Yay! I'm done with papers! I finished yesterday, so today, I reviewed them again and printed them out. They now await the turning in stage. Right now, everyone else is freaking out and trying to finish papers as most are due tomorrow or Tuesday. Anyway, I'll tell you a story ... of a boy named Mark:
Saturday
I woke up about 9 o'clock in a very weird state (North Dakota). I thought I heard the fire alarm go off, but when I awoke and could, you know ... grasp anything at all ..., the sound stopped. So there I was ... very confused. On one hand, the fire alarm may have just gone off, but on the other, it could have been a police car. On another hand (hold on I need to find an octopus), it may have been my imagination. So I'm standing in the middle of my room, confused, and I decided to go find out what happened. First, I think if it was the fire alarm I should have heard it and it should still be going. Second, it doesn't seem as though there are any noises coming from the hall, meaning no one is moving. So then I think the alarm must have been going off for awhile, and therefore, everyone had already left. Slowly, I put on some shorts and a t-shirt to walk out into the hall. I see nothing. So what do I do? I go back to sleep. It doesn't make any sense, and when I woke up, I was even more confused because I didn't even know if any of that even happened. Maybe it was a dream. Come to find out later, they had tested the fire alarm, which only needed to find out that it worked. Therefore, I did hear it, am not crazy, and made the right decision to go back to bed. Then, I had to figure out what to do, and luckily, I found Jon F. We decided to get some lunch eventually, and on the way, we found Matt to come with us. We went to Pizza Express which was okay but not the same as American pizza (even though I had the "American Pizza" -- which was just pepperoni). Matt and I then walking through High Street, where all the shopping is. Matt was looking for a tweed blazer as it is the quintessential "Oxford thing." We walked around for about four hours, went through numerous shops, and found nothing (well, nothing under ₤100 at least). Finally, we ended up at Blackwell's looking through books and getting some hot chocolate. For dinner, Matt, John J, and I didn't really know what to do. Dinner has been a little dodgy at times, but we didn't know what they were having. Once we found out, we decided the Opium Den would be a better choice. It was. Actually, it was really good (itch, scratch, need another fix) and wasn't really expensive. I had the sweet and sour chicken to compare with Chinese food in the States, and this was better. It was actually really good. We are thinking about going again (itch, scratch, need another fix). Later, we worked on some papers and hung out in Matt's room (I know we seem to do this quite a bit, but we actually have quite a bit of fun, although explaining the conversations would be incriminating). Around 11, we decided to go to Hassan's which is this street vendor-in-a-van that sells kebobs and chips. I got the chicken and cheese chips which were really good. This isn't the first trip we've made to the man at this point, and we always get the same reaction. We order our food, he cooks it, and then he attempts to give us sauce for our food (It's free. Seriously, no charge. Don't you want some garlic mayonnaise? Ketchup? Spicy tomato sauce?). You have to be stern with him. The first time, we wavered, and he won. This time, we held our ground. You would have been proud. Then, we went back up to the room, and I went to bed shortly thereafter. Because ...
Sunday
I had to get up early for Warwick. We left about 10, and there were only 20 of us. The rest I believe were writing/sleeping/both. I hung out with Jill Abney (the teacher in the ESU program with us) and Kelvin (the student assistant), who I finally understand. Warwick is really cool (pictures should be up in a minute), but there isn't much to do. We walked on the ramparts, the mound, saw some armor, some torture instruments, and a trebuchet. All of which were really neat. I was slightly disappointed with the torture instruments because there were only three, and I hoped there would be a few more (I wonder how many scientific discoveries have been made because people tried to find the most effective torture technique). There was also a ghost tour, which was only about 10 minutes long. The entire time before, I was thinking back to Disney World when I was younger. It has a haunted house attraction. At first, I was excited, but then after the first room, I went in to panic mode. I remember a train ride through some area with mirrors, and I just completely freaked. This time was much better. Except, there was a group of 13 year old Spanish girls that shrieked during the entire thing, and I have no idea what the story was. There were some really good wax sculptures throughout the castle, and so we were supposed to think the figures were wax (some were). At the opportune time, they jumped out to scare everyone. There was always one in the corner hiding. Kelvin and I always seemed to be the last ones out of the room, and they always breathed "You're next" onto Kelvin's neck. By the end, Kelvin just said, "Thanks mate" and left. After walking around for a few hours and walking up many, many steps and most of them were in a cramped, spiral staircase, we were fairly tired. The bus left at 4, and I took a nap. When we got back, I printed out my papers and went to dinner. We had a tomato soup (which tasted like Chef Boyardee sauce that is on the ravioli), roast with Yorkshire pudding and broccoli (very good), and then a terribly unappetizing-looking dessert that was pretty good (it was an apple crumble we come to find out, but it looked more like an octopus). Now, I sit here typing this, and I think we are going to possibly try going to a pub if people finish papers. Otherwise, we will probably have some tea in Matt's room. The plan for this upcoming week is to be a bit more adventurous.
Observations:
- The money (as in paper money) is not the same size through the denominations. Twenties are bigger than tens, and tens are bigger than fives. They aren't uniform like American money, and I find that strange. No one can explain that to me.
