Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, you apparently can choose which branch of the armed services to fulfill your military duty.
When it came time for Jake Dove, a senior at the U.S. Naval Academy, to decide how he would fulfill his required military duty after graduation, there was no question about it: Marine Corps all the way.
"In my eyes it's a perfect community," said Dove, an Annapolis High School graduate. "The idea of being a platoon leader in charge of guys that have done two, three tours in Iraq already, when I haven't been over there - that's an awesome responsibility. I'm eager to take it on." Despite a war that has entered its fourth year with mounting casualties and waning public support, more and more midshipmen at the Annapolis military college are volunteering for the Marines when asked to choose how they will fulfill the five-year commitment required of all academy graduates.
When the assignments were made official last month for the 992 members of the class of 2006, 209 were placed as officers with the Corps - the most in the school's 161-year history. . . . Having a surplus of mids who want to be Marines has been a change from the Vietnam era. In 1968, the Marine Corps failed to meet its quota for the first time in academy history.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Friday, March 24, 2006
More on Coach K's Tournament Woes
Since their last title in 2001, the Dukies have not fared so well as a high seed:
- 2002: #1 seed, loser in round of 16 to lower seed
- 2003: #3 seed, loser in round of 16
- 2004: #1 seed, loser in round of 4 to lower seed
- 2005: #1 seed, loser in round of 16 to lower seed
- 2006: #1 seed, loser in round of 16 to lower seed
How Did LSU Beat Duke?
Defense and physical play.
And here's why: Temple, a 6-5 freshman guard for LSU, put on a defensive clinic that frustrated Redick into one of his worst shooting nights of his career. That proved to be the key component for the fourth-seeded Tigers to upset the top-seeded Blue Devils in the Atlanta Regional, winning a defensive battle 62-54 at the Georgia Dome.
Redick made just 3 of 18 from the field, all three makes coming from outside the 3-point line, and was held to 11 points, 16 below his season average. Temple followed him around from start to finish, playing all 40 minutes, 38 of them on Redick.
Temple did have help from his long, athletic teammates who jumped out on Redick when he did find a crack. Redick came into the game averaging 24.5 in two previous tournament games.
"My coach told me before the year that I wasn't going to be the first, second or third option," Temple said. "But he said I could be a defensive stopper. I definitely relish that. I help my team with defense. I held him to 17 points under his average, so that's like me scoring 17."
Temple scored just three points himself, but that mattered little to his teammates.
"I went to him as soon as we got in (the locker room) and told him we were giving him the game ball," LSU point guard Darrel Mitchell said.
The Tigers used a physical style against Duke, something Temple said some of his friends in the ACC told him would affect the Blue Devils, and especially Redick.
"They told me he doesn't like the physical play," Temple said.
Coach K and Reddick cried and whined all night, but to no avail. It's tough beating good teams when you don't have the refs in your pocket, isn't it coach?
And here's why: Temple, a 6-5 freshman guard for LSU, put on a defensive clinic that frustrated Redick into one of his worst shooting nights of his career. That proved to be the key component for the fourth-seeded Tigers to upset the top-seeded Blue Devils in the Atlanta Regional, winning a defensive battle 62-54 at the Georgia Dome.
Redick made just 3 of 18 from the field, all three makes coming from outside the 3-point line, and was held to 11 points, 16 below his season average. Temple followed him around from start to finish, playing all 40 minutes, 38 of them on Redick.
Temple did have help from his long, athletic teammates who jumped out on Redick when he did find a crack. Redick came into the game averaging 24.5 in two previous tournament games.
"My coach told me before the year that I wasn't going to be the first, second or third option," Temple said. "But he said I could be a defensive stopper. I definitely relish that. I help my team with defense. I held him to 17 points under his average, so that's like me scoring 17."
Temple scored just three points himself, but that mattered little to his teammates.
"I went to him as soon as we got in (the locker room) and told him we were giving him the game ball," LSU point guard Darrel Mitchell said.
The Tigers used a physical style against Duke, something Temple said some of his friends in the ACC told him would affect the Blue Devils, and especially Redick.
