My first car accident (for real)...

One our way home from Walmart & Joann's on Saturday, we were rear-ended. We were stopped at a light and the guy behind us started moving more quickly than we did when the light turned green (he was smoking, so he may have been distracted as well.) Whatever the case - it was his fault. It felt a lot worse than it was. The three kids were all crying, but both cars were able to drive to the nearest parking lot and wait for the police. I'll get Gandalf in and see what kind of repair we are looking at. More importantly, we are all getting in to see our chiropractor tomorrow. I know my neck is feeling sore in a new way and my wife's back is not very happy either. The kids aren't complaining, but better safe than sorry.

In response to my sister's inquiry:
I got everything we wanted save 1 item (it wasn't for the kids so I'm OK.)

Is it poetic justice that I have a pain in the neck?
Brad

The annual quandry...

It has been a busy and tiring Thanksgiving Day. My wife and I did not get to sleep until 1am last night, and our daughter woke us at 6:45 this morning! We then hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for 16 people (we did the turkey - so it was an involved day.)

I have been reviewing Walmart's "Black Friday" deals (the early 5am-11am variety) and there are several items that we really do need at excellent prices. The really important stuff is the childrens clothing: winter boots, fleece coats, sleepwear, hoodies and jeans. Taking advantage of these deals would require my getting up by 4:30am - and therein lies the quandry. I am dead tired (so why am I still up at 10pm?) but for those prices I just can't in good conscience not go.

I should go to bed so I'll be ready to go shopping early tomorrow. I won't get to sleep after I get home because we have to clean and recover from Thanksgiving dinner.

And there's a Nor'easter blowing in overnight.

Why do I have to get out of my nice warm bed to get some stupid "Black Friday" deals? Why can't they come here where my nice warm bed is? And why....am I talking to myself?
Brad

People that should not be let out in public...

Nixon and Ford must have been really bad for this guy to ever get elected. Jimmy Carter's comment that "The 'overwhelming' portion of animosity towards Obama is racist" is ridiculous. The linked article with two embedded videos say it all.

As to the "nastiness" in American political discourse, as illustrated by Joe Wilson's "you lie!" comment - let's remember who did it first and worst:

First



Worst



I know the post is purely political. I'll get back to personal stuff when I calm down,
Brad

A new semester with the same old content...

Fall semester has started here at OCC, and I am now in my 5th semester teaching here. I am only on my 3rd semester, however, using the International Relations textbook I adopted last Fall. The textbook starts by using the attacks on the 9/11 to demonstrate how four different perspectives can see the cause of a single event differently. Inevitably, some student points out that the textbook (and the theories) seem to be ignoring the "inside job" position. I normally step out of my very open and cosmopolitan academic attitude to gently squash that and all other "conspiracy theories." This happened last Friday. Perhaps I should be more open to the idea of conspiracy theories, but I just can't bring myself to allow them to be seriously discussed in an academic setting due to their warped trails of "facts" and logic.

Oh, well. Apparently conspiracy theories are not limited to the here and now. They had them a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.......

(If you're not into dark humor, don't watch it - if you do watch it, watch the whole thing)

Stormtroopers' 9/11

NPR once again misleads America!

No, this is not a political post at all. First, the back story...

My wife introduced me to Car Talk back in 1999 when we were first married. Through our time living in Utah we would listen to Tom and Ray while cleaning the apartment. I found them to be a humorous and enlightening diversion that made the housework go by quickly. As we have moved to California and New Jersey, we have not taken the time to find and make time for Car Talk. Recently we discovered that it can be heard at 1pm on Saturday - so whenever we are in the car during that hour, we listen. That hasn't happened for several months. Until today....

We were driving to Pepperidge Farm and BJ's to do some shopping as a family. We turned on the radio just in time to hear Wendy from MA. It was an interested discussion considering we had just had the bearings replaced on Gandalf. After Wendy came Brian from KY. He asked about merging etiquette specifically when a lane is ending (as in a construction zone or when 3 lanes become 2 or 1 on a highway.) Ray immediately began attacking those "yuppies" in Volvos or Audis that tear up the empty "ending" lane and "cut-in" at the last minute of the merge. He concluded that although such action is legal, it is "immoral." What a complete load! He even had the audacity to relate a story in which he refused to allow some "yuppie" to merge in a similar situation (he even yelled at him for "cutting" in front of all the other people who were waiting!) Of course, Tom agreed throughout.