- Bus drivers really do drive like the one in Harry Potter on the Knight Bus. In and out, over and under. We almost hit a cyclist and a pole, but fortunately, the driver seemed to have everything under control.
- The porters are our friend. They will do anything for you. They have sent my mail, helped me find my keys (they were on his desk ... long story), gave me laundry tokens, and, today, let me use the stapler. They are very helpful.
- British people think we're funny, but we're not allowed to think they're funny.
- The British are not Europeans (little did I know, but they don't want to be associated with Europe).
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Pictures (Around Oxford with a Guide)
In the presence of brilliance -- where Tolkien and Lewis hung out and wrote some inconsequential stuff.
Oh the humanity!
Now, we know where Coleridge hung out.
Where Bill Clinton smoked but not inhaled.
I swear I'm standing in the sunshine, but it appears that armageddon is on its way.
What does this fortress protect? Books. Lots of books. Close to ten million different books to be more exact. This is the Bodleian Library, and it receives every new book published in the British Isles (even pornography).
... or in case of curiosity.
The secret passageway!
Hogwarts ... I mean the Hall.
St. Mary the Virgin Church (the official Oxford church)
Oriel College's dining hall. Cecil Rhodes, of the Rhodes Scholarship, is in the middle. University College didn't want him, so Oriel College accepted him and is now benefiting from his immense fortune.
Mr. Bodley (the man who donated the money for the Bodleian Library)
James I's queen lived here during her time. They cut a hole in the wall in order to allow her to walk directly to the high table in the Hall in Merton (I think) College.
So That's What I Took a Picture Of
It's about 11:30 here on Saturday morning, and I'm goofing off before Jon F and I go to find lunch somewhere. Hopefully, I'll finish my last paper this afternoon as I only have about a paragraph and half left (including the conclusion). I never know how my papers will turn out. It all makes sense in my head, but I worry that it won't make sense to other people. When we have our conferences next Friday, I half expect the teacher to say, "This is probably the worst paper I have ever seen!" I doubt that will happen, but you get my point. I went through and found the information, wrote the paper, and edited it, so it should be okay. However, I like to worry (well, not "like" but "have to") about just about everything. All in all, I only need a decent grade for the credit, but I'm a perfectionist and won't be happy unless I get an A, a pat on the back, and an award of some kind.
Friday
I woke up about 9:30 in order to shave. Then, I meandered downstairs to the lecture room for the lecture. This time, Dr. Almond, my Cold War teacher, gave the lecture on Regime Change in Europe. I finally figured out what the problem has been. He really is boring. Not really boring, but he doesn't speak very loudly or forcefully at any point. He is incredibly intelligent with a lot of good stories about being in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, but his voice will just put you to sleep. Matt and a few others made the same comment, so I guess that might be the problem. Anyway, the lecture was pretty good, but it was essentially the same thing we heard in our first class. Governments taking over needed to keep some of their enemy's officials in power in order to make a smooth transition. The best part may have been his comparison with the War in Iraq. After going through several successful revolutions and regime changes (the Glorious Revolution bringing William and Mary to England, the return of Louis XVIII to France after Napoleon and after him again, and post-WWII in Western Germany), he mentioned several problems with how the US has handled Iraq. The US completely dismantled the police, army, and government leaving only the US in charge of affairs. The previous regime changes were also mainly a by-product of invitations or acceptances to rule (England likes to say they have never been invaded, but technically, William of Orange brought a Dutch army to depose James II. Being a complete coward, James ran away -- that's not really true as his army essentially deserted him), but the people of Iraq didn't exactly ask for us to come. It was a pretty interesting comparison. After that, we had fish and chips for lunch. At 2 o'clock, Matt, Ashley, and I went on the Oxford history tour. It took for-ev-er. She took almost two hours to walk around the block. However, it was actually pretty interesting, but because Ashley came on this tour twice last year (why I have no idea), she essentially knew all of it. Therefore, Matt and I decided we should have just asked her to give us a tour for free because she predicted exactly what the guide was going to say. At least now I know what are in all the pictures I have taken. Then, we came back and worked for a couple hours until dinner. For dinner, we had a roasted vegetable tart (not great but okay), duck with sweet and sour sauce (good) and rice (not so much), and a brownie for dessert (by the size of it, we decided it must have been a French brownie). We decided to work for an hour and then go out for tea or beer. We left around 9 not knowing where we were going, but we ended up at the Eagle and Child where Tolkien and C.S. Lewis hung out. I guess we were there for about two hours, but no one drank much (I had a Strongbow -- I was hoping they had this Strawberry Cider they were supposed to have last time but to no avail -- and a cup of tea -- not at the same time). When we came back, it was about 12, so we decided to go and hang out in Ashley's room until about 2.
Observations:
- I don't know why I haven't written anything about this yet, but it really annoys me. The sinks have two faucets, one for hot and one for cold. The problem is that I want warm water, not the two extremes. They are everywhere. Someone explain this to me.
- Edinburgh is pronounced "Ed-in-burr-uh" instead of "Ed-in-burg." I was severely rebuked for my mistake.
- You cannot wear hoodies in some malls in England because kids with hoodies used to steal things from stores, and the hoods would obscure the camera views.
