked ass too. Go house elves. Oh, and Luna. I love Luna. I was sad she and Neville didn't get the hookup though.
~A lot of the kids got stupid names. I liked Albus Severus though. :)
~The chapter where Harry chats with Dumbledore was one of the best, IMHO.
~Where was Crookshanks? Did he die in book six and I'm blanking about it?
~Dumbledore was a bit of a dick, yes?
~I also loved the scene where Harry had the stone and the Sirius, James, Lily, and Lupin showed up. The end of that chapter was also quite awesome.
~Did Voldie seem really stupid in this book, or was it just me? I know his cockiness is supposed to be one of his flaws and all, but he was somewhat Stormtrooper-esqe the way he acted in these books. I expected better than him.
~That whole "who owns the elder wand" thing at the end was confusing as hell.
~"I loathe people who say, 'I always read the ending of the book first.' That really irritates me," she said. It's like someone coming to dinner, just opening the fridge and eating pudding, while you're standing there still working on the starter. It's not on." -- JK (Oh JK, you own lol)
~I really, REALLY hope JK comes out with that HP encyclopedia she mentioned when talking to Meredith Viera. That would probably end up being my fav HP book (after book three anyway. I so love book three).
~I still can't believe it's over. So very strange. I'm more ok with it that I thought I would be though.
~Go read Sally Forth from this week (monday and tuesday) if you want a funny reaction to the end of HP (it's basically the daughter freaking out about it).
~I think movie seven will be awesome.
~I read Mezi's entry about meeting fellow J-Rock fans at Otakon. Sadly, I wasn't surprised that there were bitchy fans there. I thought the JE meetup was kind of stupid. We didn't really talk about JE at all. We sat around in silence a good portion of the time, and the girls who seemed to be in charge talked more about AAA than JE (it seemed to me). Sadly, I felt like it was a waste of time and was very dull. I did make friends with two of the girls though, so that was kind of cool.
~The more I read celeb gossip from Japan, the more disturbed I become. The kind of things that happen in Japan and America are different (ie. you don't hear as often about underage stars getting caught drinking/doing drugs in Japan and, if they do, they get badly punised), but things that happen are equally disturbing.
~I wonder how many JE boys really do have STIs...
~It really bothers me that there are a number of JE boys who didn't finish HS (like, most of K8...). What do they plan on doing after JE? Not everyone can be a Kimutaku and be that popular that long. (Can you tell I'm very pro-education? I think a lack of education is a major part of what is wrong with so much of the world today. And I think that's why I'm becoming more fond of Shige, him going to college to study law and all, and supposedly being known for studying a lot and enjoying it)
~Speaking of Shige, his Myojo essays and J-webs are fascinating (and the people who translate them are amazing. They put it in really good sounding english). I think Shige is a good writer and would love to chat with him about writing (he writes one of his J-webs from the POV of his cat that is travelling the world. Very creative in my opinion. And some of his essays have really thoughtful topics).
~I wonder if the stories about there being lots of cheating at Meiji (the school Yamapi is going to and Koyama graduated from) is true. Anybody know where I can find out more about this? I'm going to google it later. Also, does anyone know for sure if it's true that YamaPi dropped out? I'm curious, mainly because it would really change my opinion of him if he did.
~"Chirarizumu" (Shige + Koyama's duet) = 0-o And I though Jin was the only one in JE who could get away with saying those kinds of things, and that was only 'cause he said them in English.
~Anybody have any (preferably translated) articles about KAT-TUN being major pricks? I've heard lots of rumors to this effect lately, but I'd actually like to read something for myself.
That's all the ponderings I can think of for the moment. Going back to research now. Otakon update later today, I swear. :)
One of the fun parts of my summer internship is that I get to do a whole lot of research on really interesting topics, particularly relating to world affairs. Yesterday, I came upon a bunch of things I thought some of you might be interested in, particularly my fellow IS/Poli-Sci geek friends. :) So here are the facts:
~5 states in America don't have minimum wage laws. (America makes me cry sometimes. This is so NOT ok.)
~The Iraq study group refused to visit the Kurd dominated northern part of the country when they were there. (Perhaps because that is the part of the country that is doing the best? Although it will likely be a major player in any future Civil War the country may experience because of the ethnicity and amount of resources (the Kurd controlled area has one of the two major Iraqi oil fields))
~A Mexican drug kingpin has been taken down by the FBI with one of the largest cash confiscations ever. He is Chinese. (Globalization anyone? I also wonder what his citizenship statues is. If he were to have been caught for this in China, he would definitely be executed. I'm not sure if they are taking him back to Mexico, or if the US will fight to keep him because we get so much of his products and he was caught here. I also wonder what Mexican laws are like relating to drugs...)
