I was hitting the random button on xkcd today (as you do at work), and came across this comic.
It's hilarious in its own right, until I scrolled over it and the text "the younger folk in the audience think this is a joke" appeared. To which I thought "...Jimmy Carter was attacked by a giant swimming rabbit? No way."
Yes way.
It's sad that my history classes wasted so much time on the Industrial Revolution, and I was never taught something this awesome. I can picture my AP history tests now "please describe how the 1979 rabbit incident is related to Carter's release of Patty Hearst from jail two months earlier. Use at least three primary sources."
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
"WHY DO YOU PEOPLE DO THIS?"
My Canadian boss yelled at my crazy American ways again yesterday, for the way we write the date (the title of the entry is what he actually said. I had no idea what he was referring to at first).
America writes the date: July 16, 2008.
Canada and Europe writes the date: 16 July, 2008.
He tried to change my naughty ways, and explained that in a decade there are 120 "16th", 10 July's, and only 1 2008. So we should be writing the date in descending order of how often the numbers appear in a decade.
I'll concede that the Canadian way does make more sense, but I'm not changing my ways now. I'm a stubborn Ugly American. I do find the tiny culture differences fascinating though. How did every western country start doing something one way, except one? America writes the date "weird," England drives on the "wrong" side of the road. What happened in history to account for these differences?
America writes the date: July 16, 2008.
Canada and Europe writes the date: 16 July, 2008.
He tried to change my naughty ways, and explained that in a decade there are 120 "16th", 10 July's, and only 1 2008. So we should be writing the date in descending order of how often the numbers appear in a decade.
I'll concede that the Canadian way does make more sense, but I'm not changing my ways now. I'm a stubborn Ugly American. I do find the tiny culture differences fascinating though. How did every western country start doing something one way, except one? America writes the date "weird," England drives on the "wrong" side of the road. What happened in history to account for these differences?
Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.
Bonnie, of the Drexel "Bonnie & Clyde" identify theft case, has pleaded guilty.
As a Lithuanian, I'm glad she's going to jail. Not because of the identity theft, not because of how pretty she is (in fact, I'm rather amused by the suggestion that the only reason this case made national news and they got caught was because the press thought she was really hot and kept running her picture), but because she claimed to be Lithuanian when she wasn't. Apparently she would wear purple contact lenses and tell people that all Lithuanians had purple eyes, and that her Lithuanian background was why she spoke fluent Russian, because all Lithuanians speak Russian.
Anyone with any knowledge of the Lithuanian fight for Independence from the Soviets knows why that last comment made me want to punch her in the face. Yes, a lot of Lithuanians speak Russian, but that's because they had to learn it or they'd get shot. Lithuania has its own language, thank you very much.
I'm extremely proud of being Lithuanian, and dealing with all the things that comes with it (most people not knowing where or what the country is and think I'm making it up [which is why she got away with lying about it. Learn your geography, people. It's in Europe! Europe should be easy!], a built-in fear of big governments, an urge to slap well-meaning college hippy friends who think Communism is awesome and works every time, etc).
I read this morning that "Bonnie and Clyde" got 6 years in jail, but now that I'm at work I can't find any sources to repeat that. Good riddance, I say.
As a Lithuanian, I'm glad she's going to jail. Not because of the identity theft, not because of how pretty she is (in fact, I'm rather amused by the suggestion that the only reason this case made national news and they got caught was because the press thought she was really hot and kept running her picture), but because she claimed to be Lithuanian when she wasn't. Apparently she would wear purple contact lenses and tell people that all Lithuanians had purple eyes, and that her Lithuanian background was why she spoke fluent Russian, because all Lithuanians speak Russian.
Anyone with any knowledge of the Lithuanian fight for Independence from the Soviets knows why that last comment made me want to punch her in the face. Yes, a lot of Lithuanians speak Russian, but that's because they had to learn it or they'd get shot. Lithuania has its own language, thank you very much.
I'm extremely proud of being Lithuanian, and dealing with all the things that comes with it (most people not knowing where or what the country is and think I'm making it up [which is why she got away with lying about it. Learn your geography, people. It's in Europe! Europe should be easy!], a built-in fear of big governments, an urge to slap well-meaning college hippy friends who think Communism is awesome and works every time, etc).