Now, Car Talk is great for car repair and maintenance issues; however, the final line "don't drive like my brother!" should be taken as a shibboleth. All state transportation departments have guidelines that advise drivers to take turns when entering a single lane closure situation to help reduce delay time in work zones. This "take-turn" strategy, often referred to as the "zipper" approach (or "playing the game" in our home) is used when traffic is congested. In this instance, drivers should use both lanes all the way to the designated merge point and then take turns merging. Drivers can help reduce frustration in work zones if they follow the directions on the signs; otherwise, the system won’t be as effective. One official from Minnesota DOT said "In some back-up situations, the signs have instructed drivers to use both lanes up until the merge point, but we’ve seen drivers merge too early – probably in fear that they won’t be let in by other drivers. Many people think it is unfair for them to be waiting in traffic and another driver gets to merge before them. We’re hoping that this aggressive driver behavior will decrease if they see the signs instructing drivers to do so."

There it is! Ray is an aggressive driver who has now used Car Talk and NPR to condone nation-wide aggressive driving as a highly moral behavior. So if you are a morally superior American, feel free to condemn those misguided souls that follow traffic (and all other) laws. You have been absolved by the Patron Saint of Aggressive Driving, St. Ray the Peremptory of Our Fair City.

From what I've seen, he already has many followers. The more orthodox sects can be found all along the Boston-NY-DC beltway (some of the more zealous of those are in Northern NJ.) However, I have found strong followings in Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Idaho. The only place I found few adherents was in Southern California - and it was a pleasure to drive there!

Happy to bike the side streets to work!
Brad

A chip of the old block...

My oldest son shares so many characteristics with his dad (I will have to apologize to him about that at some point!) One of them is his tendency to sing at all times (and make up lyrics that fit his immediate situation or observations.) When this started, I initially told him to stop making so much noise; however, I realized how hypocritical it was of me to do so. I also realized what a gift it is to be able to sing and make up lyrics on the spot to fit the moment. More and more I am realizing that I have been (and still am, sadly) a controlling parent. Many of the things that I get after my boys about are simply my exerting control over them. It is a continual struggle for me to know when I need to "intervene" and when I am only doing so to satisfy my own controlling need. At least I am solidly on the first step: recognizing that I have a problem!

To end on a happy note, 2 things:

First, my 8 & 1/2 month-old daughter stood by herself for just over 10 seconds this past weekend! She will be walking really soon!

Second, in honor of making up new lyrics to catchy tunes:



With a song in my heart,
Brad

Back to work...

School hasn't officially started yet, but I am back on campus fairly regularly now. I have meetings of all kinds and I am trying to be a little better prepared for the start of this semester than I have been in semesters past (not looking promising!)

I do, however, have something to look forward to this semester - besides the genuine thrill I get from teaching (I am serious about that!) - we are going to Utah for Christmas and New Year's! Just got the tickets last night! We were initially going to get a flight that connected from Philadelphia through Houston to Salt Lake City; however, we waited until Wednesday to purchase the tickets because we had heard that airlines post new and good deals on Wednesdays. Our wait paid off. For just $2 more per ticket we found a non-stop from Philadelphia to Salt Lake City! We were also able to use our credit card rewards to purchase one of the tickets, so we only needed to pay for three (our daughter is still young enough to not require a seat.) I am so looking forward to being with family for Christmas. It will be the first time most of them have seen our daughter in person (she'll be 1 - and probably walking!) They will also be amazed at how tall the boys are (and how old and gray I look.)

Looking forward to December,
Brad

Falling off the wagon...

I know I said I would change the focus of my blog; however, this article in the Washington Post was too important to pass up (especially considering that most of my readers are in Utah.)

