Julie with a B

Friday, January 20, 2006
 
Conservative group takes the sleazy road
LA Times: Advisor quits UCLA Alumni Group
......Rogan, now a lawyer in Irvine, on Wednesday sent an e-mail tendering his resignation to Andrew Jones, head of the Bruin Alumni Assn. and its one full-time employee. The year-old group, supported by donations, has no formal connection to UCLA.
In his e-mail, Rogan wrote, "I am uncomfortable to say the least with this tactic. It places students in jeopardy of violating myriad regulations and laws."
Jones had offered to pay UCLA students $100 for recordings and lecture notes of professors caught in "indoctrination, one-sided presentation of ideological controversies and unprofessional classroom behavior." Jones said one student, whom he declined to identify, had taken up the offer thus far.

Yes, many higher education institutions teach in a liberal manner. Oh my. What is the big deal? If this practice was truly “A PROBLEM” then why aren’t the majority of educated individuals liberal? What are conservatives afraid of? They got a college education without corruption, maybe it even aided in their conservative resolve. If you want to know what students are hearing, go there. Take a class. Interview a teacher/prof on his or her opinions.

Education and politics have held hands for 2300 years – it is noted that the Academy that Aristotle attended was heavily involved in politics-
Aristotle probably begun his work Politics on Assos as well as On Kingship which is now lost. He began to develop a philosophy distinct from that of Plato who had said the kings should be philosophers and philosophers kings. In On Kingship Aristotle wrote that it is:-
... not merely unnecessary for a king to be a philosopher, but even a disadvantage. Rather a king should take the advice of true philosophers. Then he would fill his reign with good deeds, not with good words.
However, Aristotle's time in Assos was ended by political events. The Persians attacked the town and Hermias was captured and executed. Aristotle escaped and stopped on the island of Lesbos on his way to Macedonia. It was more than a passing visit for he remained there for about a year and must have had the group of scientists from Assos with him for they continued their biological researches there.


So there you have it – Aristotle would have the King be a conservative and his advisors liberals.

That's a handsome idea!

Wednesday, January 18, 2006
 
Wednesday joke
A pirate goes into a bar, a steering wheel between his legs. The bartender leans over and whispers "whats with the steering wheel?" Pirate replies, "It's driving me nuts."


Then there's the one about the baby seal that walks into a club. . . .

Friday, January 06, 2006
 
Definition of criminal
condemnable: bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
guilty of crime or serious offense; "criminal in the sight of God and man"

From the Jerusalem Post:
The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement urging Christian leaders to distance themselves from the remarks. Robertson made similar comments as the Gaza withdrawal occurred, it said.

"It is outrageous and shocking, but not surprising, that Pat Robertson once again has suggested that God will punish Israel's leaders for any decision to give up land to the Palestinians," said Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the group, which fights anti-Semitism. "His remarks are un-Christian and a perversion of religion. Unlike Robertson, we don't see God as cruel and vengeful."

 
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an incredible leader. To quote Moby Schtick, “Like a lot of Jews, I have both loved and hated Sharon's policies over the past few years.” Although Stevin and I are at opposite points on what we have loved/hated over the last several years no one can deny that he works hard at leadership. With an every sensitive ear to the complicated opinions of the Israeli people he has managed to balance atop that ball. When he was elected, the citizens were looking for a tough hawkish leader. In recent years they looked for someone to have a broader view. I prefer his more recent actions to the earlier ones. Stevin prefers the earlier actions to his recent ones.

According to the
Jerusalem Post:
At 5:35 p.m., Professor Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director general of Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, briefed the press outside of the emergency room. Mor-Yosef prefaced his remarks by saying that although Hadassah as an institution honors the Sabbath, the gravity of Sharon's situation necessitated constant updates.
Mor-Yosef confirmed that the intracranial pressure had been relieved, and blood clots remaining from the previous operation were successfully drained.
Professor Mor-Yosef explained that Hadassah neurologists and neurosurgeons agreed that the most recent CAT scan results showed a 'significant' improvement in Sharon's condition. He added that doctors were working to adjust the placement of the catheter, and that Sharon would be moved to neurological intensive care, where he would be closely monitored.

