EphBlog

RPI vs Cooper Union

2008-04-25T18:33:49+00:00

help!

Both of these are great schools, but I find myself unable to choose between them. I love RPI's campus, but Troy just can't compare with NYC. I think Cooper has the better academic program, also their classes are smaller. RPI has better dorms and guarunteed housing for 4 years compared to Cooper only having dorms for one year. I would meet great people at both places but I think Cooper would motivate me more... the deadline is fast approaching and I'm still unsure so any input would be welcome.

SAT or Not

2008-04-25T18:33:48+00:00

My daughter just got her ACT and, based upon the below, do you suggest that she take the SAT or leave well enough alone and focus on SAT IIs:

Composite: 35/36

English: 35
Usage/Mechanics 18/18
Rhetorical Skills 17/18

Math: 35
PreAlg 18/18
Alg/Geom. 18/18
Plane Geom. 16/18

Reading: 34
Social Stud./Sc. 17/18
Art/Lit 18/18

Science: 36

Writing: Not scored yet (she got an 800 on the PSAT)

NetIDs

2008-04-25T18:33:00+00:00

How soon after we send in our deposits do we usually get our NetIDs? Is there any other way to get them besides through mail?

Ignorant non-American parents ~ advice please.

2008-04-25T18:32:34+00:00

We know so little about the workings of American colleges & grad schools ~ here goes:

Our student graduated from an American college 2006, major was Political Science. He returned to the same college for this past semester and studied various economics (signed up for 12 credits). We have just learned through the school, that these credits will be "Under graduate credits".

My question is, will they count for anything in applications to American grad schools? Please pardon my clumsiness in the wording, but we're quite confused ~ will be most grateful for any guidance/reply.

Wrongly Freed

2008-04-25T18:32:13+00:00

Stanford Physics

2008-04-25T18:24:38+00:00

Hello Everyone,
I was just wondering what stanford is like.

-how good it is
-what are the professors like
-how much work is there for a physics major
-is there a chance for time to really get to know your professors
-are the courses interesting

I would really appreciate it if you would respond. This is very important to me.

UVA McIntire School of Commerce Transfer Update

2008-04-25T18:24:31+00:00

UVA McIntire School of Commerce Transfer Update

304 students are vying for 35 spots this year at McIntire School of Commerce.

23 spots will go to Virginia residents whereas 12 are for out of state.

The counselor said: "This is the most competitive year for transfer admission in the History of McIntire given the no. of applicants and the no. of spots available".

Last year only 230 applied for 37 spots.

The transfer acceptance rate is likely to drop to 12%.

Moving from back-office to front-office

2008-04-25T18:23:08+00:00

I have accepted an internship offer from Citigroup to work in their finance division. I have not yet been placed in any subdivision within finance. However, most finance interns end up being controllers. I would like to know if working at Citigroup finance division as opposed to Ibanking would be a strong stepping stone that could lead to an Ibanking offer for full-time during the fall recruiting.

Irish Study Recommends Delaying Sexual Activity for Teens

2008-04-25T18:22:59+00:00

More evidence that early sexual activity is detrimental to teenagers, from a major research study in Ireland: "Girls who become sexually active before age 17 are almost 70 percent more likely to experience a crisis pregnancy in later life and...

HELP! Junior son with great talent/fair grades

2008-04-25T18:20:42+00:00

Hi, I think I posted in the wrong place so I'm posting here. Our son is involved in all of the wonderful extracurriculars--- vocal group, theater performances, et. Very talented --- major roles in HS Shows but only has a GPA of about a lowB-mid C (despite our "wake-up calls" to him about getting good grades!)
We're looking for other parents in the same position ... what schools for BFA in Musical Theater are realistic for him to apply to? (He also plays piano well). He is looking on East Coast at Pace, Univ. of Arts, Hartt School, Ithaca, and we're really not sure where else. Any suggestions for realistically getting into good schools with MT BFA (We think he will probably audition well due to his stage experiences and strong vocal talents). We are frustrated parents looking to find good advice from other parents or students who have been in this position......Thanks! Maril

Borrowing a million dollars

2008-04-25T18:20:03+00:00

Is it possible for an average joe (like myself) to borrow a million dollars for a business?

GALLERY OWNERS TO PRESENT FINAL ARTIST TALK IN SERIES

2008-04-25T18:15:28+00:00

NORTH ADAMS, MA - The Northern Berkshire Creative Arts (NBCA), partnered with Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC), will present a seminar on “What Do Galleries Want?” on Thursday, May 1, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the NBCA. The event is free and open to the public with pre-registration.

This installment of the “Tricks of the Trade: Talks for Artists” series will feature a panel of gallery representatives including, Matthew Bellanger and Marianne Petit of Greylock Arts; Peter Dudek with the
Storefront Artists Project; Jo-Ellen Harrison from the Harrison Gallery; Sean Riley of MCLA Gallery 51; and a representative from the Ferrin Gallery.

An artist’s first step to show his or her work often involves navigating the gallery world and facing as much rejection as acceptance. Panelists will discuss the importance of researching the type of work a gallery exhibits and making initial contact with the gallery. This talk provides first-hand insights into the minds and methods of gallery owners.

The NBCA is at 115 State St., Bldg. 1, at Heritage State Park. To pre-register, please call Jessica Conzo, BCRC program coordinator, 413-663-5253.
For more information on the NBCA, go to www.nbcreativearts.org , and for more on the BCRC, go to www.mcla.edu/bcrc .

UCSB Housing

2008-04-25T18:11:09+00:00

For the people who's going to UCSB: What's your plan for housing (other than the guaranteed Summer Transition housing) ?

Smith College Degree. Is is worth it or a waste?

2008-04-25T18:11:04+00:00

D was accepted to Smith, Harvard, Princeton and MIT. Neither one of those schools gave her a decent financial package. I admit - Smith gave her the worse package.

Question is: If I have to select between those schools which one of them is worth paying 45,000+ per year?

My D is leaning towards Smith and I began to ask the question why?

