Sunday, July 23, 2006

The road to blogging is paved with good intentions

So, I was going to do a series of posts today on stories I bookmarked ages ago to yap about but never got around to it. I did one, and now I've lost all indignation. So I'll go over a couple of them briefly and then delete them from my bookmarks.

Some gomer contends that characters like Hermione (yes, the smart girl from Harry Potter) could be contributing to an increase in violence among girls. I think this guy has advised the FBI one too many times. Girls may be getting more violent, but I highly doubt Hermione is the cause, as another "expert" contends. Sure, she hit Draco in book 3. I think there were some extenuating circumstances there. She might lead girls to excessive reading, though.

The text of the oldest papyrus in Greek has been decoded. The Derveni Papyrus is described as "philosophical treatise based on a poem in the Orphic tradition and dating to the second half of the 5th century BC.” Pretty damn cool.

The whole Harry Potter controversy in Gwinnett Country, GA school libraries. A moment of laughter directed at the crazed mother against Harry Potter should ensue.

The 100 most inspiring movies of all time. Gag me with a spoon. Not that I don't like most of these movies. But some of them inspired me to poke my eyes out (E.T., anyone?).

In Greece, one in three students feels bullied at school. Think there isn't a problem here now?

The so-called "Google generation" seems to think it is ok to copy things straight from the internet, and don't have a proper understanding of what plagiarism is. Wonderful.

Finally, modern science discovers something good about drugs. Yes, magic mushrooms *do* offer profound mystical experiences to those who ingest them. Do not confuse these experiences with those of LSD though, which are very, very, very different. And don't chew up mushrooms without copious amounts of flavorful liquids nearby.

Ok, I think that pretty much wraps it up. I feel purged now.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Gwinnett County. That woman would tear her hair out in clumps if she knew half the books that can be found in a middle school library. Peter Benchley's "Jaws" was a perfect example. I must have read the sex scenes in that like it was recently decoded Greek papayrus at the time.

Fruity boy wizard has nothing on adultery, profanity and shark hunting to a seventh grader.

Anonymous said...

Hah, never mind that Hermoine studies her brains out. That couldn't set a good example for young women.