I am continually disappointed with the way news broadcasts prioritize stories. Stories that are important take a second to prolonged reporting of something sensationalized to the point of non-coverage. (This was especially prevalent in late 2001 to the point that TV news was no longer watchable.)
Today, a reporter cut off an environmental expert discussing the harms of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge so that they could report on the recent trend of barbie butchery in childhood play. Now if they had added some sort of meaningful analysis about why I should care about tortured toys, be it Mattel's reaction or the impact on childhood development, that would be one thing. But nope. Just that Barbies are being mistreated.
They truncated the report about why we should care about the Porcupine Caribou, why the Representative from Alaska could get away with piggy-backing his unrelated ANWR-killing oil-drilling bill onto the defense spending bill, and why we should all cry a little on the inside for the triumph of six months worth of oil over thousands of species and pristine arctic beauty for what? To hear about the maiming, burning, torturing, and occasional microwaving of a 46-year old plastic symbol of lowered self-esteem?
Who knew, some part of me does like hugging trees.
1 exam and 6 days to go!
12.18.2005
Exams and no TV make Sharon go something something
Go crazy?
Don't mind if I do.
That's why in the case of Studying v. Watching Simpsons Reruns Inc., [2005] 12 S.O.A. 15, the defendant's use of the following line made me laugh:
I think at some point I started to ponder how things fit into one's brain. mmm... Synapses
7 days!
Don't mind if I do.
That's why in the case of Studying v. Watching Simpsons Reruns Inc., [2005] 12 S.O.A. 15, the defendant's use of the following line made me laugh:
That D.U.I. is a She-U.I.
I think at some point I started to ponder how things fit into one's brain. mmm... Synapses
7 days!
12.15.2005
Surreal space monkeys redefined
So I was at this place tonight for this thing and this octogenarian with whom I was conversing (about baths and Ireland, Yay 10 days!!!) gets completely distracted by a 16 or 17 year old in a kilt. She then proceeds to gush about guys in kilts. Apparently after WWII she and her mom went to see the troops on parade. When she saw the Scots marching with "their pipes and their kilts and sporen swaying" she decided that that was the only way she would ever go to war; apparently otherwise she'd pretend to play dead the second her foot touched foreign soil. The narrative was interrupted every time kilt-boy walked by and she stared and gawked.
Oddly, that was a lot less surreal than the conversation with a delightful 40-year old.
I think these exam things are making me loopy.
Oddly, that was a lot less surreal than the conversation with a delightful 40-year old.
I think these exam things are making me loopy.
12.10.2005
Why are you dreaming of a White Christmas?
It has been beautiful in Edmonton for the last few days. The annoying minus sign that my car had been displaying in front of the double digit temperature has disappeared, I've learned that if one is too lazy to shovel the driveway the snow will melt off on its own, and my winter coat is once again on where it belongs - deep inside my closet.
What is the North American obsession with having a white Christmas? In most of the world (especially the parts where people actually should be living, rather than this winter hinterland), there is no snow during Christmas and there is especially no snow in Bethlehem. Obviously, snow is not an integral part of Christmas. In fact, the thought of living in a sub-zero environment might lead people to be increasingly grumpy. One's Christmas spirit suffers when your car won't start, it takes hours to drive anywhere, and you can rarely feel your fingers and toes. So why do people want a white Christmas? Let's leave the snow for penguins and polar bears and crazy explorers that end up dying or eating each other.
Although, in the US, church groups are starting to boycott companies that wish people a happy holidays instead of a Merry Christmas, because they now seem to support the commercialization of Christmas that they had once fought so vehemently. Perhaps the integral elements of the holiday are quickly changing and perhaps in North America people cannot enjoy the thought of gathering around a garishly decorated tree without the presence of snow outside.
Either way, the nicer weather makes for a nicer Channukah.
Only 15 more days til Dublin!!!
As I walked outside the other day, I remarked about the general amicableness of the unseasonably warm weather: Nice weather, eh?
