Apologies if I said this already: not living if you're not living on the edge.
Hehe yes it is apt: tons of fun and plenty going on over here in London. So here is a quick recap of some things that have happened and will happen before I head home for Easter. JP dragged me along to the ULU (University of London Union) Rifle Club's range day at a shooting range at Blackfriars. You would never think in such a place with such strict gun control they would allow rifles, much less a rifle range in a city like London. It's very sketchy to get to because you need to walk downstairs to the Embankment and then open up this old gate and everything looks rundown, like where homeless people live (actually homeless people or as they call them here rough sleepers, live here, so the description is apt) and you go down these dark stairs and it is all dirty. Finally you get to the bottom with a door, ring a buzzer, a metal peephole opens and they let you in. After you get in you see they have a metal bar across the door and a 25 (or 50, I forget) yard firing range. It really looks like a holdout for a zombie apocalypse. We fire .22 caliber rifles at paper targets. Lots of fun. Really my only chance to to the ever really, so I plan on coming here as much as I can. It is a little pricey to join the club but the money I see it as going to protect gun rights so why not fight the fascists here in Britain.
I went to a bar called PJ's that Adam found with the very idiosyncratic bartender called Tony who is actually an Algerian. This time around we met this guy named Yussef who works for the BBC. Really neat guy. Besides, Tony makes damn good a Old Fashioned and Margarita! We'll see how often I head back.
This weekend there is an Isle of Wight "meeting" (or should I say party) at Ben's house at the end of the 188 Bus. Kate Davey is here before the onslaught of D6 in a week or two. I have to laundry very soon because--I'm going to Amsterdam with Jess this week! We plan on having a good time, no worries. Then on March 1st I see a play at the famous Old Vic called Speed the Plow with Jeff Goldblum and Kevin Spacey. I wonder if I should shout out weird quotations from movies like The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension to Goldblum. We'll see. Then there is the Muse opening party (I got something published! w00t!) then my last essay for LatAm and any course this year. A Toqueville Society event with Rick Santorum speaking. Then try to make it to Paris for a day trip (leave really really early, like 5AM!) and then I leave for home.
Sorry for the rushed end, as things come up they will be described in detail. Because now I need to have lunch before I head off shooting at Blackfriars so see you later. Ciao!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Spring in February and Updates
Well, I would think it was spring from the unseasonably warm weather here, but it is still February. However it is nearly the end of February and I will be home less than two weeks into March. And Michael came to stay for nearly a week but it seemed like I barely saw him, gave him the unconventional non-touristy tour of London, and then he left. Time flies indeed.
So yes, I survived almost two straight weeks of visitors, though I got a little run down over the course of it. Suprisingly/luckily, work hasn't built up, in fact I am still on schedule. Odd. I did get more of my London explorations out of the way with my parents and Mike. Kensington and Abbey Road to be more specific. I still need someone to go with me to the Tower of London. I'm sure I'll find someone.
Today I went back to Abbey Road, but didn't walk across the famed street. Why? Because 20 other people were doing it, nearly getting hit by cars and I didn't want to feel like a stereotypical tourist. Oh well. Haha at least I walked up to the open door and tried to get into Abbey Road!! Alas it was locked though.
Then I explored the "northern" (relatively) area of London from St Pancras/King's Cross/Euston to Regent's Park to Baker Street to Edgware/Marylebone to Paddington. I wanted to see The Kingsway Hotel where I stayed 13 years ago, but I only took note of the street and not the address and little did I know the whole street is filled with hotels and it was like finding a needle in a haystack. Ugh, I guess I have to try again, but luckily the 7 bus runs from near my dorm so it should be easy to get to. I wish I used these buses earlier, they really are convenient and get you to places where you would normally have to transfer and get held up with if you used the tube. So I have a few museums/sites to see, but besides those I only have a few neighborhoods left to hit. I want to see Holborn Aqueduct again and see how it all connects. That was one big mind-fuck when I figured that all out and I need to revisit it and take it all in. Barbican/Farringdon is another (though if it is bad, I won't stay long). Maida Vale, Cricklewood, Willesden Green, and Turnham Green: all you music fans will know the songs these places are associated with. When I saw these names I almost fell out of my chair. It's nice to be able to put two and two together finally. I might see some places where album/band photo shots were taken. Kew Gardens and other parks I want to hit as well. Primrose Hill right north of Regent's Park was amazing and as JP and I concurred, we are going back for a picnic and bringing people.