"They told me he doesn't like the physical play," Temple said.
Coach K and Reddick cried and whined all night, but to no avail. It's tough beating good teams when you don't have the refs in your pocket, isn't it coach?
The Crux of the Media's Problem
I like the Christian Science Monitor. Here's an excerpt from a story this morning:
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa, it seems, is having an Anita Hill moment.
The country's former deputy president, Jacob Zuma, who aims to become president, is on trial for raping an HIV-positive family friend. And the case is playing out in the headlines before a polarized nation.
Back in 1991, Ms. Hill's allegations against then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas put sexual harassment in America's national spotlight. Likewise, the current case against Mr. Zuma is forcing South Africa to confront key elements of a culture of rape so pervasive that, on average, one woman is raped in this country every 26 seconds, according to People Opposing Women Abuse, a women's group here. It's one of the highest rape rates in the world.
Ok, I think this illustrates a couple of the problems with the press these days.
(1) "South Africa, it seems, is having an Anita Hill moment." Then the story goes on to discuss the "culture of rape" in South Africa. Is there really a comparison between a Supreme Court Justice's "alleged" dirty talk to a subordinate, and a South African Presidential candidate's "alleged" RAPE!! of a family friend. There's really no comparison: it's talking dirty versus destroying someone's life, boorish versus criminal behavior.
(2) "One woman is raped in this country every 26 seconds." Now, this may very well be true, but this doesn't pass the small test. A rape every 26 seconds in a country as small as South Africa? This reminds of the farbricated statistics around wife beatings during the Super Bowl: their emotional and grab your attention, but are pure rubbish. This article takes the statistic and runs with it, without so much as a cautionary note. That's poor journalism, but sadly, very common.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa, it seems, is having an Anita Hill moment.
The country's former deputy president, Jacob Zuma, who aims to become president, is on trial for raping an HIV-positive family friend. And the case is playing out in the headlines before a polarized nation.
Back in 1991, Ms. Hill's allegations against then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas put sexual harassment in America's national spotlight. Likewise, the current case against Mr. Zuma is forcing South Africa to confront key elements of a culture of rape so pervasive that, on average, one woman is raped in this country every 26 seconds, according to People Opposing Women Abuse, a women's group here. It's one of the highest rape rates in the world.
Ok, I think this illustrates a couple of the problems with the press these days.
(1) "South Africa, it seems, is having an Anita Hill moment." Then the story goes on to discuss the "culture of rape" in South Africa. Is there really a comparison between a Supreme Court Justice's "alleged" dirty talk to a subordinate, and a South African Presidential candidate's "alleged" RAPE!! of a family friend. There's really no comparison: it's talking dirty versus destroying someone's life, boorish versus criminal behavior.
(2) "One woman is raped in this country every 26 seconds." Now, this may very well be true, but this doesn't pass the small test. A rape every 26 seconds in a country as small as South Africa? This reminds of the farbricated statistics around wife beatings during the Super Bowl: their emotional and grab your attention, but are pure rubbish. This article takes the statistic and runs with it, without so much as a cautionary note. That's poor journalism, but sadly, very common.
Quote of the Day
Larry Bird insists he’s not just being feisty, but he had an interesting response to Tommy Heinsohn’s quotes in yesterday’s Herald stating that Paul Pierce could end up being the best offensive player in the history of the Celtics.
"Are you basing it on the regular season or the playoffs?” Bird asked. “I mean, it’s hard to compare guys that have never been to the finals to other players. If you gear yourself to play six months of the year, it’s completely different than gearing yourself to play nine months a year. My whole focus was trying to gear myself to play nine months a year.”
Ouch!
"Are you basing it on the regular season or the playoffs?” Bird asked. “I mean, it’s hard to compare guys that have never been to the finals to other players. If you gear yourself to play six months of the year, it’s completely different than gearing yourself to play nine months a year. My whole focus was trying to gear myself to play nine months a year.”
Ouch!
