Signs and Wonders

The shortest day is fast approaching, and (according to some Mayaologists) with it the end of the world. The day after tomorrow will be beyond imagining... unless a certain birthday boy is able to beat back the forces of chaos and darkness?

Yes, I for one will be reading The Dark Is Rising again, a sovereign prophylactic against escatophiles and frozen toes, this year and every year.

Looking at my Country in a Funhouse Mirror

I drew an analogy in a recent post between the gun lobby in the USA and the foxhunting lobby in the UK. Seems I wasn't the first to do so...

This was presumably made by the same people who like to warn Americans about the evils of the NHS Death Panels, and their shadowy leader, Dr D. Vader.

Probably the Least Important Aspect of this Debate, but...

My eyes rather glazed over before I reached the comments of this New Statesman article on privilege checking. I've ridden this particular carousel more than a few times right here on LJ, and seen more interesting views too.

But it reminded me that I've always had a strange linguistic niggle about the phrase "check your privilege". Does it mean "check" as in "check your pulse", or "check" as in "check your coat"? In other words, is it "Be aware of your privilege", or "Leave your privilege at the door"? I suspect the former, but I can never quite cast off the ghostly presence of the latter sense. How do you read it?

[Poll #1885786]