7.31.2008
I Would Drink Oil If I Could
I'm glad Exxon can make it through the lean times. Good thing the Supreme Court gave them a $4.5 billion break on their settlement from the Exxon Valdez spill. They're having a tough time turning a profit and they need the money waaaay more than those rich Alaskan fishermen.
7.30.2008
Who To Vote For
Here is a clear and easy way to compare the two candidates on their tax policy.
[from Washington Post]
My taxes are going down either way...allegedly.
[from Washington Post]
My taxes are going down either way...allegedly.
Stop Terrorists By Ending The "War on Terror"
RAND Corporation says we have to end the glorious "war on terror" to really defeat al Qa'ida. I think, at the very least, it could save us some money.
7.29.2008
Off To Work I Go
Dudes, serious question: Why do people keep bothering me about wearing shorts when I'm at work? I work at a college campus for Christ's sake!
So, let me explain a little. In this wonderful summer job that I have being everyone's bitch (and being very good at it, I'll have you know) I have decided that because it's hot out that I am going to wear shorts and flip-flops (or whatever the hell you young people call sandals nowadays). Recently, people have been making comments to me about how I must not work hard because I am dressed like that. Really? What the hell kinda bullshit is that? I'm not really mad about this, but just amazed that there are people out there that actually believe that fancy clothing must equal good work. Man, there are some dumb ideas out there. I really doubt that well-dressed CEOs work harder than farmers. They might get paid more, of course, but I highly doubt that you can compare the quality of their work.
(An aside: Am I whining? Sometimes I think I'm that guy who posts all the whiny...posts?...SHIT. I'm really not trying to, but some shit just blows me away sometimes.)
Anyway, I say, "Fuck Propriety. Wear your damn shorts and do work, son!"
So, let me explain a little. In this wonderful summer job that I have being everyone's bitch (and being very good at it, I'll have you know) I have decided that because it's hot out that I am going to wear shorts and flip-flops (or whatever the hell you young people call sandals nowadays). Recently, people have been making comments to me about how I must not work hard because I am dressed like that. Really? What the hell kinda bullshit is that? I'm not really mad about this, but just amazed that there are people out there that actually believe that fancy clothing must equal good work. Man, there are some dumb ideas out there. I really doubt that well-dressed CEOs work harder than farmers. They might get paid more, of course, but I highly doubt that you can compare the quality of their work.
(An aside: Am I whining? Sometimes I think I'm that guy who posts all the whiny...posts?...SHIT. I'm really not trying to, but some shit just blows me away sometimes.)
Anyway, I say, "Fuck Propriety. Wear your damn shorts and do work, son!"
Why I want to be a doctor
From an ER doctor's blog:
[via Ten out of Ten]
Funniest Thing a Patient Has Said To Me In A While
"I chained my bicycle to that helicopter out front. That’s not a problem is it?"
[via Ten out of Ten]
7.28.2008
7.26.2008
7.25.2008
Siskel & Ebert. SERVED!
Seeing the late, great Gene Siskel drop an f-bomb makes this worth the three minutes of McDonald's jokes.
Neurotheology
Reading over the nytimes review of the new X-Files movie - i looked at the comments posted by readers. One was particularly crazy but mentioned "neurotheology," a term I had never heard of. It seems like an interesting field of study - but I don't think it has been developed very much. Here are some interesting quotes from the wikipedia page on neurotheology:
"According to McKinney's theory, pre-frontal development, in humans, creates an illusion of chronological time as a fundamental part of normal adult cognition past the age of three. The inability of the adult brain to retrieve earlier images experienced by an infantile brain creates questions such as "where did I come from" and "where does it all go", which McKinney suggests led to the creation of various religious explanations."
"Newberg et al describe neurological processes which are driven by the repetitive, rhythmic stimulation which is typical of human ritual, and which contribute to the delivery of transcendental feelings of connection to a universal unity."
It was hard not to relate these ideas to my own Catholoic upbringing - so much of a "mass experience" is revolved around repetitive sounds, smells, and actions. Even today, hearing some of the traditional songs does evoke a certain transcendental state for me.