I personally don’t know too much about Smith College. I began to ask several people about the institution and all I got from them is “I never heard”. Some of them they answered of top of their head said – “That’s a Lesbian School”

I’m confused….. .. There is no way I can send her to Smith College and pay $45,000 / year unless someone can convince me otherwise.

Is it worth it? Is Smith College degree worth $45,000 per year vs. Harvard, Princeton and MIT?

For the parents reading this post….. Put your feet in my shoes….. Will you do it?

What's the point?

2008-04-25T18:09:59+00:00

Sometimes I ask myself that. I look at all the "great careers" waiting for us grads from Ivies and top colleges like consulting, banking, law, medicine... and in the end we're still no better than better-paid cogs in the great big machine. most of us won't even matter 10 years after we die. what is the point of all this rat race and grubbing for internships and entry-level positions?

Is going into consulting or banking the way to make a lasting presence in this world?

Any Electrical Engineers get accepted to UCLA yet?

2008-04-25T18:09:34+00:00

Just wondering.

Being part of the "Honors school" - Is it worth it?

2008-04-25T18:06:38+00:00

If I join the honors school at my uni, chances are the classes will be harder, and thus lower my gpa. I need to keep it high for grad school, though...

so, do you think being part of an Honors school is worth it - what are the benefits, really?

Will ND ever implement a middle-income aid inititative like Harvard et al?

2008-04-25T18:04:30+00:00

My son was accepted as a ND scholar last month. It was truly one of the happiest days of my life as I had always hoped he could attend ND someday. It's always been his first choice and that was confirmed when he visited the campus last year. I scanned the acceptance letter and proudly emailed it all of my friends and family, including four who are ND alums.
Our dilemma now is that it is going to cost us 45k per year. We were hoping that he would receive much more aid than the 5k he was awarded, as we can't afford to spend 180k+ over four years. We are a two income, middle class family with a daughter who will start college in 2010.
My son has received a full tuition scholarship(36.5k+/year) to Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA. I know that W&L isn't ND, but it's still an excellent, highly rated school. He can attend W&L for about 10K/year versus 45k/year at ND. We're struggling with this as his decision is coming down to the wire. If $$ was no object, ND hands down would be our choice.
If only ND had implemented the program that Harvard announced a few months back (Harvard announces sweeping middle-income initiative — The Harvard University Gazette) it would be a no brainer decision for us.
I called the admissions office and their reply was that "unless something has changed in your family circumstances, there's nothing we can do further for you other than the 5k/year he's been awarded."
I'm sure ND is experiencing the same problem that Harvard had; they aren't getting many students from middle income families. The smart poor students and the smart rich students were well represented in their admitted population, but not the smart middle income students.
Any advice would be appreciated as we try to work this out. Thanks.

‘Twas the night before another birthday party

2008-04-25T18:02:09+00:00

I have always found the kids' birthday eves more stressful than Christmas Eves. There was the time David insisted on staying up till nearly 4 am MAKING QUICHES AND HOMEMADE CAKES FOR SOPHIE'S THIRD BIRTHDAY PARTY. I had laughed hysterically and still mumble, "QUICHE, THIRD BIRTHDAY" in his direction when ...

Not so pretty

2008-04-25T18:02:09+00:00

Oh, I try. He tries. We are all trying. Still, the tears come. They come often. And the impatience and frustration swell and roll in again and again, a sea I am dog-paddling in. I am exhausted. Little things. Gymnastics yesterday afternoon. Nothing going right. I get there in time. David ...

Update on Permit to Report Package

2008-04-25T17:58:23+00:00

Just got an email from admissions and due to some printing delays it states the packages should be arriving by 5/15 and the medical forms submission date has been extended to 5/30

Is it too late to learn how to ride a bike?

2008-04-25T17:58:04+00:00

Hi I just turned 18 a month ago.
I wanna ride a bike :)
Anyone bad at it younger and eventually learned or just...learned late?

Deferring Admission?

2008-04-25T17:57:53+00:00

I've already called UMCP about this, but it's hard to get a straight answer. If I defer my admission at college park for a year, and I'm then bound to attend, so I can't apply to other schools during my gap year? Also, what's generally the process for asking for a deferral? All I've found on the website is that each case is individually reviewed. Do I agree to attend first, and then ask to defer, or defer first? Thanks!

Food at JHU

2008-04-25T17:55:36+00:00

How is the food / dining options at JHU, I hear that its not so good but I'd live actual student opinions of the matter.

Kol b'seder in the J-blogosphere (now that Jeff Klepper's here)

2008-04-25T17:55:17+00:00

Jeff Klepper helped to spark the "nusach American" folk-music liturgical tradition that shaped my Reform upbringing. In the early 1970s he and his buddy Dan Freelander, both URJ youth group leaders (at the time), teamed up to form a duo called Kol B'Seder ("Everything's Okay.") They're the source of some of my favorite tunes: melodies for "Modeh Ani" and for "Lo Alecha Hamlacha Ligmor" (you can listen to snippets of each here), not to mention this Shalom Rav and this Oseh Shalom (which Jeff wrote in Israel in '82.)

(Both of those YouTube links feature chorale and orchestra, which show off the harmonies beautifully but are a bit showier than what I'm used to. For contrast, here's Jeff singing "Shalom Rav" solo, with guitar. Some of you may remember the post I made about erev Shabbat at the URJ Biennial in 2005; Jeff was one of the song-leaders who led the postprandial song session that made me so happy.)

Jeff is a cantor (ordained by HUC-JIR in 1980) and one of the real luminaries of the Reform movement. He's also a total mensch. So it gives me joy to be able to announce that he's got a new website, complete with blog!

He's only been blogging for a couple of weeks, but he's already posted some gems, like Echad Mi Yode'a from Syra in Judeo-Arabic (featuring stories and an mp3 of the song in question), Uno Chi Sa?...When In Rome (more stories and mp3s, this time a Roman version of the same counting song) and Music & Mishkan T’filah (Jeff was one of three cantors on the editorial committee for the new Reform siddur, and he has intriguing things to say about the process of putting it together.)

If you're interested in liturgical music, and/or in one the musings of one of the smartest and kindest people I know in the Reform movement, Jeff's blog is worth checking out. Pop over and wish him moadim l'simcha and a hearty welcome to the blogosphere.

