tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159321982012-01-23T16:25:18.479-05:00A place to debate anything we want to. We'll talk Columbia campus issues. We'll talk up the homosexual problem. We'll talk China. And we'll talk without resorting to partisan rhetoric. We may be left. We may be right. But we aren't going to be quoting any party line. We're leading the discussion. But feel free to chime in. Hannity and Colmes this is not.The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.comBlogger1751100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-20648731049158087432008-11-04T09:56:00.001-05:002008-11-04T09:58:59.657-05:00

Given that there is some sort of election today, I thought it would be appropriate to have an Election Pool. I originally thought of saying that everyone should put in a dollar, but then I remembered that we are all cheapskates, so this Pool is free to participate. Just provide answers for the following questions, e-mail them to me at brian.b.wagner@gmail.com. I’ll announce the winner tomorrow

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-24704492446612415502008-09-02T22:42:00.002-04:002008-09-02T23:09:13.398-04:00

I'm watching the RNC right now and writing down some notes that come to mind...-Why is Fred Thompson so orange?-What's going on with this random guy screaming "Yeaaaaa yeaaaa yeaaa!" every few seconds, he's kind of obnoxious, you can hear him over the speaker at the podium.-Everyone keeps chanting "U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!"... I just don't get it.-There are a lot of people there dressed like Tucker

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-57083141846223724152008-09-02T19:43:00.001-04:002008-09-02T19:45:37.062-04:00

In this NYT editorial, Prof. Nassim Taleb gives his account of Black Swan theory as it relates to the events of September 11th. For a more in depth discussion, I highly recommend Dr Taleb's book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. In essence, "black swans" are statistical outliers that, as a result of human predictive and computational limitations, are viewed as random or

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-38417900750777159562007-12-17T16:39:00.000-05:002007-12-17T16:41:41.995-05:00

MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin told a party congress Monday that he would accept the prime minister's post if his longtime protege is elected president, guaranteeing Putin an ongoing heavyweight political role in Russia.Couldn't help but think of this old column I wrote in '04 after reading about how Putin has installed himself to keep pulling strings, even more directly than Jiang Zemin

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-85005075906874924552007-11-18T23:48:00.000-05:002007-11-18T23:49:10.841-05:00

There is a reason why my voter registration card lists me as an 'independent' and not a 'Democrat'. Most of the time, I would associate myself with the Democrats, I would consider myself socially progressive, I would say that I'm a liberal, but... there are times when I listen to the Democrats and I wonder how they just don't get the issue at hand.I'm watching the CNN debate and they were

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-54104594404219287212007-11-01T18:53:00.000-04:002007-11-01T19:04:35.582-04:00

I thought this an interesting state of affairs:Diplomats angry over forced posts in Baghdad"At a rare, contentious meeting, foreign service officers told senior StateDepartment officials that the move to fill vacancies in Baghdad puts them indanger, jeopardizes the well-being of their families, and could deplete theranks of those willing to serve overseas at a critical time." A great many people,

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-11498940913268353652007-10-01T01:12:00.000-04:002007-10-01T01:14:29.201-04:00

Dear xxxxx,Although I think the decision to invite Ahmadinejad was wrong, I think Caroline Glick's article is fundamentally flawed. I think it is clear that Columbia itself is not anti-Semitic, Bollinger is not, and providing a platform for Ahmadinejad to speak does not constitute a legitimization of holocaust denial. It bothers me that Columbia is presented as synonymous with a terrorist and a

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-35607743767046748972007-08-16T01:48:00.000-04:002007-08-16T01:49:24.669-04:00

Have you ever read something so disturbing, so troubling, that it made you sick? As I neared the end of Sean Flynn of GQ's article about Army Major Tom Fleener and Lt. Commander William Kuebler, my arms and legs still aching from a debilitating workout the day before, my stomach started to turn over on itself. Flynn was writing about Guantanamo. The focus was not torture, terrorists, or abuses

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-73998109245201776322007-08-04T11:56:00.001-04:002007-08-04T11:56:34.851-04:00

Have they not seen the movie? Oy vey.

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-11783406011284287692007-05-23T00:22:00.001-04:002007-05-23T00:25:17.075-04:00

Brian Ross and Richard Esposito of CBS News' "The Blotter" have reported that President George W. Bush authorized the CIA to engage in non-lethal destabilizing efforts within the Iranian government. They report that the plan involves "a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions".Although I have always defended

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-3436435876608131342007-04-24T23:53:00.000-04:002007-04-24T23:54:00.751-04:00

Former Presidential Nominee George McGovern:VICE PRESIDENT Dick Cheney recently attacked my 1972 presidential platform and contended that today's Democratic Party has reverted to the views I advocated in 1972. In a sense, this is a compliment, both to me and the Democratic Party. Cheney intended no such compliment. Instead, he twisted my views and those of my party beyond recognition. The city

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-4792583192930820412007-04-20T11:06:00.000-04:002007-04-20T11:08:38.414-04:00

Paumgarten, N. "Annals of Transport: There and Back Again". The New Yorker, 2007-04-16.http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/16/070416fa_fact_paumgarten/This article appeared in this week's issue of the New Yorker, and I found it to be quite telling about our modern day state of living.It details the commuting practices of people across the country and describes the effects that increasing

