Sunday, June 20, 2004
The desecration of proper english language
While the use of such language is not unusual, it has just been recently when such words have been adopted by newscasters. It has come to the point where its not even safe to let a child watch the news without being afraid they might pick up some words or two that they really need not know at tender ages.
TDC, from top dead center, indicated where, once again, foul language is once again employed by publications and journalists. This time it was Dan Rather and his use of the word "a--hole.
While the use of such language is not unusual, it has just been recently when such words have been adopted by newscasters. It has come to the point where its not even safe to let a child watch the news without being afraid they might pick up some words or two that they really need not know at tender ages.
posted by Laura Keslar at 10:42 PM | |
Been Reading...
One of the benefits about attending school is the ability to find books not held at the local libraries.
After taking a sabbatical from reading, so to speak, I finally picked up books fall semester of 2003. Since then, I have read many books. Dinesh D'Souza was one of the first and all his books except his book on Reagan and on Catholic classics, both of which I need to pick up to read. After him, I read Ann Coulter's Treason and decided that her other books werent worth reading. I followed her's with one of Hannity's and The Death of the West by Buchanan. While I liked Buchanan's book, it was just too alarmist. Hannity cannot write worth anything. I despise what I see as arrogance on his part in both his writing and in his radio show.
But, following first semester of my sophomore year, I began reading other books. I began, in short, to read F.A. Hayek and Ludwig von Mises and Milton Friedman and Leo Strauss and Eric Voegelin.
And it was just tonight that I finished Hayek's The Fatal Conceit: the Errors of Socialism. Tomorrow, I start on Machiavelli's The Prince and Clancy's Executive Order, as suggested.
But as a result of finishing The Fatal Conceit, I wanted to warn you that I will be using it in a couple bits of argumentation. Hey, I figured its a great way to finally absorb what I read.
Not much of an exciting post, one of those shall come tomorrow. But I have been mulling over several books that I have been reading recently and some that I will be starting within the next few days.
One of the benefits about attending school is the ability to find books not held at the local libraries.
After taking a sabbatical from reading, so to speak, I finally picked up books fall semester of 2003. Since then, I have read many books. Dinesh D'Souza was one of the first and all his books except his book on Reagan and on Catholic classics, both of which I need to pick up to read. After him, I read Ann Coulter's Treason and decided that her other books werent worth reading. I followed her's with one of Hannity's and The Death of the West by Buchanan. While I liked Buchanan's book, it was just too alarmist. Hannity cannot write worth anything. I despise what I see as arrogance on his part in both his writing and in his radio show.
But, following first semester of my sophomore year, I began reading other books. I began, in short, to read F.A. Hayek and Ludwig von Mises and Milton Friedman and Leo Strauss and Eric Voegelin.
And it was just tonight that I finished Hayek's The Fatal Conceit: the Errors of Socialism. Tomorrow, I start on Machiavelli's The Prince and Clancy's Executive Order, as suggested.
But as a result of finishing The Fatal Conceit, I wanted to warn you that I will be using it in a couple bits of argumentation. Hey, I figured its a great way to finally absorb what I read.
posted by Laura Keslar at 3:15 AM | |
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Now I am just another statistic
From my experience, I wouldnt have found a difference. Most of the students I have had classes (for the past two semesters, I have taken, on average 80% science courses, including higher level courses) with have hated President Bush.
Many people have attributed this difference to the way the people in those classes think. Where students in liberal arts courses tend to not have hard evidence and rather subjective proofs and rely on feelings, those in science courses are taught to look for real answers, physical proof, something that can be proven.
However, it could also be the demographics of the people attending these classes. For instance, many of the students in my science courses tend to be older than those attending my general education or frivolous classes like communication, political science and the such. Like the quote attributed to Churchill, the common assumption is that as people age, they become more conservative.
Anyway, this also highlights an interesting key point: does education change and influence the student or does it merely attract the student who thinks along similar grounds? This is something I have been considering recently in regards to why more collectivists seem to dominate the Ivory Towers. I shall blog on this in the near future.
