Morgan Spurlock is back with his show 30 days. Today's episode places a member of the Minuteman anti-immigration movement with a family of undocumented immigrants in L.A. for 30 days. Not surprisingly, he comes to the conclusion that the people he is trying to keep out of the country are also human beings, but the process is worth watching.
Ex Peace Corps Vol Runs for Texas Governor
And now for something completely different . . . Kinky Friedman has launched a campaign for Texas governor.
X factor
At Colleges, Women Are Leaving Men in the Dust - New York Times
The New York Times has just discovered what I have known for 20 years; that the best students are women. At least, in my classes, the academic leaders seemed invariably to be reserved, soft-spoken women, while the noisier men did not perform as well in the end.
The GREAT White North!
Cat in Rabat: Happy Canada Day, eh?
Cat in Rabat on why Canada is great.
The Underside of the World Cup
Human trafficking is the third-largest criminal industry in the world, after arms and drugs. While soccer fans anticipate the excitement of the games, many of us in the anti-trafficking movement are deeply troubled by the expected surge of sex trafficking in Germany to meet the demand for commercial sex associated with the World Cup.
Chic
Long-Scorned in Maine, French Has Renaissance - New York Times
I took French in junior high school because I thought it was elegant and sophisticated. It was a bit of a shock to learn that until recently it was an object of derision in Maine, where it has only recently gained a grudging cachet, according to the New York Times.
Halley Suitt Reminds Us of Our Mortality
Halley's Comment: Dick Clark's Return: Real Reality TV
We've seen a lot of unreal reality TV, very overproduced schlock, but last night, we saw reality. On New Year's Eve when the old Grim Reaper and young Baby New Years lindyhop out the last few steps dance of a long year, we saw both in Dick Clark. Dick Clark the seemingly ageless, age-defying fifties soda shop cutie is suddenly 76 years old and not in American Bandstand twist-and-shout shape.
At the same time, Clark's comeback was a very heartening way to begin the New Year. We are all geting older; may we face it with Dick Clark's grace and courage.
Stereotypes
One way to define racial stereotypes is as the ascription of a limited set of social behaviors to a limited set of physical characteristics. The result obscures individual differences and often denigrates a particular group of people. One example is the stereotype that "they all look alike." J-A, commenting on an episode of Without a Trace, muses:
It was a much more thorough presentation than the 007 film set in North Korea where the extras were all talking in Chinese, which to me implied that from a non-Asian point of view, Asians all sound the same and it doesn't matter that there are all these different countries and cultures in that region.
On blackprof.com, Paul Butler cites examples of the phenomenon in reverse. He describes television portrayals of African Americans in embarrassing conflicts portrayed for entertainment value in a two-part post (part 1 and part 2). What cultural assumptions make the conflict between a black quarterback and a black receiver fodder for television drama? What cultural assumptions induce an African American talk show host to broadcast a show about an African American woman and her gay African American husband? Professor Butler's point seems to be that cultural stereotypes define these individuals for the mass media, blurring their individuality and reinforcing the stereotypes.
Our Jane
The New York Times gives a glowing review to the new movie of Pride of Prejudice.
The Old Guard
'The Chosen': Getting In - New York Times
In 1904, the Yale yearbook boasted of having "more gentlemen and fewer scholars than any other class in the memory of man."
David Brooks describes the rise of meritocracy in Ivy League admissions.
Imitation of Christ
Lesbian Minister Defrocked By United Methodist Church
Mark Tooley, a conservative Methodist at the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, said the rulings show that Methodism "is not moving in the direction of the Episcopal Church and declining liberal Protestantism in the West." Rather, he said, it "is moving in the direction of global Christianity, which is robustly orthodox."
The Methodist Church has apparently chosen to embrace bigotry by defrocking a lesbian minister and reinstating a minister who denied membership in his congregation to a gay man. Amidst much discussion of church law, there is little mention of the example of Christ. Once again, I am proud to be an Episcopalian.
Breaking the Mold
Simon Wiesenthal Is Dead at 96; Tirelessly Pursued Nazi Fugitives - New York Times
For all his flaws and egotism, Wiesenthal led an exemplary life, and one in which there is much to emulate. He earned his status as a household word.
Duck - It's What's for Dinner
Recipes : Mighty Duck : Food Network
Update: The duck was successful beyond expectation: crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside, but not greasy. Alton Brown shows once again why he rules the kitchen.
Good Eats
Few things are as delightfully aromatic as good extra virgin olive oil mixed with fresh, hot pasta.
Good Eats
What better breakfast than slow cooked oatmeal, with blueberries and cranberries, a splash of buttermilk and a sprinking of cinnamon?
Pastaferianism
But Is There Intelligent Spaghetti Out There? - New York Times
The New York Times contemplates whether the universe was really created by the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
The Times notes:
The history books show that parody isn't always the smartest strategy when it comes to persuasion. Remember Galileo? Some recent scholars say that it may not have been his science so much as his satire, "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems," that got everyone steamed up. Under threat of death, Galileo ended up recanting his view that the earth revolves around the sun, and had to wait 350 years for vindication.
Perhaps persuasion is not what is at issue here, but rather energizing the faithful.
Thanks to Gayle for the link.
Just in Case I Needed to be Reminded Why I Am an Episcopalian
Lutherans Affirm Ban on Gay Clergy
ORLANDO, Aug. 12 -- A national meeting of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America rejected a proposal Friday that would have allowed gays in committed relationships to serve as clergy under certain conditions.
Sherlock Holmes with a Stethoscope
It appears that I am not the only one to notice that Dr. Gregory House of the Fox television series is a dead ringer for Sherlock Holmes. House shares Holmes' cool detachment, total absorption in problem solving, musical talent, and even drug addiction. While other doctors fumble or guess at diagnoses, House's relentless application of deductive reasoning invariably produces a satisfying and elegant solution to each successive medical dilemma to the amazement and consternation of his less gifted colleagues. In his rare off hours, House devotes himself to his piano in his spare, impeccably modern apartment. House's intellectual elegance beneath his gruff exterior is mesmerizing.
How Much Mercury Is in Your Fish?
FDA - Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish
I have been trying to cut down on red meat and lose some weight, and fish seems like a healthy alternative. Not all fish are created equal, however, and swordfish particularly should be eaten in moderation.
Not Just Another Pretty Face
Between Series, an Actress Became a Superstar (in Math) - New York Times
Who says girls can't do math?