All entries for June 2005

Iraq

Writing about web page http://slate.msn.com/id/2121689/

…in the first part of the speech Bush argued quite well that Iraq, as it stands now, is worth a fight. Yes, it was disingenuous and offensive for Bush to stand there and say with a straight face, "Terrorists want to attack our country and kill our citizens, and Iraq is where they are making their stand." After all, terrorists came to Iraq only after Bush invaded it, then failed to secure it, practically inviting jihadists across the region to come perfect their bomb-making talents against the American infidels.

If Bush is actually more intelligent than he is generally given credit for, then this could actually have been seen as a reasonably smart, if Pyrrhic, strategy.

After all, surely it is better for America if all the terrorists are attracted to Iraq, where they attack American military and Iraqi civilian targets, rather than having them living in New Jersey planning attacks on American civilian targets. It may create more terrorists, but America's never been too bothered by terror attacks in other countries. After all, read Bush's quote:

"Terrorists want to attack our country and kill our citizens, and Iraq is where they are making their stand."

So they're making a stand in Iraq as their way of attacking America and American citizens. Kind of handy if you're an American 10,000 miles away.

I'm not saying it's nice, or true, but it made me think.

: 30 Jun 2005 10:50 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Interesting article

Writing about web page http://www.cantrip.org/gatto.html

About the actual point of a school system and the six main lessons you learn, summarised here

1. Stay where you belong.

2. Show up before the bell rings, and stay until it rings again.

3. Surrender your will to a predestined chain of command.

4. Learn only what you are told to learn; curiosity has no place.

5. Your worth is assigned to you by certified officials.

6. You are being watched.

: 28 Jun 2005 00:35 |  Tags: Anyone Can Post On The Internet |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Again dammit!

Follow-up to Dammit from Anyone Can Post On The Internet

Went to a bbq briefly last night.

Guess who was there? Didn't really get chance to chat this time though.

At the same bbq we even had the "Warwick is such a small place" conversation. This lead to much private amusement on my part.

: 24 Jun 2005 09:57 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Still awake,

Follow-up to What does it signify… from Anyone Can Post On The Internet

Still not tired.

Looks like it's the latter option then

: 23 Jun 2005 06:17 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What does it signify…

…When you get home after the sun rises?

A Good sign of a good night and fun times had by all or….

…A Bad sign of a truly messed up sleeping pattern?

: 23 Jun 2005 04:14 |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Dammit

Why is Warwick such a small place sometimes?
Went to a birthday party last night-who was there but the girl that my drunken mind avoided for me the night before This time I wasn't actually swaying, so was able to talk to her sensibly. Went alright, generally reminded her who I actually was and random vaguely drunk chatter. However, now it's a week till we all leave so not too helpful at the moment. Even though it went ok, not sure about always bumping into the same people, wherever I happen to go and with whoever

In random news missed over the exams
Have discovered I'm Secretary for G-Force next year, with Jim as Treasurer and George as President. We're going to sort out other positions later.

What exactly does the Secretary do? I'm not Social Secretary which I could understand, just secretary. Hmmm

Have bought more vinyl, further strengthening my case that our house next year needs decks. Now have some nice tracks.

Ram Trilogy-Titan EP-Titan/Incarnate/Reflection/Incoming
Nightbreed-Pack Of Wolves (Pendulum & Matrix remixes)
Ed Rush & Optical-Bacteria/Gasmask
Baron-Squelch/Dead List Five
DJ Fresh-Twister/Capture The Flag
DJ Zinc-Ska (remix) / Fruitella
Baron vs Fresh-Supernature/The Shakedown
Baron-The Way It Was/Redhead
Baron-Operation Pipe Dream. The Alternative-Plain Sailing

Might only be 10 discs, but there are some nice tracks in there. And I'd never before realised the amount of Baron. Mainly due to buying 3 of them today. Once again totally ignoring my spending limit. Bugger

: 22 Jun 2005 16:23 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Ouch that hurt

Well, haven't blogged for a while, due to first exams, then heat and drunkness. Plus the Peace festival meaning I wasn't at home a lot.

