Obvious student is obvious. Or should that be oblivious?

Another nice turn of phrase extracted from a CE217 assignment:

Health bar replenishment objects replenish health

Now you say it, it seems so obvious...

 

via youhaventlived.com

Also see...
http://www.youhaventlived.com/qblog/2011/QBlog030111B.html
http://www.youhaventlived.com/qblog/2011/QBlog020111C.html
http://www.youhaventlived.com/qblog/2010/QBlog311210B.html

^_^ I love it when Bartle marks papers.

Feminism and Video Games 101: Shooting Female Enemies Isn’t Icky | Border House

I have one question, though. There is this one sentence that I am not sure how to read.
“The bottom line is, when women are treated differently simply because they are women–whether by treating them as inferior or putting them on a pedestal–it’s sexist.”

Does this mean “when women are treated as inferiors, or put on a pedestal, simply because they are women, it’s sexist” or does this mean “when women are treated differently simply because they are women it’s sexist, two examples of differential treatment are treating them as inferior or putting them on a pedestal.”

I wonder because while I agree with the first, I disagree with the second. I think it is true that treating women as inferiors or putting us on a pedestal is sexist treatment. But sometimes, treating women differently is not sexist (even if it is because we are women). For example, allowing women maternity leave is treating women differently because they are women, but I don’t think it is sexist. (Of course, it is even better when countries have parental leave that is available to men and women, but given the paltry maternity leave in the USA that seems a lot to hope for.)

I think there are many other examples where differential treatment for women is not sexist. And there is a lot of debate in feminist theory about whether ‘sameness’ or ‘difference’ is the way to go, and each has advantages and disadvantages. More recently in feminist theory, feminists have begun to point out that one problem in both cases is that the male is still the standard no matter which way you go.

via borderhouseblog.com

I wish more of the feminist writers I read on the Interwebs are capable of dicing semantics this finely, and this clearly.

Bakka makes a very important point/distinction, which is often missed, or willfully overlooked.

I'm sorry, I don't understand English.

About 2 months ago, I had my right wisdom tooth removed at Ace Family Dental Care.

Procedure went okay, dentist was a pleasant chap, if a bit... odd. And then off I went on holiday for 2 weeks.

Fast forward to the present - checking my mail last night, I find that the dentist was reimbursed for the surgery from my Medisave account over 2 months ago. Their standard operating procedure is to have the patient pay upfront, and then reimburse them by cheque once the payment from Medisave has cleared.

I understand that they may have called while I was away in Australia.

What I do not understand is why there was no further follow up, no information, no NOTHING, with the staff in charge simply sitting on my cheque and ignoring it.

The best part? When I called to enquire in person, the moment I demanded an explanation, the woman who answered the phone more or less immediately passed me to her colleague, who then pretended not to be able to understand English - only, and I must stress ONLY - when I questioned her about the handling of my cheque, or lack thereof.

This is sad as up till now I'd had a very good impression of the clinic, which this handling, or lack of handling of my cheque has tossed down the drain.

Obviously, taking the complaint seriously, rather than pretending not to understand English, and passing me between various people in a show of utter irresponsibility, is something that isn't done in this place.

I'm glad I don't have any more wisdom teeth.

And lest you think I am being unreasonable, this is the 21st century, in Singapore. Can't get someone on the phone? Send an SMS. Follow up with an SMS. Follow up with another damn call. Follow up with my email, which they have.

But no, sit on the cheque, and wait till the patient/customer calls to yell, then pretend not to understand English.

That's the way to do it.