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-51297289343868660632007-04-17T15:11:00.000-04:002007-04-17T15:26:56.311-04:00

The report below elucidates a very serious bioethical problem, the answers to which are not at all completely clear. A 27-year-old man with tuberculosis has been jailed indefinately as a result of harboring, through no fault of his own, a dangerous drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis known as XDR-TB. Deemed a danger to the public, he was arrested and jailed after violating a court order to wear

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1176067265490099762007-04-08T17:17:00.000-04:002007-04-08T17:21:05.506-04:00

My hearty apologies to Sean and Wang for leaving them to talk to each other for this long; working in Congress can often sap the enthusiasm for independent blogging after a day of writing to constituents about Medicare Part D and the U.S.'s clear hatred of the Middle East.I'm working on a short article, more thematic than event-based, about America's global image. I've got the rhetorical basis

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1175406505006837672007-04-01T02:47:00.000-04:002007-04-01T02:55:30.200-04:00

United States attorneys are appointed by the President of the United States, not coincidentally, attorneys are often of the same political persuasion as the President. US attorneys are expected to enforce United States law, they are not political tools used to investigate and undermine opposition political parties. When President George W. Bush took the oath of office in 2000, he pledged to

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1174921080046755602007-03-26T11:45:00.000-04:002007-03-26T11:58:00.060-04:00

See: Special Report No. 151While many studies answer the ques­tion of who pays taxes in America, the question of who gets the most government spending is often overlooked. Just as some Americans bear a larger portion of the nation's tax burden than others, some Americans also receive a larger share of the nation's government spending. This report summarizes the key findings of a comprehensive

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1174529891943273532007-03-21T23:15:00.000-04:002007-03-21T23:19:00.386-04:00

The question of life, in my view, is not one that can be evaluated merely through cold logic. Giving human life an arbitrary value above all other life, such that the taking of that life is viewed wrong in nearly any circumstance, does not make logical sense. Rather, the absolute value that many place on all human life is one that is intuited through spiritual and emotional conceptualizations. It

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1174239920573771592007-03-18T14:43:00.000-04:002007-03-18T14:45:20.586-04:00

This set of animations from Harvard's Biovisions Initiative "makes you want to go back and take biology," commented Charles Gibson, anchor of the ABC World News, after the national news show aired a story about The Inner Life of the Cell. This is science animation as it has never been seen before.Click here to view:http://multimedia.mcb.harvard.edu/anim_innerlife.html

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1173582956141448922007-03-10T22:14:00.000-05:002007-03-10T22:15:56.156-05:00

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-urbanchrtbk0702-14.htmlA recent Wall Street Journal article by Greg Jaffe titled "A Retreat From Big Cities Hurts ROTC Recruiting: Though Army Seeks More Ethnic Officers, It Shuns Northeast" highlights a serious problem of inequity in military service. In essence, despite having a population comparable to that of entire states, New York City

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1173448087337457572007-03-09T08:43:00.000-05:002007-03-09T08:48:07.356-05:00

From MSNBC.COM WBAL-TV 7:38 p.m. EST March 5, 2007BALTIMORE - Currently, a wall is being built between Mexico and the United States because many Americans remain concerned illegal immigrants are draining our nation's resources without giving enough back. But one illegal immigrant shared his remarkable journey with WBAL TV 11 News reporter John Sherman -- a journey proving that

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1171758375751368992007-02-17T19:23:00.000-05:002007-02-17T19:37:27.843-05:00

From the years 1993 to 2001, President Bill Clinton worked alongside four different Congresses; the 103rd, 104th, 105th, and finally the 106th. During three out of four congresses, both the House and the Senate were presided over by a Republican majority. It is interesting to examine how a Republican majority Congress worked/fought against a President of the other party, especially during war

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1170690108679878732007-02-05T10:27:00.000-05:002007-02-05T10:44:23.746-05:00

1) Place all of your trust in the foreign policy recommendations of a man who, while a political genius, has only a high school education.2) Emplace as your senior law enforcement officer a man who 1 - lost to a dead guy in his last congressional race, and 2 - bears an uncanny resemblance to the cigarette smoking man from the X-Files.3) Make a fool out of one of the most respected minority

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1170210188167446862007-01-30T21:21:00.000-05:002007-01-30T22:05:11.076-05:00

We study history to take a glimpse into our past, to gain knowledge as to what motivated people, what mistakes they made, and how we may build upon their experience so that each generation becomes greater than that that preceded it.The Bush administration is making an interesting claim to support their war on terror; when asked about what lessons he has drawn from Vietnam, he answered “we’ll

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1165297120561953822006-12-05T00:32:00.000-05:002006-12-05T00:44:50.963-05:00

An excellent article by David Sirota on the myth of the American free market. People should know by now that we have never been "free market capitalists". We are and have always been "what's best for the American economy and will put up whatever protectionist barriers and tariffs we want to" capitalists. We only push for free markets and rapid market liberalization in developing countries and

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1165281246357741912006-12-04T20:11:00.000-05:002006-12-04T20:15:33.200-05:00