To which my friend responded: "Unpleasantly so."
What??? How is 8 degrees Celsius in the middle of December unpleasant?
"The snow is all melting away and it will ruin Christmas."
What is the North American obsession with having a white Christmas? In most of the world (especially the parts where people actually should be living, rather than this winter hinterland), there is no snow during Christmas and there is especially no snow in Bethlehem. Obviously, snow is not an integral part of Christmas. In fact, the thought of living in a sub-zero environment might lead people to be increasingly grumpy. One's Christmas spirit suffers when your car won't start, it takes hours to drive anywhere, and you can rarely feel your fingers and toes. So why do people want a white Christmas? Let's leave the snow for penguins and polar bears and crazy explorers that end up dying or eating each other.
Although, in the US, church groups are starting to boycott companies that wish people a happy holidays instead of a Merry Christmas, because they now seem to support the commercialization of Christmas that they had once fought so vehemently. Perhaps the integral elements of the holiday are quickly changing and perhaps in North America people cannot enjoy the thought of gathering around a garishly decorated tree without the presence of snow outside.
Either way, the nicer weather makes for a nicer Channukah.
Only 15 more days til Dublin!!!
12.07.2005
Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species - these are the hierarchy
I think I've been in law school too long.
I have started to classify people as being pre-charter or post-charter.
I am discriminating between them based on this distinction.
The irony is delicious.
I have started to classify people as being pre-charter or post-charter.
I am discriminating between them based on this distinction.
The irony is delicious.
12.06.2005
12.03.2005
Alien stream of consciousness
I wonder how many times a day someone googles "proof of aliens" or "proof that aliens exist" or some similar phrase. If they want proof, they should attend a bridal shower.
Bridal showers don't make sense. You already get the couple a wedding gift (fair enough, weddings tend to be big events/milestones/celebrations/reasons to give gifts), you may even get them an engagement gift (ok, so there's nothing wrong with rewarding people for agreeing to a commitment that statistically is 50% likely to fail), but a bridal shower gift? How many gifts can you get someone for one event? Does the bride really need to be showered with gifts yet again? And how much more can people be joyful for two people they don't even really know? Stupid Hallmark. Yes that's right, I blame Hallmark.
I think I'd be a lot less mad at Hallmark if they created cards for events that are more essential for the fundamental underpinnings of a democratic society, rather than silly unnecessary events like bridal showers.
Imagine if Hallmark made an election line of cards like "happy voting day" or "happy election campaign season" cards, or "at least you get to vote" cards, or "my condolences for the choice of candidates you have this year" cards. I could definitely use a few of those, poor Calgary-West.
I guess the problem with this round of federal elections is that we still have to vote for one of the current parties. Would it be wrong to vote on some arbitrary aspect of the candidates, like shoe size or hair colour or something? At least that way I won't have any expectations for the resulting parliament.
Bridal showers don't make sense. You already get the couple a wedding gift (fair enough, weddings tend to be big events/milestones/celebrations/reasons to give gifts), you may even get them an engagement gift (ok, so there's nothing wrong with rewarding people for agreeing to a commitment that statistically is 50% likely to fail), but a bridal shower gift? How many gifts can you get someone for one event? Does the bride really need to be showered with gifts yet again? And how much more can people be joyful for two people they don't even really know? Stupid Hallmark. Yes that's right, I blame Hallmark.
I think I'd be a lot less mad at Hallmark if they created cards for events that are more essential for the fundamental underpinnings of a democratic society, rather than silly unnecessary events like bridal showers.
Imagine if Hallmark made an election line of cards like "happy voting day" or "happy election campaign season" cards, or "at least you get to vote" cards, or "my condolences for the choice of candidates you have this year" cards. I could definitely use a few of those, poor Calgary-West.
I guess the problem with this round of federal elections is that we still have to vote for one of the current parties. Would it be wrong to vote on some arbitrary aspect of the candidates, like shoe size or hair colour or something? At least that way I won't have any expectations for the resulting parliament.
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