The Idiot Speaks

Thursday, May 27, 2004

synchronicity



On my lunch break I was reading an article in Vanity Fair about conspiracy theories and theorists (Alex Jones, Tex Marrs, etc). I hear a helicopter flying overhead, when it comes into sight, it's a black unmarked Apache. Jung was right.

Tuesday, May 25, 2004

A Google search on Law School Debt reveals that many people are having this problem:
Michigan Bar

Duke

Equal Justice Works

At least I'm not alone...

Monday, May 24, 2004

The wife called me at work on Friday to tell me that I got a phone call from the University of San Francisco School of Law. They wanted to offer me admission for the Fall 2004. Initially, I was excited, but then I thought about the cost of tuition...$30000 a year.

I called the Dean of admissions and asked about scholarships. He let me know that I wouldn't be getting any the first year, but with some luck and lots of work, I could get some for years 2L and 3L. Is it worth it? Should I take the plunge and burden my wife and I with all this debt. Fuck, what a gamble.

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Kristof writes in the Times today:

The bottom line is that we could soon have a pro-American Islamic democracy as a beacon for hope in the Middle East —in Tehran, not Baghdad. The risk is that we'll blow it.

The last four years have proven to me that if Bush stays in office, we will blow it.

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

During my lunch hour I sit in my car on the roof of the parking garage and listen to KMFA 89.5. I find that it helps me deal with how much I don't like my job. Today they played Handel's Organ Concerto Opus 7. Now I don't know the first thing about classical music, but this was a beautiful piece. It was one of those unexpected perfect moments.

Saturday, May 15, 2004

Cold Turkey
By Kurt Vonnegut
In These Times

Kristof's final report from Iran. I do disagree with some of his opinions, but I don't feel like nitpicking. The Link

Friday, May 14, 2004

A few friends and I have a weekly ritual of playing basketball down in south Austin. We chose the location because over the last few months we've never seen anyone else there. This week, after a few games of two-on-two, a group of gentleman started shooting at the other end of the court. They wanted to play 5-on-5, full court, but needed one more player. My friends were about finished up playing and wanted to leave, so I decided to stick around and play.

After brief introductions with my new team, we started to play at a rather frantic pace. Midway through our game, I noticed another young gentleman walking, with basketball in hand, towards the court. When we were at one end of the court, he would shoot baskets at the other end while he waited to play next.

Towards the end of the game, the opposing team had a fast-break, and the young man was unaware of the bulls running towards him. He noticed a second too late, and one of the players rushing down the court bumped into him as the young man tried to scramble off the court. The player that bumped him became irate. He yelled at the young man to "get the fuck out of the fucking way when you see us coming down the fucking court". I felt like it wasn't that big of a deal and a quick apology would have diffused the situation, but the young man didn't choose the path of least resistance. He started to yell back. I decided to interfere and try and calm everyone down because at this point everyone on the court was surrounding the young man. Before I knew it, someone had thrown a punch and knocked him down and blood was pouring out from under his eye. I was shocked. People started to get their keys and water jugs and walk to their cars as I helped the young man up. I advised him to wash his eye off so it wouldn't get infected. He replied, "fuck you, I don't get infections" and then mumbled something about how he knew he could take a punch.

It's been a few days since all this happened and I'm still amazed at how quickly something as trivial as a pick-up basketball game can turn into a violent situation. What the hell is going on?

Wednesday, May 12, 2004

Another interesting article from Kristof: Link

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Second week at the new job. I'm still in training until the end of the week.

Everyone in the company is required to have a chat client installed on their machine with everyone in the company on their "buddy list". Today, one of the managers sent out a company wide directive that you *cannot* have special characters in your display name on the chat client. Is it really that big of a deal? This place is insane.

I also found out that I'll be taking a test on the training materials at the end of the week. They let us know that if we don't pass the test, we will be escorted off the premises on Friday. I'm thinking about failing on purpose to see if they really do it.

Seth posted this yesterday about the picture we've all seen from Abu Ghraib prison:

"Does anyone else get the feeling from the rhetoric coming out of the Bush administration that they're more upset that anyone found out about the abuses than that they actually occurred?"

