Well, the aspiring scholar gets its first officially recognized downtime in deference to my experience with the military entrance processing today. The whole blood-taking thing always gets to me, and it doesn't help to do it running on like 1 hour of sleep.
In the meantime, we finally know (or so we're supposed to believe we know) the man behind the elusive DeepThroat. I'm sure I don't have anything to say about this.
Don't forget your daily 16 doses of Drudge.
31 May 2005
30 May 2005
The Curmudgeons Clinton
This is not a surprise to those of us who tend to believe that Bill Clinton is a rapist, probably had witnesses 'taken care of' to intimidate his way out of a scandal, and committed perjury.
Matt Drudge has done it again. A new book, The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, is a belated exposure of the terrors of the Clinton White House. Lies, yelling, screaming. We already know Clinton is a liar, and it doesn't take too much imagination to see him or his lovely wife yelling and screaming (does anyone remember the news piece that alleged Hillary called someone a 'Jew bastard'?)
In a different day, a defender of Mr. Clinton's honor might challenge Matt Drudge to a duel, what with him breaking the Monicagate scandal, and now this (yes I linked it twice, read it twice). We'll see how the mainstream media and democrat leadership responds.
Matt Drudge has done it again. A new book, The Survivor: Bill Clinton in the White House, is a belated exposure of the terrors of the Clinton White House. Lies, yelling, screaming. We already know Clinton is a liar, and it doesn't take too much imagination to see him or his lovely wife yelling and screaming (does anyone remember the news piece that alleged Hillary called someone a 'Jew bastard'?)
In a different day, a defender of Mr. Clinton's honor might challenge Matt Drudge to a duel, what with him breaking the Monicagate scandal, and now this (yes I linked it twice, read it twice). We'll see how the mainstream media and democrat leadership responds.
DeLay's Delayed Reconciliation
Yeah, I made a DeLay pun.
Did the liberals really expect their ploy to work? Smoke and mirrors accusing Tom DeLay of failing to disclose the details of a trip in the somewhat-distant past. As if they hadn't all done the same thing. I wonder if Howard Dean thinks Pelosi should go to jail:
Staff members for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., disclosed 11 prior trips, while staff members for DeLay, R-Texas, had 4. Rep.
Surprisingly, this comes from an AP report, and is relayed to us by the Washington Post. Read the article and call the closest elected democrat and demand they apologize, both for this failed little stunt and for being a democrat in the first place.
Did the liberals really expect their ploy to work? Smoke and mirrors accusing Tom DeLay of failing to disclose the details of a trip in the somewhat-distant past. As if they hadn't all done the same thing. I wonder if Howard Dean thinks Pelosi should go to jail:
Staff members for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., disclosed 11 prior trips, while staff members for DeLay, R-Texas, had 4. Rep.
Surprisingly, this comes from an AP report, and is relayed to us by the Washington Post. Read the article and call the closest elected democrat and demand they apologize, both for this failed little stunt and for being a democrat in the first place.
The Black Hair Crisis
Men are physically stronger than women. Virginia is warmer than New York. People from the mid-west are more republican than people from the northeast.
What do all those statements have in common?
They are all stereotypes. And they are all commonly accepted truisms (except by the feminist lobby, who doesn't accept anything). Stereotypes are useful guiding principles in almost every area of life. For instance, if one route is generally faster than another, it is expected that a practical individual will utilize that route. The idea of a "concept" (which, incidentally, is pretty much the only way the human mind works) is rooted firmly in the notion of a stereotype. We need stereotypes, to do science, to interact with others, to even think at all. Even the assertion "stereotypes are bad" is based on a stereotype of stereotypes. Here's a stereotype for you: liberals are mentally deficient.
Operating on that general assumption, it is no surprise that the Washington Post reported the evil practice of evil hair salons of charging customers different prices for different services (yeah, for real). The problem apparently arises from the fact that it is more difficult to handle hair typically associated with African-Americans. If this is true, and the article quotes a hairstlying expert who attest thereto, then no rights have been violated and no crimes have been committed. If melanin protects skin, is it then unfair that caucasians have to spend more money on sunscreen?
As an aspiring academic, I am embarassed by the fact that the hairstylist seemed more knowledgeable in his field than this blundering civil-rights expert, Vanderbilt University Law School professor Robert Belton:
"If they're [Dillars Inc.] saying that because of a person's color that it takes more time, then it's obvious that it's race,"
How inept. I suppose you have to be of a certain vein to declare yourself a civil-rights expert. Let me get this straight, Mr. Belton. If hair typically associated with African-Americans is more difficult to manage, the company must abolish its policy of charging based on "the level of experience of the stylist, degree of service, amount of time required and the cost of materials provided to the customer"? That's a direct quote from the company. What do you suggest? A flat rate for services, wherein a 10 year old boy getting a trim is charged the same as an adult woman whose hair extends to her waist and requires weekly highlighting?
At risk of beating an already dead horse, this whole situation smacks of the Lawrence Summers incident. For the unaware reader, Summers was speaking at a private dinner where he remarked on research that suggested that intrinsic aptitude may exist. Liberal faculty were enraged by the suggestion that what is so apparently different might be different in other ways, as well. Summers was basically forced into apologizing and committing 50 million dollars to 'women's issues' or whatever it is they call it these days.
Somehwere along the way, this society was snowed into thinking that all stereotypes are bad. It is much simpler to see stereotypes as themselves a stereotype: something that holds generally true but for which there are exceptions.
What do all those statements have in common?