Technorati tags: religion, Judaism, ReformJudaism, JeffKlepper.

Advanced Standing - Pros and Cons?

2008-04-25T17:53:07+00:00

Any of you current or former Harvard students or Harvard parents have any insights regarding applying for Advanced Standing? Is this a good thing to do? Our sense is that it is relatively rare. The prospect of graduating in three years and thus saving $50,000 is admittedly somewhat attractive.

Courses for Fall2008

2008-04-25T17:52:45+00:00

Do you know when we will need to sign up for courses for fall 2008 semester?
What is the best courses for Wharton freshman to take first semester?

math 103 or 104
Econ 010
MGMT 100

????

This week's portion: Gevurah (Kedoshim)

2008-04-25T16:57:51+00:00

GEVURAH (KEDOSHIM)

You shall not let your cattle mate with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; you shall not put on cloth from a mixture of two kinds of material. --Leviticus 19:19

The mystics saw the patriarchs    as a dialectic:
Abraham overflowing    his tent always open
boundaried Isaac    (motionless on the altar)
Jacob the harmony    that makes the chord.

Once upon a time our flocks must have mingled
our fields a patchwork    of millet and barley
linen and wool together    combed, woven, and spun.
But mixing two kinds    is God's job, not ours

our God distinguishes day from night, rolling away
light before darkness and darkness before light
our God separates holy from profane, the six days
from the taste of heaven one seed from another

or maybe we're the ones fixated on difference
wild with the pleasure    of ordering chaos
organizing the ruminants    the sheep from the goats
Angus from Holsteins    crisp linen from silk.

But strictness too    can be destructive.
Overfocused beams burn what's in their path.
When will we receive    the Torah of interpenetration
new Morse code boundaries    that let holiness through?

This week we're in parashat Kedoshim. (ETA: actually, this Shabbat we're reading a special parsha for Pesach. Next week we'll be in Kedoshim. I jumped the gun with this poem. Whoops.)

There's a ton of interesting and thought-provoking material in Kedoshim, including some powerful ethical precepts: leave the margins of one's field unharvested (for gleaners), don't taunt the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind, don't hate your kinsfolk in your heart. Love the strangers who dwell among you, for you were strangers in the land of Mitzrayim.

But this week's poem was sparked by chapter 19, verse 19, an injunction against mixing breeds of cattle or plants in a field or fibers in a fabric. Counting the Omer means I have the sefirot on my mind, and I began this poem on the second day of the Omer, a day of gevurah (discipline/boundary) within chesed (lovingkindness.) This verse of this portion strikes me as pure gevurah -- it's all about boundary and distinction. Keeping this apart from that.

I think a case can be made that this kind of unassailable boundary is no longer helpful to us. For many of us, the semipermeable membrane has become a central metaphor. How does that change our Torah, our worldview, our lives?

If you can't see the audio player embedded in this post, or if you'd like a recording of this poem, you can download it here: gevurah.mp3.

Technorati tags: religion, Judaism, Torah, poetry, Leviticus.

The Latest Record Issue

2008-04-25T16:20:39+00:00

Two things:

1) Aliza Shvarts project was fake. She did not actually artificially inseminate herself, and did not induce miscarriages. However, she certainly did spark controversy, so if that was her goal, she arguably succeeded.

http://www.yale.edu/opa/newsr/08-04-21-00.all.html
http://jezebel.com/381205/yale-abortion-art-piece-was-creative-fiction [edit: added this link]

2) People at this school get offended really, really easily. I'm not entirely familiar with the situation so I can't be sure, but I would suspect that if someone draws a phallus on your whiteboard, they're being a drunken idiot, not degrading you because you're a woman. Would your reaction really have been any different if it had been a pair of breasts instead of a phallus? Also, someone else took issue with the fact that there were too many 'white bands' being brought to Williams, but then complained even more because Afroman reflects badly on African-American culture. Why, you ask, haven't we seen an 'Asian Punk Band?' Probably because few people here are familiar with any Asian punk bands. People want to hear the bands they're familiar with. Furthermore, no one is judging black culture based on Afroman. They're going to the concert and having a good time and forgetting about all the work they have to do for a couple hours. Now irregardless of what people are familiar with, this college makes it really easy to bring new bands. So, if you know a good Asian Punk band, bring one!

The thing is, there are VERY FEW people here that are actually racist or sexist. Those few that are undoubtedly deserve what's coming to them, and I commend the Stand With Us* group for bringing the true discrimination people have faced to light. But honestly when people get up in arms and play the racism/sexism card over every little thing, I think it really cheapens the real racism and sexism some people experience. IMHO, racism and sexism will truly be a thing of the past when we don't even notice race and sex anymore. Instead of an "Asian Punk Band," how about we bring a "Punk Band" (I heard Reel Big Fish came a few years back). If they happen to be Asian, great. Who cares what their race or gender is if they play music well. I'm all for tolerance and eliminating racism and sexism where we see it, but let's not get so caught up in PC-ness about differences that we forget about our similarities.

[*edit: Not Stand By Me... Oops. Thanks Janay for pointing that out].

The world is in deep, deep trouble

2008-04-25T15:35:53+00:00

Forget everything I've said defending public intellectuals. I've just seen Foreign Policy/Prospect magazine's latest list of the top 100 public intellectuals. Rather than quibble with the definition/ranking methodology, let's take the list as gospel. This is the graphic that scares me: If political scientists -- perhaps, God forbid, American political scientists -- are the modal group in the category of powerful public intellectuals, then we are all officially f#$&ed....

How Chinese nationalists are like blog commenters

2008-04-25T15:31:05+00:00

John Pomfret makes the connection: I've never really been able to take China nationalism that seriously. It's like some of the comments on my blog. There's no shortage of passion but it's also curiously skin deep. It's often a foil for anti-government feelings, employed by Chinese who are actually fed up with Communist Party rule but aren't allowed to say it. Finally, it often masks deeper divisions in Chinese society. Whenever I read a Chinese blogger urging an anti-foreign boycott or some other type of joint action, I'm reminded of the telling saying that Chinese have about themselves. "A Chinese alone equals the power of a dragon, but three Chinese, nothing but an insect."Read the whole thing....

