Goodfic Appreciation and news not so appreciated

[misscam]

CSI fanfic awards are looking for nominations

I don't read too much CSI fic these days, but there it is, for those of who do. Go forth and love goodfic. Or some such. (Is there going to be a DW fanfic award, me wonders? With the following wank, of course. Oi, Mithril Awards flashback.)

Does remind me - I think I had Goodfic Appreciation Week around this time last year. Maybe it's time for another. So, starting Monday, I shall post recs throughout the week, varying fandoms a bit. Feel free to do the same, if you like. Goodfic should be loved.

Meanwhile, is this for real?

British holidaymakers staged an unprecedented mutiny - refusing to allow their flight to take off until two men they feared were terrorists were forcibly removed.
The extraordinary scenes happened after some of the 150 passengers on a Malaga-Manchester flight overheard two men of Asian appearance apparently talking Arabic.

... Apparently talking Arabic? Paranoia and racial profiling and villifying languages much? Way to give a hateful hand to fundamentalist nutters with penis and virgin issues, really. Funny how easily fear make idiots of us, innit? Probably why some many nasty nutters (Hello Mao, do step up) have used it to terrifying effect. And I can somewhat understand it and that just makes me even sadder. As Roosevelt put it, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Different times then, but humans haven't changed all that much.

I worry sometimes about what fear might do to even my very safe, very tiny country.

In other news:
Facts and figures over losses in Iraq
Judge consulting 'mystic Dwarves' on judgements loses appeal to win back job
Judge jailed over wanking off at work
'No swastikas' for Nato mittens
Juventus appeal fails
Freed hostages return to Norway

Comments

[starsong24.livejournal.com]

...way to go, people. Why not kill off diversity between Westeners while you're at it?

Asian appearance? Gee, geography ain't taught nowadays...

[boz4pm.livejournal.com]

'Asian' actually means those from the Indo-Pak subcontinent and its environs in UK English, not from the Far East (as it does in US English).

[misscam.livejournal.com]

*nodnods*

This difference confused me when I visted the States quite a bit.

[vaskalcorp.livejournal.com]

To be fair, Asian is used quite often to refer to anybody from Asia around most of the parts of Britain in which I've lived. In my current exile in the harsh environs of West Yorkshire, the larged local Chinese joint is called "The Asia."

Does a mean buffet.

[vaskalcorp.livejournal.com]

Malaga to Manchester... that tells you all you need to know about the education of the "British holidaymakers". Beered up Costa del Skol loving giro cashing cases.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Aha. One of those holiday places.

[dune-drd.livejournal.com]

Yay for the Goodfic. Goodfic is always welcome, yes.
Especially now that I can't write something decent myself. Why is it that I can never write anything even remotely resembling fanfic when I have actually time to do so? *Pokes brain* Come up with something clever already!

Ah, so now it's suspicious to talk arabic, yes? This world makes me sick sometimes

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Because the brain is mean and likes to torture. Just like it always gives me my best ideas when I'm almost asleep. Bastard!

Humanity when afraid. Gotta fear it.

[dune-drd.livejournal.com]

I try to fry it with alcohol, but it doesn't work. Stupid brain... *grumbles*

Humanity when afraid. Gotta fear it.

Absolutely. I do fear that part will never change

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Tried bribing it with chocolate?

[dune-drd.livejournal.com]

Lots. Doesn't work. Although my stomach loves me now and my teeth are still protesting. Will try sleep deprivation next

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Have tried that. Works very badly. Only makes brain mad and vengeful.

[fromward.livejournal.com]

I have dual-nationality and I have not traveled with one of my passports for a while now because of profiling and the hassles that come with it. I accept that as a fact of life, but I don't know what to think about languages. I've always been taught it's rude to converse in a language other people around me/us don't understand, but that's drawing room civility, I think, and how much it applies in a public place depends on the situation, the make-up of the room, etc. Besides, not everyone speaks English and the beauty of being multilingual is having the freedom to choose what language to use to express yourself at any given point in time. Languages...for such everyday things, they're so complicated. Arg.

[furius.livejournal.com]

I think the difference is regional too. People of some places are more used to people speaking in unknown languages in all public places while people of other places are not...

But I've always considered that at least "airports" is one of those places where any language can be spoken without violating any subtle etiquette...