Seems like no rado show again this week :-( I'll let you know if that changes. So much music to play, so little time to play it in....I have enough time to see the rest of what I want in London, right? hehe we'll see
So yes, I survived almost two straight weeks of visitors, though I got a little run down over the course of it. Suprisingly/luckily, work hasn't built up, in fact I am still on schedule. Odd. I did get more of my London explorations out of the way with my parents and Mike. Kensington and Abbey Road to be more specific. I still need someone to go with me to the Tower of London. I'm sure I'll find someone.
Today I went back to Abbey Road, but didn't walk across the famed street. Why? Because 20 other people were doing it, nearly getting hit by cars and I didn't want to feel like a stereotypical tourist. Oh well. Haha at least I walked up to the open door and tried to get into Abbey Road!! Alas it was locked though.
Then I explored the "northern" (relatively) area of London from St Pancras/King's Cross/Euston to Regent's Park to Baker Street to Edgware/Marylebone to Paddington. I wanted to see The Kingsway Hotel where I stayed 13 years ago, but I only took note of the street and not the address and little did I know the whole street is filled with hotels and it was like finding a needle in a haystack. Ugh, I guess I have to try again, but luckily the 7 bus runs from near my dorm so it should be easy to get to. I wish I used these buses earlier, they really are convenient and get you to places where you would normally have to transfer and get held up with if you used the tube. So I have a few museums/sites to see, but besides those I only have a few neighborhoods left to hit. I want to see Holborn Aqueduct again and see how it all connects. That was one big mind-fuck when I figured that all out and I need to revisit it and take it all in. Barbican/Farringdon is another (though if it is bad, I won't stay long). Maida Vale, Cricklewood, Willesden Green, and Turnham Green: all you music fans will know the songs these places are associated with. When I saw these names I almost fell out of my chair. It's nice to be able to put two and two together finally. I might see some places where album/band photo shots were taken. Kew Gardens and other parks I want to hit as well. Primrose Hill right north of Regent's Park was amazing and as JP and I concurred, we are going back for a picnic and bringing people.
Seems like no rado show again this week :-( I'll let you know if that changes. So much music to play, so little time to play it in....I have enough time to see the rest of what I want in London, right? hehe we'll see
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Parental Units and A Supreme Court Justice
So, in this hectic week my parents and aunt and uncle came to visit me in London. While they were settling in however, I managed to sneak away to see Associate Justice Antonin Scalia give a lecture at LSE. The main point of his speech was how judges should not be activist, not try to legislate from the bench, not inject their values into their rulings, and not think of the Constitution as a living document. He thought judges should also defer to the democratic process on what should and shouldn't be legal. This all seemed to conflict in my head with the Libertarian values that I hold. So how do inherent individual rights hold up in this?
I got up some courage (no liquid courage needed) and asked him since the 14th and 15th amendments were passed in the 1860s and Plessy v Ferguson in 1896 affirmed the "separate but equal" doctrine, then wasn't Brown v Board of Education in 1954 an activist ruling going against almost 100 years of precedent? I was a little nervous in speaking (I wonder if it showed), understandably because I was speaking directly to the highest government official I have ever seen in person. He laughed and said I was one of those people who he gets every speech that waves "the bloody red shirt of Brown!" He then proceeded to answer my question. The second half made sense: one example does not make a trend or justify judicial activism all the time. Fair enough and good point: 1 good decision due to activism doesn't outweigh if there are 100 bad ones. Yet his first part of the answer was complete bullshit. He said if he were on the Supreme Court in Brown, he would have voted with the majority decision because he would have agreed with the dissenting opinion of Justice John Marshall Harlan in Plessy. But you can't get a precedent from the minority dissenting opinion!!! After he finished, I heard another voice ask about stare decisis. And sure enough I recognized that voice: backup from Kris Rodgers, a classmate from high school! He heard my question and was trying to further prod Scalia. God I love Regians. Afterwards, Rodgers and I both agreed a dissenting opinion is not stare decisis, so we have no idea of Scalia makes himself sleep at night with that. In retrospect, since he thinks that rights and law descend from the democratic process, I should have asked him what he thinks about the 9th Amendment. Oh well, for next time!