Another Eph Podcaster

2008-04-25T14:52:25+00:00

Yes, another Eph podcaster! Jenny Attiyeh is the producer and host of ThoughtCast, a podcast based out of Massachusetts. Jenny has a very impressive guest list, is a great interviewer, and has had some of her episodes picked up by NPR affiliates, something I am quite envious of. If you'd like to check out a show with interesting guests and a very good interviewer, I recommend checking out ThoughtCast.

This is funny? Really?

2008-04-25T14:43:02+00:00

Look, I like ripping into Thomas Friedman as much as the next blogger -- but I can't agree with Matt Yglesias that the following video is "funny": This is the kind of thing that accomplishes the following: A) It makes some people who dislike Friedman very happy; B) It makes people who agree with Friedman like him even more; C) It makes the people who have ambiguous feelings towards Friedman feel much more sympathetic towards him. Matt also suggests checking out his book Heads in the Sand as "a more intellectually rigorous Friedman takedown." That's great, but damning with faint praise. I'm pretty sure my seven-year old could muster a more intellectually rigorous takedown as well. Admittedly, I think he's an exceptionally smart seven year old, but still.......

Downhills for dummies

2008-04-25T06:12:36+00:00

Since I'll be posing as a trail runner for the next three months, I want to develop some good trail running form to go with my Brooks Cascadias and gaiters.

For me, the hardest part of trail running is going downhill. Somehow I manage to be slow, tentative, and out of control all at the same time. It's like watching my son learn to walk.

To kick off my remedial course in gravity-assisted locomotion, I gave myself the assignment of rereading an online interview with Scott Jurek. Scott says, "Don't lean back.... Quick short strides.... Lower your center of gravity by increasing knee bend and slightly flexing the hips.... Let your body 'fall' without excessive braking."

Some of this same biomechanical territory is also covered in a short video by Scott Mason and Karl Meltzer, the so-called Wasatch Speed Goats.

OK, readers, it's your turn. What's the best trail running tip or drill you've ever encountered?

(Me stumbling down the trail at Western States last year. Photo by Glenn Tachiyama.)

Self Indulg . . . Ah, You Know The Drill: ASMEA in DC

2008-04-25T05:37:00+00:00

I am in my old stomping grounds of Washington, DC for the first meeting of a promising new organization, the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa. On Saturday I will be presenting a paper on a project on Darfur on which I have been working for quite some time.

Typical of a lot of my work, this project is not quite scholarly enough for academics and may well prove too scholarly for the general public. By no means am I an expert of Darfur or Sudan, but as someone who writes about Africa I have been asked to contribute to this inaugural conference and was asked some time ago to write a piece on this nightmare scenario. In May I will present a more advanced (I hope) version of this project at a Sudan Studies meeting in Tallahassee and when all is said and done maybe I'll have something worth saying in a couple of venues about the human rights catastrophe that we have helped to countenance through benign neglect and practiced malfeasance.

links for 2008-04-25

2008-04-25T05:30:53+00:00

LiveLeak.com - Golden Eagle Throws Goat off Cliff

never seen anything like this. crazy. just as a warning, there is animal on animal violence.

(tags: video nature animals golden eagle goat crazy)
The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News: A green Fenway is a better Fenway

the Red Sox go green

(tags: green energy conservation consumption baseball redsox earthday)
Red Hat Prepping Managed Services Strategy | MSPmentor

this is interesting

(tags: redhat managed services cloud hosting partners)
Wikipedia to be converted to a book in Germany - Books

like Luis, i’m not surprised by this

(tags: wikipedia books wiki commercialization)
Mark Finkle’s Weblog » RIA is Dead! Long Live Web Applications

interesting counterpoints to some of the RIA arguments coming out of Adobe, Microsoft et al

(tags: ria adobe desktop microsoft mozilla)
PKB » Getting Ready for the Launch of Firefox 3

the marketing and launch for FF3

(tags: marketing firefox ff3 via:ian)
Mark Shuttleworth » Blog Archive » The Heron takes flight

i’ve been very happy with Hardy in the few weeks i’ve been running it; the only machine i have yet to convert is the workstation, because i’ll have to reinstall VMWare

(tags: linux ubuntu hardyheron release lts markshuttleworth)

The road ahead . . . is a trail

2008-04-25T05:18:38+00:00

Thanks to everyone who responded to my latest sob story.

One question worth asking at a juncture like this (i.e., after a particularly miserable race) is whether I should take a vacation from the sport. It's not a horrible idea, but my answer is no. Over the last few months, my training has been more pleasurable than burdensome, so I'm going to keep training.

Training for what, though? My next race will be the White River 50 on July 26th. It appeals to me for several reasons:

(A) It's a trail race. After focusing on the roads all winter and spring, the change in terrain and racing style will be refreshing.

(B) It's not too technical. I'll certainly lose some time to the mountain goats on the 5-mile descent from Ranger Creek to Buck Creek, but overall the course is not too hostile to road guys like me. That could change in 2009, however, because...

(C) Scott McCoubrey keeps threatening to make the second half more difficult. Thus 2008 could be my last chance to tackle the current, "easy" course.

(D) The course is familiar to me. I ran the whole thing in 2005, placing 3rd, and have sampled bits and pieces at other times. This experience should help me compete against out-of-staters with superior trail skills.

(E) The competition will be fierce. For the 8th year in a row, White River will serve as the USATF 50-mile trail championship, and the list of entrants already includes Lon Freeman, Eric Grossman, Jasper Halekas, Mark Lundblad, Brian Morrison, and Steve Stowers. And Mike Wardian has indicated that he may show up if he survives Western States....

(F) It's easy to get to. With my confidence at a low ebb, I don't want to spend a lot on travel and feel as though I need to race well to justify those expenses. (Incidentally, this issue also applies to my possible participation in this November's World Cup 100K. If I'm selected for the U.S. team, I won't go unless I can convince myself that I'm likely to perform respectably.)