I think this idea could also be extrapolated upon to understand patriotism. It always annoyed me that I got goose bumps when the national anthem played (at one point I was training myself not to - but I gave up). But this repetitive experience also evokes a sense of a larger unity - something larger than ourselves.
It seems interesting as a theory though because I don't think it needs to understand a particular theology or God - but only how our minds work in relation to spirituality.
If you all know of any good articles or resources on this subject - let me know. Or just add your two bits.
"According to McKinney's theory, pre-frontal development, in humans, creates an illusion of chronological time as a fundamental part of normal adult cognition past the age of three. The inability of the adult brain to retrieve earlier images experienced by an infantile brain creates questions such as "where did I come from" and "where does it all go", which McKinney suggests led to the creation of various religious explanations."
"Newberg et al describe neurological processes which are driven by the repetitive, rhythmic stimulation which is typical of human ritual, and which contribute to the delivery of transcendental feelings of connection to a universal unity."
It was hard not to relate these ideas to my own Catholoic upbringing - so much of a "mass experience" is revolved around repetitive sounds, smells, and actions. Even today, hearing some of the traditional songs does evoke a certain transcendental state for me.
I think this idea could also be extrapolated upon to understand patriotism. It always annoyed me that I got goose bumps when the national anthem played (at one point I was training myself not to - but I gave up). But this repetitive experience also evokes a sense of a larger unity - something larger than ourselves.
It seems interesting as a theory though because I don't think it needs to understand a particular theology or God - but only how our minds work in relation to spirituality.
If you all know of any good articles or resources on this subject - let me know. Or just add your two bits.
7.24.2008
If you have a bad cough, take a large does of laxatives. Then you'll be afraid to cough.
(There's no post to go with that. I think it does well enough on its own.)
Book Suggestions
Since all of you are literary nerds, do you have any good book suggestions? I'm looking for fiction, something relatively light (no post-colonial eco criticism). And if anybody links to Oprah's Book Club I will hunt you down...
7.23.2008
Mapping the Times
Since we apparently only link NYTimes articles, I thought this might prove interesting. It's a map displaying Times stories per capita for the last year.
Education II
Following up on Paddy’s post of the NYT story about Berea College, I wanted to share this lengthy critique of Ivy League education from The American Scholar. The author, a Yale English prof, argues that elite institutions of higher education prepare students for nothing but upper-class careers (as hedge-fund managers, political commentators, or research scientists) and the attendant lifestyle. He portrays this as part of the larger “class-ing” of American higher education – the increasing correlation between the college one attends and the economic vitality of one’s career – and a threat to democratic governance.
There is a connection, I think, between this phenomenon and the massive endowments schools like Harvard can amass. In short, elite institutions are becoming much more like the students they’re producing – economically voracious, culturally isolated, and fundamentally self-serving. The threat, I think, is not so much to democratic governance (though that should be a concern) as to the vitality of American higher education. When a small set of institutions wield both their traditional academic strength and their new previously-unheard-of fortunes, they begin to affect the American academy disproportionately.
JChris is right that much of Harvard’s current wealth is due to exceptional money and investment management in a time of economic downturn. However, that only widens the chasm separating Harvard and its ilk from those institutions whose endowments are not large enough to survive such times unscathed.
More insidiously, it demonstrates how insulated they are from market forces and, by extension, the marketplace of ideas. More than ever, schools like Harvard are intellectual taste-makers rather than index cases. They dictate the direction of scholarly movements rather than reveal them. The result is a frighteningly top-heavy academe. For young scholars across any number of disciplines, the only real research worth attaching one’s name to is going on at the most elite institutions. The Harvards of the world are able to attract, retain, and fund the best research programs, staff them with the choicest grad students, and churn out young PhD’s anxious to carry word of the greatness of their projects to the far reaches of the academic map. The result is the increased visibility and value of the Ivy League “brand” on the academic job market. Among those vying for coveted tenure-track positions, those with ties to “name” institutions have a significant advantage. In this way, research at institutions far from the ivy walls of the Northeast is dictated to a significant degree by the whims of faculty members at elite institutions.