Don't Know Much GeographyFrom a New York Times report on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's departing thoughts on Iraq: Another option calls for redeploying American troops from "vulnerable positions" in Baghdad and other cities to safer areas in Iraq or Kuwait, where they would act as a "quick reaction force." That idea is similar to a plan suggested by Representative John P. Murtha, a

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1163030201380570772006-11-08T17:50:00.000-05:002006-11-08T19:47:34.336-05:00

Rumsfeld Resigns as Defense Secretary After Big Election Gains for DemocratsI won't knock the decision to relieve SECDEF Rumsfeld. And as you know I am not particularly a fan of the administration either. But...So many people are outwardly hailing the decision, blaming Rumsfeld for countless operational SNAFUs in Iraq. I'm no admirer of his, nor a firm believer in his command abilities. But

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1162961160092766922006-11-07T23:45:00.000-05:002006-11-08T19:00:26.073-05:00

Tomorrow morning, regardless of if the Democrats sweep the House and the Senate or just one of the two, it will be clear who screwed up: Karl Rove, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld. Since the Iraq War began, the Bush administration, and thus the loyal Republican Party, has stood on the shoulders of one issue, fighting terrorism. It is not that the war on terrorism is an unworthy

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1162409137197377242006-11-01T14:08:00.000-05:002006-11-01T14:25:37.626-05:00

Some troops in Iraq provide commentary on Senator Kerry's recent remarks:Sen. Kerry made a severe mistake:“You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”Kerry claims it was meant to be a joke, and that he botched the joke. I am not sure what he intended the joke to be,

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1161735452855400862006-10-24T20:17:00.000-04:002006-10-24T20:17:32.880-04:00

In the aftermath of Mark Foley's being exposed at a pedophile and a page predator, we have not heard much about how to protect congressional pages. We have not heard much about how this went silent for more than four years (the truth is coming out as Republicans are stepping up during election time) and we have not heard much about the actual issue at all. What we have heard is that somewhere,

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1160349119896144992006-10-08T19:06:00.000-04:002006-10-08T19:42:26.636-04:00

Policy decisions can’t tarnish a soldier’s ultimate sacrifice. This act of faith for American ideals is what matters and should be revered, whatever the war and no matter the outcome.By Kathy Roth-DouquetUSA TODAYDied in vain?President Bush wants to stay the course in Iraq so that those who have died there will not have died "in vain." Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan urges us to pull out

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1160253361131828742006-10-07T15:35:00.000-04:002006-10-07T17:21:03.630-04:00

Columbia Spectator: Minutemen Protesters Rush StageProtestors took the stage minutes after Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, came to the microphone in Roone Arledge Auditorium Wednesday night, sparking a chaotic brawl involving more than 20 students, other attendees, and guests.Two students in the International Socialist Organization unfurled a yellow banner reading, "No one is

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1160026648441073222006-10-05T01:37:00.000-04:002006-10-05T19:34:38.913-04:00

In 2004 there was a minor hubbub concerning the Florida Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Senator Bob Graham. Mark Foley was THE candidate for the Senate however he dropped his bid early on, the 2004 elections were over, and Mel Martinez was the victor.The hubub was not so much over Foley's political views (which by the way are more moderate than your modern day Santorum morality slinging

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1159035992300028472006-09-23T14:26:00.000-04:002006-09-23T14:28:22.853-04:00

For your typical off the shelf political conservative, there are a number of issues that really get their heart rate up and make them red in the face. Some of them are obvious, abortion, the “vast left wing media conspiracy”, national defense; others are not as prominent but continue to have a vocal backing that will make your head spin if you even begin to argue to the contrary. We have such an

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1158596595893312082006-09-18T12:16:00.000-04:002006-09-18T12:23:15.926-04:00

As I embark upon my chosen path of military service I can't help but reflect upon the immense potential demonstrated by my colleagues and classmates at Columbia, on whose shoulders lay the hopes and dreams, indeed the very future, of this nation. And yet, while potential I see, I also note a supreme lack of vigor and ambition for national service, military service in particular. I have worked as

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1158038081540968512006-09-12T01:14:00.000-04:002006-09-12T01:14:41.570-04:00

I parked my car in our dusty unpaved school parking lot and walked through the field to pre-calculus. After I stepped into the door of my first period class and sat down, none of us moved for the rest of the day. I sat on the floor for the next three, it seemed like forever, hours; unable to look away from the television. Nobody could have imagined planes colliding with the World Trade Center

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1157939869151797362006-09-10T21:57:00.001-04:002006-09-10T21:57:49.173-04:00

Tonight ABC began it's 2-part mini series looking back at 9/11, bringing viewers "behind closed doors at the CIA, the FBI and the White House and into the world of Richard Clarke, Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, Dick Cheney, Sandy Berger and CIA Director Richard Tenet". This is however not a documentary and has been filed under "docu-drama". "Docu-drama" apparently is another termed used to

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1156130824826079942006-08-20T23:25:00.000-04:002006-08-20T23:27:04.840-04:00

