Wednesday, August 24, 2005

'Too Busy' to Comment on Pat Robertson's Assassination Call. NY Times: Robertson Is Pilloried for Assassination Call. But other conservative Christian organizations remained silent, with leaders at the Traditional Values Coalition, the Family Research Council and the Christian Coalition saying through spokesmen that they were too busy to comment. Still waiting for some prominent folks in the right-wing blogosphere to comment, too. [Dan Gillmor's blog] 5:55:16 AM    comment []

Robertson Suggests U.S. Kill Venezuela's Leader. Pat Robertson set off an international firestorm by saying on his television show that Hugo Chávez should be assassinated. By LAURIE GOODSTEIN. [NYT > Washington] 5:52:59 AM    comment []

Cybertroops Keep War Games Real. The Pentagon marshals thousands of computer-generated soldiers, tanks, ships and networked flight simulators to make large-scale training exercises more realistic than ever before. By Dan Orzech. [Wired News] 5:49:36 AM    comment []

Fresh Gets Invited to the Cool Table. At universities and school districts around the country, a farm-to-cafeteria movement is growing. And students are cheering instead of complaining. By MARIAN BURROS. [NYT > Education] 5:49:32 AM    comment []

Designs on Dorm Rooms [Washington Post: Top News] 5:49:24 AM    comment []

Inelegant design I had thought there was no way to top The Onion's brilliant parody of Intelligent Design -- "Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New 'Intelligent Falling' Theory." But the Web's hive brain has now done it, with the rise of the Flying Spaghetti Monster meme. This "Open Letter to Kansas School Board" appears to be the source-point of the new cult of Pastafarianism (Wikipedia has more): Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him. It is for this reason that I’m writing you today, to formally request that this alternative theory be taught in your schools, along with the other two theories. In fact, I will go so far as to say, if you do not agree to do this, we will be forced to proceed with legal action. I’m sure you see where we are coming from. If the Intelligent Design theory is not based on faith, but instead another scientific theory, as is claimed, then you must also allow our theory to be taught, as it is also based on science, not on faith. Darwin/Fish bumper-sticker designs on the Flying Spaghetti Monster theme are proliferating at an alarming rate over on BoingBoing. [Scott Rosenberg's Links & Comment] 5:49:20 AM    comment []

Study abroad RA's at Webster: Katie McComb. Senior Katie McComb wanted to be an RA last year, but decided to take advantage of Webster's study abroad program and headed to the Webster-Geneva campus instead. "I think I learned a lot and gained a lot more confidence while I was there," McComb said of a solo flight to Paris before meeting up with others. Mathias Jackson. Senior Mathias Jackson has a love for different cultures. An international relations major, Jackson spent his junior year of high school studying abroad in Japan. "I just wanted to see a culture that was totally different from my own," Jackson said. "I didn't speak a word of Japanese. [The Journal] 5:48:39 AM    comment []

In Asia, the Eyes Have It. If Asians and North Americans sometimes seem to have a different worldview, maybe it's because they literally see the world differently. Research suggests that Asians have a sharper eye for detail and subtlety than people in the West. [Wired News] 5:39:16 AM    comment []

Bequest Keeps a Teacher's Devotion Alive. Jean Louise Stellfox, a teacher for 39 years at Shamokin High School in Shamokin, Pa., managed to save over $1.5 million over her lifetime and left most of it to Dickinson College. By MICHAEL WINERIP. [NYT > Education] 5:39:05 AM    comment []