Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"Why didn't you just drop on the lawn of the White House? I mean, in the movies, that's pretty much how it was done."

"We thought about it," Joshua said. "Then we caught the Presidential debates. The people you folks elect are sort of scary. And you Americans are the folks that do it the best on this entire planet. Besides, your president only speaks for Americans. American movies speak for your world. Who hasn't seen Wizard of Oz? Or Jaws? Or Star Wars? We've seen them, and we're not even from this planet."

-- from Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi, 1997 [Entire novel is online at that link]

<sniff> <sniff> Smoke. Hmm. I wonder whether my neighbour is grilling in his back yard or something.

[A little later] <sniff> Uh, that's definitely the smell of a Baltimore rowhouse burning, added to what I was already smelling. Should I worry?

[Sirens wail past] Waitaminute, those stopped awfully far away. What's burning so huge that I can smell it from such a distance?

[After trotting upstairs to poke my head out the window] Oh, not visible -- so probably not huge, just brought to me by a really steady wind from however far away. Smells bad. Hope nobody's hurt.