I hope to have a family update in the next few days.

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

Brad

Murphy's Law...

My daughter has only fallen off of our bed twice. The first time was several weeks ago - that's when we realized we had to "barricade" her in during her naps. The second time was today - the day she is supposed to go to JCPenny's for pictures. She's fine, but I hope the bump on her forehead isn't too bad!

Plus it is pouring rain,
Brad

She's growing up too fast...

My 7-month old daughter can now crawl up the stairs! This morning she crawled over to the bottom of our staircase and pulled herself up to standing position. She's been doing this for about 2 weeks, but she has never attempted to climb up the stairs. Her first efforts came up about an inch or two short - she was trying to get her foot onto the step. This is how she crawls most of the time - on her hands and feet, not her knees. Once she figured out that she could put her knee on the step and pull the rest of her body up, she was on her way. The boys were totally excited and cheered her on all the way up. Mommy was playing the "safety" role while I recorded it with our video camera. It's both exciting and sad to see her achieve these developmental milestones.

I guess I had better put up some child safety gates!
Brad

A moment to brag...

Monday night, or rather, early Tuesday morning our daughter woke up and would not go back to sleep. Normally my wife can nurse her back to sleep. If that doesn't work I will rock her, either in the glider or walking around the house, until she falls back asleep. Well, after 30 minutes of walking/rocking she was not going back to sleep. Just as I was headed back to our room with her, she shuddered twice. This is one of her signals that she needs to go potty. So that's where we went and that's what she did.

Initially, I was somewhat annoyed that she had kept us awake at such an early hour just so she could go potty in the toilet. However, she kept us awake because she did not want to go potty in her diaper - she wanted to go in the toilet. That's amazing! I'd say I'm proud of her, but I overheard our primary president giving someone a lecture last Sunday on how there is no such thing as righteous pride - it is all evil. Even Heavenly Father says "in whom I am well pleased", not "in whom I am proud."

We just finished going through our boys' clothes and switching out the smaller sizes for the next sizes up. They are growing so freakin' fast! Fortunately, the need for more clothes was not too overwhelming. The need for shoes was, however. My older boy only has a pair of crocs that fit him. His brother has a pair of Sunday shoes, a pair of leather sandals, and a pair of crocs. Fortunately it is summer, and the younger one never wears running shoes if he has sandals.

Our organizing of the boys' clothes is part of our new Summer Schedule. Since I no longer have a class schedule around which to organize my day - and after spending a week haphazardly taking on the "to-do-list" with minimal success - we decided to schedule out our day on an hourly basis using our Google Calender. It has given us a new sense of purpose and given me a little extra boost of energy to get things done. I just need to work on getting up at 6am to exercise.

I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful.
I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful.
I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful.

-Brad

Home internet issues...

Our cable internet has been spotty and slow since Tuesday - so we are a little out-of-touch with everyone. I did manage to put a dominos pizza icon on facebook right after I ordered by birthday pizzas yesterday.

My little girl is crawling everywhere! She tries to "walk" on her right leg and two hands - the left leg is just there for balance. I say she crawls everywhere, but that's not really true. She normally yells at us to pick her up before too long, or she is expertly (and enthusiastically) intercepted by one of her older brothers. I am pretty certain she'll be walking before 10 months (that's when both her brothers took off.)

The boys are awesome! We bought them (and me) baseball gloves for their 1/2 birthdays. I so look forward to a summer of throwing the ball in the back yard! They both love Mythbusters. We watched two episodes last night while we ate pizza. Now that the weather is getting a little more "summer-like" I hope we get more opportunities to head to the beach.

I am officially finished as Program Coordinator of Social Sciences! My job ended as of 1 July (happy birthday present!) but I just finished sending the assessment reports for Spring 2009 (my last responsibility!) I am now simply Professor Young, Instructor of Political Science.

Well that's all for now. Hopefully the home internet will last until Tuesday when the tech comes by. If anyone has any useful input on what kind of computer we should get to replace our old desktop (we are considering a Mac) please let me know.