Prime Minister Sharon, you are in all our prayers.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006
 
Abramoff . . . As the Worm Turns
NYTimes:
A day after he pleaded guilty to three felony counts here, Jack Abramoff, a once prominent Republican lobbyist, was set to plead guilty today in Miami to two charges of conspiracy and fraud in a case stemming from his purchase of a casino boat line in 2000.
On Tuesday, Mr. Abramoff instantly became the star witness in a sweeping federal investigation into public corruption in Washington when he pleaded guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials as part of a settlement with federal prosecutors. The inquiry could involve as many as a dozen lawmakers, people involved in the case said.

Neither side of the aisle should be grinning too broadly since there were noted Dems accepting a bit of cash as well as a larger number of Repubs, Harry Reid being one of them.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006
 
Just think what this will do to the D.C. party circuit
Caviar Exports Canceled in Move to Stop Sturgeon Extinction
Martha hold the date open! What will we do????
The global export trade in caviar, the briny eggs of sturgeon that for decades have been one of the world's most exotic and lucrative wildlife products, was abruptly ordered shut down today by the international convention that helps nations manage threatened species.

Have you ever seen one of these puppies? Ugly just does not cover it.
Exporting nations must "ensure that the exploitation of sturgeon stocks is commercially and environmentally sustainable over the long term," the convention's secretary general, Willem Wijnstekers, said in a statement.
Sturgeon products, legal and illegal, are thought to be worth at least several hundred million dollars each year. But scientists and managers have said for decades that the caviar industry, and the species that drive it, are in jeopardy.
The world's remaining sturgeon fisheries have all suffered from plummeting populations, caused by a combination of dam building, pollution, excessive fishing and unchecked black markets. Several localized extinctions of sturgeon stocks around the world have already occurred, and many other species, including ones in the United States, have been reduced to remnant populations.

I, myself, try not to consume remnants....
One persistent problem in sturgeon management has been that national quotas and harvest data, which appear impressive on annual ledgers, do not account for widespread poaching. Mr. Morgan said that exporters would have to satisfy the secretariat that their fishing plans accounted for both the real size of the stocks and the total mortality from legal and illegal fishing.

Poaching? Euuuwww, poached fish eggs, gag. Oh. Not that kind of poaching.
Well, sad news to be sure. I have a couple extra jars of gefilte fish if anyone could use that . . .

 
Pun for Dr. Larry...
Old doctors never die they just lose their patience

Monday, January 02, 2006
 
Monday pun
http://www.dieselsweeties.com/

Sunday, January 01, 2006
 
Still no pets..
There were numerous announcements about places you could go to escape the rising water. None of them allowed pets. Hmmm.
Something that occurred to me was that I don't have little pet carriers for my 4 cats. I always schlep them to the vet inside pillowcases firmly tied with string. Poor little buggers? No, they actually are much calmer. However that would not work particularly well in a case where they needed to be penned for any length of time.
The horse was high and dry up on Taylor Mountain. It is soggy there with little streams running everywhere but the area has been well set up for water drainage, with french drains and rock lined channels to move water downhill and off the property.
There's an idea! Hey, Bandit, move over - the cats need a little space!

 
Might as well take advantage of that lake!


Kayaker resting next to the backstop at the local Jr. High. City workers were close by working on how to get the water pumped out of there.

 
Just checked in with the Accuweather report...
Hour-By-Hour™

Santa Rosa, CA Weather
Santa Rosa, CA Weather
Santa Rosa, CA Weather
Rain
Rain
Rain
55° F
55° F
52° F

Looks like rain. Not too cold though. I tried to get out yesterday to take pictures of what was going on. Uh, no. First I couldn't get more than a couple blocks away. Then anything that was interesting had alot of road signs and people keeping you away. Where's my press pass....


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