A distant mirror

In our late teens, my friend Gabriel and I found it hilarious to include “German supermarket beer” in our home-made recipes. While the humour of this may be somewhat lost both in time and translation, that very beverage (or at least its Danish counterpart from Skælskør) came back this evening when I made gnocchi with walnuts and roasted pumpkin. And so did Lonely Planet Southwest USA which was the perfect appetizer for what is to come.

Earlier today at work, I was informed by the university’s legal team that, apparently, students in Sweden have an unlimited right to read the answers to take-home exams written by other students. While I of course design new exam questions each semester, I still find this rule to be highly problematic, not only for pedagogical reasons but also in relation to the former students who have no legal way of preventing others from reading their exam answers. As much as I may be a supporter of transparency and accountability, this is a rather extreme intrepretation of the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (SFS 2009:400). Nevertheless, university rules are university rules so there is not much I can do.

As for Star Trek Discovery, season one came to end last night in the US. Contrary to my expectations, there was no time travel involved but at least a strong rebuke of those who believe that the ends justify the means.