"Day for Latino Dignity"
ATLANTA -- Members of the Latino community plan to protest against new state legislation aimed at illegal immigrants in Georgia.
Protesters say they will neither spend money nor report to work Friday. An estimated 800,000 Hispanics are expected to take part in Georgia's "Day For Latino Dignity."
Organizers passed out flyers at businesses across the metro area Thursday, pushing other Hispanic workers to take part in the protest. At least 13 supermarkets, dozens of restaurants, and even banks will likely be affected by the work stoppage. Latino community leaders, some from out of state, decided on the idea at a Thursday night meeting.
The day is set aside to protest Senate Bill 529, sponsored by state Senator Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock). Senate Bill 529 would, in part, force state and local government contractors to verify the legal status of their employees.
Some employers have contacted Channel 2 Action News to say if their employees do not show up Friday, they may be out of a job.
This law strikes me as reasonable. What's the problem?
Protesters say they will neither spend money nor report to work Friday. An estimated 800,000 Hispanics are expected to take part in Georgia's "Day For Latino Dignity."
Organizers passed out flyers at businesses across the metro area Thursday, pushing other Hispanic workers to take part in the protest. At least 13 supermarkets, dozens of restaurants, and even banks will likely be affected by the work stoppage. Latino community leaders, some from out of state, decided on the idea at a Thursday night meeting.
The day is set aside to protest Senate Bill 529, sponsored by state Senator Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock). Senate Bill 529 would, in part, force state and local government contractors to verify the legal status of their employees.
Some employers have contacted Channel 2 Action News to say if their employees do not show up Friday, they may be out of a job.
This law strikes me as reasonable. What's the problem?
Words of Wisdom from the Finest Historian Writing Today
Victor Davis Hanson...
HH: Joined now by eminent military historian and classicist, Victor Davis Hanson. Professor Hanson, I got up pretty early this morning, had a 7:00AM meeting. But before I did, I read your Jewish World Week Daily column on your house, and it was melancholy. And I said that's not very VDH. Explain to people your reflection on your six generations of Hansons and your farmhouse, and let's take it after there.
VDH: Well, I live in a house that was built in 1870, and so I have an alternate version of U.S. history, because I grew up with stories from my parents, about my grandparents, about my great-grandparents, about my great-great-grandparents. And it was always the take on the U.S. from this particular house, whether it was the Great Depression or World War I, or the Spanish-American War. And I was just saying that if I could synthesize that take on the world of people who lived in this house, it looks just about the same as it did when it was built, was a tragic view that they accepted that Americans did not have to be perfect to still be good, that when you went to war, you had a bad choice and a worse choice. But we, the generation, and I said the people that live in this house live in a very different therapeutic world. Even though the house looks the same, I think that our ancestors would look, if the house could talk, would say what's wrong with you people? Do you think that you have a birthright to have perfection? Don't you understand that we almost died? We starved to death, we had Typhoid, people got Polio in this house? We were lucky to eat? We built this farm out of nothing, and now you have six hundred channels, and you're less happy than we were. And I think I was trying to use this as a metaphor to a way a lot of Americans look at Iraq, for example.
HH: That's where I was going. Does that crisis of the spirit that you're describing for the next generation, the generation after you and that one, condemn us to defeat?
VDH: I don't know if it condemns us to defeat, but at some point, either somebody who's in the administration, a spokesman's got to say now just wait a minute. We went 7,000 miles over to the ancient caliphate, and right in the heart of the autocratic Middle East. We're trying to make a democracy. We've lost 2,300 people, but that's about two weeks in Okinawa, and this country's been through a lot worse at Shiloh and Antietam, Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima, the Yalu River, and we can win this, and we're not getting any oil, the price skyrocketed. We have the biggest, magnanimous foreign aid plant since the Marshall Plan, $87 billion dollars. We don't have anything to apologize for, and we're almost there. We've had three successful elections. We've dismantled a lot of al Qaeda. We have millions of people in Iraq who've pledged their lives to see this democracy work, and we're not going to stumble before the finish line. So stop it, and just get a grip on yourself. But we need to hear that.