Daddy's headed home!
Brad

Reinventing the blog...

Lately this blog has become too political and sparse in its content. I have decided to make it more of a journal of personal and family happenings. I am doing this because my own journal writing has fallen off considerably - and I recall that my old blog during grad school often provided an excellent accounting of important events in my and my family's lives.

I am finished teaching for the summer - my two classes during the second five-week session were canceled due to low enrollment - and now have a "honey-do" list almost two pages long. I still have some commitments at OCC. Today, after I donate platelets, I will go in to finalize the grades for my earlier summer classes, write the report for the department assessments, and attend a meeting of the Advising Policy ad-hoc committee. Before next Tuesday I have to submit a budget for my team's part of OCC's Perkins Grant. After that, I will only have the College Senate and an ad-hoc bylaws committee to worry about until I start preparing for Fall.

That's all for today - I will try to post more regularly and include information about the family (especially the kids) to keep it interesting for everyone.

Looking forward to a more family-focused summer,
Brad

Credit where credit is due...

I found this piece over on the Weekly Standard blog:

Is it possible that the Iraqi election experience had something to do with Iranian expectations of an election? If critics of the war can for just a moment move beyond their own deeply held opinions about the invasion of Iraq -- that this was a war of choice fought on false premises to lower gas prices or whatever -- and examine the effect of that war on the region as a whole, they might see a connection to the current turmoil in Iran. After all, one of the intellectual arguments in favor of overthrowing Saddam Hussein was, in the words of Dick Cheney, to place "a democracy in the heart of the Middle East, a nation that will be a positive force in influencing the world around it in the future.”

I think a case can be made that Barack Obama's election as president has also raised expectations of the democratic process in countries around the world. It is certainly possible that we are seeing an Obama effect in Iran as young people there look to replicate the excitement and enthusiasm of young people here during last year's election. But any honest assessment of events in Iran would also have to consider the effect of having a functioning democracy right next door -- a democracy that millions of Iranians have seen for themselves as they make religious pilgrimages and conduct business in Iraq. Iran has had a tremendous influence on Iraq these last few years, usually to the detriment of peace and security there. Perhaps the current protests in Iran are evidence that influence doesn't just cross the border in one direction.


Regardless of how it got there, the Middle East has its first legitimate liberal democracy that's not an "evil Zionist entity illegitimately place there by imperialists." It has shown that liberal democracy is not incompatible with Islam or other ethnic or religious identities in that area - contrary to what many academics in the U.S. and government leaders in the Middle East have claimed.

This could be the start of the fourth wave of democratization. Hopefully it is not a continuation of the third "reverse" wave (as has been seen in Russia and Venezuela.)

Trying to stay optimistic,
Brad

End of semester stories part II...

A Simple Socialism Analogy

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

But, as the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too, so they studied little.

The second test average was a D. No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great; but when government takes all the reward away; no one will try or want to succeed.

Of course, you don't have to take this story's word for it. Star Trek: TNG's The Masterpiece Society makes a somewhat similar point.

Hoping to post some real stuff soon,
Brad

End of semester stories part I...

Over the last week of classes, my students have debated several controversial issues within the field of political science and politics in general. Several of the subjects have involved issues of economic "fairness" (welfare policy, universal healthcare, the bailout, etc.) Here is a story that one of my students shared with me after her debate...

A woman recently asked her friend's little girl what she wanted to be when she grows up. She said she wanted to be President some day. Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so the woman asked her, 'If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?' She replied, 'I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people.'

Her parents beamed.

'Wow...what a worthy goal.' The woman told her, 'But you don't have to wait until you're President to do that. You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll take you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use toward food and a new house.'

She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked the woman straight in the eye and asked, 'Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?'

The woman said, 'Welcome to the Republican Party.'

I have since seen this story - in different forms - across the internet. I would change the last line to 'Welcome to the Conservative movement' but that's only because I'm an academic.

Brad

I love children's literature...

...especially when it teaches good life lessons.

Brad

Christmas in April...

We just got our Federal welfare check (actually it was direct deposit, but that's not the point!) and are planning how best to use it.