[fromward.livejournal.com]

I think so, too. And it's usually just a little thing easily overcome by a smile or whatever.

LOL Yes. Airports. Definitely.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I speak Norwegian with other Norwegians when abroad. Granted, Norwegians are peculiar and all, but it's just... It's a lot easier to have a conversation in my native language when I'm tired than trying to run a translation service in my head. I can so understand two people just wanting to talk in their native language without meaning to be rude or scary. Not to mention, "apparently" Arabic can mean so many things.

[elfie-samurai.livejournal.com]

That's the things tha struck me when I read the article. "Apparently" Arabic could very well mean, oh, I don't know, Swahili. The fact that in this particular context it probably doesn't mean Swahili is of no consequence; but the fact that the article never confirms whether or not it was actually Arabic is something I find very interesting.

[vaskalcorp.livejournal.com]

I reckon it was actually Scouse.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Yes. It certainly got me thinking it was another language.

[fromward.livejournal.com]

No, I do understand. To me, an airport is one of those public places, and I think by nature, it's a place where convenience is key. Yeah, all this profiling business can bring out the worst in all of us, and 'apparently' seems to be a big (probably inherent?) part of it. Like that Sikh who got gunned down post 9/11 because some ignorant people thought his turban meant he was Muslim and wanted to kill him for it.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I remember that. I was so torn between anger and despair I ended up not knowing how to feel. Just... Why is it so easy for humans to seem to disengage the brain and not think?

[aervir.livejournal.com]

Hm, I like the idea of "Goodfic" appreciation week. If I find some time to do so, I think I'll join in on my Lj as well. I've found so many wonderful fics from an assortment of fandoms lately, that it would be a shame not to try and pass them on.

And I'm also looking forward to seeing your recs.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Yeah, good things are always lovely to share. Like chocolate.

Given the fun fo "Drose", I have already picked my first rec. Oh yes.

[aervir.livejournal.com]

Lemme guess... It's by castrovalva9, isn't it? :)

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Actually, you're wrong. Haha. :P

[aervir.livejournal.com]

Damn. I hate being wrong.

*sulks*

[misscam.livejournal.com]

*pats*

Your thinking wasn't all off, just... A little ;)

[aervir.livejournal.com]

*beams*

[smalldiver.livejournal.com]

*Headdesk* The stupid. It burns.

I'm wondering if that's what really happened since the source is from the Daily Mail; and, bless 'em, they're not exactly broadsheet reporting, but still, if it's true...

[misscam.livejournal.com]

That was the reason for the "is this for real?" I tried poking about BBC to see if they had anything, but couldn't find any. So who knows.

[shandydann]

Nope the BBC now has a link. *facepalm*

[insaneizzi.livejournal.com]

Perhaps you already know this, but there was some DW fanfic awards (http://www.loony-archivist.com/mad/) last year, which supposedly were to become annual. They turned up some really good fic.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I peeked through the nominations and winners when I first came into fandom and found some great stuff.

People who did it might've buggered out of fandom, I suppose.

[canadian-kazz.livejournal.com]

It's a sad, sad state of affairs we're in when people can get away with kicking people off a plane because of assumptions like that. >.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Yes. But humans have always been prone to panic easily and draw conclusions quickly. It's what lept us alive when we were living in the wild and what is now often annoying.

[canadian-kazz.livejournal.com]

Indeed. A single person can be calm and trusted, but a group, or mob of people are dumb, blind and panicky animals.

[teenwitch77.livejournal.com]

Well I just skimmed through those nominations and I don't even know any of those authors.

You know you're out of it then.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Heh, I know. I was "no, don't know that one... who is *that*? No... Noo.... Nope!"

I think I was nominated last year, so I suppose I feel some vague sense of loyalty or some such.

[teenwitch77.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I was tempted to read some, but... just couldn't get in the CSI mood. Never can these days.

What happened to all of the authors we know? All moved on to greener pastures or what? It's kind of sad, really. *feels moment of nostalgia*

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Mmm, tell me about it. Only CSI fic I read these days seem to be badfic. Now that is just plain sad.

*thinks* Well, many has indeed moved on. Some are still trucking away. Some are sort of lurking in disinterest. New ones come.

I feel all old now.

[juliejordan.livejournal.com]

I read about that airplane walk out. Things like that make me embarrassed to be white, to be honest. Way to fuel the hate and give non Westerners more anger, people. :/