HH: Joined now by eminent military historian and classicist, Victor Davis Hanson. Professor Hanson, I got up pretty early this morning, had a 7:00AM meeting. But before I did, I read your Jewish World Week Daily column on your house, and it was melancholy. And I said that's not very VDH. Explain to people your reflection on your six generations of Hansons and your farmhouse, and let's take it after there.
VDH: Well, I live in a house that was built in 1870, and so I have an alternate version of U.S. history, because I grew up with stories from my parents, about my grandparents, about my great-grandparents, about my great-great-grandparents. And it was always the take on the U.S. from this particular house, whether it was the Great Depression or World War I, or the Spanish-American War. And I was just saying that if I could synthesize that take on the world of people who lived in this house, it looks just about the same as it did when it was built, was a tragic view that they accepted that Americans did not have to be perfect to still be good, that when you went to war, you had a bad choice and a worse choice. But we, the generation, and I said the people that live in this house live in a very different therapeutic world. Even though the house looks the same, I think that our ancestors would look, if the house could talk, would say what's wrong with you people? Do you think that you have a birthright to have perfection? Don't you understand that we almost died? We starved to death, we had Typhoid, people got Polio in this house? We were lucky to eat? We built this farm out of nothing, and now you have six hundred channels, and you're less happy than we were. And I think I was trying to use this as a metaphor to a way a lot of Americans look at Iraq, for example.
HH: That's where I was going. Does that crisis of the spirit that you're describing for the next generation, the generation after you and that one, condemn us to defeat?
VDH: I don't know if it condemns us to defeat, but at some point, either somebody who's in the administration, a spokesman's got to say now just wait a minute. We went 7,000 miles over to the ancient caliphate, and right in the heart of the autocratic Middle East. We're trying to make a democracy. We've lost 2,300 people, but that's about two weeks in Okinawa, and this country's been through a lot worse at Shiloh and Antietam, Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima, the Yalu River, and we can win this, and we're not getting any oil, the price skyrocketed. We have the biggest, magnanimous foreign aid plant since the Marshall Plan, $87 billion dollars. We don't have anything to apologize for, and we're almost there. We've had three successful elections. We've dismantled a lot of al Qaeda. We have millions of people in Iraq who've pledged their lives to see this democracy work, and we're not going to stumble before the finish line. So stop it, and just get a grip on yourself. But we need to hear that.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
This Is Crazy
So after reading this, I thought "good riddance to this fool":
A radio personality at 550 KTRS was fired on the spot this morning after using the word “coon” on the air in a conversation about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Dave Lenihan was dismissed after what he called an inadvertent slip of the tongue.
Within 20 minutes, station CEO Tim Dorsey apologized on the air to listeners and announced that Lenihan, who had been with the station for less than two weeks, had been let go.“I don’t know what was in Mr. Lenihan’s mind,” Dorsey said in an interview. “I know what I heard. I know it was reprehensible.”
But then I read this:
Lenihan’s comment was made during a discussion about Rice’s credentials to become commissioner of the National Football League, a topic that has been fodder for sports talk radio since the current commissioner announced he would retire later this year.
Lenihan was listing what assets Rice could bring to the league, including her tenure as a top academic officer at Stanford University and the fact that she is African-American.
“She’s just got a patent resume, of somebody that’s got such serious skill,” Linehan said on the air. “She loves football, she’s African-American, which would kind of be a big coon, a big coon – oh my God, I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that, OK? I didn’t mean that. That was just a slip of the tongue.” Lenihan later said he meant to use the word "coup."
Reached at home, Lenihan said he was still trying to figure out what happened, and was drafting a letter of apology to Rice.
"I was trying to say 'quite a coup' but it came out 'coon,"' he said. "I caught myself and apologized. It wasn't anything I was meaning to say. I never use that word. I think she's a fantastic woman. I was even talking about if she ran for president, I'd work on her campaign."
Hmmm, certainly sounds like a slip of the tongue to me.
