Blog or Not?



A statistically improbable polymath's views on politics and culture.

Wednesday, March 26, 2003
 
REPRESENT: Oak Ridge mentioned on The West Wing. More details to follow.


Sunday, March 23, 2003
 
Sorry about the long, long absence of any posts--but really, are you going to count on me for your war news? Of course not. Go click on one of the links on the left for war updates; I really have nothing to say that isn't on Yglesias, Reynolds, or Lileks. (Please bear in mind that unlike these fine gentlemen, I was (and am) still against this war. But I figure that we can't back out now, so we may as well kick some ass, take some names, and leave Iraq a better place then when we came. Oh, and there had better be evidence of WoMDs. If not, our credibility is going down the toilet. Not that I particularly care about GWB's cred, but....)

Question of the Day:
Is Colin Powell in the Adlai Stevenson (during the Cuban Missile Crisis) role? That is, is Colin Powell being presented incorrect evidence linking Saddam to Al-Qaeda? I personally have a very hard time believing that Saddam and Osama are in bed together, but stranger things have happened, do happen, and will happen.


Monday, March 17, 2003
 
On The Speech--I'm going to leave the obvious comments aside for right now. But why did Bush ask the Iraqi troops first not to destroy oil wells, then not to use weapons of mass destruction? I don't know. I would've thought his speechwriters would be more careful than that.


Sunday, March 16, 2003
 
In honor of the close of Humanities 11600 on Tuesday, a list of quotes taken out of context:

"God is reeally pretty."
"It's a Superthought!"--On Descartes' Third Meditation

"For someone who acts crazy a lot, he looks like a really rational guy"--On Hamlet

"Man is Hume really smart."
"You can un-mysterize them."--On Hume's On Miracles

And finally, this exchange:
"Reaganomics."
"No, it has to be true."--I can't remember


 
Yep, still working on the Soc paper. It's an absolutely gorgeous day outside--warm, breezy, sunny--the kind of day that was meant for lounging around the Quads, not writing 6-8 pages on the reproduction and change of social and cultural structures. So after I get this done I've got to study math for the final, then write my Bioterrorism paper and study for my Hum final. Joy.


Saturday, March 15, 2003
 
Still working on the Soc paper... I'm thinking of creating a quiz: "Which 20th-Century Literary Dystopia Are You?" What does everyone think? Hello? Anybody?


Friday, March 14, 2003
 
I'm writing this paper for Soc class... long story short (I really should be working :) I finally realized what's so wrong about John Ashcroft being anointed with oil whenever he begins a new position in civil service. After all, the kings of France were anointed with oil at their coronations, as were pre-diaspora Jewish priests; oil is used in the Greek Orthodox baptism and in sacraments for the sick of various Christian denominations, as well as the Catholic taking of Holy Orders. So nothing's wrong with the practice in general.

Instead, it's the fact that Ashcroft isn't qualified to be anointed with oil. He is not king, priest or prophet; he's attorney general of the United States of America. It's presumptuous for him to be anointed during his induction.


Thursday, March 13, 2003
 
I'm not surprised:

Roosevelt
Democrat - You believe that there should be a free
market which is reigned in by a modest state
beaurocracy. You think that capitalism has
some good things, but that those it helps
should be obliged to help out their fellow man
a little. Your historical role model is
Franklin Rosevelt.


Which political sterotype are you?
brought to you by Quizilla


Wednesday, March 12, 2003
 
Well, the start of 24/7 quiet will be at 11:00 pm CST as we all convene silently in our rooms and the Reg in study and solitude during Reading Period, the Weekend of Study, and Finals Week.

When we don't have work, review sessions, house dinners, movie night, and other diversions, that is.


On an unrelated note: Question of the day: Is the House (of Representitives) cafeteria now going to call French Onion Soup "Freedom Onion Soup"? Does the House cafeteria even serve French Onion Soup? Just wondering.

It's kind of pitiful what people will do do feel like a "big man"... I mean, that Representitive is chair of a b.s. committee. Will he be re-elected? Probably not. The Democrats can just mention "Freedom Fries" at all their campaign junkets and he'll be laughed out of office.


Tuesday, March 11, 2003
 
Finally, we get some respect:

"Altering the flow of time is a dangerous and complex proposition," said Dr. Arthur Wistrom, a University of Chicago physics professor. "If Turner is not careful, he may unintentionally change the course of his own history, causing, for example, something to go awry with his loving, happy marriage to Jane Fonda."

Huzzah!

(Oh, and sorry for the delay, everyone.)


Tuesday, March 04, 2003
 
You want to know why I don't post as often as Matthew Yglesias does?

Simple.

Click here and here


 
Hey, everyone... buy an N-95 mask; they're more useful than duct tape. Take your pick. They're cheap, portable, easy-to-use... and if you click here you can see the one I got today. Folded, it looks like another Kimberly-Clark product... which makes me wonder if the Dept. of Homeland Insecurity shouldn't recommend something more... controversial than T-shirts as impromptu breathing filters.


Monday, March 03, 2003
 
Headlines that never were: First in a series
The New York Times, 6 February 2001
TALIBAN CRUMBLES FROM COPYWRIGHT SUIT:
The Hague forces Afghan government to cease governance in a way "overtly similar to" Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale


 
Matthew Yglesias is calling for a Muslim version of The Handmaid's Tale... but didn't that come to fruition with the Taliban? It's rather backwards for the dystopian novel to come after the dystopia itself. I've heard that Margaret Atwood was thinking of Iran when she wrote The Handmaid's Tale... I wonder what her position on the war with Afghanistan was. Hopefully it was more reasonable than, say, Barbara Kingsolver's*.

*Who wants to read my essay on the connection between Kingsolver's beef with the U.S. government and her preoccupation with abusive fathers? (I wrote it in junior year of high school; don't expect brilliant prose).


Sunday, March 02, 2003
 
Thanks to Instapundit: We're discussing Klein's No Logo in class, and I was going to use blogs as an example of advertising-free media (except for those stupid banner ads which no one looks at anyway)... but now....

I'm not sure that they'll be that successful. I mean, can you see one of the big-time bloggers shilling? Nope. The closest you'll see is Lileks raving about Apple, but that's really more of a Mac-geek thing. The itty-bitty bloggers, like me, might go into the game... but it's not like enough people see our blogs for it to have that much of an impact... unless, of course... no. Not going to give Corporate America any more ideas.