War! Huh-tuh, what is it good for?

And so it begins.... I'm not going to say anything about this war except that watching George W. Bush make his address from the Oval Office he just seems so bloody insincere. At least Tony Blair pretends to care what he's talking about, even if we are still waiting for hospital waiting lists to shorten....

Have finished my first essay! Still have another entire one to write by tomorrow (Friday) but that's OK because I've finished the Olivier stuff!! And in the end, I'm slightly over the word limit. Isn't that just bleeding typical?

Was quite concerned when procrastinating at FAP. One question started off very innocently asking why fanfic often used 'Merlin!' as swearing and what, if any religion did we reckon the wizard community of Britain used. All fine and good, you'd think, if it weren't for the war that broke out when someone posted that 'Catholics aren't Christians, they're Catholics'. As a Catholic, I laughed bemusedly and moved on. Some people didn't and dear God.... the original poster then got defensive and posted a long and in my own opinion rather intolerant post, which of course got yet more replies. I thought FAP was about Harry Potter- stories of love, tolerance and universal goodness, not the age-old battles between religious factions? Ah... I suppose people will always argue about religion and politics, both of which I've touched on in this post. I anticipate the flames, of course. If only people took as much seriously as I do. I don't take anything seriously, which I find the best policy. Of course, it's also part of the reason I'm up at 3.30am writing essays.... But I'm not stressed at all (ok, not stressed anymore, I admit). We all just need to be so much more... cool. Life is too short (and yet, life is the longest thing any of us will ever do. the eternal irony, of course) for petty and not-so-petty squabbling, man.

And with that very cool love-and-peace vibe, I bid you good night.

EDIT: Both the BBC and ITV are really irritating with its news coverage. ITV's taken on that American news bulletin thing of having the tickertape running along the bottom of the screen in addition to a 'Breaking News' section above. And BBC News 24 has that highly irritating title thing going on: 'Iraq War'. As if we need fancy titles like that or the old chestnut 'War: On Iraq' thing. Listen, we're perfectly intelligent human beings that don't need to be bloody spoonfed. Americans don't need it, we don't need it and the last thing war journalism should be about is ratings and fancy presentation. Sorry, just had to get that out. I'm going now.

War! Huh-tuh, what is it good for?

And so it begins.... I'm not going to say anything about this war except that watching George W. Bush make his address from the Oval Office he just seems so bloody insincere. At least Tony Blair pretends to care what he's talking about, even if we are still waiting for hospital waiting lists to shorten....

Have finished my first essay! Still have another entire one to write by tomorrow (Friday) but that's OK because I've finished the Olivier stuff!! And in the end, I'm slightly over the word limit. Isn't that just bleeding typical?

Was quite concerned when procrastinating at FAP. One question started off very innocently asking why fanfic often used 'Merlin!' as swearing and what, if any religion did we reckon the wizard community of Britain used. All fine and good, you'd think, if it weren't for the war that broke out when someone posted that 'Catholics aren't Christians, they're Catholics'. As a Catholic, I laughed bemusedly and moved on. Some people didn't and dear God.... the original poster then got defensive and posted a long and in my own opinion rather intolerant post, which of course got yet more replies. I thought FAP was about Harry Potter- stories of love, tolerance and universal goodness, not the age-old battles between religious factions? Ah... I suppose people will always argue about religion and politics, both of which I've touched on in this post. I anticipate the flames, of course. If only people took as much seriously as I do. I don't take anything seriously, which I find the best policy. Of course, it's also part of the reason I'm up at 3.30am writing essays.... But I'm not stressed at all (ok, not stressed anymore, I admit). We all just need to be so much more... cool. Life is too short (and yet, life is the longest thing any of us will ever do. the eternal irony, of course) for petty and not-so-petty squabbling, man.

And with that very cool love-and-peace vibe, I bid you good night.

EDIT: Both the BBC and ITV are really irritating with its news coverage. ITV's taken on that American news bulletin thing of having the tickertape running along the bottom of the screen in addition to a 'Breaking News' section above. And BBC News 24 has that highly irritating title thing going on: 'Iraq War'. As if we need fancy titles like that or the old chestnut 'War: On Iraq' thing. Listen, we're perfectly intelligent human beings that don't need to be bloody spoonfed. Americans don't need it, we don't need it and the last thing war journalism should be about is ratings and fancy presentation. Sorry, just had to get that out. I'm going now.

(no subject)

Hello all!

Am feeling v. bouncy at the moment: got an extension until the end of next week for my second essay which means I'll be able to get home to all my highly relevant books and write it. More importantly, it means I don't have to bash out 4500 words tonight. Which I could do, but I'd rather not.

On current events, news coverage is.... highly repetitive. Like I remember it being in Los Angeles the week I arrived (the week in question being the week beginnng Mon 10th September 2001). smilie117 was right about the kind of blanket news coverage that smothers all the channels
I have to wonder if they're really achieving much by showing the same reports over and over again. Surely they should just put on 'How To Be A Gardener' or 'Changing Rooms' and give people a lift before the news comes back on. Otherwise all they'll achieve is a: they'll really make people very paranoid and worried and/or b: they'll turn people off entirely and they won't hear the important stuff when/if it happens.

