December 2009
19 posts
The Case Against New Year's Eve
The islands of the Kingdom of Tonga, the only surviving monarchy in the Pacific, are tropical, but not quite a paradise. The largest people in the world live there, and they eat a lot of Spam.
Tafahi is a tiny outpost of this chain that is famous for two things: the quality of the vanilla grown there and the fact that it is the nearest inhabited land to the western side of the International Date...
Spirit of the Game
christielouwho:
jimisland:
“Spirit of the Game sets Ultimate apart from other competitive team sports. For over 30 years, Ultimate has flourished, reaching a highly competitive level, without the use of referees. In Ultimate, the honor system works. Sure, human nature rears its ugly head from time to time - just as in any sport, just as in life. Yet, one of the many beauties of Ultimate is...
Killing babies, saving the world...
spilttobill:
christielouwho:
Just listened to a really interesting podcast from WNYC’s Raiolab (a podcast that Chris got me into recently) that focuses on the issue of morality. Jad and Robert were examining the difficult decisions people make in moral dilemmas, specifically a situation that I know would rip me up inside
You’re in a situation where you need to be absolutely silent or the...
formspring.me
christielouwho:
Is there anything you plan on doing to help the situation in Burma?
I’d really like to go on a trip to Burma in August with one of the people I met on Tuesday before I go to China, I just need to figure out money and such.
I’m also part of a bunch of collaborative coalition groups through email to send petitions to senators and such about...
A Quiet War On Students
generic1:
secrets0ciety:
Students stand to gain a lot from federal student aid legislation in Congress, but lenders have assembled an arsenal of PR campaigns, lobbyists, and campaign contributions.
Banks and loan corporations have quietly declared war on students this year, using an arsenal of more than two dozen lobbyists, an ambitious public relations campaign, and millions of dollars to...
Google Wave: Great American Novel (work in...
alligatortower:
Here’s what Jon G, myself, Mattie and Asa have put together so far.
It was a pretty nice day. Robocop was out for a jog when who should he find coming his way but a gang of bullies! These no good ruffians had nothing but the worst in mind for Robocop, who had harassed them no earlier than last week after a schoolyard brawl.
But that had been no ordinary brawl. Unbeknownst to...
“A cloud of critics, of compilers, of commentators, darkened the face of...”
– Edward Gibbon on the death of Roman learning (and easily applicable to cable news).