Irish company Steorn claims they have developed a method of using the interaction between magnets to produce energy. This energy is "free and unlimited", a statement that flies in the face of accepted modern physics. Could it be that we are violating conservation of energy or are we using a fundamentally flawed paradigm about energy creation? Perhaps we aren't creating energy out of thin air but

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1155856857088658102006-08-17T18:45:00.000-04:002006-08-18T15:04:22.633-04:00

During a recent family reunion I had the opportunity to converse with the husband of one of my cousin's and he made some comments that struck me in an intriguing way. He is an engineer and business consultant and very well read, but when he caught me reading some biochemistry and neuroscience articles that had just been published in Nature, he interjected to the effect of 'Nature? What good is

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1155505846978741922006-08-13T17:50:00.000-04:002006-08-13T17:51:10.393-04:00

WWII suicide bombers and modern day Arab suicide bombers are worlds apart. What sets them apart is that Arab terrorists have been successful and they have a community that believes they are making a noble sacrifice. I don't think you're going to see any extremist Muslim deciding that his/her suicide bombing is ineffective; every life they take is supposed to be some sort of statement to the world

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1155249057842555272006-08-10T18:17:00.000-04:002006-08-10T18:30:57.856-04:00

Bush: "this only serves to remind us....that we are a nation at war"The 'war' on terror? Here is a question, how can one wage war on a tactic? At the most one could refer to a 'war on Terrorists' but even then that implies that we are utilizing warfare, an enterprise of one state in opposition to another, to combat the terrorists--when most of our actions against terrorists, the brief war in

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1155081382956213822006-08-08T19:36:00.000-04:002006-08-08T19:58:23.703-04:00

The ACLU continues to offend me in its actions. I understand the separation of church and state quite clearly, but when they attempt to sanitize the public sphere of any and all references to God and faith in the name of "civil liberties" they cross the line, not to mention far exceeding the boundaries of the constitution. Strange that, in instances of religious expression, they seem to forget

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1154739036203004702006-08-04T20:49:00.000-04:002006-08-04T20:50:36.216-04:00

STEPHEN COLBERT:"Another good thing war is good for...Peace. This year the peace corps accepted 7,810 volunteers--largest number in 30 years. THATS GREAT NEWS. Because the Peace Corps identifies the people who hate America...then ships them overseas. Yes! Yes. Hard to camp out with Cindy Sheehan when your digging a well in Berundi."

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1154660212295898592006-08-03T22:49:00.000-04:002006-08-03T22:58:53.280-04:00

This article by former Clinton aide Kathy Roth-Douquet covers the important subject of national service. It explains why it is vital, now more than ever, that graduates of Columbia and the other Ivy League schools take up the torch of leadership and EARN their citizenship through military service.http://www.democracyjournal.org/article.php?ID=6467&limit=4500&limit2=6000&page=1Issue #1, Summer

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1154298133150600442006-07-30T18:19:00.000-04:002006-08-01T13:23:38.113-04:00

The forging of a new nation is a process that has continually presented itself over the course of history. Certain historical and philosophical themes arise out of their various simulacre, however each permuation offers some unique perspectives on what is later often taken for granted. This essay seeks to delinate some historical particularities of economic interdependence and the part they

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1152896283393289402006-07-14T12:05:00.000-04:002006-07-30T17:52:48.743-04:00

U.S.: Pentagon Applies Geneva Rules to Detainees (Reuters)The Bush administration's belated decision to recognize the applicability of the Geneva Conventions to terrorism suspects in military custody is a step forward, Human Rights Watch said today. But because the Pentagon memorandum that codifies the change does not extend to detainees held by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), it

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1151953492838567012006-07-03T14:49:00.000-04:002006-07-03T15:04:52.863-04:00

Below is another example of taking the First Amendment - in the form of Separation of Church and State - too far. You know, I am completely understanding of the idea that people want their religions to have equal status under the law, not only in practicality but in appearance as well. In the creation of new memorials, it would be perfectly acceptable to me to incorporate Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1151650010122700202006-06-30T02:46:00.000-04:002006-06-30T02:52:02.676-04:00

I happened upon this post at Clara Magram BC'06’s 'libertarian' blog . I just had to write her a comment or two; Short comment turned into an hour of research and writing. National Review writer Mona Charen BC'79 proves there is no such thing as fair reporting; every written article is meant to be some kind of throat slitting dagger at the opposition. Let's begin."The liberals are forever

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1151479402156289072006-06-28T03:23:00.000-04:002006-06-28T03:24:05.693-04:00

After losing the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore began touring the world giving speeches on Global Warming. I hope it's not too late; I do not want to be trudging around in the snow like Jake Gylenhaal in The Day After Tomorrow."I have said consistently that global warming is a serious problem. There's a debate over whether it's manmade or naturally caused. We ought to get beyond that debate

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1151461708352400692006-06-27T21:58:00.000-04:002006-06-28T10:30:55.406-04:00

An enlightened zeal for the energy and efficiency of government will be stigmatized as the offspring of a temper fond of despotic power and hostile to the principles of liberty. An over-scrupulous jealousy of danger to the rights of the people, which is more commonly the fault of the head than of the heart, will be represented as mere pretense and artifice, the stale bait for popularity at the

