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Some of you may recall that I applied for a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship back in November. We just found out yesterday that I’ve made the first cut–approx. the top 1/3. Now my application enters the final evaluation. We’ll find out the results around mid-April. Cross your fingers…
Pat Forde, a columnist at ESPN.com, recently ran down the best & worst NCAA basketball courts (aesthetically speaking).
Texas A&M wound up being the worst court! His reasons:
The Aggies just had to have a bigger state-of-Texas outline than the Longhorns, so theirs stretches very nearly from key to shining key. Combine that with parquet and a too-large logo on top of the state outline and you have The Minutes’ vote for the ugliest floor in America.
C’mon! How can you not love this court?!
I know that I haven’t written in a while, and I apololgize! I have been busy working, sleeping and growing my belly!
As you know we are expecting a boy, and the little guy has not stopped moving. He kicks especially when I am resting and trying to fall asleep. I am now 28 weeks along, so more pictures and updates will come as I have more to say!
Also a “Best Wishes” to all my friends who are having babies this month and next! Best of luck!
…but they’re not all there is to promoting social justice. Equally important is avoiding compliance with an unjust system. You’ll remember that I recently posted a link to this article, which makes a case for philanthropic giving, hailing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a shining example of such charity. This article exposes the dark side of the Gates’ philanthopy, serving to make the point above. Here’s an excerpt to entice you to read the rest:
Using the most recent data available, a Times tally showed that hundreds of Gates Foundation investments — totaling at least $8.7 billion, or 41% of its assets, not including U.S. and foreign government securities — have been in companies that countered the foundation’s charitable goals or socially concerned philosophy.
This is “the dirty secret” of many large philanthropies, said Paul Hawken, an expert on socially beneficial investing who directs the Natural Capital Institute, an investment research group. “Foundations donate to groups trying to heal the future,” Hawken said in an interview, “but with their investments, they steal from the future.”
Via Shona Q., we recently found out that a tornado touched down right in our old College Station neighbourhood. Here’s Shona’s report of the damage:
Tornado was on Longmire/2818 area. Doux Chenes apartment buildings lost their roof completely (4 of the buildings now have no roof, and they said 168 people were displaced). Also TX ave at Southwest Pkwy (right by your old place!) was pretty bad too. McDonalds lost their arches, Firestone lost two bay windows, China King buffet had damage at the front and rear (including a trash bin thrown into the restaurant), and the mall with Play it Again sports was pretty bad too.Exciting times, but no deaths, or severe injuries.
Here’s a map of the area to give you some point of reference.
Our apartment location is the green arrow. Actually, our apartment was a little closer to Texas Ave. (to the right). The McDonalds Shona speaks of is right at the corner of Texas Ave. and Southwest Pkwy (a little southeast of our old place). The Firestone and China King are little closer, along Brentwood Dr., and the Play It Again plaza was to the immediate right of our apt. Literally, there was one building between us and the plaza!
UPDATE: In case you didn’t catch it (or bother to look), Shona added a link to a website documenting the damage in the comments section. You can get the site by clicking here. Here are two pictures of the damage done to the plaza beside our apartment. (Keep in mind: our old apartment is literally 40-50 feet to the left of this wall!)
I came across a provocative article in the New York Times Magazine by Peter Singer, entitled ‘What Should A Billionaire Give – And What Should You?’ Here’s an excerpt from the beginning:
What is a human life worth? You may not want to put a price tag on a it. But if we really had to, most of us would agree that the value of a human life would be in the millions. Consistent with the foundations of our democracy and our frequently professed belief in the inherent dignity of human beings, we would also agree that all humans are created equal, at least to the extent of denying that differences of sex, ethnicity, nationality and place of residence change the value of a human life.With Christmas approaching, and Americans writing checks to their favorite charities, it’s a good time to ask how these two beliefs – that a human life, if it can be priced at all, is worth millions, and that the factors I have mentioned do not alter the value of a human life – square with our actions. Perhaps this year such questions lurk beneath the surface of more family discussions than usual, for it has been an extraordinary year for philanthropy, especially philanthropy to fight global poverty.
If you want to read the rest of the article (which I strongly suggest you do), I’ve linked to it here. (If you have a subscription, you can read it from NYT’s website.)
Well, things didn’t turn out so well in A&M’s bowl game tonight. I really had some high hopes, too, so the wound stings more than a little. At the time I’m writing this, there’s 2.49 left in the game and we’re losing 38-10, so it’s safe to say that we won’t end the game in a respectable way. A&M has been to 2 high(ish) profile bowl games since I’ve started following them and have been soundly thrashed in both of them. It’s a bit of a cop-out to say it, but… `There’s always next year.’
UPDATE: Cal just intercepted the ball and took it down to A&M’s 10 yard line with 2.00 left. This is getting ugly…
Well, our holiday travel is just about over. We’ve returned from a couple of days in Ohio with family.(A great time! Video coverage may come soon…) Barb starts back into her somewhat regular schedule at Starbucks tomorrow and I need to get down to work writing a paper in the next week or so.
But one last hurrah before we settle into our routine completely. Tomorrow, we’ll be driving out to Fort Wayne, IN to meet up with Matt and Amy! (You may remember them from here.) They’re living in Dallas these days, but they’re visiting Amy’s parents in Indianapolis right now; since Fort Wayne is halfway between AA and Indy (only 2 hours from us), we thought we’d squeeze in a little get together before they go back to the Big D.
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