A radio personality at 550 KTRS was fired on the spot this morning after using the word “coon” on the air in a conversation about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Dave Lenihan was dismissed after what he called an inadvertent slip of the tongue.
Within 20 minutes, station CEO Tim Dorsey apologized on the air to listeners and announced that Lenihan, who had been with the station for less than two weeks, had been let go.“I don’t know what was in Mr. Lenihan’s mind,” Dorsey said in an interview. “I know what I heard. I know it was reprehensible.”
But then I read this:
Lenihan’s comment was made during a discussion about Rice’s credentials to become commissioner of the National Football League, a topic that has been fodder for sports talk radio since the current commissioner announced he would retire later this year.
Lenihan was listing what assets Rice could bring to the league, including her tenure as a top academic officer at Stanford University and the fact that she is African-American.
“She’s just got a patent resume, of somebody that’s got such serious skill,” Linehan said on the air. “She loves football, she’s African-American, which would kind of be a big coon, a big coon – oh my God, I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that, OK? I didn’t mean that. That was just a slip of the tongue.” Lenihan later said he meant to use the word "coup."
Reached at home, Lenihan said he was still trying to figure out what happened, and was drafting a letter of apology to Rice.
"I was trying to say 'quite a coup' but it came out 'coon,"' he said. "I caught myself and apologized. It wasn't anything I was meaning to say. I never use that word. I think she's a fantastic woman. I was even talking about if she ran for president, I'd work on her campaign."
Hmmm, certainly sounds like a slip of the tongue to me.
Oh, The Irony
U.S.-led Coalition forces rescued peace-activist hostages in Iraq today. As you know, one of their colleagues, Tom Fox, was recently found dead, murdered by their captors.
So in their statement today, Christian Peacemaker Teams, says:
Harmeet, Jim and Norman and Tom were in Iraq to learn of the struggles facing the people in that country. They went, motivated by a passion for justice and peace to live out a nonviolent alternative in a nation wracked by armed conflict. They knew that their only protection was in the power of the love of God and of their Iraqi and international co-workers. We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq. The occupation must end.
Wow, not even a thank you. But now, read this in the context of the above:
All three men -- members of the aid group Christian Peacemaker Teams -- were well and safe inside the British Embassy compound in Baghdad's high-security Green Zone, an embassy official said.
"It's great to be free," Kember said in a statement released by the embassy. "I'm looking forward to getting back to the UK."
You know, Mr. Kember, it is great to be free, isn't it? Tell that to your Iraqi captors...and the Iraqi population you want condemned to tyranny.
So in their statement today, Christian Peacemaker Teams, says:
Harmeet, Jim and Norman and Tom were in Iraq to learn of the struggles facing the people in that country. They went, motivated by a passion for justice and peace to live out a nonviolent alternative in a nation wracked by armed conflict. They knew that their only protection was in the power of the love of God and of their Iraqi and international co-workers. We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq. The occupation must end.
Wow, not even a thank you. But now, read this in the context of the above:
All three men -- members of the aid group Christian Peacemaker Teams -- were well and safe inside the British Embassy compound in Baghdad's high-security Green Zone, an embassy official said.
"It's great to be free," Kember said in a statement released by the embassy. "I'm looking forward to getting back to the UK."
You know, Mr. Kember, it is great to be free, isn't it? Tell that to your Iraqi captors...and the Iraqi population you want condemned to tyranny.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Didn't We Already Know This?
"Frustrated husbands and boyfriends now have some ammunition. According to a recent survey, women spend two years of their lives getting ready to leave the house. Men, meanwhile, spend less than a year. That's a lot of tapping feet and staring at watches." -- NY Post
The "Cheap Grace" of Modern Christianity
As the No. 4 overall pick in the 2000 draft, Fizer entered the NBA with tremendous promise after averaging 22.8 points and 7.7 rebounds as a junior at Iowa State. Unfortunately, the Bulls already had Elton Brand, the No. 1 overall pick in 1999, in the house. He spent four seasons with the Bulls, two of which ended prematurely when he blew out the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Last season, he was with the Milwaukee Bucks. Now he plays for the Austin Toros of the National Basketball Development League. He is averaging 19.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
What's it like dropping from being a lottery pick 51/2 years ago to playing in the NBDL?