I read this morning that "Bonnie and Clyde" got 6 years in jail, but now that I'm at work I can't find any sources to repeat that. Good riddance, I say.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
"You Americans are weird." "Yep."
One of my bosses is Canadian. He came into the office today and demanded to know why Americans use the phrases "Fourth of July" and "Independence Day" interchangeably, because we don't do this for any other holiday.
"You don't say, 'what are you doing for the 25th of December?' or 'Man, I can't wait for the parade on January 1st.'" He went on to point out that in Canada, July 1st was just "Independence Day," not the first of July.
So I looked it up, because that is an interesting question (I already came out as a nerd, remember?). The best answer I could come up with is that there are records of people celebrating the fourth of July as a holiday since 1777. But the first recorded use of the name Independence Day didn't occur until 1791. My theory was that because people had been used to saying "Let's celebrate the fourth of July!" for over a decade, referring to the day by the date slipped into the vernacular. Also, the day wasn't made into a holiday until 1870, so its also very possible that even though some states and areas were calling it Independence Day, the name didn't spread to the other areas of the country until the late 1800s, resulting in people being so used to saying "the fourth of July" that it stuck.
I'll admit, my theory is a little weak. If you have a better idea I'd love to hear it.
"You don't say, 'what are you doing for the 25th of December?' or 'Man, I can't wait for the parade on January 1st.'" He went on to point out that in Canada, July 1st was just "Independence Day," not the first of July.
So I looked it up, because that is an interesting question (I already came out as a nerd, remember?). The best answer I could come up with is that there are records of people celebrating the fourth of July as a holiday since 1777. But the first recorded use of the name Independence Day didn't occur until 1791. My theory was that because people had been used to saying "Let's celebrate the fourth of July!" for over a decade, referring to the day by the date slipped into the vernacular. Also, the day wasn't made into a holiday until 1870, so its also very possible that even though some states and areas were calling it Independence Day, the name didn't spread to the other areas of the country until the late 1800s, resulting in people being so used to saying "the fourth of July" that it stuck.
I'll admit, my theory is a little weak. If you have a better idea I'd love to hear it.
This question and conversation also led me to learn that every state in the Union has a state anthem except for New Jersey. New Jersey's unofficial anthem is "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen, while all the other states' songs (in my opinion) kinda suck. So, in the ongoing battle to find out which is the best state in the Union, New Jersey could very well be winning the "coolest song" round, but choices not to even enter itself into that race. That's ballsy.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
A lunch break journey through historical Philadelphia
It may not be clear from the fact that I readily admit that I am a lush, but I'm really a huge nerd. I admit this now, because its time we were honest with each other (all three people who read this), and because it explains this post, in which I explore historical Philadelphia in a half hour.
The time limit is because this half hour was my break from work. I sort-of-kind-of work in the entertainment industry (sorta. kinda.), so when there's nothing to promote there's nothing to do, and I spend 7 hours at a desk playing travian and annoying my boss by asking her for work every twenty minutes. I finally got frustrated, pretended I was going to Cosi's for some overpriced coffee (entertainment people love overpriced coffee), and went walking through the streets.
Franklin's Court happens to be less than a block from my office. This is my favorite spot in the city, and has been since I was a child. Unfortunately, it closes its gates before my work day ends, so I rarely get to go there even though I'm so close.
The Court is the former home of Ben Franklin. In 1812 his grandchildren sold it for some reason, and the original house and printing office were torn down to make way for row homes, which were then torn down when the city realized what a great tourist trap Franklin's house was. The property is a square featuring gardens and hollow outlines (pictured) of where the house and printing office once stood. Best of all, and the original reason my mother and I came here all the time, it houses an underground museum, which is free to the public and air conditioned. Air conditioning is very important.
I love the area because since its literally inside of the block, very few people know its there. Once tourist season ends the place is virtually deserted. Even now, smack dab in the middle of the annual "tourists attack the city" month (the week around July 4th, for obvious reasons, is unbearable for natives), there were maybe seven people wandering around the entire square. That's heaven.
I like cutting through back alleys and finding the lesser known historical areas of the city. I took a picture today (which I may upload later if I remember) of the window where my best friend swears he saw a ghost one night. His story is helped by the fact that that house is supposed to be the most haunted house in the city (its diagonal to Carpenter's Hall, south of it, on the corner of 2nd if you want to go ghost hunting).