(Via Gene Expression)
It seems that students who are majoring in science or math would vote for Bush (35%) to Kerry (31%).
From my experience, I wouldnt have found a difference. Most of the students I have had classes (for the past two semesters, I have taken, on average 80% science courses, including higher level courses) with have hated President Bush.
Many people have attributed this difference to the way the people in those classes think. Where students in liberal arts courses tend to not have hard evidence and rather subjective proofs and rely on feelings, those in science courses are taught to look for real answers, physical proof, something that can be proven.
However, it could also be the demographics of the people attending these classes. For instance, many of the students in my science courses tend to be older than those attending my general education or frivolous classes like communication, political science and the such. Like the quote attributed to Churchill, the common assumption is that as people age, they become more conservative.
Anyway, this also highlights an interesting key point: does education change and influence the student or does it merely attract the student who thinks along similar grounds? This is something I have been considering recently in regards to why more collectivists seem to dominate the Ivory Towers. I shall blog on this in the near future.
(Via Gene Expression)
posted by Laura Keslar at 12:02 AM | |
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
More on Arizona Rankings
Tucson came in #24 for the sweatiest city, at least according to Old Spice's annual ranking. Phoenix came in #3. How is that for distinction?
What is with all these different rankings just beginning to be printed in newspapers. First it was best city to retire in, then what is the worse city for children, now its which city is the sweatiest. The thing is, Arizona's cities rank well in each of them.
Tucson came in #24 for the sweatiest city, at least according to Old Spice's annual ranking. Phoenix came in #3. How is that for distinction?
posted by Laura Keslar at 4:39 PM | |
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
The best and worse of Arizona
However, Phoenix has scored in the top five worse places for children. Though, it does not seem as though the score itself might be accurate, especially considering that it uses the number of environmental education programs a city has.
In the local paper (I cannot find it in archives, currently), Yuma has been voted the best place to retire in the nation. And to think, people believe Yuma has nothing.
However, Phoenix has scored in the top five worse places for children. Though, it does not seem as though the score itself might be accurate, especially considering that it uses the number of environmental education programs a city has.
posted by Laura Keslar at 5:19 PM | |
Friday, June 11, 2004
WMD exports
Surprise, surprise.
Not only has evidence of WMDs been found in Iraq in the form of serin laced explosives, UN inspectors are now saying that there has been evidence that Saddam's regime was shipping WMDs out of the country during and after the war.
Surprise, surprise.
posted by Laura Keslar at 9:06 PM | |
Sunday, June 06, 2004
John Kerry is no Clinton
But with this in mind, I decided to update and clarify something I had written earlier. Now, it is much more edited and understandable and according to my mother, funnier. Here it is:
A while back, I wrote something about Kerry and how he is trying to be cool and popular or whatever passes as those terms nowadays. As my mother so wisely indicated, he is doing what Clinton did when he played his saxophone, said that he smoked marijuanna but did not inhale, and answered a question about what type of underwear he wore. While Clinton was able to get away with it, Kerry certainly has not. It was only recently that Kerry was described as looking like Lurch from the Addams Family.
But with this in mind, I decided to update and clarify something I had written earlier. Now, it is much more edited and understandable and according to my mother, funnier. Here it is:
This spring, Urban Outfitters released their t-shirt declaring that "Voting is for old people." In an election year where everyone from PunkVoter.com and RockTheVote.com is trying to garner more votes from youthful voters, the shirts were attacked from all sides as striking against the very foundation of the democratic process by discouraging the already "disenfranchised" youth.
But even before this t-shirt fiasco, the political candidates and groups have known that it would be difficult to appeal to young voters, much less get them into the polling booths. And while the Republican Party has done a good job trying to change the image that college-age students have of its candidate and its platform, no one has done a better job at trying to change his image than Senator John Kerry.
