You’re the United Kingdom!
You’re a much weaker person than you used to be, but you still act like you did when everyone looked up to you. Despite this, you’re probably a better person than you were when you had so much power over those around you. Though you do have a strange fascination with jewels and monarchs, which lets you play in castles, but also end up leading a sort of tabloid lifestyle.
You really like the Beatles, even more than you like Oasis.
Take the Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid
Via Shatnerian
Bush league advertising
Now that Kerry has clinched the Democratic nomination, the Republican party is gearing up for the campaign. There are three new ads to remind people what a great guy George W. is – two of which include images from 9/11, which the Bush league had promised not to use for political gain.
According to Alternet, on a CBS morning show, “Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman told reporters that using images of Ground Zero was fair game because ‘9/11 was the defining moment of these times. Because of that day, America is at war and still is.'”
I’m not a fan of Bush (I know, the surprise is a little underwhelming), and I am not at all surprised that his campaign is exploiting the images of Ground Zero – but after watching the ads, I did wonder that no one has commented on the complete lack of Arab Americans in the ads. There are blacks, Asians, Latinos, whites (naturally), but not a single person of discernibly Middle Eastern heritage. Hmmm…
Anyway, as I said, I’m not surprised, or even particularly put off by the use of 9/11. After all, Mehlman is right; it was a defining moment in Bush’s first term, and arguably the catalyst for the current war. It’s certainly a more compelling argument for war than, say, going to war cuz Dad did first. Given the perceived American collective self-image as a country born on the battlefield, images of war are just part and parcel of any evocation of patriotism; as such, using images of the WTC devastation is no better or worse than relentlessly using the Star Spangled Banner in the ads (which they do, believe me).
On the other hand, if you promise that you’re not going to do something, don’t do it.
It’s funny because it’s true
My son is a cheap date
Colin and I are both enjoying our Spring Break, albeit without beaches or cabana boys. Yesterday we took the Metro all the way to the eastern end of the Green line, and today, we’re going all the way to Angrignon – and we’re stopping at every station along the way to get a transfer, just to show we’ve been there.
Have I mentioned that Colin is six?
Math is hard
I noticed yesterday that my smoke-free counter was getting ahead of me – the original code would have made today the three-week mark, which it is not. I quit on Friday the 13th, so 21 days has to be another Friday, no?
Perhaps it has something to do with the leap year…
Anyway, this morning I went to Dynamic Drive and found a better code that seems able to count. While it would be nice to say it’s been three weeks, it hasn’t.