From Pine View Farm

April, 2013 archive

No Speculation, Rush to Judgment Dept. 2

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Overdue 0

Book entitled

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Texting while Gouging 0

In the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Kevin Carey marvels at the magic of the text-book publishing industry, as nice a scam as anyone has yet devised. A nugget:

Calculus hasn’t changed much since Newton and Leibniz invented it in the 17th century. Yet there have been seven editions of James Stewart’s best-selling “Calculus” (list: $245.95), the profits from which allowed Mr. Stewart to build a $24 million home with its own concert hall. And you don’t need calculus to calculate how much money colleges make by charging hundreds of students sitting in a lecture hall standard tuition rates, minus the negligible cost of an adjunct lecturer standing in the well.

Back in the olden days, that figure would have been my textbook budget for two semesters–and I studied history, sociology, and other book-intensive subjects.

Read the rest and learn part of the reason that students a drowning in debt.

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QOTD 0

Harry Emerson Fosdick:

A person wrapped up in himself makes a small package.

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No Speculation, Reprise 0

I have been glancing at the news from time to time throughout the day. I see more details about what happened in Boston yesterday, but no hint of who or to what end.

Others are dwelling on what happened. I shall not, for they say it better (or worse) than I.

Accordingly, “no speculation” continues in force.

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Behind That Curtain 0

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Light Bloggery 0

Editing a podcast that I’ve been preparing for off and on for a couple of months.

Editing audio in audacity

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PTA 0

That is, Packing Teachers’ Association: Michael Feldman imagines the faculty meeting in the new age of faculty with heat.

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15-2, 15-4, and a Pair . . . 0

From the How about a Little Good News Dept.

In St. Pete, Margaret Austin is teaching cribbage to kids at the Northside Boys and Girls Club. She needs cribbage boards.

My father loved cribbage–in fact, he loved card games of all types, except for the ones that required betting to be fun (try playing poker without betting something–can’t do it). I remember playing cribbage with him, but it was so long ago that I’d have to read up on the rules before I could play again.

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QOTD 0

Elizabeth I, Queen of England:

Brass shines as fair to the ignorant as gold to the goldsmiths.

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No Speculation 0

Regarding the Boston bombings, what Stephen D. said.

And I’m certainly not going to subject myself to a bunch of talking heads on television playing “what if.”

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Weekend Project 0

cat tree

Read more »

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Endless War 0

In an article about Sunday’s stupid op-ed in the New York Times, Steven M. buries this nugget.

The ultimate aim of all that Republican militarism is always the same: domestic political gain. But they can’t take advantage in this presidency, so there’s no reason to try.

He’s quite correct, you know.

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Twits on Twitter 0

Redundant twits once more all over again.

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Family Matters 0

No mama’s boy he:

A 19-year-old Florida man who twice called 911 because he “didn’t like how his mom was talking to him” was arrested early yesterday for misuse of the police emergency system.

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A Picture Is Worth 0

Koch Brothers warn that higher taxes on them would force them to lay off as many a half dozen Congressmen.

Via Bartcop.

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Didgery-Dodgery-Don’t . . . 0

. . . pay for being part of civilized society.

And it’s all quite legal.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Winning the race to politeness:

A medical examiner says a man who died in the infield during a NASCAR’s NRA 500 race at Texas Motor Speedway shot himself in the head. The event was the first NRA-branded race in NASCAR’s premier series.

It shall not come as a surprise that a pick-up truck was involved.

Honest to Pete, you can’t make this stuff up.

If you did, no one would believe you.

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QOTD 0

Noam Chomsky:

Either you repeat the same conventional doctrines everybody is saying, or else you say something true, and it will sound like it’s from Neptune.

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Promises To Keep 0

Heh.

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