bad romance

[grey_damaskena]

Huzzah, it's a somewhat coherent article on US-China relations! Somewhat. Equating "the USA" with "the West" is not at all accurate, for one thing. If you mean the USA, say the USA! If you mean "the West," which generally means western European countries + the USA + Canada and Australia (kinda sorta sometimes when American writers remember that

Comments

[cairnsy]

I think the term 'the West' should be locked in a box and dropped to the bottom of the ocean. It doesn't even make geographical sense, and there is just way too much variation amongst the countries to be even remotely viable. The term doesn't really say 'us' but more 'not those guys we don't like'.

Heh. I'm a terrible, terrible speller but I always excelled at spelling tests at school. Give me a list of words and I can memorise them for the test, just don't expect me to retain that information afterward.

The lightning is so, so awesome. I always feel a leeetle bit twitchy when a volcano goes up somewhere, though. There are over 50 volcanoes in Auckland, and while they're currently dormant, I can't help but eye them suspiciously when they're active elsewhere in either New Zealand or the world. They're planning something, I just know it.

[grey_damaskena]

Ah, yes, the joys of setting up shop on the ring of fire. ::wry:: Kinda like moving in next to a munitions dump.

[grey_damaskena]

Ah, thankee much for the link! I will add it to my list of resources. I'm glad that it works with romanji . . . the "n" key on my keyboard is broken, and it makes it impossible to type in Japanese. :-(

I am impressed with your l33tness, though. JLPT1? Kick ass!

[grey_damaskena]

It kinda bites, but I borrowed a friend's computer to use when absolutely necessary. Plus I can go to the internet cafe if it's urgent enough, or use the computer at work.

I'm taking N3 in July . . . maybe N2 in December, if I'm feeling rich and suicidal. ;-) Well, it was supposed to be the N2 this year, but I thought I should maybe take a test I have a shot at passing.

[animegoil]

Oh wow, what cool links you posted ^_^ Love the eruption pictures, those are breathtaking. And I had no idea Apple was doing all that so... blatantly

[grey_damaskena]

Well, as you see from the replies to the post, you can either accept it or not, excuse it as a well-known fact or not, say that the benefits outweigh the detractions, claim that "everyone else is doing it," etc. Me, I find it irritating beyond measure, so.

::laughs:: "Would you like _________?" seems like such a basic question that we never really think about how potentially confusing it is, eh?

I did enjoy watching Alice, but story-wise it could have used a bit more oomph, it's true. ::sighs:: Well! I made up for it with two awesome movies yesterday, so!

[subsiding_leaf]

Can't join in the bemoaning of kanji, since that's actually the part that makes Japanese a billion times easier than it would be otherwise, for me

[grey_damaskena]

curse you and your l337 bilingual skillz! ::dies of jealousy::

I haven't heard "the East" since I moved out of scholarly academic circles. ::scratches head:: Hm. That bears thinking about.

As for the mention of China in Alice, it was only once at the very end, so I don't think it really spoils the movie. It just made the ending seem a little off to me, is all.

Belonging vs. not belonging . . . if anything I would say that Alice belonged more in Wonderland, a place where she was accepted and valued for being who she was and the way she was. Whereas in the Real World she was a worry to her mother and sister, an economic opportunity to the money-hungry, and generally misunderstood and unappreciated by the people around her. Apparently the only person who accepted her for exactly who she was, was her father . . .

[hawkwolf]

Oooh, Volcano pics I haven't seen!

Have some more found by some of my artist friends -
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html
http://siggidori.posterous.com/cracks-of-doom-eyjafjallajokull-volcano-erupt
http://ow.ly/1zM8R
http://img.visir.is/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=XZ&Date=20100416&Category=FRETTIR01&ArtNo=66549808&Ref=AR&NoBorder

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ice-cold/4497761488/

So pretty, but it totally ruined two of my friends' trips to Japan. They're both located in Europe and couldn't fly out. Both were really upset because they had theatre tickets for The Dawn at Solferino/Carnevale: A Sleeping Dream which closes today (yesterday? I'm sucky at time zone conversion), and is Ayabuki Mao's last Takarazuka show.

So pretty pictures, but sucky timing.

[grey_damaskena]

Nature is AWESOME. For serious. Thankee for the pics!

Yeah, the air traffic shutdown of Europe sucked a lot for a whole lot of people. "Man proposes, God disposes" is probably the relevant expression. Or less reverently, "shit happens." Or Murphy's law. Take your pick . . .