~The Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka = inventors of modern suicide bombing (I'd heard this before, but I still find it interesting. How many people do you think are aware of this, or, better yet, are aware of who the Tamil Tigers are? (I'd discuss it, but it'd be a long discussion. Wiki them if you're curious))
~Islamism (or political Islam) is a movement that calls for an Islamic political order in which Islamic law (sharia) is applied. It argues that Islam is an all-encompassing system that covers not only spirituality and worship but also politics and law. The understanding that Islam is not Islam unless it is politically expressed has become the status quo in Egypt, where support for secularism has been waning since the 1970s. (Did not know this about Islam or Egypt. The more I learn about the state of Islam now, the more I see parallels with the Catholic Church of its yester-years in Europe)
~The word jihad is derived from the Arabic word jahada or juhd, meaning ability, exertion or power. In this sense it literally means using or exerting one's utmost power, or maximising one's ability to contend with an object of disapprobation, which may be a visible enemy, the devil or one's self. In modern Arabic, the word jihad has many meanings. It has been used to mean class struggle, the struggle between the old and the new, a spiritual struggle for the good of Islamic society or an inner struggle against one's evil inclinations. (In case you were wondering. I find all the multiple meanings very interesting)
~In the Sudan, the punishment for apostasy (renouncing your religion) is death, and Christian proselytisation (trying to convert others) is forbidden. (So Darfur isn't the only thing about Sudan I should be upset about. >.< This is one of the policies I absolutely despise in some branches of Islam. And really, why must you kill someone if they renounce their religion? If they think it is so evil, then the person who renounced is likely going to hell anyways, so why not just let him live until, since he will suffer for eternity anyway. Exile the person if it bothers you that much, but don't kill him)
~In Saudi Arabia, non-Muslims cannot be citizens. (I'm pro-freedom of religion, so this irks me)
~The roots of this sectarian violence are complex. Some disputes start out as personal and subsequently develop sectarian dimensions. Socio-economic tensions between the groups also fuel tension: while Copts are politically under-represented, they tend to be more economically advantaged. (This is referring to Orthodox Christians in Egypt, who aren't always treated nicely. I like the fact that it points out the socio-economic root of the problem. So many people think this whole "War on Terror" and everything is all about religion, but so much of it really stems from economic disparity throughout the world)
~"Such states are also notable for their failure to establish autonomous peace support capacities on the model of Europe/NATO or Africa." (This is referring to countires in the Middle East. My gripe is that Africa so not the best example of an area with excellent peacekeeping skills)
~"Bin Laden returned to the theme twice in 2006, labeling attempts to mandate and deploy international forces in Sudan's Darfur and Somalia as part of a "continuous Crusader-Zionist war against Muslims" aiming to divide and destroy the Umma." (To me this proves Bin Laden is just a stupid prick who will try and take advantage of any situation he can to further his own twisted agenda. I mean, this makes him sound like a crazy internet conspiracy theorist. Oh yes, peace forces wanting to intevene in Darfur are all about destroying Islam. It has nothing to do with the fact that they want to help the millions who are being routinely slaughtered for no good reason. Bastard)
~At 29 per cent of global peacekeeping commitments, the Muslim world is therefore pulling more than its weight. However, almost half of this total comes from just two countries, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Another quarter of all 'Muslim' troops come from sub-Saharan African OIC members, several of which are majority non-Muslim. (Just some interesting figures)
~Russia has 8,000 mosques and more than 50 Muslim religious schools compared with 300 mosques and no schools in 1991 (more interesting figures. I wouldn't have guessed this many)
~~A major problem with these figures (money supplied for the Iraq war) is that actual expenditures of many non-US sources have fallen far short of pledged amounts. According to Iraqi government statistics, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are both half a billion dollars in arrears, despite their surging revenues caused by higher world oil prices. The United Arab Emirates, which pledged USD215 million for Iraq reconstruction, has not actually provided any of its promised contribution. Although Washington established a high-level team in June 2006 to harangue foreign governments about meeting their pledges, the war in Lebanon and other developments have effectively stalled most of the money flow. The last time the international donor committee, which oversees Iraqi reconstruction, convened was in 2005. (Still more interesting figures. So it's not 100% our fault that this thing has been a total fuck up. It's still a good portion our fault, but not entirely)
~In recent months, US officials have abandoned the 'Halliburton strategy' of relying on major US companies to undertake large infrastructure projects. (Gee, I wonder why...)
~...that last year Iraqi ministries failed to spend more than a third of their annual budget (approximately USD13 billion). (You think it's because they realized that pretty much anything they tried to build would be blown up and didn't see the point of wasting money?)
~Al-Ghazali and later thinkers posited a universe continually recreated at the deity's discretion. (This is about one of the branches of Islam (which I stupidly forgot to note.) I find this an interesting concept)
~The 2002 Arab Human Development Report notes that the entire Arab world translates 330 books annually, one-fifth the number translated in Greece alone. Further, the report notes that in the past millennia the Arab world has translated as many books (about 100,000) as Spain translates in a single year. (I just find this fascinating. As a person who likes to devour as many books as she can get her hands on, this makes me feel kind of sad for kids who don't have access so many books. I understand that part of the problem is because of religious issues, and I respect that to an extent, but I think no one should be denied the joy of reading anything and everything they want to)
~Concerned about public opposition, defense officers have spied on antiwar advocates and journalists perceived as critical, the Defense Ministery acknowledged after incriminating documents were recently obtained by the Communist Party in Japan. (The opposition refers to people who are not happy that Japan is stepping up its re-militarization (a subject I think I could write a 10 plus page paper on now). Oh Japan. So the yakuza and earthquakes aren't the only things people in Japan should be worried about. And how many of you knew Japan has a Communist party? I didn't until recently)
~"Northeast Asia is still in an arms race and we cannot just sit back and watch." --South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun, in reference to Japan's recent military acquisitions and attempted acquisitions. (I don't think I really need to comment on this...)
~A popular joke in Israel has it that with Ehud Olmert's popularity at three per cent in the polls and the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's at 97 per cent, together they have a 100 per cent mandate to make peace. (Wow. Just, wow)
~"When we are strong, we just spit on them," says Alon Liel, the ex-director general of Israel's foreign ministry. (referring to how Israel treats other states. No wonder Israel has such a hard time making friends with its neighbors)
~Iran has the world's second largest known oil reserves and second largest natural gas reserves but imports more than 40 per cent of its gasoline. (Um... wtf?)
~On 27 June, having only five weeks earlier hiked the price of gasoline from the equivalent of USD0.08 to USD0.11 per litre, Iran decided to delay for a month the launching of the long-awaited first phase of a plan to ration the sale of subsidised gasoline, but then abruptly reversed course. (8 and 11 CENTS?! I'm pretty sure people would committ mass murder in the States for gas prices like that. And I know litres are different from gallons, but that's still cheap (for America anyway). It was much more expensive when I was in Japan in '05. The article makes it sound like that is expensive in Iran though (which I don't doubt))
And that's all the fun facts for today kiddies. As I research today, I might come up with more later. Oh, and FYI, most of this info came from Jane's, which is an intelligence and defense publication. You can check them out at http://www.janes.com/ (and I really suggest it, especially as a place for info on future papers some of you might have to write. If my internship company, a governement defense contractor, trusts their info, I'd say that means it's good stuff). The facts relating to Japan come from an article in the NY Times from 7/24.
Now for the facts/thoughts that aren't related to what I was discussing above (there are still some non-fandom ones first):
~The fact that the Bush governement boycotted the Palestinian governement when Haamas took control in DEMOCRATIC elections. (Yeah, it's old news, but it just pisses me off so much. Fucking hypocrits going back on their word because things didn't turn out like they expected).
~A guy recently got off for child rape because a translator for his native language could not be found and a judge deemed it was impeding on his right to a speedy trial. (That's just fucking worng. You teach the man sign language or use pictures if that's the case. The judge who allowed this is a moron. I'm all for prisoner's rights (for the most part. Sometimes I think they have it too easy), but this is just ridiculous)
~I hate how time goes slowly when you are waiting for something, especially lunch. >.<;
~I've been reading a lot more about Japanese atrocities and war crimes from WWII, and 0-o OMFG holy crap! I knew they were bad, but I didn't know they were that bad. Apparently, medical researchers would conduct experiments on POWs that involved cutting off their limbs one at a time without anestheisa until only the head and torso were left. Also, cannibalism was sometimes practiced by Japanese soldiers. Yikes.
~Gen. McArthur (or is it MacArthur? Can't remember at the moment), may have been a good war leader, but he was a dick, especially regarding policy. I've got nothing against the royal family of Japan or anything, but it pisses me off that McArthur went out of his way to exonarate the family of any war crimes when it was clear that Hirohito had authorized some pretty horrible stuff.
~Does anybody else know anything about the American-Philippine war? Thanks to some chatting with Kring, I did some research. Don't hear much about that one in our history books, and I can see why. The Philippines isn't the only place we colonized though. We so colonized Hawaii, but we decided to make it a state instead of give back its sovereignty.
~I've been realy cold lately, and I'm not sure why. I even slept with the heat on in my room last night.
~My Middle East and Africa geograpy is HORRIBLE. I always end up flipping the countries in the middle east for some reason. I really need to improve this.