Friday
I woke up about 9:30 in order to shave. Then, I meandered downstairs to the lecture room for the lecture. This time, Dr. Almond, my Cold War teacher, gave the lecture on Regime Change in Europe. I finally figured out what the problem has been. He really is boring. Not really boring, but he doesn't speak very loudly or forcefully at any point. He is incredibly intelligent with a lot of good stories about being in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, but his voice will just put you to sleep. Matt and a few others made the same comment, so I guess that might be the problem. Anyway, the lecture was pretty good, but it was essentially the same thing we heard in our first class. Governments taking over needed to keep some of their enemy's officials in power in order to make a smooth transition. The best part may have been his comparison with the War in Iraq. After going through several successful revolutions and regime changes (the Glorious Revolution bringing William and Mary to England, the return of Louis XVIII to France after Napoleon and after him again, and post-WWII in Western Germany), he mentioned several problems with how the US has handled Iraq. The US completely dismantled the police, army, and government leaving only the US in charge of affairs. The previous regime changes were also mainly a by-product of invitations or acceptances to rule (England likes to say they have never been invaded, but technically, William of Orange brought a Dutch army to depose James II. Being a complete coward, James ran away -- that's not really true as his army essentially deserted him), but the people of Iraq didn't exactly ask for us to come. It was a pretty interesting comparison. After that, we had fish and chips for lunch. At 2 o'clock, Matt, Ashley, and I went on the Oxford history tour. It took for-ev-er. She took almost two hours to walk around the block. However, it was actually pretty interesting, but because Ashley came on this tour twice last year (why I have no idea), she essentially knew all of it. Therefore, Matt and I decided we should have just asked her to give us a tour for free because she predicted exactly what the guide was going to say. At least now I know what are in all the pictures I have taken. Then, we came back and worked for a couple hours until dinner. For dinner, we had a roasted vegetable tart (not great but okay), duck with sweet and sour sauce (good) and rice (not so much), and a brownie for dessert (by the size of it, we decided it must have been a French brownie). We decided to work for an hour and then go out for tea or beer. We left around 9 not knowing where we were going, but we ended up at the Eagle and Child where Tolkien and C.S. Lewis hung out. I guess we were there for about two hours, but no one drank much (I had a Strongbow -- I was hoping they had this Strawberry Cider they were supposed to have last time but to no avail -- and a cup of tea -- not at the same time). When we came back, it was about 12, so we decided to go and hang out in Ashley's room until about 2.
Observations:
- I don't know why I haven't written anything about this yet, but it really annoys me. The sinks have two faucets, one for hot and one for cold. The problem is that I want warm water, not the two extremes. They are everywhere. Someone explain this to me.
- Edinburgh is pronounced "Ed-in-burr-uh" instead of "Ed-in-burg." I was severely rebuked for my mistake.
- You cannot wear hoodies in some malls in England because kids with hoodies used to steal things from stores, and the hoods would obscure the camera views.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Crunch Time
Well, I just got back from an Oxford History tour, and it was really interesting. I'm sitting here talking to a Mets fan (BOO!), but I'm so happy to find someone else to talk sports with that I'll take a Mets fan. Shakespeare, literature, and history are wonderful, but sometimes, you just need a break from the academics. Anyway, upwards and forwards to yesterday:
Thursday
I finally rolled out of bed at 10:15 to go to lecture. The lecture was fairly interesting. It was on whether or not "evidence-based" government is possible in today's society. Evidence-based government is using research and other methods to make policy decisions. Of course because the lecturer was an academic, he thought it was definitely possible, but he did a good job of showing both sides. What is evidence? How do you value different types of evidence? Which evidence should you use when? Does it always point in the right direction? However, he feels that academics and politicians can be smart enough to decide which to use and when and that making decisions based on evidence is better than just winging it (did you hear that GW?). I had an interesting lunch essentially made up of fruit and meat. The lunch line is really weird, and most of the stuff doesn't look too appetizing. So, I had these sausage rolls that look like Hot Pockets, a banana, and cantelope. After lunch, I went to finish researching and writing papers. I finished the one for my CFB class, and I have reached the conclusion that ethnic clustering is due to both choice and constraint (he triumphantly says before he has the grade for it). I even started on the other paper and got a whole paragraph into it. Then, I went to dinner where we had an appetizer of honeydew melon (I think) with ham and a dill-type sauce (I seriously think the British just wonder what strange combination can I come up with today), a dinner of lamb stew and mash(ed potatoes), and a dessert of pecan pie with ice cream. It might have been the best dinner so far. Then, one of the English professors who used to be in the Royal Shakespeare Company as an actor brought his wife in to talk about Shakespearean costume. It was actually really interesting. Green costumes can mean youth, energy, and prostitution. Characters will always tell you when they are going to change clothes or else that actor is playing a different part in the play. Even though some directors try for historical accuracy, they very rarely achieve it. She did a really good job. Afterward, we went to Matt's room to have another group writing session, and this time, we actually worked for about an hour and a half. We drank some tea and talked some more until approximately 1:30. I left at that point, but evidently, Matt found a secret passage way from his cabinet to John J's (they live next to each other) closet after I left. Sorry, yesterday wasn't too interesting, but everyone is starting to feel the papers coming down on them like lava from a volcano. Therefore, everyone is kind of refusing to leave their rooms (it's safe in there -- the cobblestones are hot lava). I guess you know that most of them aren't undergraduates when they are afraid to stay up in to the wee hours of the morning to finish a paper (no Mom, I wouldn't do such a thing).
