good reading

Once again, a great link from metafilter (as many of these links are): US News publishes the results of their poll, "What are the 100 most influential American documents?" Read the list here. Wouldn't this make a cool class?

I love it

Bruce Willis is offering one million dollars to whoever captures Saddam Hussein. Is an autograph included?

This is good.

two questions

87 billion dollars? From where?

nothing's shocking

I know I'm late on the train, but I finally got around to watching Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine last night, and yes I was floored. Aside from wanting to move to Canada (only about an hour and a half away..), I wanted to throw away my guns. I wanted to join an anti-war protest. Such is the power of a good documentary, and it still resonates within me today. However, I'm undecided as to the answer to Moore's query: Are we a nation of gun nuts or are we just plain nuts? I think his analysis of the symptoms of our violent society are correct: media-driven fear, widespread violent entertainment, hubristic warmongering, etc. Especially fear -- even here in little 'ol Ada people lock their doors and have vicious dogs and can be just as unneighborly as anyone on skid row. Watching the film gave me a profound relief in knowing that I am not afraid, that my optimism, like Moore's, is alive. While I felt the film left out a lot of other factors in examining our lust for violence, I was absolutely taken by Moore himself. What a humble, brave man. My favorite part was watching him shuffle up to Charleton Heston's house and secure an interview over the comlink. And they single-handedly got Kmart to phase out handgun bullets! (I'm going to check on this when I drive into Lima tomorrow) Anyway, if you haven't seen this very controversial film, do yourself a favor. You can see his response to the inevitable criticism at his Web site here.

Anyone else get this email?

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a tatol mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. amzanig huh?

I don't think so. Since these are simple words they are easy to figure out (for a native speaker), but you could actually argue over what certain of them mean. Also, what's actually important in the sentence is the context the word appears in, like "huamn mnid" -- "human mind" is a familar phrase and is easy to figure out based on the traditional pattern. What if we applied the theory to these sentences: "One particular chronological interval, the materfamilias impelled her to convey a dosser, replete with alible pabulum and potations, to her matrilineal predecessor, forasmuch as, through her valetudinarian state, the somatic condition of the aforementioned octogenarian was compromised to the point of her being enervated and impuissant. Ergo, her being was delimited to the supine position. The vinaceous-bedaubed scion acquiesced extempore, and forthwith embarked on her entrustment."? (from "Little Red Riding Hood" at Fairy Tales for the Erudite)

What would God do?

Very cool article about the affect the discovery of extraterrestrial life would have on religious thought. Copernicus shook the foundations, but could E.T. bring down the house?

Sept. 20-27 is Banned Books Week

You haven't read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings have you? Catcher in the Rye? If you have, shame on you! Everyone knows that those pernicious little books do nothing but spread counterculturalism and heresy. For further information on what books we "should" and "should not" be reading, check out the list. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer? Scandalous.

Ada redux

I took these at Ada's annual Harvest Festival on Saturday. Basically a bunch of people and kids walking up and down Main street buying quilts, eating sno-cones and enjoying the day.
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1. Standard sign fare in these parts 2. I love it - a kiddie tractor pull. Get 'em started early! 3. Amish baskets 4. All the bees and yellowjackets were attracted to the wax ornament vendor for some reason.. 5. I don't think the "train ride" met someone's expectations 6. Fireworks from the soil

Supreme Court Gets Free Box Of Shoes After Mentioning Nike In Ruling

WASHINGTON, DC — The nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court were treated to a free crate of athletic shoes Monday, following an offhand mention of Nike during a ruling in the case of McBrayer & Company v. The City Of Detroit. "All I did was say that the claims made by the defendant were similar to those made by Nike when defending labor conditions in its Asian footwear factories," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said. "Next thing you know, we get this big box of red Air Zoom Spiridons in the mail. Inside the box was a form letter from Nike's publicist. Sweet!" The Supreme Court will begin its new session Oct. 6, with Case 03-130: Sony High-Definition Widescreen Televisions v. Fossil Sterling Silver Multifunction Watches v. Bombay Sapphire Gin. (as usual, from the Onion)

um

Not sure how I ended up here, but check out this list of Witches, Pagans and Heathens in the Military. What this world needs is a few more wiccan commandos.

RIP

Happy Birthday Regan

You say it's your birthday It's my birthday too--yeah They say it's your birthday We're gonna have a good time I'm glad it's your birthday Happy birthday to you. Yes we're going to a party party Yes we're going to a party party Yes we're going to a party party. I would like you to dance--Birthday Take a cha-cha-cha-chance-Birthday I would like you to dance--Birthday Dance You say it's your birthday Well it's my birthday too--yeah You say it's your birthday We're gonna have a good time I'm glad it's your birthday Happy birthday to you.

Today I mourn

First, because Warren Zevon died Sunday. Requiat in pace, my friend. Second, because my fellow Alabamians rejected the governor's $1.2 billion tax referendum yesterday, which, while not perfect by any means, would have been a decisive step toward improving the state's woeful education system. Siegelman proposed a lottery to pump money into education: we didn't like that. Riley proposes reasonable taxes on property and income to pump money into education: we don't like that either. Just what in the hell do we want the state to do? Now the state school superintendent says state funding for K-12 public schools will have to be reduced by over $100 million. He said he "will recommend no new textbooks, no money for teachers to buy classroom materials, and [is] cutting money for technology, library purchases and teacher training."

Great.

Behold: Ada

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1. my den (notice forlorn look of kayak) 2. the backyard 3. the upstairs study grotto 4. typical Ada house 5. Main Street under construction 6. my street, looking south 7. my street, looking north 8. view of central campus 9. railroad tracks at edge of town 10. ada tableau 11. the law school 12. campus housing, the pond 13. my house, front 14. a neighbor's house 15. kids 16. Scout's new friend 17. Scout's new friend plays with fire 18. admin building

There was a smart mob in Ohio yesterday.