First, thank God for the NBDL. It's been a very humbling experience and the biggest test of my Christian faith to date. But it's not as bad as I thought. We don't stay in anything like a Motel 6 on the road. It's either a Holiday Inn or a Ramada Inn, and I'm one of the few guys who doesn't have a roommate. Our longest bus trip was a nine-hour ride to a game in Arkansas. But most of the time, we fly connecting flights with Southwest. It's not so bad. They let us board first to choose the best seats.
What's life like when you're not playing ball?
It's quiet and simple. My basketball career, Bible and my four babies are the three B's that are most precious in my life right now. I have a nice two-bedroom apartment in the Rialto apartment complex owned by Jerry Jones, who also owns the Dallas Cowboys. They say his apartments are like living in paradise. And they're close to right about that. I spend a lot of time reading my Bible in my private time, and I see my kids whenever I can. I'm dating the mother of my first child again, but we're not living together like before. We want to do it right this time, according to our faith.
Nice work, Marcus.
What's it like dropping from being a lottery pick 51/2 years ago to playing in the NBDL?
First, thank God for the NBDL. It's been a very humbling experience and the biggest test of my Christian faith to date. But it's not as bad as I thought. We don't stay in anything like a Motel 6 on the road. It's either a Holiday Inn or a Ramada Inn, and I'm one of the few guys who doesn't have a roommate. Our longest bus trip was a nine-hour ride to a game in Arkansas. But most of the time, we fly connecting flights with Southwest. It's not so bad. They let us board first to choose the best seats.
What's life like when you're not playing ball?
It's quiet and simple. My basketball career, Bible and my four babies are the three B's that are most precious in my life right now. I have a nice two-bedroom apartment in the Rialto apartment complex owned by Jerry Jones, who also owns the Dallas Cowboys. They say his apartments are like living in paradise. And they're close to right about that. I spend a lot of time reading my Bible in my private time, and I see my kids whenever I can. I'm dating the mother of my first child again, but we're not living together like before. We want to do it right this time, according to our faith.
Nice work, Marcus.
The Religion of Peace...and Tolerance
An Afghan man who converted to Christianity is on trial for his life. The only way he can escape the death penalty is if he is found insane. The presiding judge says of the defendant:
"We will ask him if he has changed his mind about being a Christian. If he has, we will forgive him, because Islam is a religion of tolerance."
"We will ask him if he has changed his mind about being a Christian. If he has, we will forgive him, because Islam is a religion of tolerance."
The Problem With Credit Card Companies
From Allan Carlson:
It is common knowledge, for example, that credit card companies intentionally urge financially troubled families to borrow still more money, because they can charge these households exorbitant interest rates. As one Citibank executive has candidly observed, "They are the ones who provide most of our profit."
They are, for the most part, jackals.
It is common knowledge, for example, that credit card companies intentionally urge financially troubled families to borrow still more money, because they can charge these households exorbitant interest rates. As one Citibank executive has candidly observed, "They are the ones who provide most of our profit."
They are, for the most part, jackals.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Classic Nitwittery
Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative.
At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids from the Berkeley area that social scientists have been tracking for the last 20 years. The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals.
The study from the Journal of Research Into Personality isn't going to make the UC Berkeley professor who published it any friends on the right. Similar conclusions a few years ago from another academic saw him excoriated on right-wing blogs, and even led to a Congressional investigation into his research funding.
But the new results are worth a look. In the 1960s Jack Block and his wife and fellow professor Jeanne Block (now deceased) began tracking more than 100 nursery school kids as part of a general study of personality. The kids' personalities were rated at the time by teachers and assistants who had known them for months. There's no reason to think political bias skewed the ratings — the investigators were not looking at political orientation back then. Even if they had been, it's unlikely that 3- and 4-year-olds would have had much idea about their political leanings.
