[BRIEF NOTE] Who to vote for?

Some Republicans say that Kerry looks and is French. (If Kerry has any non-WASP traits in his ancestry, they're Jewish. I'm sure that the GOP could dig out some anti-Semitic stereotypes if they wanted. They do say he's cosmopolitan, don't they?)

Some Democrats say that Bush is compromised by his Saudi connections and leanings. (Brief version: Texas can only be compared to Saudi Arabia in the loosest and least meaningful terms. More on this later.)

If you're so inclined, you can say that next month's American elections aren't a competition between the Democratic and Republican parties, but rather that they constitute a proxy conflict between French and Saudi agents.

How should Americans decide? David Plotz, at Slate, looks at the issue.

UPDATE (5:52 PM): countess_sophia points out that Plotz is offensive in, among other things, his identification of the French as anti-Semitic. One would have hoped that at least some Americans would remember that whereas France has actually had at least one Jewish head of state (Léon Blum, in the 1930s), the United States has had none. But then, that would take away from simpleminded fun.

The rest of it is entertaining enough, though.

UPDATE (7:47 PM): As countess_sophia points out, Blum was head of government, not head of state.

[BLOG-LIKE POSTING] My Visit to IKEA

I get up now at 5 o'clock in the morning to go to work; my regular 9-to-5 shifts have been pushed down two hours. As I stumbled about my room Tuesday morning, trying to avoid tripping over my boxed monitor in the early morning darkness, I decided that I badly needed to go to IKEA.

You see, I need more furniture, particularly a computer desk. For three and a half months, my desktop computer has lay, disassembled, in several boxes which manage to dominate the two-thirds of my room not included within my sleeping area. I want my desktop back, I want the gigabytes of mp3s and copied music back, I want at least the theoretical possibility of playing Alpha Centauri. I'd even be able to enjoy the Internet from the comfort of home, if only because a) Internet cafés are expensive and b) their sticky keyboards keep producing embarrassing spelling mistakes in my postings. Actually having floor space would also be a pleasant innovation.

Almost a month ago, I'd asked for help in finding the location of the nearest IKEA store. Given my lack of vehicles, the consensus was that the North York IKEA, located off of the Shepard Avenue subway line east of Bessarion station, would be by far the most convenient places to go. So, when I got off of work at 3 o'clock Tuesday, I ended up heading north, and then east.

For whatever odd reason, IKEA never saw fit to exploit the dynamic and growing market of Prince Edward Island by setting up a shop. I'd never been to an IKEA before, though I'd of course heard of the chain before and knew some basic facts about it: that it was founded in Sweden, and is now a major multinational corporation with stores worldwide; that it bears much of the responsibility for the popularity of Scandinavian-designed goods; that it has a reputation for being inexpensive and for having helpful staff; that, at least on Canadian television, it has some funny commercials; and, via pompe, that IKEA represents one of Sweden's most potent tools in its quiet plan for world conquest. I had, in short, only a few expectations.

It wasn't difficult to spot the North York IKEA store, even from Sheppard Avenue, since its exterior is entirely blue and gold, colours of the Swedish flag. Walking closer through the immaculately landscaped grounds, I could see flying in front of the entrance, in a neat line from north to south, the flags of Sweden, Canada, and finally Ontario.

Well, at least IKEA's open about its goals.

( I venture inside. )

( Brief thoughts. )

( Counter )