Observations:
- Australians and the British think we are absolutely nuts for drinking iced tea. Well, you know what, I think you all are either British criminals or have bad teeth. So there.
- When you are inside, it is sunny. When you try to walk to Sainsbury's for a snack, it pours.
- I have no secret passage ways in my room (depression).
Thursday
I finally rolled out of bed at 10:15 to go to lecture. The lecture was fairly interesting. It was on whether or not "evidence-based" government is possible in today's society. Evidence-based government is using research and other methods to make policy decisions. Of course because the lecturer was an academic, he thought it was definitely possible, but he did a good job of showing both sides. What is evidence? How do you value different types of evidence? Which evidence should you use when? Does it always point in the right direction? However, he feels that academics and politicians can be smart enough to decide which to use and when and that making decisions based on evidence is better than just winging it (did you hear that GW?). I had an interesting lunch essentially made up of fruit and meat. The lunch line is really weird, and most of the stuff doesn't look too appetizing. So, I had these sausage rolls that look like Hot Pockets, a banana, and cantelope. After lunch, I went to finish researching and writing papers. I finished the one for my CFB class, and I have reached the conclusion that ethnic clustering is due to both choice and constraint (he triumphantly says before he has the grade for it). I even started on the other paper and got a whole paragraph into it. Then, I went to dinner where we had an appetizer of honeydew melon (I think) with ham and a dill-type sauce (I seriously think the British just wonder what strange combination can I come up with today), a dinner of lamb stew and mash(ed potatoes), and a dessert of pecan pie with ice cream. It might have been the best dinner so far. Then, one of the English professors who used to be in the Royal Shakespeare Company as an actor brought his wife in to talk about Shakespearean costume. It was actually really interesting. Green costumes can mean youth, energy, and prostitution. Characters will always tell you when they are going to change clothes or else that actor is playing a different part in the play. Even though some directors try for historical accuracy, they very rarely achieve it. She did a really good job. Afterward, we went to Matt's room to have another group writing session, and this time, we actually worked for about an hour and a half. We drank some tea and talked some more until approximately 1:30. I left at that point, but evidently, Matt found a secret passage way from his cabinet to John J's (they live next to each other) closet after I left. Sorry, yesterday wasn't too interesting, but everyone is starting to feel the papers coming down on them like lava from a volcano. Therefore, everyone is kind of refusing to leave their rooms (it's safe in there -- the cobblestones are hot lava). I guess you know that most of them aren't undergraduates when they are afraid to stay up in to the wee hours of the morning to finish a paper (no Mom, I wouldn't do such a thing).
Observations:
- Australians and the British think we are absolutely nuts for drinking iced tea. Well, you know what, I think you all are either British criminals or have bad teeth. So there.
- When you are inside, it is sunny. When you try to walk to Sainsbury's for a snack, it pours.
- I have no secret passage ways in my room (depression).
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Thinking About Revoking My American Citizenship
The weather is much better today, but it can change in the matter of about half an hour. I went in to eat lunch while the sun was out with no clouds in sight, and now, it is cloudy and looking to rain. Anyway, on to the fun proceedings that make me want to not be associated with other Americans:
Wednesday
So, I slept through my alarm a little yesterday. I am supposed to get up at 8:30 when my alarm goes off, but when it went off, I turned it off and rolled back over. Luckily, I woke up about 10 minutes later when I realized that I should not have turned over. I ran upstairs to the shower, got ready, and was just on time (you know, I should probably not get away with this once because all this teaches me is that I can get away with it). During the Cold War class, we learned about the Berlin Airlift and other confrontations that almost brought the US and USSR to a Warm War. It was a bit more interesting than past classes, and I had no problems staying awake. So, either I am completely adjusted now (well, I'm not really well-adjusted anyway) or the subject was more interesting. Who knows. During the plenary lecture, the professor talked about Chongching (Chong King back during WWII) and how it played a part in World War II. The thing is that he really talked more about the Chinese and Japanese War instead of WWII. However, they did happen concurrently, so they could be seen as helping. Anyway, he showed us pictures of the bombings of Chongching (the wartime capital of China), and they were the hardest-hit city during the entire war. He was pretty interesting, but he was trying to make a point that can be difficult to prove. During the CFB class, we talked about ethnic minorities in Great Britain and the problems they face (which aren't any different from what they face in the US). But she brought up some interesting points about education that I found interesting. Why are Afro-caribbeans the worst in school? Class, laziness, language? How do you counteract the problem? It seemed as though Dr. Palmer took the social class route with which I happen to agree. If they grow up in a poor neighborhood, chances are they don't have good schools, so then they have a hard time of going on to universities. That's not mentioning crime, peer pressure, and prejudice (intentional or unintentional) that can be associated with class instead of just races. Actually, poor white boys specifically are the worst students in Great Britain, but Afro-caribbeans are the worst group (by worst I mean judging on standardized test scores, which is a whole other debate because how can one test really indicate intelligence -- I'll stop there before I rant farther). However, studies have shown that everyone seems to be fairly equal in primary school, and secondary schools tend to be the difference-maker (we tried to come up with answers to this but no real satisfactory ones, so if you can think of one, put it in the comments). I still really like that class a lot. For dinner, we had another interesting but more traditional meal. First, we had Caesar salad, which was okay, but I mainly ate the croutons (one of the worst smelling foods has to be a deviled egg -- just horrible). For