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1151133980416775652006-06-24T03:25:00.000-04:002006-06-24T03:26:20.430-04:00

One of my professors reminded our class that when we graduate from college and move on to become industry professionals, we must retain our integrity and moral compass. Our product designs, if flawed from being rushed our other pressures could result in any number of deleterious effects on the company and the general public. The reminder was that greed and pride should not stand in the way of

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1151015752516233882006-06-22T18:12:00.000-04:002006-07-03T16:11:06.970-04:00

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/001493.phpIn his journal article Chuck Pena makes some interesting points. Let me take it piece by piece.First the comparison of Bush's War to Clinton's War. Its important tonote that the original justification for invading Iraq was the presence of WMD's, later shown to be fallacious. (Yes WMD's were found hidden in Iraq this week, perhaps evidencing a

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1150749847419565362006-06-19T16:09:00.000-04:002006-06-19T16:59:07.390-04:00

Polls are polls. Sampling of public opinion. But I am a firm believer that one should not run a country by polls. It causes a government to be slow to react and allows short term concerns to override long term planning. That being said, there are important and valid reasons behind the grand decline of public opinion. And they should be taken into consideration.The original primary reasoning

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1150724353926193612006-06-19T09:27:00.000-04:002006-06-19T09:39:13.950-04:00

Everyone thinks they know what is happening in Iraq. Thinking is a luxury of the leisurely classes. In truth, Iraq is an event with many questions surrounding it. Even if America puts all its might into it, perhaps the country still goes into chaos. Perhaps if we pull out now, it will self-stabilize. There are a lot of maybes. Now, I am going to offer a hypothetical which in its model

Keithnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1150528257594751872006-06-17T03:05:00.000-04:002006-06-17T03:10:57.610-04:00

It's 3 am and I just finished George Packer's account of the pre- and current periods of the Iraq war and occupation/rebuilding process. The book is a masterpiece of journalistic reporting, with its unflinching look at the failures of the Bush administration to plan or execute the war in a manner that was best for the American or Iraqi people. Throughout the pages, as he spends time with grieving

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1149218221509146682006-06-01T23:16:00.000-04:002006-06-01T23:17:01.533-04:00

In the realm of politics, Republicans know how to win and they are willing to sacrifice themselves for the 'noble' cause of getting their candidate elected. In a lot of ways, Bush campaign financers remind me of the cast of the Sopranos. When the organization is going to take a hit, there is always someone willing to go down with the ship and do prison time; they never reveal anything about Tony

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1149146711691202862006-06-01T03:24:00.000-04:002006-06-01T03:25:11.716-04:00

How do Americans feel about politicians at the moment? Look at the Gallup… maybe the Pew poll? I’m willing to hazard that the answer is pretty obvious. In an era of political scandal, corruption, and dishonesty (who am I kidding, I meant scandal, corruption, and dishonesty that the public KNOWS about), our faith in government is low. Democrats have tried to paint their opposition, the Republicans

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1148505317616441752006-05-24T17:12:00.000-04:002006-05-24T17:15:17.630-04:00

Just not by members of its own board in public, among other people. Apparently, airing disagreements about certain topics, particularly ACLU decisions, is bad for civil liberties. Who knew?

Dennisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1148450786054954092006-05-24T02:05:00.000-04:002006-05-24T02:06:26.073-04:00

My college graduation from Columbia University was quickly approaching. John McCain was the Class Day speaker for the college and there was a storm brewing on campus, in New York City, and in the blogosphere about his commencement address. By virtue of the instant information nature of the internet, John McCain's speech was posted on his website, available for all of us to read.The speech was

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1148224785860395482006-05-21T11:02:00.000-04:002006-05-21T11:19:45.876-04:00

As we all know, following its recent victory in Palestinian legislative elections, Hamas' first diplomatic endeavor was to send a mission to Moscow to meet with Russia. As a member of the quartet, Russia specifically acted against a quartet agreement to not meet with the Hamas government until it recognized Israel's right to exist and the legitimacy of the peace process. Russia, for its part,

Dennisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1147294788326234522006-05-10T16:47:00.000-04:002006-05-10T16:59:48.346-04:00

"The nation that draws a broad line of demarcation between the fightingman and the thinking man will have its fighting done by fools and itsthinking done by cowards."--Sir William Francis ButlerBelow is a letter by Shane Hachey, currently 2L at Harvard Law and a Columbia graduate, to the Columbia administration and faculty. Despite being an underrepresented minority quite progressive politically,

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1147015780375389022006-05-07T11:29:00.000-04:002006-05-07T11:29:40.393-04:00

In a few short weeks, I will be graduating from Columbia University. Through real relationships and purely digital ones, stemming from my days on www.cucommunity.com and www.campusnetwork.com (sadly both have closed their doors), I've been exposed to a wide range of people and their beliefs. A lot of what I’ve seen has been well-intentioned activism, and a lot of it has been the self-important

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1146705531529012652006-05-03T21:09:00.000-04:002006-05-03T21:19:47.013-04:00

Zacarias Moussaoui, the 9/11 plotter who was already in jail at the time of the World Trade Center attacks, was today sentenced by a federal jury to life in prison. The verdict they chose, when given the options of life in the clink or death by injection, is appropriate. While the government tried to manipulate the jury to obtain a death sentence, with pictures of men and women falling out of the

