:: Pedantic Platitudes ::

:: Wednesday, September 28, 2005 ::

Those still asking the "blame-the-victim" question about Hurricane Katrina’s victims - "They had warning, why didn’t they leave?" - should read John Scalzi’s wrenching blog post Being Poor

A sample:

Being poor is knowing exactly how much everything costs.

Being poor is coming back to the car with your children in the back seat, clutching that box of Raisin Bran you just bought and trying to think of a way to make the kids understand that the box has to last.

Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is a really good deal.

Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually lazy.

Being poor is people who have never been poor wondering why you "choose" to be so.

Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.

Being poor is seeing how few options you have.

Being poor is running in place.

Being poor is people wondering why you didn't leave.

:: SL 12:14 AM [+] ::
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It's really sad when some people actually blame the victims of Hurricane Katrina for not exercising "personal responsibility" by getting out of the way of the storm.

What they don't realize is that some people were too poor to get out. Some didn't have cars and could not afford a bus ticket out of the area. This was readily apparent to anyone who watched the news or has a basic understanding of American society (the fact that there are many people living in poverty), but some ignorant people blame those suffering right now from the effects of the hurricane by saying things like "They should have been responsible for themselves and gotten out of there" or "It's their own fault for not evacuating," which is basically like saying "It's their fault for being poor."

A little like kicking people when they're down, eh? Sheesh. And then they go on to praise and defend Bush when even he took responsibility and admitted himself that the government under his leadership didn't "fully do its job right." It's one thing to be conservative when you actually have some semblance of an educated and logical argument, but sadly too many are "conservative" because they are just ignorant and misinformed.

But I guess when one is so busy having fancy dinners at country clubs and being lavished with expensive jewelry by a rich significant other, it's easy to become a selfish right-wing nutjob and forget or ignore people who are suffering in poverty.

Quote of the Day: "Yeah, I want to go to Irac [actual spelling] and kill people!!!"

:: SL 11:25 PM [+] ::
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Today, I went to have tea at Lowell House. It was great just like always, with aromatic chai tea, fresh fruits, little sandwiches with the crust cut off, and sweet treats like cookies, fudge, and bread pudding.

Today is the autumnal equinox, so my friends and I got a raw egg from the dining hall and got it to balance on the table at the exact moment that the north and south poles are equidistant from the sun. One can get an egg to balance at the equinox in the spring and in the fall because of physics; it doesn't really happen any other time of the year. It was really cool to see. I joked that it seemed that our experiencing this happening at this exact moment of the year and only at that exact moment of the year (well, besides the spring equinox) would cause us to be sucked into an alternate universe. (UPDATE: Or not... apparently eggs can balance any other time of the year and it has nothing to do with physics... Thanks for the link, Alex!)

Speaking of the dining hall, today they served this spinach-filled flaky pastry that was called Spankotopia or something like that. I thought it sounded like the name of a place and wondered what it would be like to be from that place: "Hi, I'm from Spankotopia!"

Quote of the Day: "Does it scare you when I quack?"

:: SL 4:44 PM [+] ::
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AUGH!!!

I am a terrible person. I suck at life!!!

:: SL 5:55 PM [+] ::
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Shiver me timbers, it's International Talk Like A Pirate Day!!! Arrrrrgh!

Time for pirate jokes!

What was the new pirate movie rated?
Arrrrr!!!

Why was the pirate wearing a heavy coat?
Because he was in the Arrrrrtic!

What is a pirate's favorite restaurant?
Arrrrrby's!

A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel affixed to his crotch.
The puzzled bartender sees this and asks, "Why do you have a steering wheel affixed to your crotch?"
The pirate replies: "Arrrrrgh, it's driving me nuts!!!"

Strangely enough, my high school mascot was a pirate, which, when you actually think about it, isn't exactly the best role model for young people. Hey kids, let's steal, rape, and destroy everything we see!!!

:: SL 1:54 PM [+] ::
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So I had an enjoyable summer; working as a reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer was such a wonderful experience. I got to meet lots of important people and cover international news events. Then Europe was great; Oxford is an amazing place and the colleges there are just beautiful. I learned a great deal about evolutionary biology and the history behind the science, and it made me even more saddened how backwards the US is in allowing religious fervor to trump rational scientific thought in ridiculous "debates" on evolution. I think if people who don't accept evolution sat down and actually learned a little bit about the overwhelming evidence behind evolution, they just might realize that Darwin knew what he was talking about.

