- Bush, in his infinite wisdom, has vetoed the stem cell bill. I think this was a really stupid move. Stem cells have incredible potential to cure disease, and limiting research capabilities into this potential will, I think, ultimately limit the potential itself. I’m all for stem cells.
- Bush has also made a big fat gaffe by groping Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel. I mean, come on. He snuck up behind her and started massaging her shoulders. How on earth did he think this was in any way appropriate? Really, go check out the pictures.
- There is nothing good on TV. I miss Grey’s Anatomy. I miss Alias. I am thinking about Lost all the time. All these reality TV shows are making me thirsty. Very thirsty.
- I am loving being vegetarian. I feel great, and I love cooking, so I’m enjoying making new recipes. I’ll post a couple of my favourite recipes soon.
- Why isn’t anyone doing anything about the Middle East? Israel’s invasion of Lebanon is just really saddening me. How long is Israel going to get away with shit because of the Holocaust? christian guilt is pretty strong, I guess.
- Sunday shopping is back on the agenda here in Nova Scotia. In case some of you aren’t aware – as most people who live outside this province aren’t – large stores are not permitted to be open on Sunday here. Yes, really. Mind you, stores that sell books, tourist crap, and maple syrup are allowed to be open, along with gas stations, casinos, restaurants and bars, strip clubs, movie theatres, and stores under a certain square footage. Two grocery chains are challenging the laws by opening up on Sundays and rearranging their businesses so that the store is divided into smaller sections that are registered as separate businesses – something one clever independent grocer has been doing for several years now. The province decided this was not okay, and enacted new legislation preventing them from doing this. So, they are suing the province. Now people are all talking about employees having the “right” to refuse to work on Sunday! And the debate has been going on for YEARS – people in the city generally want convenience, and people outside the city and the conservative religious right want to prevent Sunday shopping. There was even a plebiscite held on it a couple years back, and the con side won. What the hell is going on with that? Insanity!
- I miss my friend who just went back to Australia. I wish we lived closer to one another.
- French is going alright. So far, so good. I’m remembering verb conjugations and weird vocabulary, and I can construct a relatively good 8-10 sentence composition. It’s funny, when I was in French before, I didn’t really understand why things were the way they were, but now I’m starting to understand things a bit more clearly. I think I’ll try and learn a bit of Spanish next. Then Italian! Who knows, maybe I’ll become some sort of language suvante.
- I might start knitting again. I used to really love it, it was a great way to pass the time and feel productive. I could use a new throw in some ultra-soft yarn.
- Can’t find a bike I like on sale. I’ll have to wait till fall when they all go on sale. I might join the gym instead. I miss the weight machines.
- I have a week off from work this week. Forced vacation. But, now I’m kind of glad, because I could use a bit of a break.
- I miss reading academic stuff. French is using a different part of my brain, but I am kind of itching to get back to other stuff. Maybe I should just do a master’s degree and then a PhD and keep on the academic life. Hmm.
well, that’s about it I guess! Time to study for my French quiz tomorrow. Bon soir, a demain!
Bush is an idiot. Don’t search for answers for his reactions. It was totally not appropriate what he did to Angie…(btw, the French media loves Angie for some reason or the other)
Talking about French…oh you are learning French…need some help ? I am trained to be a French Teacher for foreign students. And I was teaching and directing Alliance Francaise in Coimbatore, India.
Any language has it’s own logic in it’s structure and everything. Even in vocabulary. Most of them go back to Latin for French, Spanish and Italian. I learnt spanish for a year (last year)…I am very happy about it. Should continue …maybe in Hong Kong…or rather I should learn Cantonese or Mandarin (which might be of useful in HK).
One day forced holidays. Well, take a big break and get refreshened. It always helps. D’accord ?
Il est trois heures et dix minutes du matin. Je vais dormir.
Au revoir.
A demain.
Oui, j’apprends le francais!
I took it all through school, but it’s been a long time since I did any study in French. So, it’s coming back and I’m remembering a lot, and I’m enjoying it, but I just wish I had more confidence.
We have an Alliance Francaise here as well, everyone says it’s wonderful. If I continue with French after this course, I’ll take it there. Or, I can always parler avec vous!
Oui, je suis d’accord. Les vacances sont tres bons! Merci!
A demain mon ami. Bon soir!
Bientôt tu pourras bloguer en français!
Bush: I stopped noticing the stupidities a long time ago.
TV: Thank God for DVDs (I suggest Carnivàle).
Sunday shopping: same thing happened in Quebec some years ago. My first reaction was: why not change that to Monday, like they do in many European countries. I mean, who shops on MondaY anyway?
Academia: go for it!
To #1: I think this was some gambit to rally the morality crowd in the U.S. and distract people from economic troubles and our problems in Iraq, etc. I don’t think it will work, and I also think this veto on stem cell research won’t matter in the long run. Already, a majority of Americans support stem cell research, and the incidence of things like Parkinson’s and Alzheimers is on the rise. Despite supposed moral scruples, people will push for what’s convenient and in their best interests (call me a cynic ;).
#5: No one wants to get involved. Same way the international community sits back on things like the crisis in Darfur, they are hardly going to intervene in such a messy situation, beyond condemnations of Israel’s actions on paper. Also, the U.S. is going to back Israel no matter what, it seems.
All I can say is: I’m very glad my boyfriend got to visit Lebanon last summer, and we’re pretty concerned about his extended family in Beirut. I wish all the warmongering jerks in the Middle East would just leave Lebanon alone, and let it be the fun, gorgeous party country that it is 😛
#9 – I definitely support this one 🙂 Check knittinghelp.com if you need any pointers on how to get started again 😉
That was a ridiculous amount of smilies. Apologies!
Oui…tu peux me parler en francais biensur…
Pas de souci (no worries)
*sourire*