... in which I thought you came here to dance
Brilliant Hitchiker's Guide/Dr Who fic makes me happy. So does The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, which is a brilliant idea if somewhat too Western-focused at the moment. Ways to explain things and make them more understandable to more people are a very good thing.
Unlike this story, the very idea of which is freaking me out. The whole concept behind it is something so alien to me... "good, commonsense, anti-crime issue" aside (though I'd like to point out that when satirical songs make better arguments than you, it generally fucking means something), but making gun control about "I shouldn't have to retreat"?! I mean, what the freaking fuck?! What happened to 'making it so less people get shot'? Brrrr.
It's the exact same really disturbing competitiveness found all over the place in US culture - from the crazy obsession with high school football, which still confuses the hell out of me, to proms. Like, do Americans know that Brits (and, from my experience, people of most other nationalities) never get told their 'class position'? The idea that millions of people get told "there are seven people who you must beat to be the best", every day for years, means some stuff suddenly makes sense, but in a bad way.
In a similar vein, some of you might remember how there was this whole big hoo-hah about a memo which said that the whole Terri Schiavo thing was a big coup for the Republicans because they could concentrate on that instead of the important things. You might also remember how the Republicans went on about how it was a plant by the Democrats, nothing to do with them at all. Well, guess who just admitted writing it? Yeah. Funny, I'm not that surprised either. Actually, I'm getting major deja vu.
OK, happier things: pretty pictures. angua9 in particular and anyone else who likes Pirates of the Caribbean, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom or Johnny Depp - have you seen these?
In other news, I have one exam done (who thought 7pm exams were a good idea anyway?), one to go next week, with one take-home to write. Half my stuff's in bags and boxes. Crazy shit, yo. As well as most unfair: something in the vast array of paperwork necessary for the whole exchange programme dealie should totally warn you that it's just as you actually start to settle in and feel properly able to appreciate the new culture that they kick you out. Pah, I say, pah. Though I suppose it's probably just a further part of Canada's evil plan to force me to come back regularly.
Unlike this story, the very idea of which is freaking me out. The whole concept behind it is something so alien to me... "good, commonsense, anti-crime issue" aside (though I'd like to point out that when satirical songs make better arguments than you, it generally fucking means something), but making gun control about "I shouldn't have to retreat"?! I mean, what the freaking fuck?! What happened to 'making it so less people get shot'? Brrrr.
It's the exact same really disturbing competitiveness found all over the place in US culture - from the crazy obsession with high school football, which still confuses the hell out of me, to proms. Like, do Americans know that Brits (and, from my experience, people of most other nationalities) never get told their 'class position'? The idea that millions of people get told "there are seven people who you must beat to be the best", every day for years, means some stuff suddenly makes sense, but in a bad way.
In a similar vein, some of you might remember how there was this whole big hoo-hah about a memo which said that the whole Terri Schiavo thing was a big coup for the Republicans because they could concentrate on that instead of the important things. You might also remember how the Republicans went on about how it was a plant by the Democrats, nothing to do with them at all. Well, guess who just admitted writing it? Yeah. Funny, I'm not that surprised either. Actually, I'm getting major deja vu.
OK, happier things: pretty pictures. angua9 in particular and anyone else who likes Pirates of the Caribbean, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom or Johnny Depp - have you seen these?
In other news, I have one exam done (who thought 7pm exams were a good idea anyway?), one to go next week, with one take-home to write. Half my stuff's in bags and boxes. Crazy shit, yo. As well as most unfair: something in the vast array of paperwork necessary for the whole exchange programme dealie should totally warn you that it's just as you actually start to settle in and feel properly able to appreciate the new culture that they kick you out. Pah, I say, pah. Though I suppose it's probably just a further part of Canada's evil plan to force me to come back regularly.