For those looking for information about the coup in Thailand, I forgot to mention here what I was reading to keep up to date: When it first hit the news, Lynn was blogging it at a frenzied pace. These days, she’s in exams and Bangkok Pundit is the place to look for up-to-date info.
Month: October 2006
Mother Tongues Collapsing Around the World
Mutant Frog Travelogue posted about some Japanese conservative who’s trying to cut English from the curriculum in Japan. Now, what the Japanese choose to study is their own business, of course, but what I find interesting is why he has proposed the cut: The reasoning is that Ibuki (as do many conservatives) believe[s] that students’ Japanese language abilities are going down. They should work on their native language, hone that to a good level, then work on English. Studying a foreign language at such an early age a) apparently confuses the kids, and b) takes class time away from good, …
Olbermann’s Skewers Bush
Go see. (Via Peking Duck)
Hey Idiot! Now You Want To Give Them More Rights With Censorship?
Adam’s posted about some moron in America who wants to ban Fahrenheit 451 from his kid’s school. I’ll let you go over and read Adam’s post. Go on. Then come back and read on. Back? Good. Aside from Adam’s scathing and totally correct criticisms, there are two things I’d like to add. The Bible is also full of references to getting drunk, violence, “dirty talk” (if he means that talk about sex is dirty, there’s lots of it in the Bible… though why he should think sex is dirty is, well, a topic for a whole other, sad, discussion). Has …
Fitness and Chicken Soup
So when I attended this party here at work a few days ago, I mentioned how I couldn’t get into the campus fitness center, and it was explained to my just why. They lock up the place, and to get in, you need to borrow a key from the security guard. Nico, who lives upstairs, told me that he went with his son a fair number of times last semester, and that they were almost always alone while there. It’s accessible all week long, apparently, though Nico said it’s locked on the weekend. Showers, lockers, a lot of great gear… …