I want to know: "How are you planning to spend your Federal welfare check?"

-Brad

Beauty pageants and feminism...

I found this over at Hot Air. Just add "speech suppression" to the other indictments against beauty pageants.

A stark contrast...

The post-pageant comments by both only confirm this picture's accuracy,
Brad

Satan, potholes and New York...

Last Wednesday I planned to go to the Manhattan Temple. I hadn't been to the temple in over a year (even longer for the last time I was there for something besides a wedding or youth activity) and was looking forward to the experience. Well, add this experience to all the other "Satan will do anything to keep you from going to the temple" stories you have heard (btw - they're all true!)...

At about the corner of 8th & 42nd (in Manhattan - of course) my right front tire caught the edge of a pothole and blew out. Fortunately, I had turned wide and was in the right-hand lane - so pulling to the curb was easy. I was able to change the tire in about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, the donut tire had only 15 psi of pressure (60 is the recommended psi) and I didn't have the bike pump in the trunk. I was directed to one of only 3 gas stations on the entire island (or so the guy said) and was able to inflate the donut and get back on my way.

By now I was late for the session. To make matters worse, the GPS did not know that several ramps had been closed for construction/repair. I seriously considered calling it a day and heading back to Jersey. However, I pressed forward (saints, with steadfast faith...) and made it to the temple. I was able to help in some ordinances before I had to leave. The experience was great, and I am glad I made the effort to get there.

I then drove home (again, the GPS did not know that several access points to the Lincoln Tunnel were closed - but I finally got out of New York) going no more than 60 mph due to the donut and the downpour all along the Parkway. I spent about 2 hours at the tire place. The original blow-out could not be repaired; the other front tire was showing significant uneven wear; the two rear tires were cracking on the sidewalls and wearing as well; plus both front axle shafts had torn cv boots. I just had the r/f axle replaced, so I didn't get it fixed (I'll go back to the other place and make them do it right - and at no charge!)

I now have a very vivid and personal experience of Satan's effort to keep me from the going to the temple. I also have the wonderful feeling of overcoming difficulties and doing what I know I should. I can also view the tire issue as a blessing - it was much easier for me to have been by myself when one of the tires went out than to have the entire family with me, or have my wife alone with the kids. It was also better that it blew during a low-speed turn in downtown Manhattan than going 70+ on the Parkway. I now have four new tires and know I need to get the axle cv boots fixed. Fortunately, my tax refund will cover all of that.

Amazingly, I feel quite blessed and loved right now,
Brad

Teaparties...

I brought up the depths to which some of the media anchors have lowered themselves in covering last week's "tea party" protests. I will not link to any of them due to content issues (especially David Schuster's 7th-grade-level rant.)

Well, some of my students brought up the same criticisms that many in the media and on "the left" have leveled. I pointed out the hypocrisy of both sides of the "protest is (un)patriotic" issue by contrasting the tea parties with the Iraq War protests - that's what good professors do: avoid preaching from thier own political agenda while allowing their students to provide the contrasting views. We didn't spend too long on the issue, so we didn't get to explore all the contrasting arguments for and against the legitimacy of the protests. Here's a list of criticisms commonly made of the tea parties with solid responses (via Jonah Goldberg over at National Review's Corner):

Taxes & Tyranny

I posted this in the Corner already, but it's relevant enough I figured I'd post it here too.

Amidst all of the hooplah, I've heard a lot of complaints from liberals. Here are the most frequent complaints and my responses.

1. All of this tyranny talk is overheated and idiotic.

Well, some of it surely is. But look. According to that reason video I posted below, Americans work an average of 103 days a year just to pay their taxes. If you had to work 365 days a year to pay your taxes, that would be a kind of slavery or indentured servitude, because all of your productive labor would be going to the government. You would have no resources of your own to provide for the life you wanted. Instead the government would provide you not with what you want, but what the government decides you need.

That sounds like a kind of tyranny to me.