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1146524733100176552006-05-01T19:05:00.000-04:002006-05-01T19:22:37.610-04:00

A few months ago Joe Lieberman spoke out in defense of Catholic hospitals' right to turn away rape, sexual assault, and incest victims who were seeking emergency contraception. "hospitals that refuse to give contraceptives to rape victims for 'principled reasons' shouldn't be forced to do so… In Connecticut, it shouldn't take more than a short ride to get to another hospital”. In a way he's right

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1146240604123073242006-04-28T12:06:00.000-04:002006-04-28T12:10:04.140-04:00

From John Kitzhaber MD, and former governor of Oregon:Implications of the Massachusetts PlanThe Massachusetts plan for universal coverage – recently signed into law – signals a new urgency in addressing the growing crisis in the U.S. health care system and highlights the policy vacuum on this issue in our nation’s capital. I applaud the Massachusetts governor and legislature for their courage and

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1145906417340479352006-04-24T15:18:00.000-04:002006-04-24T15:28:59.440-04:00

In light of recent conversations, I was reminded of a certain Marine Corps Colonel and a scrawny Navy lawyer conversing in "A Few Good Men"Sure he deserved to go to jail. But he was right about one thing:COL Jessep: You want answers?Kaffee (Tom Cruise): I think I'm entitled to them.COL Jessep: You want answers?Kaffee: I want the truth!COL Jessep: You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1145853137586363532006-04-24T00:31:00.000-04:002006-04-24T00:32:17.603-04:00

Children of The Segregated CornBy Brian WagnerApril 21, 2006Omaha, Nebraska. The name evokes corn, corn, and people who work with corn, the so-called cornhuskers. But now we have a new word to roll around with our tongue when talking about the city: segregation.Senator Ernie Chambers, Nebraska’s only black state senator, has been described as “the angriest black man in Nebraska.” Think Al

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1145850216933941122006-04-23T23:40:00.000-04:002006-04-23T23:43:36.936-04:00

Interesting article that mentions Columbia and PrezBo's tacit rejection of ROTC:Military academy attracts new 'greatest generation'By Thomas BrayDetroit NewsMilitary recruiting may be having its difficulties because of Iraq, but from where Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox Jr., the superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, sits, things have seldom looked better.Prior to Sept. 11, 2001,

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1145735372646417182006-04-22T15:12:00.000-04:002006-04-22T15:49:34.596-04:00

So I know this may generate a stir. Especially from fellow critic collegues.But this is the nature of debate. I have grown up with a certain admiration at the military and particulary its elite units. I once wanted to be part of it. But what I saw as its innate attraction was the power that it exerted. The ability to command through force, an incredible force, an over-zealous, dominating

Keithnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1144743504338038212006-04-11T04:17:00.000-04:002006-04-11T04:18:24.356-04:00

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-na-christians10apr10,0,6596503.story"Malhotra says her Christian faith compels her to speak out against homosexuality. But the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she's a senior, bans speech that puts down others because of their sexual orientation. Malhotra sees that as an unacceptable infringement on her right to religious expression. So she's

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1144425842212369402006-04-07T12:03:00.000-04:002006-04-07T12:04:02.253-04:00

Apparently, being the home of Kerouac and Ginsberg still means something to the Associated Press...

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1144331480309984962006-04-06T09:50:00.000-04:002006-04-06T09:51:20.346-04:00

and i'm not happy about it. see link.

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1144248372860148612006-04-05T10:31:00.000-04:002006-04-05T12:51:09.416-04:00

Interesting article regarding Columbia's willingness to invite dictators and questionable regimes to speak on their beliefs and to engage in intellectual debate. As an intellectual I am somewhat torn on issues like this. I am a full believer in freedom of speech, particularly on University and College campuses, and I believe that information and ideas in and of themselves can almost never be "

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1144041229349227292006-04-03T01:10:00.000-04:002006-04-03T01:13:49.366-04:00

Columbia's beloved West End will close in the very near future, to be replaced by a Cuban chain restaurant. Could this be motivated by the previous week's 200 person riot? To the Cubans who are destroying the american college bar feel that has plagued and characterized the West End, i say go to hell. The West End, no matter who owns it, should never change. Every campus needs its West End.Also,

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1143852456302287882006-03-31T19:44:00.000-05:002006-03-31T19:47:36.316-05:00

From the normally astute Chinese journalist "Angry Chinese Blogger" comes an interesting interpretation of American children's cartoons and our society. His argument suffers from combining very offensive and only slightly offensive subject matter in one list, as well as making some rather broad generalizations about American youth. If we are sheltered for not wanting to show our kids many of the

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1143495054302006822006-03-27T16:04:00.000-05:002006-03-27T16:30:54.356-05:00

By THOMAS P.M. BARNETTMarch 26, 2006We have never lived in a more peaceful world than we do today — never.I know that statement goes against everything you've been told by the mass media, and I realize it contradicts the amazing climate of fear that's gripped this country since 9/11.But it's absolutely true.Our world today is more crowded than it's ever been, and yet we've never had a smaller

