just a song before I go

As those of you who laboured (ha ha) through last night's ode to the government's new-found interest in my innards will know, chateau vvb is off on some long-delayed holidays, leaving vvb-ette to mind the chateau and cat.

So in a frame of mind to give you something to have a laugh at and almost certainly stir up the culture wars - well, if there were enough readers it would - here are couple of articles from something called Radar.

First up, America's worst colleges. As Radar says, this really should be a useful service. The dominant and successful colleges I imagine do all sorts of advertising to attract the "best and brightest", but what if you're mainly known for irrelevant courses or the propensity of the student body to engage in antisocial or criminal behaviour? Shouldn't prospective students get a few insights into the bad along with the good?

Although I must say that America's entrepreneurial society does spawn some, er, inventive ways of raising money even in a student body.

Second, American colleges' worst courses. Lots of so-called cultural studies of course with an emphasis on making something out of nothing from popular TV shows. But I was most taken with The Textual Appeal of Tupac Shakur. That'll be the late Tupac, of course. The idea of gaining an extra credit for learning the Humpty Dance should appeal to those who are driven to achieve at all costs.

Enough of this frivolity. The serious business of ensuring we have packed everything has commenced. As it's been a while since Mrs VVB and I have been hols, this endeavour holds the potential to presage the inevitable tension that will erupt the within the first minutes of collecting the hire car.

Just joking folks. This holiday has been a long time coming and I reckon we're up to making the most of it. How I'll deal with lack of Crikey and blogging is another matter. So, to make up for that, the reading material I'm taking is:
- Amory Lovins and others - the Natural Advantage of Nations;
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation - Educating for the Creative Workforce;
- Jeremy Clarkson - ...and another thing.

I've just tested the first bottle of Coopers Pale Ale. Quite tasty but utterly flat. Bugger.