A few decades later, Block followed up with more surveys, looking again at personality, and this time at politics, too. The whiny kids tended to grow up conservative, and turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity.
I absolutely love the definition of "conservative": "rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity." In other words, they think men are men (and should act like men) and women are women (and should act like women). Whooops! I just fell back into my gender biases again.
At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids from the Berkeley area that social scientists have been tracking for the last 20 years. The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals.
The study from the Journal of Research Into Personality isn't going to make the UC Berkeley professor who published it any friends on the right. Similar conclusions a few years ago from another academic saw him excoriated on right-wing blogs, and even led to a Congressional investigation into his research funding.
But the new results are worth a look. In the 1960s Jack Block and his wife and fellow professor Jeanne Block (now deceased) began tracking more than 100 nursery school kids as part of a general study of personality. The kids' personalities were rated at the time by teachers and assistants who had known them for months. There's no reason to think political bias skewed the ratings — the investigators were not looking at political orientation back then. Even if they had been, it's unlikely that 3- and 4-year-olds would have had much idea about their political leanings.
A few decades later, Block followed up with more surveys, looking again at personality, and this time at politics, too. The whiny kids tended to grow up conservative, and turned into rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity.
I absolutely love the definition of "conservative": "rigid young adults who hewed closely to traditional gender roles and were uncomfortable with ambiguity." In other words, they think men are men (and should act like men) and women are women (and should act like women). Whooops! I just fell back into my gender biases again.
Rondo Is Gone
Word on the street is that Rondo's gone. LA Times article shows why:
16. Rajon Rondo, 6-1, 171, Soph., Kentucky. Flashy ballhandler, great nose for ball. In top 10 early when he looked as if he'd learned to shoot, but after first five games, made only 22% of three-pointers. With team's struggles, scouts trying to figure out whether it was him or teammates.
#16 pick in the NBA draft ain't bad.
16. Rajon Rondo, 6-1, 171, Soph., Kentucky. Flashy ballhandler, great nose for ball. In top 10 early when he looked as if he'd learned to shoot, but after first five games, made only 22% of three-pointers. With team's struggles, scouts trying to figure out whether it was him or teammates.
#16 pick in the NBA draft ain't bad.
I've Been Put To Shame
The Chaucer blog. Dr. Mark Rasmussen, my Centre College Chaucer teacher, would love this.
Why I Lie
Paul Griffiths wrote, "Adults who don't lie are more than original: They're almost nonexistent." Why do we so often not tell the truth?
Many times we lie because we are unwilling to face the consequences of the truth. Most lies are pitiful efforts to protect our pride. We lie because we fear being shamed or embarrassed. Our fragile reputations and even more fragile egos must be protected at all costs. And so, pitifully and too cheaply, we sell out the truth.
Sometimes we lie because we have already done wrong. We have slipped into the darkness rather than remaining in the light, and we do not wish our deeds to be exposed (John 3:19-20). So our lies are cover-ups for our sins and often only delay and worsen the day of their exposure.
At times we lie because we believe it is justified to accomplish our urgent goals. This happens every day in politics and commerce. We have grown accustomed to it. But sometimes it happens in Christian activism and church life as well. We want to win "by any means necessary."
Sometimes we construct ingenious rationalizations for our deceptiveness or draw fine-grained distinctions that don't really hold water. We might manage to avoid articulating a falsehood while still allowing another person to believe something untrue. This is not honesty, and we dare not take false comfort in the distinction.
Or perhaps we deceive by holding back the whole truth. So when your spouse asks, "Did you view pornography this afternoon?" you say, "No, I did not." Your statement is technically true, but you used pornography the night before, and that, as you well know, is what the question was intended to discover.
Christians must put away hair-splitting legalisms, ingenious rationalizations, and dubious casuistry. If we want to follow Jesus, then we must retrain ourselves to put away deceit, guile, duplicity, dissembling, misleading, exaggeration, and, yes, outright lying.
Many times we lie because we are unwilling to face the consequences of the truth. Most lies are pitiful efforts to protect our pride. We lie because we fear being shamed or embarrassed. Our fragile reputations and even more fragile egos must be protected at all costs. And so, pitifully and too cheaply, we sell out the truth.