Post 9-11 Philadelphia, unfortunately, is not the Philadelphia I grew up with. Once upon a time the park behind Independence Hall was my playground. Today, to get anywhere near the building you have to go through a metal detector, stand in a 2 hour line, and be forced to tour the entire building and liberty bell first. No thanks. I love the building, and I love this city, but some nights when I wander by it I'm afraid to linger too long, lest some Park Ranger think I'm plotting something.
I find it sad that Ben Franklin is the city's patron saint (not literally of course. He wasn't Catholic.), who warned us that "those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither," and this is what his former neighborhood has become. Obsessed with pretending to be safe when, really, what the hell is a tiny fence that comes up to an adult's waist going to do?
While we're on the subject of Independence Hall, the geography of Philadelphia in National Treasure is wrong. It's the wrongiest most wrong layout of the city ever. Please do not come here and expect to be able to walk from the Hall to South Street to Reading Terminal in five minutes. You will be laughed at, and then keel over and die from trying it.
As a final note: I did eventually go get my overpriced coffee from Cosi. As I walked into the store, the woman behind me turned to her friend and said "yeah, this is it for historical Philadelphia. It's just these few block." That lady is wrong, and may inspire a future entry. Maybe.
The time limit is because this half hour was my break from work. I sort-of-kind-of work in the entertainment industry (sorta. kinda.), so when there's nothing to promote there's nothing to do, and I spend 7 hours at a desk playing travian and annoying my boss by asking her for work every twenty minutes. I finally got frustrated, pretended I was going to Cosi's for some overpriced coffee (entertainment people love overpriced coffee), and went walking through the streets.
Franklin's Court happens to be less than a block from my office. This is my favorite spot in the city, and has been since I was a child. Unfortunately, it closes its gates before my work day ends, so I rarely get to go there even though I'm so close.
The Court is the former home of Ben Franklin. In 1812 his grandchildren sold it for some reason, and the original house and printing office were torn down to make way for row homes, which were then torn down when the city realized what a great tourist trap Franklin's house was. The property is a square featuring gardens and hollow outlines (pictured) of where the house and printing office once stood. Best of all, and the original reason my mother and I came here all the time, it houses an underground museum, which is free to the public and air conditioned. Air conditioning is very important.
I love the area because since its literally inside of the block, very few people know its there. Once tourist season ends the place is virtually deserted. Even now, smack dab in the middle of the annual "tourists attack the city" month (the week around July 4th, for obvious reasons, is unbearable for natives), there were maybe seven people wandering around the entire square. That's heaven.
I like cutting through back alleys and finding the lesser known historical areas of the city. I took a picture today (which I may upload later if I remember) of the window where my best friend swears he saw a ghost one night. His story is helped by the fact that that house is supposed to be the most haunted house in the city (its diagonal to Carpenter's Hall, south of it, on the corner of 2nd if you want to go ghost hunting).
Post 9-11 Philadelphia, unfortunately, is not the Philadelphia I grew up with. Once upon a time the park behind Independence Hall was my playground. Today, to get anywhere near the building you have to go through a metal detector, stand in a 2 hour line, and be forced to tour the entire building and liberty bell first. No thanks. I love the building, and I love this city, but some nights when I wander by it I'm afraid to linger too long, lest some Park Ranger think I'm plotting something.
I find it sad that Ben Franklin is the city's patron saint (not literally of course. He wasn't Catholic.), who warned us that "those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither," and this is what his former neighborhood has become. Obsessed with pretending to be safe when, really, what the hell is a tiny fence that comes up to an adult's waist going to do?
While we're on the subject of Independence Hall, the geography of Philadelphia in National Treasure is wrong. It's the wrongiest most wrong layout of the city ever. Please do not come here and expect to be able to walk from the Hall to South Street to Reading Terminal in five minutes. You will be laughed at, and then keel over and die from trying it.
As a final note: I did eventually go get my overpriced coffee from Cosi. As I walked into the store, the woman behind me turned to her friend and said "yeah, this is it for historical Philadelphia. It's just these few block." That lady is wrong, and may inspire a future entry. Maybe.
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