Harvard Law's Amazing Race

I'm sad to say I've become a regular watcher of The Amazing Race. If you watch the show, then you know that this season's race featured a team of recent Harvard Law graduates, Heather and Eve. Depending on how you look at it, Heather and Eve were eliminated either for: a) being unable to correctly read a clue and follow directions, or b) trying to cheat and hoping they would get away with it. Either way, their performance doesn't say much for the critical reading and/or ethical training they received at Harvard, now does it?

Posted 10:30 AM | law school

Cornflake Girl

If you're a Tori fan, be sure to check out NPR's nice report on her new album (scroll down a bit to the Real Audio link). I still haven't heard it, but maybe I will soon (hint, hint).

Posted 10:08 AM | life generally

Burn Baby Burn

Random: The students at Texas A&M University just love their bonfires. Remember the fire that killed 12 people in 1999? Apparently it's a big tradition, and isn't it funny and strange how attached university students are to traditions like these? I wonder where they get that attachment. When I was in college, I scoffed at tradition, almost on principle. I thought that a healthy contempt for tradition was what defined a college student. I guess I was some kind of freak.

Anyway, those Aggies are determined to have their bonfire, so whatever. What's noteworthy about this is the way the AP story about it is written. According to this article (first seen in the Billings Gazette real paper edition, but found online at CNN):

Several thousand current and former students gathered in a darkened field about 10 minutes east of College Station for the lighting. "Burn bonfire burn" was a familiar refrain—shouted by student leaders who lit the pile with torches and flares and individuals in the crowd.

Wow. This fire is so important that student leaders had to sacrifice individuals in the crowd in order to light it! Now that's what I call a fire!

Posted 10:02 AM | life generally

And Really I Am

Ok. For the record: I realize that my cynical and sarcastic thank-you list (below) is only half the story. The other half is that I really am thankful that I live in a country where I feel like I can say these things without any real fear of reprisal (at least for now). I'm thankful that, as broken as it is, our political system still offers us (American citizens) real opportunities and avenues to improve things. And I'm thankful that, regardless of our tendencies toward selfishness and insularity, Americans have done great things for the world and have immense potential to continue to do so (though not if we follow many of our current paths). If I did not believe this, I would already have packed my bags for some other part of the world (say, Sweden), and I certainly wouldn't be going to law school. What would be the point?

And so but anyway, check out Letterman's Thanksgiving Top Ten. It's really a lot like my own except simpler and funnier. I guess that's why Dave gets the big bucks...

Posted 09:44 AM | general politics