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1143480195759078762006-03-27T12:21:00.000-05:002006-03-27T12:23:15.776-05:00

Boy, 8, accused of sexual harassment BETH STALLINGS, Morning Journal 03/25/2006LORAIN -- Lorain school officials this week executed an ''emergency removal'' of an 8-year-old boy who they say sexually harassed a girl in gym class. The boy's mother, Tammy Barth, said yesterday her son was playing in gym on Tuesday when a girl student said he and two other boys may have grabbed her buttocks. He was

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1143269827278057342006-03-25T01:56:00.000-05:002006-03-25T01:57:07.300-05:00

Georges Sada, an Iraqi general and former number 2 in Saddam Hussein's air force, has recently released book that may throw America's left for a revelation. For three years, the left, myself included, has been chastising the Bush administration for its invasion of Iraq. We were in a war with Al-Qaeda which was based in Afghanistan and there was and still is not a connection between 9/11 and Iraq.

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1143038302855881712006-03-22T09:35:00.000-05:002006-03-22T09:38:22.886-05:00

A study tracing 98 people from childhood through adulthood has found that those who were identified by their teachers and family as whiny children were much more likely to be conservatives, and those identified as confident and self-reliant were more likely to grow up to be liberals.But the picture is not really that black and white. Read the article; it does a good job of exploring the variables

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1142982112363653362006-03-21T17:58:00.000-05:002006-03-21T19:19:27.496-05:00

I think that Mr. Beinart hits the mark in this article dead center. The continual leaning of the military towards the right is a shame, particularly since its root cause is disenfranchisement of military servicemen and women from liberal politics and the democratic party. Couple this with progressives' marked (and more often misplaced) mistrust of the military, both the institution as a whole as

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1142782060292891972006-03-19T10:24:00.000-05:002006-03-19T10:27:40.316-05:00

ARTICLE: "Military retaining more gays, Lawyers see growing acceptance in ranks" by Rryan Bender, The Boston Globe, 19 March 2006 The US military allowed at least 36 gay soldiers last year to stay in uniform, despite efforts by their commanders or fellow soldiers to have them discharged under the ''don't ask, don't tell" policy, according to a review of hundreds of cases in which soldiers

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1142143414642690672006-03-12T01:00:00.000-05:002006-03-12T01:03:34.660-05:00

A NYTimes look at a classified military report (soon to be published broadly) finds that, among other things, Saddam was more worried about Shiites than Americans, didn't tell his generals until the last minute that there were no weapons of mass destruction held in reserve, and micro-managed war efforts.Who would have thought, months ago, that a picture so completely damning for the Bush

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1142092326998056582006-03-11T10:49:00.000-05:002006-03-11T10:52:07.023-05:00

Milosevic was found dead in his cell, after a long period of illness that continually delayed any attempts at full trial. One lesson that can be taken from attempts to try him, Pinochet, Hussein, and other world leaders is that the simplest resolution is more likely to be death than trial--court cases inevitably run into dead end after dead end when trying high-level officials.Good riddance to a

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141866319138743302006-03-08T19:51:00.000-05:002006-03-08T20:36:43.566-05:00

John Poindexter has created a number of interesting and useful programs through DARPA that have been prematurely shutdown by congressional ignoramuses. One was the Terrorism Futures program (refer to http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,59818,00.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policy_Analysis_Market ) which was an 'idea market' and one of the most promising and accurate intelligence

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141832988685371312006-03-08T10:47:00.000-05:002006-03-08T10:49:48.700-05:00

We reported this LAST WEEK:McCain to Talk at CC Class DaySenator Joins the Ranks of Prestigious Former SpeakersBy Theodore Orsher Spectator Senior Staff Writer March 08, 2006 Arizona Senator John McCain will address graduating Columbia College seniors and their families at Columbia College Class Day on May 16.

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141832260436785362006-03-08T10:36:00.000-05:002006-03-08T10:37:40.440-05:00

Supreme Court Upholds Solomon AmendmentUnanimous Ruling Affirms Military’s Right to Recruit on College Campuseshttp://www.columbiaspectator.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/03/08/440e9cd2dddd9By John Davisson Spectator Staff Writer March 08, 2006 Colleges and universities that accept federal funding must allow equal access to military recruiters, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday. The decision

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141832010422430672006-03-08T10:32:00.000-05:002006-03-08T10:33:30.450-05:00

Bikers roll to military funerals to oppose anti-gay protestshttp://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/21/funeral.motorcyclists.ap/index.htmlTuesday, February 21, 2006; Posted: 7:55 a.m. EST (12:55 GMT)FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (AP) -- Wearing vests covered in military patches, a band of motorcyclists rolls around the country from one soldier's funeral to another, cheering respectfully to overshadow jeers from

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141742110736210532006-03-07T09:30:00.000-05:002006-03-07T09:35:10.753-05:00

Matt Drudge, bless his slimy soul, does us a public service by noting a NJ bill that would prohibit anonymous posts on the Internet to cut back on defamatory and libelous comments. While the end goal is admirable, the means is utterly ridiculous. The bill's sponsors may not realize the severity of their mistake, but in my mind at least, the complete abolition of anonymity, whether it be in