~So, book 7 was good stuff up until the end. I thought the epilogue was garbage. It felt like JK Rowling just stole it from a cheesy fanfic she found online. I think she could have done soooo much better. I was really expecting her to go a few days, months, or a year ahead at most.
~JK = Watase Yuu when it comes to killing off charas. Fred Weasley so did not need to die. And killing Hedwig? What was up with that? Snape I expected, though I still cried. Colin Creevy was an interesting kill (I put it up to showing the horrors of war). Dobby made me sad too, though I think it was a good death for him.
~Am I the only one who thinks we were kind of shafted on the Regulus backstory? I didn't get why he betrayed Voldie.
~The SnapexLily relation also seemed like something out of a fic, though I think JK did it well.
~Major props for having some minor charas kicking ass! Neville totally pwned. I originally would have perferred him killing Bellatrix, but now I think that it's kind of good that he didn't. It doesn't seem in chara for him. And Mrs. Weasley doing it was so awesome. And points for the Oliver Wood guset appearance. Made me so happy. And Draco's mom is freaking awesome (as is Draco). Kreacher kicked ass too. Go house elves. Oh, and Luna. I love Luna. I was sad she and Neville didn't get the hookup though.
~A lot of the kids got stupid names. I liked Albus Severus though. :)
~The chapter where Harry chats with Dumbledore was one of the best, IMHO.
~Where was Crookshanks? Did he die in book six and I'm blanking about it?
~Dumbledore was a bit of a dick, yes?
~I also loved the scene where Harry had the stone and the Sirius, James, Lily, and Lupin showed up. The end of that chapter was also quite awesome.
~Did Voldie seem really stupid in this book, or was it just me? I know his cockiness is supposed to be one of his flaws and all, but he was somewhat Stormtrooper-esqe the way he acted in these books. I expected better than him.
~That whole "who owns the elder wand" thing at the end was confusing as hell.
~"I loathe people who say, 'I always read the ending of the book first.' That really irritates me," she said. It's like someone coming to dinner, just opening the fridge and eating pudding, while you're standing there still working on the starter. It's not on." -- JK (Oh JK, you own lol)
~I really, REALLY hope JK comes out with that HP encyclopedia she mentioned when talking to Meredith Viera. That would probably end up being my fav HP book (after book three anyway. I so love book three).
~I still can't believe it's over. So very strange. I'm more ok with it that I thought I would be though.
~Go read Sally Forth from this week (monday and tuesday) if you want a funny reaction to the end of HP (it's basically the daughter freaking out about it).
~I think movie seven will be awesome.
~I read Mezi's entry about meeting fellow J-Rock fans at Otakon. Sadly, I wasn't surprised that there were bitchy fans there. I thought the JE meetup was kind of stupid. We didn't really talk about JE at all. We sat around in silence a good portion of the time, and the girls who seemed to be in charge talked more about AAA than JE (it seemed to me). Sadly, I felt like it was a waste of time and was very dull. I did make friends with two of the girls though, so that was kind of cool.
~The more I read celeb gossip from Japan, the more disturbed I become. The kind of things that happen in Japan and America are different (ie. you don't hear as often about underage stars getting caught drinking/doing drugs in Japan and, if they do, they get badly punised), but things that happen are equally disturbing.
~I wonder how many JE boys really do have STIs...
~It really bothers me that there are a number of JE boys who didn't finish HS (like, most of K8...). What do they plan on doing after JE? Not everyone can be a Kimutaku and be that popular that long. (Can you tell I'm very pro-education? I think a lack of education is a major part of what is wrong with so much of the world today. And I think that's why I'm becoming more fond of Shige, him going to college to study law and all, and supposedly being known for studying a lot and enjoying it)
~Speaking of Shige, his Myojo essays and J-webs are fascinating (and the people who translate them are amazing. They put it in really good sounding english). I think Shige is a good writer and would love to chat with him about writing (he writes one of his J-webs from the POV of his cat that is travelling the world. Very creative in my opinion. And some of his essays have really thoughtful topics).
~I wonder if the stories about there being lots of cheating at Meiji (the school Yamapi is going to and Koyama graduated from) is true. Anybody know where I can find out more about this? I'm going to google it later. Also, does anyone know for sure if it's true that YamaPi dropped out? I'm curious, mainly because it would really change my opinion of him if he did.
~"Chirarizumu" (Shige + Koyama's duet) = 0-o And I though Jin was the only one in JE who could get away with saying those kinds of things, and that was only 'cause he said them in English.
~Anybody have any (preferably translated) articles about KAT-TUN being major pricks? I've heard lots of rumors to this effect lately, but I'd actually like to read something for myself.
That's all the ponderings I can think of for the moment. Going back to research now. Otakon update later today, I swear. :)