(G) It's over three months away. This gives me some time to really work on my trail technique, which could use some refinement (to put it mildly). I'll say more about that in my next post.

links for 2008-04-25

2008-04-25T04:30:27+00:00

Technology Review: Una Laptop por Ni‽o

Extremely useful review of OLPC deployment in Peru by David Talbot. It’s both enthusiastic about the ambitions of the Peru effort and fair about the challenges OLPC has suffered so far.

(tags: olpc peru education development developingworld)
El Oso ‽ Blog Archive ‽ (Really) Breaking Outside of the Echo Chamber

David Sasaki looks at some of my writing on homophily and the supply/demand problem in international media to discuss the challenge of getting people to read and support Rising Voices bloggers

(tags: globalvoices homophily xenophilia journalism attention blogs)
CNN now sued for $1.3 billion - $1 per person in China | U.S. | Reuters

Two Chinese citizens sue CNN over Jack Cafferty;s “thugs and goons” comment. Why $1.3 billion? One dollar per insulted Chinese citizen.

(tags: china uspolitics journalism homophily)
Military Said to be Running Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean journalist makes the case that what’s going on in Zimbawe is really a military coup, not Mugabe’s personal last stand. “What a lot of people have missed is that Mugabe agreed to avoid a bloody coup by the military. It was better him than the mi

(tags: africa zimbabwe)

what I should be doing

2008-04-25T02:26:00+00:00

Panic has set in. We are supposed to leave tomorrow for a week of ~~root canal~~ national specialty fun and frolic. Here's what I should be doing right now:

washing dogs

trimming dogs

packing

formatting documents for a website

learning a new cms

loading music onto my iPod for Oliver

folding laundry

not blogging

Collective action then and now

2008-04-25T01:48:00+00:00

In 1967, 70,000 Americans marched in the first of the big anti-war demonstrations in Washington, DC. After speeches at the Lincoln Memorial and elsewhere, they marched on the Pentagon to "Confront the War-Makers." While a second rally was going on in one of the parking lots, this bizarre scene was taking place:

At the other end a group of hippies was trying to exorcize the Pentagon. The brainchild of Abbie Hoffman, the plan was for people to sing and chant until it levitated and turned orange, driving out the evil spirits and ending the war in Viet Nam. The Pentagon didn't move.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that this sort of thing was considered normal in the 1960s, but it was undoubtedly present in the zeitgeist. Hoffman's idea - focusing the mental power of a group of stoned freaks to enact changes in the physical world - was held on to, in one form or another, by the protest marches of the Vietnam era.

Compare that to the modern flash mob, which has, at most, a Dadaist impulse - spontaneous public pillow fights, zombie walks (read the wikipedia article!), and so on and so forth. Abbie Hoffman might fit in quite well with these people - although he was probably deranged, his aesthetic ran to the absurd.

The flash mob is collective action for the information age - groups of people are assembled through internet and text messaging, for a single, limited purpose. After a short period of time - no longer than the average attention span - the mob re-atomizes, its members returning to their variegated lives.

In China, the flash mob is a new shopping strategy. Groups of people - anywhere from a dozen on up - arrange to meet at a designated time and place and demand a discount on some consumer good.

That evening, Li and her brother joined 15 strangers at the store to demand a group discount on a new television, refrigerator and washing machine. Salespeople grumbled at the tactic, but the group refused to buckle. After two hours of haggling and several walkouts by group members, the store manager agreed to a 10% markdown on the three items.

I remember reading, several years ago, some papers by the so-called "Third Wave" feminists. Faced with the challenges of multiculturalism and difficulty in giving a universal definition of their constituency (women), many of these feminists advocated "coalition building" - groups or individuals allying to obtain some (limited) shared goal.

This logic has been taken up by many liberals, who now attempt to create coalitions to solve certain regional or specific problems, rather than reaching for more far-reaching answers to society's ills. (To put it another way: Class has gone out of the picture, replaced with a patchwork of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and market segments.)

It's certainly a nice idea - but it seems to me that the logic of "coalition building" resembles nothing so much as China's "buying mobs": groups of people assembling, temporarily, to demand discounts on certain social goods, and then scattering to the wind after getting the desired price. By the standards of the 1960s marchers - even the eccentrics - it seems distinctly lacking in ambition.

Wal-mart caps per-visit rice sales in the US

2008-04-25T00:43:04+00:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7363970.stm

I find this kind of unnerving, to say the least. Especially the "protests" (food riots?) in the three countries (the Philippines, Haiti, Egypt) mentioned in the article. This is also the first I've heard of a global rice shortage, I'm guessing thanks to the purple bubble.

So, on a scale of 1 to 10, what is this?

Brad Ross

2008-04-24T20:00:00+00:00

For those who haven't seen it, Brad Ross, one of the heroes of the case, is up for the Lowe's Senior Class Men's Lacrosse Award. You can vote here; people can vote once daily.

Responding to "Reharmonizer"

2008-04-24T19:52:00+00:00

As DIW readers know, I generally have avoided making my own comments over the last several months, and have confined myself to the occasional post. I thought, however, it might be useful for me to respond to the reharmonizer comment in the Lubiano thread below. I’ll leave this post here for a day or so, and then move it to an appropriate place in the thread. For those who haven’t seen the reharmonizer comment, I’m reproducing it in full, with my comments ad seriatim. Comments on this post, and the Lubiano publication post, can be made in the thread below.

“I was wondering when you’d get around to demolishing this article. It’s been out for months now! And the authors seem to have been awfully sloppy. They confused FODU with the Association for Truth and Fairness (but though they’re wrong to say FODU was founded to raise legal defense funds, their statement that those frequenting the site “deliberated on the details of the unfolding case, with increasing attention to the motivations and actions of the district attorney” seems pretty accurate to me). They miscounted the number of segments 60 Minutes ran on the case (but the case got high-profile attention on that show that seems to have had a large if not decisive impact on perceptions of the case), and they don’t exempt the NYT from the major papers that editorialized (but nobody knows better than you that there was a great deal of editorializing in newspapers around the country). They don’t call the charges fraudulent (but they cast no doubt on the Attorney General’s conclusions or on the generally accepted opinion of Nifong).”