Exams finished friday

Thermal/Optics-buggered up both
Global Geo-Pretty good, GCSE geography with a couple of equations
EM Theory-A lot nicer than it could have been. still didn't do brilliantly
Galaxies-:D Apart from long waffly questions, a brilliant paper.

Friday afternoon-drink in piazza
Friday evening-drink in park
Saturday morning afternoon- drinking in park…..

I think you see the pattern.

Then last night went to Blackout at Mirage. I've yet to go to Mirage sober, and last night was no exception. I was absolutely trashed, which is never a pretty sight, especially when my request for RATM-Sleep Now In The Fire was eventually played. However, my drunken state did lead me to discover one important truth.
Just why I'm so bad at chatting people up.

I've always been crap at it, the cheesy lines, the veiled sidelong glances, the thinly masked come-ons and the drunken fumbles, I just can't be bothered with it all so tend not to bother. My inebriated state last night led me to discover why.
It's a survival tactic for the brain to stop it being removed by the nearest large object, and my brain's quite good at it.
Last night, saw a girl who I asked out earlier this year and was vaguely turned down as she had too much work. Discovered that Bernie was good friends with her housemate.

So, in a club, prime opportunity to chat & get to know her better, neither of us have work, even have a fair reason to be hanging around. Only one problem, I'm blind drunk and won't make the slightest bit of sense. So my brain decides it won't even attempt to come up with conversation starters and searches for an excuse to get my body moving in some semblance of a direction. Unfortunately this was the direction of the bar, which only made the problem worse in a nice vicious cycle.

It's tactic worked though, I didn't make an absolute fool of myself in a directed way* and so didn't want to actually punish the brain. Until it took me an hour and a half before I could manage to stumble to coffee this morning.

*Apologies to anyone I've made a fool of myself in front of in a non-directed way lately, I've been a little drunk.

: 21 Jun 2005 12:17 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Well, That sucked!

Seriously hoping that the problems sheet answers are enough to make up for my abysmal performance in the Thermal & Optics exams today. Otherwise I'm really really screwed.

Can't wait for the 17th, going to get oh so wrecked…...so, so wrecked.

Though can't do my usual exam/deadline going to Mirage and not realyl remembering much of the night, until the sniggers of acquaintances remind me that yes, I did see them, and I was in a state… Ah well.

: 08 Jun 2005 21:39 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Isn't it incredible….?

Before the referenda in France and Holland, voters were being told that a No to the constitution was a No to Europe.

Why isn't that being taken to its logical conclusion? These nations withdrawal from the EU. After all, it is a democratic body honest. The people have spoken after all, and you were all telling them that No to one was No to both…..

Instead we have every mainland EU leader saying that the ratification must continue, despite the fact that the thing cannot be ratified without unanimous consent. How long before they end up having another vote? In both nations a vote isn't legally required, but I really can't see these politicians being stupid enough to sign the thing now. No-one's that stupid, are they?

I also love the way that the French No is being attributed to the constitution being too "Anglo-Saxon", despite the most problematic clauses, those referring to a free market, being lifted wholesale from the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Which France was involved in writing. 15 years before Britain joined the "common market".

Can these people not see that they have no mandate for what they are trying to do? That European integration is being pushed too fast for the people they claim to be representing? And that the doorstop they wrote is not a constitution under any usual sense of the word?

: 03 Jun 2005 22:10 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

New lengths to avoid revision

OK, so my exams start on Wednesday.

Don't really know most of it, so every spare day counts.

Why did I sign up yesterday to be a steward at Twickenham on saturday? I mean, Ok, it'll be a good day, not a lot of work and see the Sevens championship and Martin Johnson's testimonial, but I really could have done with working for the 12 hours I'll be away.

Ah well, at least it's an extra £50 that I could do with.

On another note, well done Holland. Another nation rejects the most politically comprehensive doorstop in history, for totally different reasons to the first. Subtle hint that no one wants the damn thing?

: 02 Jun 2005 11:50 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem