The Daily Texan reported yesterday on a very interesting mini-scandal at the Law School. A student was upset with a professor for taking exam questions verbatim from a ExamPro study guide, and, in revenge, he trashed the professor's book in an Amazon.com customer review. To make matters worse, he did not pen the review under his own name, but signed the name of another student in the class. That student complained to Amazon, which removed the review, and notified the Administration. The Dean then sent out an email to all students about the matter, which prompted the offender to confess a few days later.
There's also a controversy over whether the review was racially offensive. The Dean characterized it as such in his school-wide email. The author of the review denies there was any racial undertone, and a Hispanic classmate backs him up. But another student thought it was racist, as did Professor Torres. Amazon has taken down all the customer reviews, so we have no way of judging for ourselves. The book in question, The Miner's Canary: Enlisting Race, Resisting Power, Transforming Democracy, co-written with quota-queen Lani Guinier, argues against "color-blind" policies. As a critical race theorist, it may be that Professor Torres is especially sensitive about such matters.
You might or might not remember MTV VJ Adam Curry. He was a fixture of my adolescence and now offers up beaucoup de stories of many interesting encounters with pop stars. Learn about the guys who Windexed Michael Jackson's pants and Curry's encounter with Boy George at a New Jersey hardware store beauty pageant. Fascinating stuff. He also has a blog, but, then, who doesn't?
That's what we'd get if we eliminated the electoral college, as some have advocated. Without the EC, in a close presidential race like the 2000, every county in every state in the whole damn country would be subject to the kind of wild vote hunts we saw in Florida. James Edwards explains why it was created and how it preserves our democracy.
Senate "independent" Jim Jeffords is planning on campaigning for Democrats.
Apparently, if you're an Islamic terrorist, that's the only reason you need to slit a man's throat. I'm not actually sure he was even Jewish. Perhaps, for the purposes of those bastards, being American is as good as being a Jew. I'm just glad we did not negotiate with them.
The attempt by an international tribunal to bring Slobo to justice is clearly becoming a cruel farce. Yesterday, in his capacity as counsel for himself, he spent three and a half hours "cross-examining" a member of the Kosovo parliament. And he'll get to have the same fun with the next hundred witnesses brought forward by the UN.
The Wonderbra is a marvel of structural engineering, as Natalija was kind enough to point out to Megan. For too many years, I made the foolish assumption that I didn't, er, need one. Then a few years ago, on a lark, I happened to try one on while shopping. I was amazed! For the first time in my adult life, I had the sort of cinematic-quality décolletage I could only dream about in junior high. Even without the "cookies" that can be inserted within its little pockets, even under a sweat-shirt, it gives great support and a fine silhouette.
Unless, of course, you happen to be sky-diving, or bopping around the International Space Station, or jogging, or doing anything that alters the normal amount and direction of gravitational force applied to ones breasts. Until recently, one had to seek refuge in tightly compressing jogbras and pretend that ones monoboob was sexy. Enter the G-Force! Designed by a sky-divess, this sleek new brassiere "promises a firm round breast in any atmospheric pressure." Woo-hoo! Bring out the Barbarella oufits!
VW has built a new kind of "third place" in Dresden. Yes, it's a car factory where you can hang out in swank leather chairs, surf the internet, see an opera, and choose custom interiors for your new luxury Vee-Dub as it is hand-crafted before your eyes. I think Austin needs one.