I agree with all of these points. I find it remarkable that a journal article produced by three Duke professors would be filled with so many errors of basic fact. Perhaps the Lubiano Trio mistakenly assumed that the journal Social Text employed factcheckers?

“Then there’s the change of venue motion. For sure, the “listening” ad’s endorsers aren’t brought up in it for failing to defend the players’ innocence. The authors do better in their footnote--”The motion cited many constituencies as responsible for producing a social environment prejudicial to the defendants....” But it’s my impression that you criticize the so-called Group for much more than failing to “speak up for due process.” For instance, I believe that what most clearly sets Steven Baldwin apart from the 88 and others, in your opinion, is that he was a loyal supporter of the university’s students. And in general it’s a prominent and recurring theme in DIW that Duke faculty weren’t speaking up for the students. That in particular was a betrayal of the ideals of their (and your) profession. Or did I misunderstand? (Incidentally, I’d love to see a post on DIW spelling those ideals out in detail).”

During the case, the professor whose approach I most consistently praised was Jim Coleman’s (158 posts referenced his behavior on the case, before his change of opinion in late September 2007; as opposed to 28 references to Baldwin). Coleman’s approach throughout the case was based on a desire to promote due process, not to defend Duke students. Indeed, in an interview with me, he explicitly said that the fact the accused players were Duke students was irrelevant to his critique.

I made a similar point in one of my earliest posts on the case (June 13, 2006), pointing out the academy’s obligation to defend due process. “Under normal circumstances, Duke’s faculty might have countered this public rush to judgment. After all, Nifong’s behavior has contradicted many of the values that the academy supposedly cherishes—such as respecting established procedures; supporting a spirit of fair play; and seeking to analyze all available evidence dispassionately. But in a faculty dominated by the analytic triumvirate of race, class, and gender, Duke professors declined to defend the due process rights of a group of white males who played a sport associated with the elite. A vocal minority even seemed to assume the worst about their students.”

As reharmonizer has pointed out, I’ve also argued that Duke professors should have stood up for their students, but generally when academic misconduct affecting those students has appeared—for instance, the Group of 88 producing an ad that falsely claimed endorsement from five academic departments (a blatant violation of academic procedure); or when reports surfaced publicly that some Duke professors (Huston, Deutsch, Curtis, Chin) were abusing their classroom authority to push their view on the case. Ultimately, around 100 Duke faculty members (including Baldwin) did speak up on such matters, by publicly endorsing the Economic professors’ letter (which endorsed a call to investigate Nifong’s procedural misconduct and stated that all Duke students, including student-athletes, would be welcome in the signatories’ classes). It continues to surprise and depress me that more Duke professors didn’t elect to sign this statement.

“That’s one of the central issues the article raises, the idea that the university should act in loco parentis as Baldwin asserts. That’s a thread of what the authors call the “discourse of disloyalty,” which in turn is an aspect of “faux juridicalism.” I imagine you could make mincemeat of those points, too, if you felt like it. But it’s easier to dismiss the whole thing as whiny claims of victimhood and then dwell on a bunch of technicalities. I expect you’d hold a student to a much higher standard of analysis and criticism, and I don’t see what makes those standards irrelevant to your writing in DIW.”

I don’t like the idea of seeing students as “consumers” of higher education. And perhaps parental anger at faculty denunciations of a University’s students can be termed the “discourse of disloyalty.” That said, it seems to me unrealistic to expect parents to pay around $200,000 to send their sons to university and then sit idly by as extremist faculty members use their sons as props to advance the faculty members’ personal, ideological, and pedagogical agendas. The answer to that problem, it seems to me, is a faculty less dominated by groupthink, where professors might be deterred from such behavior by the possibility of peer pressure. But we’re moving, if anything, in the opposite direction.

One other point on this issue, which I have raised before. The Group of 88 appears to believe they can say anything they want about Duke students, and cloak their comments under the mantle of academic freedom. For the most part, professors can say anything they want (within the bounds of slander law, of course) regarding just about any topic. But at Duke (and at CUNY, where I teach) there is one group of people about whom professors are restricted in public comments—the university’s students. The Duke Faculty Handbook requires all Duke professors to treat all Duke students (including those of whose race, class, gender, or athletic status they disapprove) as “fellow members of the university community, deserving of respect and consideration in their dealings with the faculty.” I’d be hard pressed to argue that the Group’s statement, or remarks by individual Group members (Houston Baker, Farred, Chafe, Holloway) conformed to that standard. As the civil suit by the unindicted players has argued, such behavior also seems to violate the University’s anti-harassment policies.

Perhaps, the Lubiano Trio might argue, such a position constitutes “faux juridicalism.” But the answer to this problem, then, is an easy one: repeal the relevant sections of the Faculty Handbook and the anti-harassment policies. As long as these policies are on the books, however, it’s unrealistic not to expect them to be enforced.

“I’m also surprised you didn’t mention the famous Sokal hoax that was published in Social Text. I wonder if any of the journal’s defenders back then had the good sense to heckle him for passing off such a thing as scholarship in physics. Because any footnoted article by a professor that’s published in an academic journal is by definition scholarship in their field, right?”

No.

I defined the Lubiano Trio’s article as scholarship in the authors’ field because Lubiano, in her official Duke CV (to which I linked in the original post), listed it as scholarship in her field. I suppose it’s possible, upon reconsideration, that the Lubiano Trio were engaged in a Sokal-style hoax, producing an intellectually and factually flimsy article to show the vacuous nature of Social Text articles. Since, however, Prof. Lubiano has instructed me not to e-mail her, I’m unable to ask her whether the article was, in fact, a scholarly hoax.

Challenge #12 solution, part III

2008-04-24T18:13:35+00:00

And now for the solution to problem #3 from Challenge #12, which asked: how many ways are there to write a positive integer n as a sum of powers of two, with no restrictions on how many powers of two may be used?

In the comments to Challenge #12, Jonathan posted some good thoughts, and Anand posted a thorough analysis, so if you want more details you can go read those.