the main course, we had teriyaki pork belly, which was really like a spare rib in the US, that was good, rice which was good, and then this bread (someone said it might have been fried stomach lining, which wouldn't surprise me) that was extremely tough and fairly gross. For dessert, we had a chocolate tart which was, well, delicious. Simply put. What occurred later is what makes me want to revoke my own citizenship. We had another debate, this time on the War on Terror. The four panelists were all Americans. The first guy from Maryland was one of those "I'm going to say this as ridiculously as possible so people will laugh at me" guys, and I wanted to hit him (I refrained -- we're in polite society remember). He just ... urgh. Next, a "historian" gave his spiel, but it didn't make any sense whatsoever. He rambled on about Lincoln, Jackson, and FDR and how they took away civil liberties, which I guess was to say that it happened before in US history so it is okay now (as if bringing back things is always a good idea because we used it in the past; on second thought, can we bring back the guillotine for guys like the one from Maryland -- he has more good stuff, just wait). The next guy did exactly the same, and essentially came to the same conclusion (if they really came to a conclusion) even though they were on opposite sides. The moderator was pretty hilarious during the entire thing, making these "I can't believe I'm doing this" faces. Then, Matt at least was good. He talked about the "we've done more good than harm" argument, which makes sense on a certain level. We take away some civil liberties now in favor of freeing other people, and in the end, we all get them. At least, he had a point. Then came the debate. The Maryland guy went on to say things such as "3/4 of the world's population live in the Middle East", "40% of the world is the Middle East" (I think he meant that the Middle East makes up 40% of the entire Earth), and a few other things which I can't remember now. Then, a few Americans made some interesting comments about how all of this isn't our fault, the radical Muslims made us do it, etc. I honestly had a headache by the end. One guy said that he was on "the racial profiling thing before the ethnic minorities were on it" which I thought was priceless considering he is 40 years old, white, and an electrical engineer (not a political scientist, sociologist, historian, etc.). It was not a bright, shining moment for Americans. After that disaster, a few of us went and watched Richard III with Ian McKellen as Richard. He is pretty good in the movie, and the movie overall was pretty good (I thought better than Hamlet). Then, it was about 12, so we went to bed.
Observations:
- Ian McKellen looks no different in that movie than he did in X-Men. Just color his hair grey and shave the mustache, and he looks exactly the same.
- Americans can be complete morons.
- "Rubbish" is another good word that I should start using.
- The next few days look good for desserts (pecan pie with ice cream, brownie, and apple dumpling), but not so good for appetizers (the word onion appears a few times).
- They use onions (maybe leeks but most things I have seen say onion) on a lot of things and in sauces, most of which just taste funny.
Wednesday
So, I slept through my alarm a little yesterday. I am supposed to get up at 8:30 when my alarm goes off, but when it went off, I turned it off and rolled back over. Luckily, I woke up about 10 minutes later when I realized that I should not have turned over. I ran upstairs to the shower, got ready, and was just on time (you know, I should probably not get away with this once because all this teaches me is that I can get away with it). During the Cold War class, we learned about the Berlin Airlift and other confrontations that almost brought the US and USSR to a Warm War. It was a bit more interesting than past classes, and I had no problems staying awake. So, either I am completely adjusted now (well, I'm not really well-adjusted anyway) or the subject was more interesting. Who knows. During the plenary lecture, the professor talked about Chongching (Chong King back during WWII) and how it played a part in World War II. The thing is that he really talked more about the Chinese and Japanese War instead of WWII. However, they did happen concurrently, so they could be seen as helping. Anyway, he showed us pictures of the bombings of Chongching (the wartime capital of China), and they were the hardest-hit city during the entire war. He was pretty interesting, but he was trying to make a point that can be difficult to prove. During the CFB class, we talked about ethnic minorities in Great Britain and the problems they face (which aren't any different from what they face in the US). But she brought up some interesting points about education that I found interesting. Why are Afro-caribbeans the worst in school? Class, laziness, language? How do you counteract the problem? It seemed as though Dr. Palmer took the social class route with which I happen to agree. If they grow up in a poor neighborhood, chances are they don't have good schools, so then they have a hard time of going on to universities. That's not mentioning crime, peer pressure, and prejudice (intentional or unintentional) that can be associated with class instead of just races. Actually, poor white boys specifically are the worst students in Great Britain, but Afro-caribbeans are the worst group (by worst I mean judging on standardized test scores, which is a whole other debate because how can one test really indicate intelligence -- I'll stop there before I rant farther). However, studies have shown that everyone seems to be fairly equal in primary school, and secondary schools tend to be the difference-maker (we tried to come up with answers to this but no real satisfactory ones, so if you can think of one, put it in the comments). I still really like that class a lot. For dinner, we had another interesting but more traditional meal. First, we had Caesar salad, which was okay, but I mainly ate the croutons (one of the worst smelling foods has to be a deviled egg -- just horrible). For the main course, we had teriyaki pork belly, which was really like a spare rib in the US, that was good, rice which was good, and then this bread (someone said it might have been fried stomach lining, which wouldn't surprise me) that was extremely tough and fairly gross. For dessert, we had a chocolate tart which was, well, delicious. Simply put. What occurred later is what makes me want to revoke my own citizenship. We had another debate, this time on the War on Terror. The four panelists were all Americans. The first guy from Maryland was one of those "I'm going to say this as ridiculously as possible so people will laugh at me" guys, and I wanted to hit him (I refrained -- we're