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141734257698217592006-03-07T07:05:00.000-05:002006-03-07T07:25:27.906-05:00

As expected, the Supreme Court rejected claims that withdrawing funding from schools that discriminate against military recruiters is unconstitutional. In a unanimous decision by the Court, with no dissent from even the most liberal Justices on the bench, the Court ruled that, since schools are still free to speak out against military policies with recruiters present, the Solomon Amendment does

Dennisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141636138985693922006-03-06T03:51:00.000-05:002006-03-06T15:51:48.246-05:00

So I followed this Oscar season closer than I have in many years. Particularly because of how poor the press treated the run up to the awards. It was this overdramatic love affair with presumptions, assumptions and the slaughtering of movies into small phrases: gay cowboy affair, race drama, gay crime drama, terrorism drama, etc. Now, overall, the films were moving but maybe I am getting a bit

Keithnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141531692053365842006-03-04T22:55:00.000-05:002006-03-04T23:08:12.070-05:00

Friday's Washington Post editorial sums up, months after the fact, the core issue that we must focus on when discussing the human costs of Hurricane Katrina. Riffing on the new AP-released video of the president asserting government preparation before the Hurricane fully hit, the editorial makes the point that the most important issue was not preparation, but in fact execution. Evidence now shows

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141344581823948122006-03-02T19:05:00.000-05:002006-03-02T19:09:41.853-05:00

http://www.alternet.org/story/18570/A very interesting article. Overly critical in my opinion (as one who is able to afford college thanks to the Military-Academic complex) but it grants quite a comprehensive purview of the great amount of academic research, analysis, and funding that goes into our defense policy, strategy, and development."The reach of the military-academic complex goes far

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141331422756259592006-03-02T15:03:00.000-05:002006-03-02T18:31:08.270-05:00

From the Journal of Human Genetics:Extreme skewing of X chromosome inactivation in mothers of homosexual menSven Bocklandt * Steve Horvath * Eric VilainAbstract: Human sexual preference is a sexually dimorphictrait with a substantial genetic component. Linkageof male sexual orientation to markers on the X chromosomehas been reported in some families. Here, wemeasured X chromosome inactivation

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141317666265840112006-03-02T11:39:00.000-05:002006-03-02T11:41:06.286-05:00

BREAKING NEWSAnonymous sources have indicated that John McCain will be the graduation class day speaker for Columbia College Class of 2006!Stay tuned for updates as they come through.

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141313632494514752006-03-02T10:30:00.000-05:002006-03-02T10:33:52.510-05:00

Presidential Public RelationsPoliticians have long benefited from adopting public relations tactics to shape image and spread key messages: kissing babies, making speeches in front of overtly multicultural audiences, using rhetoric to define the terms of debate.Presidential politics has been no different, especially under the Bush administration. Yet now the PR machine that bolstered the

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141281668124371522006-03-02T01:40:00.000-05:002006-03-02T01:41:29.153-05:00

Professional boxers will throw a light jab that he hopes will fake out his opponent and then deliver a crushing blow as the opponent stumbles. Sometimes though, this leaves his body open and his opponent deals him a bone crunching hook into his kidney or ribcage. [ok. I made that entire thing up, the only thing I know about boxing is Punch Out! for Nintendo and that one Dreamcast game].The Bush

Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14732829294553674517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141137255296649632006-02-28T09:32:00.000-05:002006-02-28T09:34:15.313-05:00

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that President Bush's chief political strategist "spends a lot of time obsessing about me."This would be disturbing on so many levels if I weren't taking this blatantly out of context.

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141080844158353532006-02-27T17:51:00.000-05:002006-03-01T15:13:42.360-05:00

From OpinionJournal:Death Becomes HerBernard-Henri Lévy, a left-wing though philo-American French author, pens "A Letter to the American Left," which appears in The Nation. Blogger Thomas Lifson notes this Lévy plaint: Why haven't we heard from more intellectuals like Susan Sontag...? The answer, of course, is the same reason we haven't heard from dead white males like Plato,

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1141017591663754642006-02-26T23:27:00.000-05:002006-02-27T20:31:51.426-05:00

Since the the beginning of the post-war era, the United States has been the premier example in setting foreign investment precedence and projecting outward into the global marketplace. Granted we have had our protectionist policies when it comes to agriculture and steel and cars, and even rising tech. But more often than not America has been willing to forego protecting much of its labor pool in

Seanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15972528037851001948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1140798743344465882006-02-24T11:30:00.000-05:002006-02-24T11:32:23.356-05:00

From Slate: Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal focuses on Shiites ticked at the U.S. because of the nudging to form a unity government: "It triggered deep resentment across a broad swath of Shiite society, with many Shiites complaining that they won the election and should be free to form a government without U.S. pressure."This is the problem with focusing on democratic reform as an end goal.

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15932198.post-1140791228345084402006-02-24T09:26:00.000-05:002006-02-24T09:27:08.373-05:00

Apparently Illinois Gov. Rod Blag ... Blagevoc... Blagojevich doesn't watch the Daily Show.

The Oracleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578540096058517656noreply@blogger.com1