Friday 11/20/2009

• Kurt Kohlstedt '02: Amazing Vintage Images from Japan’s Forgotten Master

  

  Photographs of Japan from the Meiji and Taisho Periods (1868-1926) have captivated viewers around the world since they were first circulated. One photographer in particular captured Japanese life so beautifully that his work has been seen by countless people ... more

• Larry Sampas: Migrating Movable Type and Gallery2 to a new (Fedora) server

  I loved my Dell 1750 server. It has plenty of power and a great 3Ware RAID card , two 500 GB RAID-1 drives, 4 GB RAM, and ran Red Hat Linux. I bought it from the Dell Outlet site ... more

• Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: Does Nigeria work?

  While researching Nigeria I came across the debate highlighted below on the BBC news web site. It seems that asking students to read and evaluate the arguments would be a good end-of-unit activity.
  
  There are also two dozen responses from ... more

• Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: Foreign aid for Nigeria

  The open question still is, "If you pour money into a corrupt system, where will it go?"
  
  European Union gives Nigeria $1bn 'for peace'

  The European Commission has signed a $1bn (£602m) development pact with Nigeria, aimed at tackling corruption ... more

• Amy Reynaldo '88: Daily Beast, 11/20/09

  "New Moon" - 11:45
  I was smart this week. I guessed what Matt's theme would be before the puzzle was even published.
  
  
  Of course, not being a 92D: [Like some mortgages] TEN YEAR old girl, I knew none of ... more

• David Schraub: What if McCain Loses?

  A new pol shows Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is vulnerable to a primary challenge from the right . In response, he's busy flip-flopping his way over to oppose bipartisan climate-change efforts.
  
  I have to say, I'd be thrilled if John ... more

• Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: Radicalizing some of the protests?

  Frustrating hopes for democracy by manipulating elections causes protests, but if the protests yield little, some dissidents become radicalized and lose hope that the system can respond to popular will. Similar hardening of positions can take place on the establishment ... more

• Cheryl Klein: Those Interested in Issues of Race and Children's Literature . . .

  . . . should check out this interesting post and discussion today at Ta-Nehisi Coates's blog, as I think a lot of what he and his commenters say about the writers and characters on television could apply to our discussions ... more

• Kayla Berger: Pep Talk

  Sometimes I get a little discouraged in my Christian life. I may feel worried or afraid when faced with challenges or uncertain circumstances. Luckily, the Bible is full of encouraging passages that I can use to give myself a pep ... more

• Elizabeth Tamny '88

  I had Latka Gravas for a cab driver today. He had a really cute precise voice--sort of sounded like he was beeping.
  
  Me: "So, may I ask...are you new?"
  He: "Yes. In the US...two. Two months."
  Me: "Ahh."
  He: "For ... more

• Amy Reynaldo '88: Friday, 11/20/09

  BEQ 4:54
  LAT 4:36
  NYT 4:35
  CHE 4:05
  CS untimed
  WSJ 7:02
  
  You're probably here because you like the harder crosswords that are published later in the week. If so, Peter Gordon's Fireball Crosswords will be right up your alley. ... more

Thursday 11/19/2009

• Jeff S. '81: Memories from My Dad's Childhood

  My dad, who is 81, wrote this narrative about his childhood in our hometown in Pennsylvania.  It's loaded with special memories for me of the relatives he writes about and a lot of the familiar places and activities.

                             ... more

• Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: New Execs for the EU

  The EU has selected a president and a foreign minister. The foreign minister is likely to be the more powerful of the two.
  
  European Union settles on a Belgian and a Briton for top posts

  Herman Van Rompuy, the prime ... more

• Library News: Extended Library Hours

  The library will be open additional hours during finals. Library hours November 19-23 are:

  Thursday, Nov 19   8 am-3 am
  Friday, Nov 20       8 am-3 am
  Saturday, Nov 21   9 am-3 am
  Sunday, Nov 22     9 am-3 am
  Monday, ... more

• Kurt Kohlstedt '02: 15 (More!) Crafty Metal, Wood & Spiral Staircases

  

  Stairs arent just a boring, utilitarian part of our homes and public buildings. Theyre an opportunity for an architect to really make a statement and do something bold and distinctive. From staircases that float to stairs that fit in ... more

• David Schraub: Conspiracy Theories Abound in the Modern GOP

  A new PPP poll asked voters whether they believed Barack Obama actually won the 2008 presidential election, or whether "ACORN stole it for him." 62% of voters think Obama legitimately won, versus 26% for the ACORN conspiracy theory.

  Among Republicans, ... more

• Shout: Variety Show: Nightingales, Traditions, and WHOA Hip-Hop Dance

  On Saturday night, the Nightingales took the stage dressed in everything from bubble wrap to plastic bags to a black spandex catsuit with a fur collar. They sang their first song, TLC's "Unpretty", without any explanation of their bizarre ... more

• Carleton News: Stiles '86 Captures National Book Award for Nonfiction Work

  T.J. Stiles ’86, a Carleton alumnus and native of Foley, Minn., won a National Book Award in the nonfiction category for his work, “The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt.” The book is a biography of the man ... more

• David Schraub: What With the Bowing and Scraping

  Look at him, degrading the office of the presidency and the nation with all that bowing. Caution: cute baby ahead.

  

• Ken Wedding's CompGov Blog: The imaginary, legitimate government

  The non-stop campaign is obviously not unique to the USA.
  
  Caroline Welch who teaches in the upper school at The Albany Academies (in Albany, NY) pointed me to this article.
  
  Grassroots politics is fascinating. Is it effective? Why would Obrador ... more