The main idea is to break our analysis down into two cases based on whether n is even or odd, like we did in our analysis of the solution to problem #1. If is odd, then any way of writing n must have at least one copy of (since otherwise the sum would be even). If we just remove one copy of , we get a way to write ; conversely, any way to write can be made into a way to write by adding . Therefore, letting denote the number of ways to write n as a sum of powers of two, we have .

On the other hand, suppose is even. For any particular way to write n, we consider two cases: either it includes at least one , in which case we can remove it to give a way to write ; or it doesn’t contain , in which case we can divide everything else by 2 to yield a way to write . So, we have .

Oh, and of course, for a base case, . Let’s calculate a few values of (omitting odd values since they are simply equal to the previous value (boring!)):

Notice how the first two differences ( and ) are equal to 2; the next two differences are 4; then 6, then 10… and yes, then 14, and so on. Interesting! This self-similar structure is a direct result of the recurrence . You can see more of the sequence on the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (one of my favorite web sites!).

Gulf watching warily, the aftermath

2008-04-24T17:49:20+00:00

A few days on, the neighbor's conference in Kuwait seems to have followed the script: unsuccessful Iraqi and American pressure on the Arab states to send ambassadors and forgive debt, no noticable US-Iranian interaction on the margins (though Iranian FM Mottaki did take the opportunity to meet with Saudi FM Saud al-Faisal), some nice Arab words but no real actions to match. The really interesting developments aren't the predictable failures on those fronts, or the agreement on future meetings being highlighted by Condi Rice, but rather some potentially useful points of agreement on the Sadr question and on some intriguing subsequent interaction between Iraqis and Saudis.

The main success according to Iraqi and American officials was the agreement to hold the fourth neighbor's summit in Baghdad, and to include Iraq in relevant future GCC meetings. Hosting the meeting would indeed be a boost to whatever Iraqi government is then in office, if it comes off - though that would again likely depend on the security situation at the time. It would be much more productive if these meetings followed the suggestion of the Iraq Study Group (if I recall correctly) to establish ongoing, low-profile working groups instead of a series of high-profile photo opportunities where little gets done. But that assumes that getting something done is the point.

As for the GCC 6+2+1 formula, well, it's funny that most of the reporting has accepted Rice's spin that Iraq's potential invitation to future GCC meetings represents an important step in its integration into the region. Iran was ostentatiously invited to the last GCC meeting. What does that invitation then suggest?

The summit's general support for the government's campaign against "militias" was also potentially - but only potentially - important. It is significant that this position commanded the support of senior Arab officials such as Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and senior Iranian officials such as Foreign Minister Mohammed Mattaki alike. As I argued before, casting this as a question of establishing Iraqi state sovereignty rather than as a campaign against Sadr has always represented the best way to spin some gold out of the last month's events. The reason that this is only potentially important is that the rhetorical agreement papers over very deep disagreements over the identity of the militias in question and about the motivations behind the Iraqi government campaign. The Iranian position towards the crackdown and towards Sadr remains particularly murky, from what I can tell. The thin consensus on the importance of establishing effective Iraqi sovereignty is something which could be built upon - but only if it could be used to persuade the Maliki team (and the US) to really pursue such a strategy rather than using it as a veil to hit their political rivals. Signs there, particularly escalating US rhetoric against Iran's role, aren't encouraging - but this is certainly something to follow.

Finally, the Saudi position, from which other GCC states will likely take their lead, can be seen in Saud al-Faisal's announcement that security concerns prevent opening an embassy in Baghdad, and in today's column by the well-connected al-Arabiya director Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed dismissing the American and Iraqi demands on debt and embassies as a side issue: security is the "first, second, and third Arab issue", he writes, and when that is solved the rest will fall into place. None of this is surprising. The real reasons, I suspect, lie in their continuing perception of Maliki as a pro-Iranian, sectarian leader and Iraqi state institutions as deeply penetrated by Iranian influence - as well as their lack of interest in doing the US any favors right now. As Ambassador Edward Gnehm, one of America's most experienced diplomats in the Arab world, told me:

Gulf Arab states reacted predictably to Secretary Rice’s blandishments urging those states to open embassies in Baghdad and to forgive Iraqi debts. Those states remain wary and concerned over Shia dominance of the Iraqi political scene, Iranian influence that they perceive follows, and doubts that the U.S. really has an end game plan for Iraq that protects their interests. Both actions are seen as means to pressure the Shia political figures to give Sunni Iraqis their “rightful” place in the power structure as well as to nudge Iraq back toward the “Arab” camp. Until they conclude that Shia political figures are ready to move on these fronts, they will not act --- and they certainly will not make the concessions to the U.S.

In that regard, perhaps the most interesting thing I've seen in the wake of the conference is what seems to be an unusually direct outreach to Saudi concerns over the last two days, with an abrupt about-face on the part of senior Iraqi officials. In Kuwait Maliki called "on all our brothers and friends and all neighbouring countries to make more effort and to strengthen security measures to prevent terrorists from infiltrating our territory through joint borders." Arabs seem to have taken this as directed at them, rather than Iran, particularly when Maliki specifically expressed his dismay with the level of Arab support for Iraq.

That seems to be the context for the remarkable interview in the Saudi paper al-Sharq al-Awsat yesterday with Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie, in which he said that "our relations with Saudi Arabia are a model of combatting terrorism"; denied that he considered the (Saudi-backed) Awakenings to be militias (only the Jaysh al-Mahdi, in all of Iraq, should be called a militia); and specified Iran as the country Maliki meant as the one destabilizing Iraq (just as al-Sharq al-Awsat's editor Tareq al-Homayed had demanded a few days ago). This unusual outreach to Saudi concerns was rewarded with an approving lead editorial in the Saudi paper al-Watan today praising the efforts of the Iraqi government - we'll see if it is rewarded with anything more. [*]

Overall, the Kuwait conference as expected did not produce much - certainly not the tangible results for which the Americans and Iraqis had hoped. The Arab neighbors in the Gulf seem perfectly content to continue sitting back, and show little interest in taking on more risk or in making a serious contribution (I find their refusal to forgive Saddam-era debt, by the way, to be absurd and unjustifiable - and to be an indictment of American influence even with its chief allies in the Gulf). But there were some points of agreement across the Gulf, Iraq and Iran upon which effective diplomacy could build, were effective diplomacy to try.