As for the Oscars, being a movie person totally in love with the Academy Awards (for all the times they get it wrong) I'm a little concerned, frankly. I could talk about the arrogance of movie stars who think they're so important etc etc., but I'm not sure it's entirely that (Although Liza-babes, a war shouldn't stop your anniversary party. Either lighten up or get a new excuse). I'm sure that a lot of the people who were going to do the Oscars this year will feel terribly guilty about parading around dripping in jewels and partying. Well, there's a simple solution. Like every Oscar ceremony in the Second World War, you do it but you do it with considered style, not extravagance. Because a lot of people love the Oscars. It's a way for America to really properly show off the brilliance of some of its citizens (and occasionally, honour non-Americans too). Cinema is ultimately the art of escapism and we need it more than we have done in a while. There's a reason that box-office receipts were so high in the Depression and the War. People needed to see wonderfully over the top characters like Errol Flynn as Robin Hood, they needed to see wonderfully glamorous women like Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn (is she out of hospital yet?), Greer Garson and Ginger Rogers etc etc. As entertainment figures, we need movie stars more than we have since the Second World War. Will Smith has already pulled out, I hope more don't let us down.

Because quite honestly, if we let all the glitter and laughter and fun leave our lives, then the 'other side' (whoever they are exactly) who destroyed those towers have already won.

Sorry, just had to say it. And I heard the rumour that Billy Bob Thornton wants to get married again. Billy, Billy, Billy... know when to stop, OK? One man can only eat so much wedding cake.

And lastly, had to laugh at the television tonight. BBC1: News/Commentary on war. ITV: News. Channel 4: News. BBC2? Why, the Liverpool- Celtic UEFA cup quarter final of course. Good to know that some things don't change.

Well, better start polishing that bloody essay before it's handed in tomorrow...

EDIT: Looking at my friends list, everyone seems to be making avatars out of pictures of themselves. I don't actually have time to do the same, but if you go here you'll get an amusing surprise. The page isn't actually linked from the rest of the site (which hasn't been updated for about a year) so think yerselves lucky when you laff. :)

(no subject)

Hello all!

Am feeling v. bouncy at the moment: got an extension until the end of next week for my second essay which means I'll be able to get home to all my highly relevant books and write it. More importantly, it means I don't have to bash out 4500 words tonight. Which I could do, but I'd rather not.

On current events, news coverage is.... highly repetitive. Like I remember it being in Los Angeles the week I arrived (the week in question being the week beginnng Mon 10th September 2001). smilie117 was right about the kind of blanket news coverage that smothers all the channels
I have to wonder if they're really achieving much by showing the same reports over and over again. Surely they should just put on 'How To Be A Gardener' or 'Changing Rooms' and give people a lift before the news comes back on. Otherwise all they'll achieve is a: they'll really make people very paranoid and worried and/or b: they'll turn people off entirely and they won't hear the important stuff when/if it happens.

As for the Oscars, being a movie person totally in love with the Academy Awards (for all the times they get it wrong) I'm a little concerned, frankly. I could talk about the arrogance of movie stars who think they're so important etc etc., but I'm not sure it's entirely that (Although Liza-babes, a war shouldn't stop your anniversary party. Either lighten up or get a new excuse). I'm sure that a lot of the people who were going to do the Oscars this year will feel terribly guilty about parading around dripping in jewels and partying. Well, there's a simple solution. Like every Oscar ceremony in the Second World War, you do it but you do it with considered style, not extravagance. Because a lot of people love the Oscars. It's a way for America to really properly show off the brilliance of some of its citizens (and occasionally, honour non-Americans too). Cinema is ultimately the art of escapism and we need it more than we have done in a while. There's a reason that box-office receipts were so high in the Depression and the War. People needed to see wonderfully over the top characters like Errol Flynn as Robin Hood, they needed to see wonderfully glamorous women like Joan Crawford, Katharine Hepburn (is she out of hospital yet?), Greer Garson and Ginger Rogers etc etc. As entertainment figures, we need movie stars more than we have since the Second World War. Will Smith has already pulled out, I hope more don't let us down.

Because quite honestly, if we let all the glitter and laughter and fun leave our lives, then the 'other side' (whoever they are exactly) who destroyed those towers have already won.

Sorry, just had to say it. And I heard the rumour that Billy Bob Thornton wants to get married again. Billy, Billy, Billy... know when to stop, OK? One man can only eat so much wedding cake.

And lastly, had to laugh at the television tonight. BBC1: News/Commentary on war. ITV: News. Channel 4: News. BBC2? Why, the Liverpool- Celtic UEFA cup quarter final of course. Good to know that some things don't change.

Well, better start polishing that bloody essay before it's handed in tomorrow...

EDIT: Looking at my friends list, everyone seems to be making avatars out of pictures of themselves. I don't actually have time to do the same, but if you go here you'll get an amusing surprise. The page isn't actually linked from the rest of the site (which hasn't been updated for about a year) so think yerselves lucky when you laff. :)