30 Day Blogging Challenge Day 20: My Fears

I'm afraid of pretty much everything. Poor Kaija. :(

30 Day Blog Challenge Day 2: Something I Feel Strongly About

Believe it or not, a topic I feel very strongly about is whaling. Whales are such an important part of the ocean's and the world's ecosystem both in life and in death, and I don't think that even a single whale should be removed from its natural environment for purposes of human entertainment or consumption. I understand that this is somewhat of a controversial point of view, as many of the indigenous populations in northern parts of the world depend upon whaling as part of their food and supply source, but I believe it's time for all of us to come to terms with the state of our global ecosystems and make appropriate sacrifices in our lifestyles.

Eurovision Review: Russia with A Million Voices

First Thoughts: You know, it's pretty hard to be objective when the country you're trying to review started a bloody war. I think Russia should just stay away from Eurovision until they give up on their little Soviet Reunion project and stop provoking every single country in the Baltic and pull out of Ukraine. Also: You bloody hypocrite, Russia. A music video featuring a beautiful blue-eyed, blonde-haired woman does not represent the world's people, nor do the very, very white children and people that are featured in the music video to the exclusion of every other race, color, and creed. There are thousands of different shades of humanity, but clearly you see in just one. There are Africans, Asians, South Americans, Indians, indigenous people from all over the world, Sami people, First Nations people, Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc, etc, etc. And guess what? There are also overweight and obese people, differently abled people, mentally disabled people, people in wheelchairs, people who have lost limbs, people whose internal beauty isn't reflected in their earthly bodies, etc, etc, etc. You are not the world's people, Russia. You are a country blind to every color save for bigotry and hatred. European supremacy never did anyone any good, and your not-at-all-subtle message of 'everything is better in Russia, da?' isn't funny.

Best Lyric: I'm sorry, I didn't hear any over the sound of the bigoted message in the music video.

Worst Lyric: All of it. Every last word.

Finalist? I truly hope not. I'll boo so loud they'll hear me in South Africa.

Final Thoughts: This song makes me angry, yes, but more than anything it makes me sad. I know that the majority of Russians probably don't approve of the actions of their government, and are probably pissed as hell at the image Putin is projecting to the world. The average Russian citizen isn't going out and starting a new conflict every day, and they're suffering because the people in charge are seven shades of crazy.

Score out of 12: Nil points.

Top 5 Reasons Top Gear was the Best Car Show Ever

I have a small confession to make. I don't know the first thing about cars when it comes to the stuff 'under the hood.' When they were teaching Mechanics 101 in Princess School, I was, well... Here. You know. On Earth. Oops. 

So, I don't know a carburetor from a cooling tank, or even whether or not cars have cooling tanks, but guess what I do know? I know cars. I know that I love Jeeps. I know that Hummers are excessive. I know that Bugattis are the TARDISes of personal transport (that is, of course, besides segways.) I know that caravans are rubbish. I know that a V8 is something you want in your Ferrari and that a V2 is something you put in your lawnmower, and not the other way around. I know that certain numbers in the 500's for horsepower, and 2's and 3's for naught to sixty should take your breath away, and I know that certain cars are pure works of art. And it's all thanks to a little show the BBC used to make called Top Gear. 

1. The Presenters. There's no doubt in my mind that what made Top Gear top was the presenters. Sure, the flashy cars and the cool racetrack and the stunts are a huge part of what made Top Gear so globally successful, but, ultimately, it was the presenter's enthusiasm about the cars and the racetracks and the challenges that made Top Gear so enjoyable to watch. If Richard, Jeremy, and James didn't legitimately love cars, Top Gear would be a bust. And yeah, maybe it'd be a little less fun to watch if they were driving around Wales in a 1998 Honda Accord instead of traipsing about in the most dangerous of the colonies with the cheapest cars money can unreasonably buy or sliding down the best racetracks in the world with Bugattis and Ferraris, but I think I'd still watch it. 
2. The Cars. This almost goes without saying. 
3. The Challenges. What fun would it have been without the challenges? 
4. The Specials. I personally loved each of the specials where the guys went to another country. 
5. The Stig. Some say that he really is Santa Claus. 

And that's why BBC's Top Gear 2002-2015 is the only Top Gear in my mind. I know they have Top Gear: America and Top Gear: Russia and all that, and that they'll probably continue this Top Gear with new presenters, but really, they're all Second Gear: An Okay Car Show to me.

Is Top Gear Over? A Tribute to Its Greatness

Is Top Gear over now that Jeremy Clarkson has been let go once and for all by the BBC? Perhaps. Perhaps not. In any case, I'd like to give the Clarkson era a mighty sendoff, and I couldn't think of any better way to do it than with Jeremy's own words:

This is a car program. There will be no cushions. There will be no rag rolling. No one will sing, and at the end of the series, no one will have a recording contract. This is our new base, and this is our purpose-built test track. There are no traffic jams here - well, apart from this one - and no bus lanes either. This is Top Gear. 

Well, Top Gear may have been more than a car program by its end, but there's no doubt about it - no matter what, it was always top. And on that bombshell - goodbye, Jeremy.

Melodifestivalen Final Results

So, Måns Zelmerlöw won Melodifestivalen. Am I happy for him? Ja, very. Do I think Sweden picked the best song for Eurovision? Ultimately, and honestly... Ja.

But I wanted Jon Henrik or Eric Saade or Linus Svenning or Magnus Carlsson to win so badly! Linus would have done amazing in Vienna, and I loved Jon's joik. Am, yeah, maybe I'm bitter. You let me down, Sverige.

Please excuse me while I repaint my castle in the colors of #TeamNorge.