Parallel to this top-heavy distribution of institutional power is individual institutions’ turn to top-heavy faculties. This phenomenon, just now manifesting itself in the humanities, involves a shrinking numbers of tenure-track faculty lines that are significantly better funded than previous generations of scholars. By putting more resources into fewer “star” researchers, departments increase their visibility. Counter-balancing this investment is a growing reliance on contingent faculty, part-time faculty, and grad student teaching assistants – labor that can take up the teaching slack without taking up significant financial resources. The logical end of this division of labor is what we see today at elite institutions like the University of Chicago and Yale: there are those that teach and those that research; the wall separating the more valuable latter category from its teaching counterparts is insurmountable.
Should elite institutions be required or expected to spend money making themselves financially available to economically disadvantaged students? It seems to me such a move is meaningless without a concomitant attitudinal shift. If Harvard et al continue to churn out alumni seeking upper-class careers, lifestyles, and dispositions it won’t matter what economic pool they skim for students. The situation will look much as it does today. Meaningful changes, I would argue, should begin at the back-end (graduation and job-placement) rather than the front (recruitment and financial aid). That’s why I’d like to see more of these massive endowments spent on programs like this one that encourages Harvard Law grads to work in the public sector. This kind of program may put more graduates of elite institutions on alternative career paths, ones that will not isolate them or their respective alma maters from the problems outside their traditional boundaries. The gains for democracy may prove significant; the benefits for the American academy may prove vital.
Phonecalls from a Gunslinger
Dear Brett,
Please fade away.
Thanks!
"In fairness to Favre, it should be mentioned that any phone calls he made to the Vikings were made in a gunslinging fashion, and through the entire conversation, he looked like a kid out there, just having fun."
The article has been all over the TV so it's not new, I just love it when other people make fun of the torid love-affair between Brett FaRVe and the media. "That's just Brett being Brett."
Please fade away.
Thanks!
"In fairness to Favre, it should be mentioned that any phone calls he made to the Vikings were made in a gunslinging fashion, and through the entire conversation, he looked like a kid out there, just having fun."
The article has been all over the TV so it's not new, I just love it when other people make fun of the torid love-affair between Brett FaRVe and the media. "That's just Brett being Brett."
Mid Morning Mapping
While at work, I catch myself looking up at this interesting map above my desk. It is called the Peters' Projection or the Gall-Peters' Projection. All world maps have the same problem - representing a 3 dimensional globe in 2 dimensions. Other projections normally end up distorting the size of certain countries and land masses to make it work. The Gall-Peters' Projection changes this trend and represents each country with its actual size. This causes some interesting comparisons:
1. Northern countries (US, Canada, Europe, Russia, etc), in the traditional Mercator Maps appear much larger than the south, when in reality the North is half as big.
2. Traditional maps show Europe to be larger than South America when South America is 6.9 million square miles and Europe is only 3.8 million.
3. Mexico appears smaller than Alaska in traditional maps, when in fact, Mexico is larger.
4. The US and Canada appear larger than Africa in traditional maps when Africa is 4.2 million square miles larger.
5. Scandinavia appears larger than India which is also not true.
6. Also, the positioning of traditional maps is also distorted (in terms of the equator) and the Gall-Peters' projection attempts to correct this too.
Very interesting in terms of our world view. The Gall-Peters' projection is not without criticism - mainly for distorting the shape of countries - but it appears that no map can be objectively accurate and it is a sense of the map's goal and it lack of objectivity that seems to give it quality. Interesting to think about the implications of our understanding of the shape of the world and its countries and also how map making/projections relate to ideas like historiography.
Here is the wikipedia page on the Gall-Peters' Projection: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall-Peters_projection
1. Northern countries (US, Canada, Europe, Russia, etc), in the traditional Mercator Maps appear much larger than the south, when in reality the North is half as big.
2. Traditional maps show Europe to be larger than South America when South America is 6.9 million square miles and Europe is only 3.8 million.
3. Mexico appears smaller than Alaska in traditional maps, when in fact, Mexico is larger.
4. The US and Canada appear larger than Africa in traditional maps when Africa is 4.2 million square miles larger.
5. Scandinavia appears larger than India which is also not true.
6. Also, the positioning of traditional maps is also distorted (in terms of the equator) and the Gall-Peters' projection attempts to correct this too.