And, I think if we had to work 364 days a year it would still be a kind of serfdom (after all, serfs were allowed a little plot of their own). Ditto 363 days, 362 days, 361 days etc. Now, at some point the difference of degree becomes a difference in kind; working one day a year to pay for the government doesn't sound oppressive to me. But it seems to me that it's hardly absurd to think that 103 days a year is too much, or to believe that if that number goes even higher, we're losing something important.

I would also add that it's sort of crazy for liberals to equate government hand-outs (positive liberty, FDR's economic bill of rights and all that) with "freedom" but to equate the desire to keep more of the money you make yourself with greed and oppression of some kind. Money does make all sorts of liberties possible (you have to pay for your megaphone and all that). But government money only pays for the "liberties" the government thinks you should have, and therefore it can determine how you exercise them. That turns liberties into privileges dispensed at the whim of the state.

2. The original tea parties were about taxation without representation, today's spending is the result of Democrats winning elections, so it's taxation with representation.

There's some fairness to this objection. But one response would be that Democrats are tripling the debt, which means that generations of Americans not yet born will be taxed to pay for spending today. That is a kind of taxation without representation.

A second, more political than philosophical objection, would be that today's spending is being achieved under false pretenses. Obama says he's spending this money to fix a crisis, but much of his spending has nothing to do with the crisis but with shopworn liberal action items. However, since Obama campaigned on many of these items, I don't think it amounts to taxation without representation. But it does seem like the sort of duplicity worth a protest or two.

3. These protests are unpatriotic astroturfing by plutocrats.

So much for "dissent is the highest form of patriotism"!

I find it sort of amazing that when groups like ANSWER, a Mos Eisley cantina of America-hating nut cases, take to the streets it's a full-flowering of democracy in action. When ACORN pays their ragamuffins to protest, or when Rainbow/PUSH shakes down businesses through racial extortion, it's the sort of direct democratic action Thomas Paine dreamed of. And when labor unions pay people to protest, it's populist. But when a bunch of independent Americans, talk show hosts and email campaigners organize hundreds of protests around the country, it's astroturfing.

4. Republicans are hypocrites for suddenly caring about deficits.

Well, maybe. But then so are liberals for suddenly not caring about deficits. (That part always gets left out.)

Moreover, I don't get it. Republicans didn't care enough about the deficit when it went up a "little" under Bush (to pay for a war), therefore they can't complain when Obama sends it through the stratosphere (to pay for socialized medicine)? How does that work? If my wife spends too much on a shopping trip, does that mean she can't complain if I lose our house on a trip to Vegas?

5. The populist anger out there is the real face of America's homegrown fascism.

Sigh. While I think Rick Perry's secession talk is idiotic and unfortunate (even accounting for Texas' unique history), I am at a loss as to how any of this stuff smacks of fascism. Even Perry is talking in the context of the federal government doing too much, taking away too much liberty, getting too involved in local communities and interfering too much with the individual.

How do I say this so people will understand? Fascism isn't a libertarian doctrine! It just isn't, never will be and it can't be cast as one. Anarchism, secessionism, extreme localism or rampant individualism may be bad, evil, wrong, stupid, selfish and all sorts of other things (though not by my lights). But they have nothing to do with a totalitarian vision of the state where individuals and institutions alike must march in step and take orders from the government.

If you think shrinking government and getting it less involved in your life is a hallmark of tyranny it is only because you are either grotesquely ignorant or because you subscribe to a statist ideology that believes the expansion of the state is the expansion of liberty.

Update: From a reader:

Jonah, you say:



Moreover, I don't get it. Republicans didn't care enough about the deficit when it went up a "little" under Bush (to pay for a war).



A LITTLE?? COME ON!!



Have a great weekend.

Me: Well, I put a "little" in quotation marks to convey the point that it wasn't literally a little. But it is a little compared to what Obama's deficits will be.

On a personal note: I remember when the national debt (all the deficits accumulated over the entire history of United States) hit $1 trillion. It was a big deal - and many people put the blame on the Reagan administration (it was actually the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives that originated and approved ALL the deficit budgets during the Reagan years.) Now the Obama administration (with another Democrat-controlled House) has increased the debt by over $1 trillion in a single year!