They are all stereotypes. And they are all commonly accepted truisms (except by the feminist lobby, who doesn't accept anything). Stereotypes are useful guiding principles in almost every area of life. For instance, if one route is generally faster than another, it is expected that a practical individual will utilize that route. The idea of a "concept" (which, incidentally, is pretty much the only way the human mind works) is rooted firmly in the notion of a stereotype. We need stereotypes, to do science, to interact with others, to even think at all. Even the assertion "stereotypes are bad" is based on a stereotype of stereotypes. Here's a stereotype for you: liberals are mentally deficient.
Operating on that general assumption, it is no surprise that the Washington Post reported the evil practice of evil hair salons of charging customers different prices for different services (yeah, for real). The problem apparently arises from the fact that it is more difficult to handle hair typically associated with African-Americans. If this is true, and the article quotes a hairstlying expert who attest thereto, then no rights have been violated and no crimes have been committed. If melanin protects skin, is it then unfair that caucasians have to spend more money on sunscreen?
As an aspiring academic, I am embarassed by the fact that the hairstylist seemed more knowledgeable in his field than this blundering civil-rights expert, Vanderbilt University Law School professor Robert Belton:
"If they're [Dillars Inc.] saying that because of a person's color that it takes more time, then it's obvious that it's race,"
How inept. I suppose you have to be of a certain vein to declare yourself a civil-rights expert. Let me get this straight, Mr. Belton. If hair typically associated with African-Americans is more difficult to manage, the company must abolish its policy of charging based on "the level of experience of the stylist, degree of service, amount of time required and the cost of materials provided to the customer"? That's a direct quote from the company. What do you suggest? A flat rate for services, wherein a 10 year old boy getting a trim is charged the same as an adult woman whose hair extends to her waist and requires weekly highlighting?
At risk of beating an already dead horse, this whole situation smacks of the Lawrence Summers incident. For the unaware reader, Summers was speaking at a private dinner where he remarked on research that suggested that intrinsic aptitude may exist. Liberal faculty were enraged by the suggestion that what is so apparently different might be different in other ways, as well. Summers was basically forced into apologizing and committing 50 million dollars to 'women's issues' or whatever it is they call it these days.
Somehwere along the way, this society was snowed into thinking that all stereotypes are bad. It is much simpler to see stereotypes as themselves a stereotype: something that holds generally true but for which there are exceptions.
29 May 2005
The French are at it again
The long-awaited referendum is complete, and the votes have been counted. According to the Times Online, 56.14 percent of voters rejected the constitution of the European Union, which would have given the EU a centralized President and Foreign Minister, taking Europe one-step closer to statehood, and one step closer to being able to build a state comparable to the United States of America.
But, alas, the French have called a halt to all progress. It was a Frenchman, former President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who is credited with authoring the document and engineering the concept as described therein. France was expected to lead the charge toward a united Europe.
The vote, in some ways, makes me chuckle, reinforcing the notion that France is incapable of doing anything that makes them look good. In other ways, it certainly reinforces the notion that the French people are loony. The Washington Post reports this quote:
"This is a great victory," said Fabrice Savel, 38, from the working class suburb of Aubervilliers. He was distributing posters that read: "Non to a free-market Europe."
So apparently the problem is with capitalism. Glenn Reynolds, whose commentary I respect and whose blog my paltry efforts can only hope to emulate, has found the disturbing socialist trend in his research on the matter as well. Read his lengthy entry regarding the vote.
I'll add this: Europe's only chance at coming close to the United States is to break down the socialist pillars that have driven unemployment rates into the double digits, and realize that America hasn't succeeded on spirit alone (although that contributes), but through the power of a competetive and free market.
But, alas, the French have called a halt to all progress. It was a Frenchman, former President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who is credited with authoring the document and engineering the concept as described therein. France was expected to lead the charge toward a united Europe.
The vote, in some ways, makes me chuckle, reinforcing the notion that France is incapable of doing anything that makes them look good. In other ways, it certainly reinforces the notion that the French people are loony. The Washington Post reports this quote:
"This is a great victory," said Fabrice Savel, 38, from the working class suburb of Aubervilliers. He was distributing posters that read: "Non to a free-market Europe."
So apparently the problem is with capitalism. Glenn Reynolds, whose commentary I respect and whose blog my paltry efforts can only hope to emulate, has found the disturbing socialist trend in his research on the matter as well. Read his lengthy entry regarding the vote.
I'll add this: Europe's only chance at coming close to the United States is to break down the socialist pillars that have driven unemployment rates into the double digits, and realize that America hasn't succeeded on spirit alone (although that contributes), but through the power of a competetive and free market.
Genesis
And so it begins, a new era in my voyage dark. The internet and I have a long and twisted history, and this represents the opening of a new chapter therein. I propose a toast, to a long and prosperous life in the blogosphere.
It is a small wonder - and an honor all the same - to join the world's greatest minds in this truly modern phenomenon. I only hope to make a respectable and positive contribution over here. I have no illusions that this will be easy: this side of the aisle - the right side (double entendre intended) - is swarming with brilliant political analysts, legal scholars, and some people who are just plain talented.
Bear with me as I strive to develop the exact mission of this blog and determine what sorts of things will make it to the page. There may be no apparent unifying criterion for several weeks.
Welcome, and enjoy the champagne.
It is a small wonder - and an honor all the same - to join the world's greatest minds in this truly modern phenomenon. I only hope to make a respectable and positive contribution over here. I have no illusions that this will be easy: this side of the aisle - the right side (double entendre intended) - is swarming with brilliant political analysts, legal scholars, and some people who are just plain talented.
Bear with me as I strive to develop the exact mission of this blog and determine what sorts of things will make it to the page. There may be no apparent unifying criterion for several weeks.
Welcome, and enjoy the champagne.
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