in polite society remember). He just ... urgh. Next, a "historian" gave his spiel, but it didn't make any sense whatsoever. He rambled on about Lincoln, Jackson, and FDR and how they took away civil liberties, which I guess was to say that it happened before in US history so it is okay now (as if bringing back things is always a good idea because we used it in the past; on second thought, can we bring back the guillotine for guys like the one from Maryland -- he has more good stuff, just wait). The next guy did exactly the same, and essentially came to the same conclusion (if they really came to a conclusion) even though they were on opposite sides. The moderator was pretty hilarious during the entire thing, making these "I can't believe I'm doing this" faces. Then, Matt at least was good. He talked about the "we've done more good than harm" argument, which makes sense on a certain level. We take away some civil liberties now in favor of freeing other people, and in the end, we all get them. At least, he had a point. Then came the debate. The Maryland guy went on to say things such as "3/4 of the world's population live in the Middle East", "40% of the world is the Middle East" (I think he meant that the Middle East makes up 40% of the entire Earth), and a few other things which I can't remember now. Then, a few Americans made some interesting comments about how all of this isn't our fault, the radical Muslims made us do it, etc. I honestly had a headache by the end. One guy said that he was on "the racial profiling thing before the ethnic minorities were on it" which I thought was priceless considering he is 40 years old, white, and an electrical engineer (not a political scientist, sociologist, historian, etc.). It was not a bright, shining moment for Americans. After that disaster, a few of us went and watched Richard III with Ian McKellen as Richard. He is pretty good in the movie, and the movie overall was pretty good (I thought better than Hamlet). Then, it was about 12, so we went to bed.
Observations:
- Ian McKellen looks no different in that movie than he did in X-Men. Just color his hair grey and shave the mustache, and he looks exactly the same.
- Americans can be complete morons.
- "Rubbish" is another good word that I should start using.
- The next few days look good for desserts (pecan pie with ice cream, brownie, and apple dumpling), but not so good for appetizers (the word onion appears a few times).
- They use onions (maybe leeks but most things I have seen say onion) on a lot of things and in sauces, most of which just taste funny.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Laughing at Hamlet
As for breaking news, it's raining again. It's raining a bit harder today than it has in the past few days. Oh well, I guess it's a good thing that I have two classes today, and therefore, I really don't have to go outside much.
Tuesday
I woke up about 9:30 in order to shave and take a shower. For the lecture, Dr. Kewley talked about globalization ("globalisation" depending on where you are), but he focused mainly on economics and trade organizations. It seems as though globalization has become a hot word these days, especially in academia. The thing that gets me is that it's not new. Dr. Kewley made the statement that it began in the 1930's, but by the definition of globalization, we have been globalizing for about 5,000 years or so. First, we started off in our little clans rummaging around for food. Then, we learned how to farm. Then, we learned that other people had cool stuff that we didn't have in the village over, so we traded what we had for what they had. Then, we invented the wheel, domesticated animals to pull the wheels, invented boats, invented trains, invented cars, and now we have the internet. I think you see my point. The only reason we can freak out about it now is that we are possibly becoming more integrated faster. Honestly, globalization really takes the form of a cooperative empire. For example, the British had a worldwide empire before the 1930's where they spread their beliefs, sports, customs, religions, and economics to all sorts of places. Now, we don't take over territories, but as a result of globalization, we are still spreading all of those things, but peacefully (well ... not necessarily, but at least, we are less overt about it). Anyway, that was a rant, and I apologize. He actually gave a lot of good information on GATT, ITO, WTO, and the IMF, but I still think it's wrong to say we started globalization in the 1930's. After that, I went to lunch where I am increasingly realizing that getting things from the cold line that probably should be cooked is not a good idea. It was probably cooked the night before for dinner (the same food from dinner turns into tomorrow's lunch), but maybe they should reheat it. Soon thereafter, I went to the Social Sciences library to research my perestroika and glasnost paper. Glasnost seems to be easier to understand. Gorbachev allowed criticism and clarity in government decisions, and that allowed newspapers, books, art, and the media to disseminate information without repercussions. The main problem comes with that Gorbachev was not for freedom of speech, per se. He would not allow news on the space program or the environment, among others. So it wasn't a complete break. About perestroika, it is an economic restructuring supposedly combining socialism and capitalism, but I'm confused about what exactly changed. Actually, it seems as though that was the main problem with it and why it failed, so maybe, I should be confused. So, I was at the library for about 3 and half hours, and I brought two more books back to my room which I will probably read tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, I can finish the paper by the end of Saturday. After dinner, a few of us went to the Quarrell Room to watch Hamlet because Laura, Ashley, and John J needed to for their class. Matt and I went along because we had nothing better to do. We watched the Lawrence Olivier version. I thought I wasn't going to make it. Hamlet isn't my favorite Shakespeare play, but the movie really dragged on and on and on. Anyway, we had fun making fun of it. Hamlet's father talked like Darth Vader, Polonius was hilarious (which is his purpose anyway), Ophelia had a really weird cry (a little overacting perhaps?), and Laertes' henchman was odd (fabulous was the more appropriate term we decided) and he fell down the stairs towards the end in a terribly acted fashion (we wonder if he didn't mean to fall, but the directors decided it was good comic relief and decided to keep it). Honestly, it wasn't terrible, but I'll never watch it again. Afterward, we sat around and talked until about 12:30 about random things and me wearing glod, knee-high boots with stars on them (you probably don't want to ask).
