Oddly, these two news stories are more Orwellian than Orwell.First we have this little ditty. It’s an article about how the Russian government dropped cement from sky-high heights through the roof of an unsuspecting citizen.

What’s odd about this (besides the obvious falling-cement thing) is that this happened because, in preparation for Russia Day (?!), the government was “seeding the clouds:” inserting liquid nitrogen, cement powder, and silver iodide into the clouds so that it won’t rain. And what’s more, they’ve been doing it for the past 20 years.

That’s right, friends. On Russia Day, all skies must be clear, by order of the government. Do the citizens know this? Or do they think that it’s a miracle that it never rains on national holidays?

On to the next creepy government story.

In Romania, citizens so despised the living candidates that they reelected a dead mayor. For realz.

Yeah, they knew he was dead. So what? As one profound villager says, “I know he died, but I don’t want a change.”

Gosh, if we knew it was that easy, we could have all just voted for JFK every year.

Oddly, neither of these two tales is from the good ol’ USA. Is our government slacking off in its world-renowned Big Brother ways? Is the news just tired of reporting it? Or have we, finally and just in time for the new election, just become complacent?

[Image courtesy of http://capefeare.com/]

Okay so it’s finals week, and that = lots and lots of papers, lots of tests, and, of course, the perfect time for a major attack of Writer’s Block! (scary music) We’ve all been there– staring at a blank screen at 3:20am, wishing you were anywhere but here, surfing the web for flights to Romania and cool jobs that don’t require a college diploma. Here are a few more practical solutions:

1. Step Away from the Computer! Do something non-computer related (and non-TV related for best results) for 15-30 minutes– take a short walk, read a magazine, doodle a bit. Then go back to your paper.

2. Trying using paper and pen for awhile: I usually write my topic or thesis at the top of the page to get me started.

3. Switch up your playlist. My writing music ranges from Apocalyptica to Pink and MC Solaar to Röyksopp.

4. Change your font color and text style to something fun: it sounds crazy, I know, but just try it — it helps.

5. Call it a night. Seriously. Even if it means you have to get up at 5am the next morning to finish it, a few hours of sleep will drastically improve your writing ability.

[Got any other ways to battle writer’s block?? Let us know!]