Archive for July, 2006
Signature Abuse
Monday, July 31st, 2006A lot of attention lately has been focused on “presidential signing statements” — declarations by the President as to how he intends to interpret the statutues he signs into law. Though the signing statement has existed for the history of the Republic, the current President has grotesquely expanded its use. In a report [...]
Academic Freedom versus Indoctrination?
Sunday, July 30th, 2006A week or so ago (2006 July 23), the New York Times had an article (”Conspiracy Theories 101″ by Stanley Fish) detailing a brouhaha surrounding Kevin Barrett. Mr. Barrett is a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin who has gotten into hot water because he shared with his students his strong conviction that [...]
Karl Rove meets Aaron Sorkin?
Tuesday, July 18th, 2006So there’s been some buzz about the unscripted, undiplomatic, and somewhat profane remarks of President Bush in Russia, when he didn’t know a microphone was “hot”. (Bush’s Policy Chit-Chat: Undiplomatic Prose - New York Times). Or did he? I don’t want to get all tinfoil-hat, but…
Another reason why US textbooks are so lousy…
Monday, July 17th, 2006I saw an article in the New York Times (Schoolbooks Are Given F’s in Originality; 2006 July 13) that detailed a controversy broiling for some American history textbooks. It seems that, in describing the 9/11 attacks, the books A History of the United States and America: Pathways to the Present use virtually identical language. [...]
Testing and Teaching Physics
Wednesday, July 12th, 2006Lately I’ve been on a merciless campaign to reduce the paperwork clutter in my lab/office/classroom. Today I dove into the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet (because obviously, bottom drawer = hard to acess = most moldly junk.) and came across an envelope containing the qualifying exam I had to take when starting [...]
From the Past: Instructions for Stanford Physics Qual 1993
Monday, July 10th, 2006In cleaning out a file cabinet, I came across the Qualifying Exam that I had to take in order to pursue a degree in Physics at Stanford University. On top was a cover letter by Dr. Bob Laughlin, which I reproduce below. Hopefully he won’t have any issue with that!
… If You Can Keep It
Tuesday, July 4th, 2006It’s a truism that’s become so trite it hardly rises to the level of a bumper sticker: Freedom isn’t free. You see it slapped across the back of SUVs, taped to the windows in Circle-K’s. Some days, it seems everyone can mouth the words but nobody understands them. Freedom isn’t free. [...]
Beyond the poundy drums
Saturday, July 1st, 2006I’m a fan of the new, “re-imagined” Battlestar Galactica on the Sci Fi channel. (Shamefaced confession: I am also a fan of the original schlocky BSG from 1978 — in fact I was one of those loudly decrying the new one as yet another unholy exploitation of the greats of my childhood. Oopsie.) [...]