I hope my kids and grandkids like paying taxes,
Brad

Global Warming update...

Being a big fan of David Attenborough's BBC videos, I've seen better videos on the subject of polar bears and global warming than this one...



...However, the beauty of this video is that it speaks beyond the drowning polar bears (they float by the way) to the legal implications of accepting or rejecting science. With legal implications in mind, here's the latest evidence from NASA as to what is contributing most to the melting arctic ice.

We can now add "aerosols" to DDT as products that 1960s-era environmentalists successfully banned with dire consequences.

Thank you Rachel Carson,
Brad

Prisoners' Dilemma for real!

I teach International Relations (it's also the area in which I wrote my thesis.) The Prisoners' Dilemma provides an excellent model for explaining the behavior of countries and beginning a discussion of various IR theories. The example in the link above is adequate; however, the following game show provides a much better example which even includes some of the variations on the game - opportunity for discussion, past iterations, lack of "the shadow of the future."



In current international politics, just picture the guy as President Barack Obama and the chick as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

However, a nuked Israel is a lot worse than getting shafted out of several thousand pounds,
Brad

Spring Break finally arrives...for real...I think...

Late Tuesday night I returned from a 3-day trip to Washington, D.C. It was the annual OCC trip to the USIP (United States Institute of Peace.) 19 students and 2 professors traveled to the DC this year. We attended two 2-hour sessions at the USIP - one on Monday morning and the next on Tuesday afternoon - in which we participated in discussions about Israel/Palestine, Iraq & Civil Society, and the use of child soldiers. The rest of the time was left to enjoying the sites and cuisine of DC. I am still tired after driving 4 hours each way, staying up late each night, and walking all over the Mall and through the monuments & museums. It was nice to have a somewhat restful day today. I think the rest of the week will be more restful...

Until Easter Sunday! We had our "Spring Celebration" on March 21st (the first day of Spring) complete with chocolate eggs & bunnies, candy, and an egg hunt. That's not what will make it busy. The ward choir (I'm the choir director) is singing two selections during Sacrament Meeting. I am also the concluding speaker (I found out on Monday and haven't started preparing yet.) And did I mention that the missionaries are coming for dinner that night? Yes, we have a lot going on.

Finally, I watched the first half of the infamous "Big Love" episode last week (it originally aired on 3/15, so I caught the re-run.) Two things tell me that the writers didn't do their "mormon" homework (no, it has nothing to do with the "inside the temple" stuff; it has everything to do with the alpha-wife's mother.)

First, the mother's initial objection to alpha-wife going to the temple is that she hasn't "tithed" in months/years. No Latter-Day Saint ever uses the verb form of "tithing" (unless they are a recent convert from a church that uses that phrase - but lifetime LDS do not.) Within the Church the verb phrase is some variation of "pay tithing" not "tithe."

Second, no Latter-Day Saint parent would ever find joy in sitting in the celestial room of the temple with their child who is openly and proudly there unworthily (especially if the parent is an accessory to that fraud!)

I went to bed after that, so I don't have any other blatant errors to point out.

It looks like this post is headed for the same fate...the long minute hand is pointing to the 6 which means it's half past something. The short hour hand is pointing between the 10 and 11. That means bedtime today is at half past 10.

I know I'll never meet the Polkaroo - everyone knows the man IS the Polkaroo,
Brad

Wishing for Spring to come...

I have only biked to work once this semester (back in January.)
I missed three days of classes and our ward choir performance in church due to an upper-respiratory infection.
It snowed today.
Both the boys had infections (the older one had bronchitis.)

Winter sucks,
Brad

A tribute to black history month...

Hoping for Morgan Freeman's kind of Change,
Brad

The rewards of teaching...

Today I got this e-mail from a student (emphasis added):

Prof Young,
Just wanted to let ya know..... I know nothing about that government. When I say nothing, i quite literally mean NOTHING..... I don't want you to get the impression of me that I don't try, because I do, a lot.