His views sort of alarmed me looking back on the speech afterwards. Scalia said shouldn't put values into jurisprudence, (I agree: last thing I need is a judge saying you have a right to a car or a TV or some other socialist corruption of the meaning of rights) but I think libertarian values are inherently contained in the Constitution and Scalia's strict reading misses a good deal of value structure built into the constitution. I like Scalia and agree with a lot of what he said. Somehow this came to my mind, that people view me as a conservative (the implications of supporting Scalia brought this up in my mind). But Riddle me this, Joker! If I'm conservative would I be the following:
-anti-Patriot act
-pro-gay marriage (well more like anti-state-sponsored-marriage, go to the church of your choice, leave marriage to church, civil unions to state) [Marriage is a semantics game, anyway because a civil union is just a marriage that isn't called that. And also, the standards of marriage have evolved and differed between the church and state like marriages between different races. More about how state institutionalized marriage is contrived here)
-pro-drug legalization
-pro-immigration
-pro-pollution/Pigouvian taxation (but only for replacing others, like income tax)
-anti-draft in the militaru
-pro-normalization with Cuba (it would actually hasten the end of regime if we weren't so damn stubborn)
-pro-privacy rights
-Anti-Guantanamo Bay, torture, and terrorism laws
So yes, since I support the above, am I conservative? Is that what makes a person what he is? Or is it more of how you carry yourself than how you align politically? Maybe this is just more reason why labels are completely empty and meaningless.
The Republicans in turmoil and my family in London was a microcosm of the Republican implosion. My Aunt and Uncle don't want McCain; Janel said she would go Democrat even for Hillary in the November election and was for socialized health care. My uncle just seemed unsure or unimpressed. Dad went for his guts and voted McCain, My mom went with Romney. So yes, that was the introduction to my parents and aunt/uncle's 5 day stay in London. I was really busy going around with them to see some sites, but we went to less stereotypical places because all of us had been to London before and we wanted to catch the stuff on the periphery that we had missed. It is difficult when adults don't run on college time: I would meet up with them at 9 in the morning and go around all day until 11 at night...and then not go to sleep until later. So yes it got very tiring very quickly, especially because we were always constantly in motion going around London. It was good to see them, even though I will be back in a month. I think my parents and aunt/uncle enjoyed it. They were impressed with my navigation skills around the city. They must think I have become a true native: in a way, I have.
I got up some courage (no liquid courage needed) and asked him since the 14th and 15th amendments were passed in the 1860s and Plessy v Ferguson in 1896 affirmed the "separate but equal" doctrine, then wasn't Brown v Board of Education in 1954 an activist ruling going against almost 100 years of precedent? I was a little nervous in speaking (I wonder if it showed), understandably because I was speaking directly to the highest government official I have ever seen in person. He laughed and said I was one of those people who he gets every speech that waves "the bloody red shirt of Brown!" He then proceeded to answer my question. The second half made sense: one example does not make a trend or justify judicial activism all the time. Fair enough and good point: 1 good decision due to activism doesn't outweigh if there are 100 bad ones. Yet his first part of the answer was complete bullshit. He said if he were on the Supreme Court in Brown, he would have voted with the majority decision because he would have agreed with the dissenting opinion of Justice John Marshall Harlan in Plessy. But you can't get a precedent from the minority dissenting opinion!!! After he finished, I heard another voice ask about stare decisis. And sure enough I recognized that voice: backup from Kris Rodgers, a classmate from high school! He heard my question and was trying to further prod Scalia. God I love Regians. Afterwards, Rodgers and I both agreed a dissenting opinion is not stare decisis, so we have no idea of Scalia makes himself sleep at night with that. In retrospect, since he thinks that rights and law descend from the democratic process, I should have asked him what he thinks about the 9th Amendment. Oh well, for next time!
His views sort of alarmed me looking back on the speech afterwards. Scalia said shouldn't put values into jurisprudence, (I agree: last thing I need is a judge saying you have a right to a car or a TV or some other socialist corruption of the meaning of rights) but I think libertarian values are inherently contained in the Constitution and Scalia's strict reading misses a good deal of value structure built into the constitution. I like Scalia and agree with a lot of what he said. Somehow this came to my mind, that people view me as a conservative (the implications of supporting Scalia brought this up in my mind). But Riddle me this, Joker! If I'm conservative would I be the following:
-anti-Patriot act
-pro-gay marriage (well more like anti-state-sponsored-marriage, go to the church of your choice, leave marriage to church, civil unions to state) [Marriage is a semantics game, anyway because a civil union is just a marriage that isn't called that. And also, the standards of marriage have evolved and differed between the church and state like marriages between different races. More about how state institutionalized marriage is contrived here)
-pro-drug legalization
-pro-immigration
-pro-pollution/Pigouvian taxation (but only for replacing others, like income tax)
-anti-draft in the militaru
-pro-normalization with Cuba (it would actually hasten the end of regime if we weren't so damn stubborn)
-pro-privacy rights
-Anti-Guantanamo Bay, torture, and terrorism laws
So yes, since I support the above, am I conservative? Is that what makes a person what he is? Or is it more of how you carry yourself than how you align politically? Maybe this is just more reason why labels are completely empty and meaningless.