[*] In the al-Sharq al-Awsat interview, Rubaie also blamed the problems in Basra and Sadr City on forces outside Iraq's borders who want to "prevent the victory of the Republican candidate in the American elections". The interviewer asked, incredulously, if he meant "the Democrats", and Rubaie demurred, indicating that he had meant Iran. Uh huh.

oh the places you'll go

2008-04-24T17:19:56+00:00

A few interesting things coming up over the next few days, for those interested:

Tomorrow I'll be at the University of Maryland for an all-day conference on deterrence hosted by Shilbey Telhami and Thomas Schelling. The conference aims to reassess deterrence theory in light of the changing international situation, including a close look at the deterrence of non-state actors like al-Qaeda, the implications of Iranian nuclear weapons, Israeli deterrence, and broad theoretical questions about credibility, reputation, and signaling. They've assembled an exceptional group of deterrence specialists, IR theorists, and regional experts. I think I'm along for comic relief. I'm particularly excited about meeting Schelling, who for my money basically invented (if not perfected) game theory for International Relations. I don't think that it's open to the public, but assuming that it's okay with the conference organizers, I'll try to write up some of the discussions and conclusions.

On Monday, there's going to be an extremely interesting public event here at the Elliott School: "Lessons from the Search for Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction", featuring former Chief Weapons Inspector in Iraq Charles Duelfer and former CIA Acting Director John McLaughlin. Chris Kojm, former Deputy Executive Director of the 9/11 Commission and current Elliott School Professor of Practice, will chair. Room 602, Elliott School, 1957 E Street, Monday from 4:30-6:00 (RSVP to spf@gwu.edu).

After that I'm going to be on the road for most of the rest of the week, but will post when I can.

May Day Immigrants’ Vigil in Pittsfield

2008-04-24T17:03:48+00:00

Pittsfield, MA - Two Berkshire County organizations, the Berkshire Immigrant Center and Manos Unidas, together with other local immigrant advocacy groups, will hold a vigil on Thursday, May 1st at Park Square in Pittsfield, MA from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The event is part of the May Day National Mobilization to Support Immigrant Workers’ Rights.

May 1st is a planned day of action by numerous youth, labor, peace and advocacy groups across America to show solidarity and support for immigrant workers’ rights. Marches, teach-ins, and vigils will be held across the country in order to focus attention on the contributions made by our immigrant communities, to combat anti-immigrant sentiment, and to advocate for much-needed comprehensive immigration reform.

The third annual Pittsfield vigil will include petition signing, dissemination of information on immigrants’ rights, planning and brainstorming for future actions, as well as poetry, kids’ activities, and tasty ethnic treats! Participants are encouraged to wear white t-shirts as a sign of participation and solidarity.

The event aims to mobilize a strong contingent of supporters to show that the Berkshires is a diverse community that respects and appreciates peoples from all races, classes, and cultures.

The Berkshire Immigrant Center provides citizenship assistance, immigration information, advocacy, referrals, and counseling to the growing immigrant communities in Berkshire County. The Center also sponsors monthly walk-in clinics for local residents to get free consultations with a qualified immigration attorney. The program is under the auspices of Berkshire Community Action Council and is funded in part by the Berkshire United Way, the City of Pittsfield, the Mass Bar Foundation, the Berkshire Bank Foundation, the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, and the Citizenship for New Americans Program. The Center is located in the First Baptist Church at 88 South Street, Pittsfield. For more information about the Berkshire Immigrant Center, please call (413) 445-4881 or email info@berkshireic.com.

Manos Unidas is a grassroots, multicultural community empowerment organization founded in 2001 by local Latino and supporting community members. The organization works alongside Latino, immigrant, and other underrepresented community members to build a culture of "beloved community" that crosses borders of race, class, culture, gender, language, and geography. For more information, contact Anaelisa Vanegas, Manos Unidas/Hands United at 413-243-9121, manosunidasorg@gmail.com or visit: www.unitedmanos.blogspot.com.

Release

2008-04-24T16:18:07+00:00

Blessed are You, Eternal our God, sovereign of all worlds, who releases the bound.

An object at rest tends to stay at rest, and it takes all of my willpower just to overcome my yetzer ha-ra and climb out of bed this morning. I make it to North Street, where it takes another act of will to drag myself out of the car and across the street and into the yoga studio.

The instructor invites us to close our eyes, to be aware of what it's like to inhabit this body right now, and realization washes over me: being present is the only thing that's called for. Whatever practice I'm capable of is exactly the practice I need to do today. The hard part is overcoming the voice that says I won't be able to do it so I might as well not try. The part of me that hangs back at the edge of the sea, afraid to take the first step.

Source of Mercy! With loving strength, untie my tangles.

I'm tense and knotted, God. It's force of habit. I'm braced against my own mistakes. And I'm a woman in America in the twenty-first century, which means I've spent a lifetime internalizing messages about what kind of body I should have. Those messages turn my psyche into macramé. It's so easy to feel like I'm too this and not enough that and next thing I know my body is a straitjacket. Help me lower my shoulders, God. Help me open my heart.

From the straits I called to You; You answered me with expansiveness.

From the physical straits of tension and tightness. From the emotional straits of anxiety and uncertainty. From the intellectual straits of habitual thinking. From everything in me that's been coiled and yearns now to expand.

You answer me with liberation. With openings. What was cosy in the fall is starting to feel too snug; what have I outgrown? The change in light is calling me to relinquish these too-tight places and begin to unfurl. I don't know what's been germinating, what the remnants of last year have nourished in me, but You're calling me to find out.

Today is the fourth day of the Omer: netzach within chesed, endurance within lovingkindness. A day to explore the light and love, openness and generosity, that endure.

"Who releases the bound" is one of the fifteen morning blessings said daily.

"Untie my tangles" is from Ana b'Koach, part of the morning liturgy; also recited after Counting the Omer.

"From the straits" is a line from Psalm 118, part of Hallel, recited daily during Pesach.

Technorati tags: religion, Judaism, prayer.