What Jess said.

First day done. I got back to my Great Aunt's home to find a dinner waiting for us on the table (and as she knew, I was planning to cook today, but she refused because "I had a long day".) Clearly she's been in the Israeli Academic Women Organization for a long time, and knows how to support one. Now, where were she in the days I studied 12 hours, not 6?

I had so much fun coming back today, to friends, crazy lecturers and crazy academia. I think French is a hell of a crazy language (while Hebrew is the opposite with the what to pronounce/not to pronounce ratio.) I also have no idea whatsoever when I'll read "dire" and stop pronouncing it first as I do in English. And I already done my daily French homework! Woot!

The thing that did make me switch colors in class today and almost lose my sanity was the unbelievable reduction in Social Theories class of the scientific revolution: according to that lecturer, it began in the 19th century, with Darwin and the rise of "rational science", and some machines that were the harbingers of said revolution somewhere in the beginning of the 19th century. She also included Einstein and the relativity into that century. I believe me reaction to her nonsense was mourning at the loss of reason she was so eager to talk about, and doing the gravely acrobatics behalf of Kuhn, Popper and Newton (none of them, of course, were mentioned. Gravity? What is this gravity you're referring to?)

So if you didn't know, science began in the 19th century. We didn't know much before that, apparently.

Seriously, how can anyone expect me to take him/her seriously after beginning the year with rubbish like that, especially when calling that "historical background to the rise of sociology"? As if The Royal Society and Académie des sciences never existed.

And ION: BT, I'm sorry about your nephew. I hope he and the family will find an easier way/a cure to this, soon.

ION, to by great delight, my cousin who is being raised by my crazy Larouchie aunt and uncle? Is an ADORABLE LITTLE BABYBAT. Because I avoid his parents like the plague, I hadn't seen him since he was about 5, and at that time he was a frighteningly serious kid who was studying opera and would do things like threaten to lock all his stuffed animals in the closet if they said mean things about Jesus. (The Larouche cult also comes with its own special freaky brand of Catholicism.) Given the environment he's being raised in, I seriously feared for that kid.

But he's in high school now and just about the cutest little androgynous gothling you ever did see. He's got jet black pigtails, blue and black eyeliner out to THERE, giant stompy combat boots - freaking ADORABLE. I just wanted to wrap him up in a black lace bow and send him to Jilli as a present.

billytea, insent to your profile addy.

Imagine what he'd do to his stuffed animals if they said mean things about Jesus NOW!

Stuff like make them wear Mom Jeans and listen to Celine Dion.

Americans have been brainwashed, Tep. This is the only explanation I can come up with.

You've seen this, right?

So if you didn't know, science began in the 19th century. We didn't know much before that, apparently.

Heh. Reductionism: that great, longstanding tradition in which humanities/social science people indulge because they can't be bothered to read up on science even as far back as the Enlightenment. Otherwise, sounds like you're enjoying your courses so far, Shir. Nice one.

Steph, I have no idea how to respond to the crazy that is your friends and their ideology of healthcare, but at least you and your liberal friend were there. Maybe the other two will pick something up by osmosis. (I'd try hoping that they find themselves in a situation where they realise that health isn't always - or even often - a case of simple personal responsibility, but one of them's a doctor. Those particular Temporarily Able-Bodied types aren't going to have any trouble affording resources for independent living when they get older, and no one's going to threaten them with a sudden end to all their health coverage when they have the stress-related heart problems. Ah, money.)

Reductionism: that great, longstanding tradition in which humanities/social science people indulge because they can't be bothered to read up on science even as far back as the Enlightenment

From my experience, it's only in social science. In history we're expected to read 20-50 pages per class each week, most of the times in English. In sociology, if it's more than 5 pages in Hebrew (and sometimes there's no reading), they'll apologize.

My professor for the late modern era gave us over 2000 pages of mandatory bibliography (3 books and a bunch of articles) for a class of 14 meetings. I'm proud to say I read about 1200 to 1350 of these books and articles. He never apologized for that, even though most of us expected him to.

I just don't get it. You came to the university to get some education. You didn't expect it to jump suddenly into your brain without doing anything, have you?

Yeah, I think some people do, actually, Shir. I think it's lame of them, but...