Sometimes we lie because we have already done wrong. We have slipped into the darkness rather than remaining in the light, and we do not wish our deeds to be exposed (John 3:19-20). So our lies are cover-ups for our sins and often only delay and worsen the day of their exposure.
At times we lie because we believe it is justified to accomplish our urgent goals. This happens every day in politics and commerce. We have grown accustomed to it. But sometimes it happens in Christian activism and church life as well. We want to win "by any means necessary."
Sometimes we construct ingenious rationalizations for our deceptiveness or draw fine-grained distinctions that don't really hold water. We might manage to avoid articulating a falsehood while still allowing another person to believe something untrue. This is not honesty, and we dare not take false comfort in the distinction.
Or perhaps we deceive by holding back the whole truth. So when your spouse asks, "Did you view pornography this afternoon?" you say, "No, I did not." Your statement is technically true, but you used pornography the night before, and that, as you well know, is what the question was intended to discover.
Christians must put away hair-splitting legalisms, ingenious rationalizations, and dubious casuistry. If we want to follow Jesus, then we must retrain ourselves to put away deceit, guile, duplicity, dissembling, misleading, exaggeration, and, yes, outright lying.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Correction of the Day
From, of course, the NY Times:
A front-page article last Saturday profiled Ali Shalal Qaissi, identifying him as the hooded man forced to stand on a box, attached to wires, in a photograph from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal of 2003 and 2004. He was shown holding such a photograph. As an article on Page A1 today makes clear, Mr. Qaissi was not that man.
The Times did not adequately research Mr. Qaissi's insistence that he was the man in the photograph. Mr. Qaissi's account had already been broadcast and printed by other outlets, including PBS and Vanity Fair, without challenge. Lawyers for former prisoners at Abu Ghraib vouched for him. Human rights workers seemed to support his account. The Pentagon, asked for verification, declined to confirm or deny it.
Despite the previous reports, The Times should have been more persistent in seeking comment from the military. A more thorough examination of previous articles in The Times and other newspapers would have shown that in 2004 military investigators named another man as the one on the box, raising suspicions about Mr. Qaissi's claim.
The Times also overstated the conviction with which representatives of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International expressed their view of whether Mr. Qaissi was the man in the photograph. While they said he could well be that man, they did not say they believed he was.
This is great: (1) They use the old "PBS and Vanity Fair reported it" defense. Well, PBS and Vanity Fair report a lot of false and misleading crap. (2) Of course, the military should have told them (it's really not the Times' responsibility). (3) Even Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International aren't as ideologically driven wing-nuts as the Times.
A front-page article last Saturday profiled Ali Shalal Qaissi, identifying him as the hooded man forced to stand on a box, attached to wires, in a photograph from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal of 2003 and 2004. He was shown holding such a photograph. As an article on Page A1 today makes clear, Mr. Qaissi was not that man.
The Times did not adequately research Mr. Qaissi's insistence that he was the man in the photograph. Mr. Qaissi's account had already been broadcast and printed by other outlets, including PBS and Vanity Fair, without challenge. Lawyers for former prisoners at Abu Ghraib vouched for him. Human rights workers seemed to support his account. The Pentagon, asked for verification, declined to confirm or deny it.
Despite the previous reports, The Times should have been more persistent in seeking comment from the military. A more thorough examination of previous articles in The Times and other newspapers would have shown that in 2004 military investigators named another man as the one on the box, raising suspicions about Mr. Qaissi's claim.
The Times also overstated the conviction with which representatives of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International expressed their view of whether Mr. Qaissi was the man in the photograph. While they said he could well be that man, they did not say they believed he was.
This is great: (1) They use the old "PBS and Vanity Fair reported it" defense. Well, PBS and Vanity Fair report a lot of false and misleading crap. (2) Of course, the military should have told them (it's really not the Times' responsibility). (3) Even Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International aren't as ideologically driven wing-nuts as the Times.
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