Very interesting in terms of our world view. The Gall-Peters' projection is not without criticism - mainly for distorting the shape of countries - but it appears that no map can be objectively accurate and it is a sense of the map's goal and it lack of objectivity that seems to give it quality. Interesting to think about the implications of our understanding of the shape of the world and its countries and also how map making/projections relate to ideas like historiography.
Here is the wikipedia page on the Gall-Peters' Projection: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gall-Peters_projection
Health is a "private matter"
...and a company's value should not depend on one person. I mean, they have a few thousand other people working for them. It's not like Steve Jobs is putting each iPhone together himself.
Since the WSJ is a bunch of tight asses, here's a particularly relevant and disturbing quote from the ungated version of the article:
Since the WSJ is a bunch of tight asses, here's a particularly relevant and disturbing quote from the ungated version of the article:
"In 2004, one hedge fund hired private investigators to tail Mr. Jobs to hospital appointments in the hopes of figuring out how sick he was, said a portfolio manager at the fund. Eventually, he said, Mr. Jobs "seemed to catch on," and became harder to track."Here is the NY Times take on the subject.
7.22.2008
Paddy's New Rule
STOP saying "Grow my business!"
I'm so tired of people saying "grow my business," "grow my retirement savings," "grow the workforce," etc. STOP IT! You grow things like vegetables, flowers, grass--things that live and can grow through natural processes. You build a damn business, save for retirement, expand the workforce. These things are inanimate and need to have something acted upon them, like building, saving, etc. THEY DON'T GROW NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU WORK AT IT!
Damn that felt good. Now I can watch MSNBC and think, "I sure showed you, you sons of bitches!"
I'm so tired of people saying "grow my business," "grow my retirement savings," "grow the workforce," etc. STOP IT! You grow things like vegetables, flowers, grass--things that live and can grow through natural processes. You build a damn business, save for retirement, expand the workforce. These things are inanimate and need to have something acted upon them, like building, saving, etc. THEY DON'T GROW NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU WORK AT IT!
Damn that felt good. Now I can watch MSNBC and think, "I sure showed you, you sons of bitches!"
Autism a Scam?
I don't really even know where to begin with this . Michael Savage seems to think Austism is a huge scam. I'm just wondering what the benefits to making up such a condition would be?
I guess the question is, though, whether or not we should even respond to "shock jock" (a title which I hate!) comments like this anymore. The name alone signals that we, as the public, know they just say this bullshit to get attention and work people up. Really, does anyone really believe the nonsense people talk about on these radio programs?
By the way, Rush Limbaugh is the worst of all of them--the Mitt Romney of the AM dial.
I guess the question is, though, whether or not we should even respond to "shock jock" (a title which I hate!) comments like this anymore. The name alone signals that we, as the public, know they just say this bullshit to get attention and work people up. Really, does anyone really believe the nonsense people talk about on these radio programs?
By the way, Rush Limbaugh is the worst of all of them--the Mitt Romney of the AM dial.
7.21.2008
Education
I thought this was an interesting article about the current state of our education system.
Berea College is certainly not a household name like Harvard or Yale, but its emphasis on "contributing to the public good" seems, to me, to be an admirable (although some might say idealistic) goal. Finally, a university that seeks to live out its own mission statement!
Part of the problem, in my opinion, is that universities are becoming too much like corporations. Certainly there are similarities between the institutional structures of universities and corporations (i.e. budgets, sustainability, hierarchies of power, etc.), but businesses have stock-holders and a bottom line to worry about while universities ought to at least be primarily concerned with education. There's really something refreshing about seeing a college putting their students to work (especially on projects of local sustainability like farming) while putting extravagance aside--these are really lessons that students can use. Of course, I'm not advocating that all schools abolish their athletic programs and the like, but Berea College's committment to students could be a lesson in restaint and moderation (or balance) for other schools.
Does a school really have to have a $35 billion endowment even if they do make groundbreaking scientific breakthroughs? I really doubt that a substantial amount of that money actually goes to the faculty (and graduate students) who are doing that research. In fact, if it were there might even be more breakthroughs. At best, this is being over-cautious; at worst, it's simply a way to use wealth to claim superiority.