Back when Howard Dean was receiving the media attention, Kerry decided it would be in his best interest if he did something that would be memorable and look cool, no less; so when he was on Jay Leno, he decided to make a dramatic entrance riding on a motorcycle, wearing a leather jacket. After all, what could be cooler than a man who looks like your father but wears leather?
Considering that the use of the "f-word" has significantly increased among popular American artists who appeal to the younger demographic, it should come as no surprise that Kerry and his campaign manager would assume the use of such words might be the key in revamping his image.
So, to continue on his coast to coolness, he appeared in a different medium: Rolling Stone magazine. While he did not pose provocatively as others have done before him, he effectively created a minor scandal when he used the "f-word" several times during the interview.
But that was not the last time he or any of his affiliated organizations scandalized the public with the use of foul language. The official John Kerry website carried four pages of content, which included many instances of four letter words. It was only after the brouhaha that the Kerry campaign thought it necessary to deny the deliberate use of the word and they questionably chalked it up to a virus.
Not long afterward, Kerry was caught snowboarding, which is a particularly youthful activity in the wake of the popularity of Tony Hawk and the associated video games. Likewise, upon examination of his outfit he wore the day he went snowboarding, he appeared to be wearing a yellow smiling daisy. While yellow happy-faced flowers have not been particularly popular outside of junior high school and the seventies, no one can ever tell if there will be another seventies revival, in which case everyone will catch on and Kerry could be officially considered part of the cool crowd.
And recently, in his move toward coolness, he has declared that he has a "fascination" with rap and hip-hop, since it has become the new rock and roll, the music of the youth.
But despite his tries, no one else is catching onto his massive amounts of coolness, considering that the polls have, through it all, consistently indicated any leads Kerry might have are within the error of margin. Besides, when a national columnist claims Kerry looks like Lurch from the Addams Family, you get the definite idea that the only people thinking that Kerry was cool are those people with an inordinate fascination with zombies.
Kerry has tried his best to change people's perceptions about him; but no matter how many four letter words used on his website or in Rolling Stone or what borrowed motorcycle he rode in on Jay Leno, he remains the same, boring old man, just with a fetish for leather and a fascination with rap and hip-hop. In the current political arena saturated with cries for "anyone but Bush," this drab man might have a chance; but if anyone with more charisma and more charm comes along, nobody is going to give Kerry a second glance.
posted by Laura Keslar at 6:26 PM | |
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Leftists show true colors
While others are praising the memory of Ronald Reagan, there are others who wished for his death among other things thus discrediting the leftist movement, not that they need much help at that.
posted by Laura Keslar at 9:24 PM | |
God bless Reagan
Reagan was the greatest president during my lifetime. I am proud to have been born during his administration. I just wish I could have remembered him instead of my first memories of a president being President Clinton.
Yes, he has died. Sadly, I am glad for his family that he has gone. Alzheimers is a horrible disease.
Reagan was the greatest president during my lifetime. I am proud to have been born during his administration. I just wish I could have remembered him instead of my first memories of a president being President Clinton.
posted by Laura Keslar at 2:20 PM | |
Friday, June 04, 2004
There is a first time for everything
My little brother took me to the range with a .22 rifle and we spent the morning shooting, he teaching me things that I ought to know.
It will hopefully be an event that I willingly repeat in the future.
Today was the first day that I ever shot a gun. I had a marvelous time shooting at cans.
My little brother took me to the range with a .22 rifle and we spent the morning shooting, he teaching me things that I ought to know.
It will hopefully be an event that I willingly repeat in the future.
posted by Laura Keslar at 2:18 AM | |
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
New KJV O blog
It is called AV1611 Answers Association
And yes, it looks as though i am a contributor. But not really. I am just tech support, so to speak.
A friend of mine just started his KJV-O blog. Yaay for him and yaay for me.
It is called AV1611 Answers Association
And yes, it looks as though i am a contributor. But not really. I am just tech support, so to speak.
posted by Laura Keslar at 2:52 AM | |
