Web Browsing- Professors' Liberalism Contagious? Maybe Not - NYTimes.com 3 November 2008Do liberal faculty affect the political leanings of students? These people say no. But let's look a little deeper. One author says "it is really hard to change the mind of anyone over 15." Does this mean that the average American thinks about politics now the same way he did when he was 15? Yikes. It appears to imply that political opinions are not firmly rooted in ideas, but in feelings and prejudices. The article also suggests that the real problem is that students aren't actually being educated. They aren't getting the "good stuff." In fact, this may be the root of the problem. Even if students don't buy the liberalism of their teachers, they don't get much else either. Notable deficiencies appear in political and military history, especially of the West, but also include traditional literary criticism (and probably content), civics, and economics.
- Obama, Shaman by Michael Knox Beran, City Journal Summer 2008 3 November 2008Beran brilliant combines culture, religion, and literature into a powerful commentary on the religious aspects of Barack Obama's candidacy. The article is rich (and lengthy), but certainly worth digesting.
- Obama and the Politics of Crowds - WSJ.com 30 October 2008Fouad Ajami offers a rich and culturally insightful glimpse into Senator Obama's magic. He draws upon broad themes and key historical features of American cultural history to make his case for caution. Perhaps most telling is his observation about an American distinctive. Whereas the rest of the world champions equality, American has championed liberty. Obama offers the former, and the current financial panic has suspended Americans' faith in the latter. Consequently, we are on the verge of electing someone who inspires in the way a relgious leader, a messiah, does. But the religious hype quickly fades and people realize too late that they have been fleeced.
- America's Most Overrated Product: the Bachelor's Degree - Chronicle.com 24 October 2008Chronicle of Higher Ed points out the pointlessness of most bachelor's degrees.
- Professors' Liberalism Contagious? Maybe Not - NYTimes.com 3 November 2008
Aug
15
The Missing Hotdogs
Filed Under Uncategorized
Michael reminded me of this story from vacation.
Sharon and Nathan were grilling hot dogs and brats for lunch on Friday. Before lunch Sharon went around to each person asking what they wanted and how many. She even double checked to make sure she asked everyone.
Halfway through lunch Aunt Debbie went to get her second hot dog. She came back to the table saying there were no hot dogs left. We asked if she ordered two. She had. Then Andrew said he hadn’t gotten his second one either. Sharon was at our table and was a little confused, “I even put three or four extra on.” Accusations were made to the people at the other table. “How many did you eat?” “Did you eat more than you ordered?” Everyone denied eating more than they ordered. Then several people at the other table said, “I didn’t get my second one either.” There were plenty of extra in the fridge, so Nathan went to put more on the grill. He came back in with the answer to the missing hot dogs. Nathan would put the hot dogs on the warming rack. Then they would roll off the rack into the hood. When he would open the hood the hot dogs would fall out onto the ground.
Moral of the story: when your hot dogs are missing, look behind the grill before blaming other people for eating them.
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