You seem mad chill for a teacher, I can get along with you....thats a plus. So.....if I have no idea what is going on one day...I'll get it later on

I have no idea what "mad chill" means by itself, but from the context, I'm sure it's a compliment.

Mad Chill. Not bad for a 34 year old with graying hair,
Brad

Gay brownshirts???

In my previous post I noted that fascism, as an ideology, stands in strong opposition to Prop 8. The tactics of violence and intimidation used by earlier fascists were seen throughout the campaign and aftermath of the election. It seems that religious scapegoating is still a viable tactic, only this time it's not the Jews:

The outbreak of attacks on the Mormon church since the passage of Proposition 8 has been chilling: envelopes full of suspicious white powder were sent to church headquarters in Salt Lake City; protesters showed up en masse to intimidate Mormon small-business owners who supported the measure; a website was created to identify and shame members of the church who backed it; activists are targeting the relatives of prominent Mormons who gave money to pass it, as well as other Mormons who are only tangentially associated with the cause; some have even called for a boycott of the entire state of Utah.

The wisdom of hate-crimes legislation aside, there is no doubt that a lot of hate is being directed at Mormons as a group. But why single out Mormons? And why now?

Dozens of church bodies — including the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Christian bishops of California, and a wide variety of evangelicals — supported the proposition. It’s also worth considering that, while gay-rights advocates cannot discuss same-sex marriage for more than 30 seconds without making faulty analogies to Jim Crow-era anti-miscegenation laws, some 70 percent of blacks voted for Proposition 8. While there have been a few ugly racist statements by gay-rights supporters, such vile sentiment has been restricted. Not so the hatred directed at Mormons, who are convenient targets.

To date, 30 states have voted on initiatives addressing same-sex marriage, and in every state traditional marriage has come out on top. But somehow the fact that Mormons got involved during the latest statewide referendum constitutes a bridge too far? In truth, Mormons are a target of convenience in the opening salvo of what is sure to be a full-scale assault on much of America’s religious infrastructure, which gay activists perceive as a barrier to their aspirations. Among religious groups, Mormons are not the biggest obstacle to same-sex marriage — not by a long shot. But they are an easy target. Anti-Mormon bigotry is unfortunately common, and gay-rights activists are cynically exploiting that fact.

There are no websites dedicated to “outing” Catholics who supported Proposition 8, even though Catholic voters heavily outnumber Mormons. And the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is not remarkably strident in its beliefs on the subject. So far, no gay-rights activist has had the brass to burn a Koran on the doorstep of a militant mosque where — forget marriage! — imams advocate the stoning of homosexuals.

I have been asked by my students "Are you Mormon?" Coming from Utah with my last name, it's a pretty good guess that I am. This was the first semester that I was asked if I wear "the magical Mormon underwear?" My first reaction was to quietly curse Steve Young for his rather poor response to a similar question several years ago. After reviewing a friends pictures from an "anti-8" rally, and seeing that phrase more than once, I have decided to let Steve off the hook - but just for this one instance. I hope that my students only knowledge of Mormons is not only what he saw from the anti-8 thugs. Hopefully I can help in that respect.

And I always thought "gay" and "nazi" could only come together in a Mel Brooks movie,
Brad

Note to self...

After viewing a friend's "Anti-8 rally" photo album on Facebook, I remembered that I never posted my analysis of how the major political theories fit into that vote and post-election "debate." There's too little time for me to do so now, but here's a preview...

Conservatism - pro Prop 8 and against state/court action against the outcome
Liberalism - anti Prop 8 and against any restrictions on any marriages or relationships
Communism - anti Prop 8 and for overthrowing all other bourgeois institutions (like liberty, family, equality, etc.)
Fascism - anti Prop 8 and for state/court action invalidating the democratic process
Socialism - indifferent (it's not about economic opportunity.)

Explanations and elaborations to come at a later date.
You may also have noted that I biked to work last Friday.

Slowly returning to form,
Brad

My First New Year's Resolution...

Showing that even a conservative can join in the new order of Change,
Brad

h/t The Jawa Report