The Republicans in turmoil and my family in London was a microcosm of the Republican implosion. My Aunt and Uncle don't want McCain; Janel said she would go Democrat even for Hillary in the November election and was for socialized health care. My uncle just seemed unsure or unimpressed. Dad went for his guts and voted McCain, My mom went with Romney. So yes, that was the introduction to my parents and aunt/uncle's 5 day stay in London. I was really busy going around with them to see some sites, but we went to less stereotypical places because all of us had been to London before and we wanted to catch the stuff on the periphery that we had missed. It is difficult when adults don't run on college time: I would meet up with them at 9 in the morning and go around all day until 11 at night...and then not go to sleep until later. So yes it got very tiring very quickly, especially because we were always constantly in motion going around London. It was good to see them, even though I will be back in a month. I think my parents and aunt/uncle enjoyed it. They were impressed with my navigation skills around the city. They must think I have become a true native: in a way, I have.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Progress; And So It Begins
So this past weekend, I took a walk into the East End of London and The City. I walked from the Temple Tube Stop, all the way along Fleet/Ludgate Hill/Cannon/Tower Hill Street(s) to the Tower of London, then up to Spittalfields which unfortunately was closed, took a bus along the northern edge of The City along Holborn Aqueduct, and went to the parks up by Russell Square. And I think I got all this done in under 4 hours! So now, here are my final areas left to hit:
-Barbican/Farringdon neighborhoods and other various things west of Liverpool Street
-the King's Cross-St Pancras/Euston/Regent's Park/Baker St Axis (this could be one nice long day walk that I might even be able to make it to Edgware and Paddington.
-Maida Vale and Kew Gardens and other parks that I am missing on the outskirts of the city
Maybe I'll hit some of this places with Mike (221B Baker St is a must-see) and my parents. So now I am on to attempting work before the onslaught of visitors and merrymakers arrive.
In other news, one day I went into kitchen and got dinner from my row in the fridge. After I paused for a second thinking about how my row looked, I sat down to eat and my flatmate came in to make dinner herself. When she opened the fridge, she said she was missing two yogurts. Then I realized why I paused as well and went back to the fridge and saw that I was missing yogurt too! Then another flatmate came in and he noticed someone had stolen a whole pack from him! We sort of guessed the reason: our flat door has been open because the flat across from us had their shower completely gutted and they had to use ours. We all figured out when one of them came over to shower (it had been earlier that day) they took our yogurt back! Now we are looking for a yogurt-eating kleptomaniac in Flat E....but to add insult to injury I woke up this morning to find our flat's shower had been completely gutted too and now we would have to use another flat's shower. Completely lame...although now maybe we can launch a counter-attack and rescue operation on their kitchen for our missing yogurts...
-Barbican/Farringdon neighborhoods and other various things west of Liverpool Street
-the King's Cross-St Pancras/Euston/Regent's Park/Baker St Axis (this could be one nice long day walk that I might even be able to make it to Edgware and Paddington.
-Maida Vale and Kew Gardens and other parks that I am missing on the outskirts of the city
Maybe I'll hit some of this places with Mike (221B Baker St is a must-see) and my parents. So now I am on to attempting work before the onslaught of visitors and merrymakers arrive.
In other news, one day I went into kitchen and got dinner from my row in the fridge. After I paused for a second thinking about how my row looked, I sat down to eat and my flatmate came in to make dinner herself. When she opened the fridge, she said she was missing two yogurts. Then I realized why I paused as well and went back to the fridge and saw that I was missing yogurt too! Then another flatmate came in and he noticed someone had stolen a whole pack from him! We sort of guessed the reason: our flat door has been open because the flat across from us had their shower completely gutted and they had to use ours. We all figured out when one of them came over to shower (it had been earlier that day) they took our yogurt back! Now we are looking for a yogurt-eating kleptomaniac in Flat E....but to add insult to injury I woke up this morning to find our flat's shower had been completely gutted too and now we would have to use another flat's shower. Completely lame...although now maybe we can launch a counter-attack and rescue operation on their kitchen for our missing yogurts...
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