For my last two weeks in Europe, I spent time in Paris, went on a grand tour of England, and went on a day trip to France/Belgium. Right after my course at Oxford ended, I packed up and took the bus to London, where I took the Eurostar train to Paris! What a beautiful city. One of my classmates who is from Paris was really nice and allowed me to stay at her place, which was conveniently located near the Arc de Triomphe and the subway.

On my first day in Paris, I did the least French thing I could do in France, which was to go to Disneyland Paris. I wanted to go there first because it was the last day in the summer/year they would be offering their "Fantillusion!" nighttime light parade and their version of the "Wishes" fireworks spectacular. Disneyland Paris was tons of fun. I enjoyed comparing their versions of classic Disney rides with the other Disney parks I've visited. Because it opened in 1992, Disneyland Paris utilizes a lot of new technological innovations that weren't available when Disneyland opened in 1955. Their version of the Haunted Mansion (called Phantom Manor) has a more defined storyline (narrated in French!). Their Pirates of the Caribbean is more elaborate on several levels. Also, their Space Mountain goes upside down three times! It had just undergone a major refurbishment this past winter and reopened with new special effects and a new soundtrack, so that was cool to experience.

The next day, I went to the Louvre and saw many famous art and historical pieces, including the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo, and the Code of Hammurabi. The museum is huge, and even at the fast pace I was going I still barely scratched the surface. After the museum closed, I walked along the River Seine and visited Notre Dame and the surrounding area. After some shopping and eating (I had a baguette sandwich and then for dessert a delicious crepe with Nutella and bananas - a strange combination, and I was doubtful at first, I'll admit, but the flavors really worked together), I walked to the Eiffel Tower, so emblematic of Paris. It's lit up so marvelously at night, and every hour strobe lights on the tower create a magical sparkling effect. Also, it was wonderful to see Parisians enjoying the evening and having a picnic and wine in front of the tower and also on the bridge over the Seine near Notre Dame.

In my last day in Paris, my friend and I went to the Arc de Triomphe and went to the observatory at the very top. It provided such a lovely view of the city. I got some really nice pictures which I’ll have to post at some time. I then strolled down the famous Champs-Élysées, enjoying French pastries, drinks, and the warm summer sun. It was a perfect end to my time in Paris.

I got back to England and finished some assignments on which we had received extensions. I then was taken on a grand driving tour of the UK, with stops at Stonehenge (nice rocks piled up), Bath (the Romans used to bathe here), Cardiff (Wales) (everything here is in Welsh! But there’s a nice castle and natural history museum in the middle of town), the Welsh countryside (green mountains), Edinburgh (Scotland) (cool castle to explore in the middle of town, beautiful buildings, fun bus tour to see some of the city), Newcastle (cool bridges and castle), the Yorkshire Moors (cool countryside and native plants), and Alton (Alton Towers, the Six Flags of England with intense roller coasters).

Then onto a day trip to France to see Lille (nice Parisian town) and Ostend in Belgium (nice seaside community and fun beach, no Belgian chocolates, alas) and back to the small seaside community of Selsey, England for one last day in England before coming back to the US Saturday morning. I have tons of stories from England, which I am too lazy to write all out here, so if you see me in person, do ask me about them!

Some notes:

Pan au chocolate (chocolate croissant) is a tasty treat.
It’s hard to get around France when you can’t speak French.
Castles are cool.
Punting on the river in Oxford is fun.
I did drink English tea while in England, but I didn’t have the full experience with watercress sandwiches, scones, and cream tea.

Quote of the Day: "Like, I'm on birth control, he wears a condom, AND he pulls out... if I get pregnant, like, it will TOTALLY be an act of god!!!"

:: SL 12:00 AM [+] ::
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"I Have To Deal With Something Racial Every Day"

Me: "May I have some tea?"
"Yes, but I'm sorry, we don't have green tea."
"Huh? Oh, any tea is fine."
"Oh, I just thought you would only drink green tea because you're Asian."

Quote of the Day: "This is what we call eco-porn."

:: SL 10:54 PM [+] ::
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Oh, Europe...

I've only been back in the US for a day and I'm already missing everything across the Atlantic. I'm back at school now, getting ready to start my senior year!!! It's so weird to think that I'm going to be a college graduate by the end of this school year.

I finally posted my pictures from my time in Oxford online: http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~sjlin/Oxford/
I can only leave them online for two weeks, though, because there are so many large files.

:: SL 4:49 PM [+] ::
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