Hannah Cann tells us why she loves political correctness.
Do you have swine flu? No. Do you know anybody who does have swine flu? Probably not. So what's all the fuss about?
Can't afford ethical clothing but can afford a night out at Ziggy's? Jennifer Heyes discusses where students' priorities should really lie.
Three of The Yorker's blogs team have had a hard think about what general rules they live their lives by and written them down in the form of their own Personal Philosophies.
The great thing is, I’m actually not joking in any way. On Wednesday the new high speed Eurostar lightning-bolted its way from the recently opened St.Pancras terminal in London and arrived on the chic French streets in the time it takes to watch four episodes of Friends. Total capital-to-capital transit time: 2 hours, 15 minutes. Wow. The cheapest seats available on the carbon neutral carriage of dreams cost £59 - so not quite easyJet prices. But compare it to the 12 cocktails that you could buy in Evil Eye instead over a ten week term, and I think you’ll agree that as refreshing as a Constantine is, I’d rather be sipping my complimentary mineral water in Standard Class.
I’m honestly not some form of Eurostar groupie working on commission. I’m just genuinely excited by the new service. Yes, the mild phobia of flying does rather force me to exalt the track way of life, but I do have somewhat of an affinity with the gentle lulling lilt, panoramic views and real sense of exploration that trains provide. Why apparate to a destination when you can meander your way through a country’s culture and feel that you have arrived rather than been transplanted?
There are of course the downsides. For those wanting to travel beyond Paris this week, complications arose as there were no trains. France is currently gripped by a public sector railway strike in protest at Sarkozy’s pension reforms, which brings us tenuously, and not half as smoothly as the new railway line, to politics. What does the new Eurostar mean for Europe?
As more and more Eastern European countries enter the union, diversity of culture becomes broader and more eclectic. As Michael Palin has been discovering during the course of his railway excursions, making Sunday evenings on BBC1 the highlight of my Sabbath, Iran is a potential neighbour for Europe, and this could initiate dramatic shifts on the expanding imperial horizon. Such cohesion therefore between England and France, and the Channel Tunnel is certainly a metaphor for this, could serve to unify and strengthen all 25 member states and generally create a solid base from which to devolve power. Bear in mind that the Eurostar also travels directly through to Brussels, the epicenter of all things EU.
The flip side of the Euro is that the Eastern states are in danger of perhaps being alienated by the clique of countries that share coastal views of the Bay of Biscay. We do not need a mono-identity but neither do we want feelings of exclusion and isolation. Does the efficient transport system connecting the original members serve to segregate those newcomers with so much to offer?
Whatever the outcome, at least we have the option of pondering this political environment in the grey and yellow Dyson hoover-esque seating, chasing the pastoral landscape at 186mph amidst whistful thoughts of what Le Ville d’Amour has to offer.
Paris in 2 hours? I'm there!! I was wondering what this St Pancreas hype was all about, and now I know. Thanks. Just a shame it wasn't in time for reading week... hehe...
"the grey and yellow Dyson hoover-esque seating" It is worth pointing out that all the three-capital Eurostar sets have been refurbished and this no longer exists.
Secondly, the opening of CTRL offers a lot of potential for journey ideas, however, these would not only come at considerable expense, but also a lot of problems would have to be solved first.
http://ec.europa.eu/ten/index_en.html 
Centralised infrastructure was one of the defining elements of a nation state. So were the borders. The new member states are now joining the Schengen system, inside which there are no border checks. Alienation is not an issue. There are plans in place for joining the eurozone, Slovenians already use the euro.
The EU is here to provide more efficient governance - European solutions for European problems - in the areas such as climate change. The EU is not a plot to create a "European superstate" but a means to create a European space, an area of peace, justice and prosperity. Anyone who thinks that "unity in diversity" means creating a uniform European nation simply doesn't want to listen.
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