As I listened to Rumsfeld before the Armed Services committee, I got that exact feeling.

Seth also brought my attention to an excellent column from George Will: Link

Monday, May 10, 2004

Tired today. I just finished grading and posting grades for the classes I taught this semester. The grades were much better than last semester.

I'm not a teacher anymore...I miss it already.

More to come soon. The new job is getting more absurd everyday and I can't wait to write about it!

Friday, May 07, 2004

Today was "service award Friday" at work. We all gathered in a room and the head of Human Resources went through this wonderful Powerpoint presentation and handed out the monthly "service awards".

As we all filed into the room I noticed a young gentleman that looked a little "off". I'll have to ask the misses, but I'm pretty sure he could be diagnosed with Asperger's. This gentleman was to receive an award for two years of "service" to the company. When they called his name to receive his award, I saw a group his co-workers mocking him as he walked to the front to receive the plaque. I feel like an ass for not saying anything myself, but the part that bothers me the most is that the whole executive team was in the room and saw this happening and didn't reprimand anyone. Fucking little Rumsfelds.

Thursday, May 06, 2004

Tired. More to come soon.

Wednesday, May 05, 2004

I've been reading A People's History of the United States and came across this quote shouted by people four days after the Declaration of Independence was read and the "common folk" were informed that they were to be drafted into the army, but that the wealthy could avoid the draft by paying for a substitute: "Tyranny is Tyranny let it come from whom it may."

Third day at the new job.

Shortly after I arrived in the training room, the receptionist walked in and handed the trainer a note. The trainer asked me, "Did you park in a spot marked 'Reserved for (the name of the company I work for)?'" "Yes", I replied. "Those are only for executives, could you please move you car?" "Now?", I replied. "Yes, now", she said.

When I reached my car, I noticed that there were 10-15 empty spaces right next to my car which were not marked. I was flabbergasted.

Later, we were shown how to clock in and out on their web-based time clock. We where then informed that if we were more than ten minutes late, it was considered an "occurrence". Eleven "occurrences" is grounds for termination. I asked if my parking in the executive spot was an "occurrence". I was relieved to find that it wasn't...this time. In the future it would be.

I hate the corporate world. It's modeled after a Stalinist regime, and I've chosen to be there. Well, at least they can't legally kill me...yet.

Web Sparks Revolution in Persian

Those Friendly Iranians

The conservatives are willing to admit that we're not all blood thirsty terrorists. When it comes to Iran, they need to take a hands-off approach and let the current regime fall on it's own. People like Mohsen Kadivar and Abdul-Karim Soroush are slowly and deliberately leading the transition from theocracy to democracy. I know that many Iranians are hoping that the regime will fall tomorrow and then everything will go back to normal. I for one am not ready for the Shah's son to return to Iran and try to rule again.

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

Have you seen this? Thanks to Jenny.
The Link.

Will it pass? The Link.

If you haven't seen it already: Link.

That's right, George F. Will is turning on the neo-cons.

One note:

"What does such careless talk say about the mind of this administration? Note that the clearly implied antecedent of the pronoun "ours" is "Americans." So the president seemed to be saying that white is, and brown is not, the color of Americans' skin. He does not mean that" (my italics).

I disagree. That's precisely what Bush believes.

Scot sent this to me recently: Parecon.
I've read a few essays on Parecon a while ago and I can't remember much about it. It seems compelling though.

I have read the first few chapters of this book and found it interesting: Gangs of America

Monday, May 03, 2004

If I were an editor, I'd run this on the front page tommorow. The Link.

I started my new job today. When I was offered the job, they wanted a background check, a drug test, and a credit check. The only thing they didn't ask for is a blood test. They also asked me to sign a notification that they will monitor all my activity on their networks. I've decided that I won't do any personal work on their system. Is this what it takes to get a job at your local, friendly corporation these days?
The only thing I could think of since I woke up this morning is a song by Slim Gaillard on the soundtrack of the movie Absolute Beginners.
It's called "Selling Out". The truth hurts.

Saturday, May 01, 2004

You think the British and French will start returning the artifacts they stole?
The Link

Bill O'Reilly is an idiot, via Atrios. The Link

The British are caught also. The Link