Observations:
- "Dodgy" is a popular word here, and I think I am going to start using it.
- Australians find Crocodile Dundee good but painful because it's a bit too close to the truth.
- Texas is the only state with the ability to succeed from the Union and could split into 5 countries thereafter.
Tuesday
I woke up about 9:30 in order to shave and take a shower. For the lecture, Dr. Kewley talked about globalization ("globalisation" depending on where you are), but he focused mainly on economics and trade organizations. It seems as though globalization has become a hot word these days, especially in academia. The thing that gets me is that it's not new. Dr. Kewley made the statement that it began in the 1930's, but by the definition of globalization, we have been globalizing for about 5,000 years or so. First, we started off in our little clans rummaging around for food. Then, we learned how to farm. Then, we learned that other people had cool stuff that we didn't have in the village over, so we traded what we had for what they had. Then, we invented the wheel, domesticated animals to pull the wheels, invented boats, invented trains, invented cars, and now we have the internet. I think you see my point. The only reason we can freak out about it now is that we are possibly becoming more integrated faster. Honestly, globalization really takes the form of a cooperative empire. For example, the British had a worldwide empire before the 1930's where they spread their beliefs, sports, customs, religions, and economics to all sorts of places. Now, we don't take over territories, but as a result of globalization, we are still spreading all of those things, but peacefully (well ... not necessarily, but at least, we are less overt about it). Anyway, that was a rant, and I apologize. He actually gave a lot of good information on GATT, ITO, WTO, and the IMF, but I still think it's wrong to say we started globalization in the 1930's. After that, I went to lunch where I am increasingly realizing that getting things from the cold line that probably should be cooked is not a good idea. It was probably cooked the night before for dinner (the same food from dinner turns into tomorrow's lunch), but maybe they should reheat it. Soon thereafter, I went to the Social Sciences library to research my perestroika and glasnost paper. Glasnost seems to be easier to understand. Gorbachev allowed criticism and clarity in government decisions, and that allowed newspapers, books, art, and the media to disseminate information without repercussions. The main problem comes with that Gorbachev was not for freedom of speech, per se. He would not allow news on the space program or the environment, among others. So it wasn't a complete break. About perestroika, it is an economic restructuring supposedly combining socialism and capitalism, but I'm confused about what exactly changed. Actually, it seems as though that was the main problem with it and why it failed, so maybe, I should be confused. So, I was at the library for about 3 and half hours, and I brought two more books back to my room which I will probably read tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, I can finish the paper by the end of Saturday. After dinner, a few of us went to the Quarrell Room to watch Hamlet because Laura, Ashley, and John J needed to for their class. Matt and I went along because we had nothing better to do. We watched the Lawrence Olivier version. I thought I wasn't going to make it. Hamlet isn't my favorite Shakespeare play, but the movie really dragged on and on and on. Anyway, we had fun making fun of it. Hamlet's father talked like Darth Vader, Polonius was hilarious (which is his purpose anyway), Ophelia had a really weird cry (a little overacting perhaps?), and Laertes' henchman was odd (fabulous was the more appropriate term we decided) and he fell down the stairs towards the end in a terribly acted fashion (we wonder if he didn't mean to fall, but the directors decided it was good comic relief and decided to keep it). Honestly, it wasn't terrible, but I'll never watch it again. Afterward, we sat around and talked until about 12:30 about random things and me wearing glod, knee-high boots with stars on them (you probably don't want to ask).
Observations:
- "Dodgy" is a popular word here, and I think I am going to start using it.
- Australians find Crocodile Dundee good but painful because it's a bit too close to the truth.
- Texas is the only state with the ability to succeed from the Union and could split into 5 countries thereafter.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Being Pro-duck-tive
I'm writing now so that I can go to the libraries tomorrow to research for my other paper. I think I am going to write about how far glasnost and perestroika broke from Soviet communism. It should be interesting. Anyway, off ... off.. and today.
