Yesterday I wrote about divisive ethnic studies courses and one of my links wrote about Arizona's attempt to change the way ethnic studies courses are conducted. Here is a pretty thorough and reasonable defense of a law that sounds a bit extreme on first look. When I eat food, I don't like to mix the different food groups together; for example I don't like the steak to touch the potatoes or the green beans, and I pay special attention to keep them separate and distinct. I take a bite of the steak and then I take a bite of the green beans, but I never eat them together in the same bite. It's not a perfect analogy, but I liken this way of dining to the way ethnic studies courses encourage ethnic solidarity and animosity towards others who may be perceived as oppressors. This country was formerly known as a melting pot, where different cultures came together, mixed, and assimilated to American life. I honestly don't know if one way is more correct than another, but I was under the impression this place was supposed to be a melting pot where American identity was emphasized, not a multi-course meal where people are pigeon-holed into their respective 弱势团体 (oppressed groups).
Astonishing video account of an attack against Swedish cartoonist giving a presentation at a Swedish University, complete with English subtitles. I had seen a shorter version of the video a few days ago, but the full length one is much more compelling. I can't believe this takes place in a college, an institution where the exchange of ideas is supposed to take place. I implore you to watch the video to witness the barbarity displayed by the muslim protestors. Apparently there was also an attempt today to burn down his home. Now compare the cowardice of the school in shutting down the performance to the reaction of Comedy Central to threats. Our speech is increasingly being controlled and dictated by terror. Contrast all this with Comedy Central's anti-semitic online game and new series which will no doubt offend christians. I am not offended by either of these items, as I have a sense of humor and don't take these things seriously. What I am offended by is the fact that it's open season to shit on my religion, but even the slightest criticism of Islam is restricted. Maybe the healing between Islam and the West starts here at ground zero, where the damage was most severe. Quote:
"If the Japanese decided to open a cultural center across from Pearl Harbor, that would be insensitive," Sipos told me. "If the Germans opened a Bach choral society across from Auschwitz, even after all these years, that would be an insensitive setting. I have absolutely nothing against Islam. I just think: Why there?"
I was having a chat with my girlfriend today, and at some point learned that her landlord only rents to female tenants. I laughed, thinking she reserves that right as the landowner, and of course I understand why the landlord would have a policy like this. Females have a reputation for being neater, less rowdy, and more responsible in general with property that they're renting. Then I thought further, imagine a landlord that only would accept male tenants, and the lawsuits which would ensue. Now take it another step and imagine a landlord who only accepted white tenants. One might make the bigoted and misguided argument that since blacks commit more crime statistically, a landlord is justified in denying black tenants. There is no question that this is both illegal and immoral, so why is it any different to deny men from living somewhere? Obviously it sounds silly to complain about sexism towards males, but when you change the scenario, it becomes a lot clearer I think. The prejudice I shrugged off when I first heard of it sounds a lot worse when the aggrieved parties are women or minorities; in fact, I was guilty of anti-male prejudice myself, justifying her landlords position. I immediately thought about these statistics regarding the preponderance of females over males in higher education. Though I believe that correlation does not imply causation, these are troubling statistics, and maybe anti-male sexism isn't such a laughable though after all.
Then again, I haven't yet finished college (though I plan to) and maybe that's not such a bad thing. I know plenty of college graduates making way less than I do, and I know some that are in exactly my position (though not necessarily as good at their job as I am ;-) ). College isn't for everybody, just ask Bill Gates. You don't need to go to college to be successful, and according to our wonderful Speaker Mrs. Pelosi, you don't even need to be productive to survive anymore! Thanks for telling us how you really feel, Nancy. I'm glad my earned tax dollars are going to uphold somebody else's lifestyle who wants to pursue his or her passion. I'm just glad our huge government has so much competent oversight.
My father often likes to tell the story of how and when he knew my mom was the one he wanted to married. Here's the short version: My family has a long tradition of brand loyalty to Heinz Ketchup, which can be traced back to my grandfather. If I remember correctly, he once had a bottle of heinz that he thought tasted weird, so he wrote a letter to them and in response, they sent him a huge supply of ketchup. My father, taking after his father, smothers everything in ketchup, even a perfectly cooked ribeye (which is blasphemy in my book... blood is all the flavoring I need). My little brother used to eat Heinz out of a bowl with a spoon in his younger days. When my mom and dad started dating, they happened upon a time when they were out eating and for some reason, there was no heinz ketchup there. Luckily my mom, being the thrifty woman her mother raised her to be, had saved the little packets of Heinz ketchup that they give out at take-out restaurants in her pocketbook. My father often claims that this is when he knew that they would get married. I'm sure he'll be devastated to hear this news via Hotair. Nanny Bloomberg sure is a drag, on the other hand, he has been making moves to get rid of NYC's Rubber Rooms, which I was actually going to write about this week.
Via the Instaprophet, a fun little prank to play with your credit card company to make them your slave. Hilarious idea, but it's a lot more work than I'm willing to put in. Maybe I'll try it on a smaller scale.
I saw Kick-Ass the other day and it was indeed pretty kickass... and now I leave you with a hilarious video of local news (skip to 3:00 if you're lazy or strapped for time). The headline alone should make you laugh. (H/T: Hotair) Enjoy your saturday night!
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