I'm certainly missing a lot I'm sure. Thoughts?
Berea College is certainly not a household name like Harvard or Yale, but its emphasis on "contributing to the public good" seems, to me, to be an admirable (although some might say idealistic) goal. Finally, a university that seeks to live out its own mission statement!
Part of the problem, in my opinion, is that universities are becoming too much like corporations. Certainly there are similarities between the institutional structures of universities and corporations (i.e. budgets, sustainability, hierarchies of power, etc.), but businesses have stock-holders and a bottom line to worry about while universities ought to at least be primarily concerned with education. There's really something refreshing about seeing a college putting their students to work (especially on projects of local sustainability like farming) while putting extravagance aside--these are really lessons that students can use. Of course, I'm not advocating that all schools abolish their athletic programs and the like, but Berea College's committment to students could be a lesson in restaint and moderation (or balance) for other schools.
Does a school really have to have a $35 billion endowment even if they do make groundbreaking scientific breakthroughs? I really doubt that a substantial amount of that money actually goes to the faculty (and graduate students) who are doing that research. In fact, if it were there might even be more breakthroughs. At best, this is being over-cautious; at worst, it's simply a way to use wealth to claim superiority.
I'm certainly missing a lot I'm sure. Thoughts?
Yeats Exhibit in Ireland
Here is a really interesting piece on a Yeats exhibit in Ireland.
Two things I didn't know about Yeats and Maude Gonne:
1. Yeats jonesed after Gonne for 30+ years.
2. Both were into the "occult" (she tried to reincarnate her dead son by bumpin uglies at his grave - but not with Yeats).
Two things I didn't know about Yeats and Maude Gonne:
1. Yeats jonesed after Gonne for 30+ years.
2. Both were into the "occult" (she tried to reincarnate her dead son by bumpin uglies at his grave - but not with Yeats).
7.20.2008
7.18.2008
Christianity will cook you from the inside out
Take this tortuous metaphor to its logical conclusion.
7.17.2008
Obscure Sports I Want to Try
1) Air Racing--see Red Bull Air Race, unfortunately you have to be able to afford a plane...and fly it
2) Polo--I've heard this is a good way to enter high society, but apparently you have to be a part of high society to play...so I guess I'm screwed
3) Jai Alai--people die
4) Curling--I once spent a week watching the Tim Hortons Brier on CBC at Gallagher front desk, I just want to try it for the hot groupies
2) Polo--I've heard this is a good way to enter high society, but apparently you have to be a part of high society to play...so I guess I'm screwed
3) Jai Alai--people die
4) Curling--I once spent a week watching the Tim Hortons Brier on CBC at Gallagher front desk, I just want to try it for the hot groupies
What is with the Dumbass Handles?
Ok - I know we're new to blogging and everything - but seriously - where do you guys come up with these names for yourselves?
Top Three D-Bag Handles:
#3 - JChris
#2 - El Goyo
And #1 - Grawlix.
Seriously Chris? WTF?
Top Three D-Bag Handles:
#3 - JChris
#2 - El Goyo
And #1 - Grawlix.
Seriously Chris? WTF?
Postville, IA Interpreter's Perspective
Here is an interesting perspective from an interpreter who worked during the trials of the illegal immigrants in Postville, IA. Pretty interesting look at the trials and the people who were involved in them.
Crappy Blog Design
Blog design is somewhat of a double edged sword. Although a blog's aesthetics are very rarely the sole reason for reading it, it can definitely be a reason for not reading one. I would not read this blog....because it sucks...
Fix it, Adam. Make it look cool.
Fix it, Adam. Make it look cool.
First Post Ever
To start this blog off right, I believe a listing of our favorite bronificated words is in order:
Bro
Bronified
Bronificated
Broner
Broseph
Brony
Brody
Broliban
Brohymn
Brodysseus
Brosama Bin Laden
and, our namesake, Brolatollah.
Bro
Bronified
Bronificated
Broner
Broseph
Brony
Brody
Broliban
Brohymn
Brodysseus
Brosama Bin Laden
and, our namesake, Brolatollah.
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