Monday
As I said earlier, I woke up earlier to go to breakfast in order to try the mysterious vegemite. Again, it was bad but not as gross as I previously thought. However, during CFB, Damon (an Australian) said that what I probably actually ate was marmite, which is a cousin of vegemite that the British eat. Whatever, it still wasn't good (really salty). Then, my Cold War class began, and again, I had a hard time getting through it. It has to be a combination of his voice (monotone), the time of the class (9 AM), and the duration (2 hours). He's a really nice guy who is actually funny, but I just have a hard time getting through that class. I don't think I've ever had that much trouble. Oh well, we learned about how history often was re-written in the Soviet Union. Originally, they had "Uncle Joe." Then, they hated Stalin, so his supporters had to do a 180 in order to save themselves. This continued until the end of the USSR. In the ensuing plenary lecture, we learned that there are new perspectives to the Cold War. However, she never really stated what those new perspectives were. She never really got to the point, but I did learn a lot about Ernest Bevin (Britain's Foreign Minister until 1951), Robert Schuman (France's Finance Minister during the same time), and Dean Acheson (our Secretary of State at the time). Again, she never really got to the point. We never found out what the new perspectives were. Later, during CFB, we learned about the occupational structure of Britain, mainly focusing on the difference in gender. Is the glass ceiling real? How much does pregnancy affect job acquisition? Does technology take away skills or give new ones? This class has really been interesting. I guess I'm a closet sociologist, but I guess that a social historian would be close enough. Dinner was interesting. We had mango chutney, naan bread, banana curry, and some sort of fish cole slaw. All of it was pretty good, but the fish cole slaw thingamajig (is that right? I'm sure there's a hyphen or something there) had a bad aftertaste. Since then, I went to work on my CFB paper, and I am essentially finished. I need to edit it and maybe add on some more, but all that is fairly nominal (well... editing isn't nominal, but it is easier than actually writing everything). As for the weather today, it rained. It was windy. It was cloudy. It was stereotypical English weather. However, the cool thing was when I went to get tea, I saw a duck walking on the quad's grass. Right now, I am sitting around for a little bit. I may wonder around to find people to talk to for a little bit, but who knows.
Observations:
- My beard trimmer died this morning. Honestly, I am kind of glad as it was never a very good one. I had to charge it up every time. Anyone have any suggestions? The bad thing is that I have to make a decision. Do I buy a new one here that has a British plug or just wait until I get back? I guess I'll see if Jon F (I have been spelling it "John", but I just realized his name is "Jonathan" ... oops) has one.
- I am drinking a lot of hot tea these days. No milk, but I am adding sugar (who would've guessed?). The main reason may be that tea is free and accessible in the JCR, but I like it anyway.
- No matter how much I talk to Kelvin (student assistant from Exeter University), I still can't understand him.
- Falling down rock stairs leaves one heck of a bruise.
Monday
As I said earlier, I woke up earlier to go to breakfast in order to try the mysterious vegemite. Again, it was bad but not as gross as I previously thought. However, during CFB, Damon (an Australian) said that what I probably actually ate was marmite, which is a cousin of vegemite that the British eat. Whatever, it still wasn't good (really salty). Then, my Cold War class began, and again, I had a hard time getting through it. It has to be a combination of his voice (monotone), the time of the class (9 AM), and the duration (2 hours). He's a really nice guy who is actually funny, but I just have a hard time getting through that class. I don't think I've ever had that much trouble. Oh well, we learned about how history often was re-written in the Soviet Union. Originally, they had "Uncle Joe." Then, they hated Stalin, so his supporters had to do a 180 in order to save themselves. This continued until the end of the USSR. In the ensuing plenary lecture, we learned that there are new perspectives to the Cold War. However, she never really stated what those new perspectives were. She never really got to the point, but I did learn a lot about Ernest Bevin (Britain's Foreign Minister until 1951), Robert Schuman (France's Finance Minister during the same time), and Dean Acheson (our Secretary of State at the time). Again, she never really got to the point. We never found out what the new perspectives were. Later, during CFB, we learned about the occupational structure of Britain, mainly focusing on the difference in gender. Is the glass ceiling real? How much does pregnancy affect job acquisition? Does technology take away skills or give new ones? This class has really been interesting. I guess I'm a closet sociologist, but I guess that a social historian would be close enough. Dinner was interesting. We had mango chutney, naan bread, banana curry, and some sort of fish cole slaw. All of it was pretty good, but the fish cole slaw thingamajig (is that right? I'm sure there's a hyphen or something there) had a bad aftertaste. Since then, I went to work on my CFB paper, and I am essentially finished. I need to edit it and maybe add on some more, but all that is fairly nominal (well... editing isn't nominal, but it is easier than actually writing everything). As for the weather today, it rained. It was windy. It was cloudy. It was stereotypical English weather. However, the cool thing was when I went to get tea, I saw a duck walking on the quad's grass. Right now, I am sitting around for a little bit. I may wonder around to find people to talk to for a little bit, but who knows.
Observations:
- My beard trimmer died this morning. Honestly, I am kind of glad as it was never a very good one. I had to charge it up every time. Anyone have any suggestions? The bad thing is that I have to make a decision. Do I buy a new one here that has a British plug or just wait until I get back? I guess I'll see if Jon F (I have been spelling it "John", but I just realized his name is "Jonathan" ... oops) has one.
- I am drinking a lot of hot tea these days. No milk, but I am adding sugar (who would've guessed?). The main reason may be that tea is free and accessible in the JCR, but I like it anyway.
- No matter how much I talk to Kelvin (student assistant from Exeter University), I still can't understand him.
- Falling down rock stairs leaves one heck of a bruise.
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