Yah see? What'd I tell yah?

It's Kerry with a fake beard.

Posted by: Demosophist at 08:26 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Not really, but he seems as dumb as a bag of rocks to try to play the Madrid game with Americans. There are LOTS of blue collar Democrats who will vote for Bush now simply to get the vicarious and perverse pleasure of confounding what appears to be Bin Laden's attempted manipulation. Well, not just blue collar types. Lots of Americans who don't feel strongly about supporting Kerry will have that impulse. So, you'd think UBL would know that right? Which would be an argument for that "reverse psychology" hall of mirrors referenced in the title.

Except for a couple of things: more...

Posted by: Demosophist at 09:07 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Hindrocket, at Powerline, is all over the KSTP Channel 5 video story. Powerline is highly skeptical of the claims made in this morning's NYT piece that: "... the videotape and some of the agency's photographs of the HMX stockpiles "were such good matches it looked like they were taken by the same camera on the same day."" According to a munitions expert who contacted Powerline, the material depicted in the video could hardly have been RDX or HMX: more...

Posted by: Demosophist at 02:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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A bogus report published in the British Medical Journal The Lancet claims that more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians, mostly women and children, have died in Iraq as a result of the US led occupation. The bogus report concluded that death from violence was up 58% since the occupation began. Violence, concluded the mentally retarded and methodologically challenged authors, was now the number one cause of death in Iraq. Most of those deaths, said Timmy, were caused by coalition forces.

When asked about the methodological soundness of using a self-report survey of a population that believes Yassar Arafat is a hero, Jews control the world, the US is in Iraq to steal oil, beheading videos are sexier than porn, and that whenever Abu Musab al-Zarqawi kills a hostage 'it's the Yankee imperialist's fault', the authors responded by saying, "Timmy."

The bogus report goes on to claim that since the Iraqi Ministry of Health reported that the leading cause of death before the invasion was heart attack, this proves that John Kerry ought to be President rather than evil Bush-Hitler. Former officials in the Iraqi Ministry of Health could not be reached by The Jawa Report to confirm or deny whether heart attack induced by torture and/or Mustard Gas were included in the pre-war figures.

According to the BBC:

Lancet editor Richard Horton said: "Democratic imperialism has led to more deaths, not fewer. This political and military failure continues to cause scores of casualties among non-combatants."

He urged the coalition forces to rethink their strategy to "prevent further unnecessary human casualties".

UPDATE: Tim Worstall chimes in with a piece at Tech Central Station, and notes it in his blog today. His statistical analysis is wrong, but the rest of his article is right on. Let me just put on my methodology wonk's hat and add a couple of things. The 95% confidence level only means that assuming the method of data collection is valid, that the sample taken actually represents the population as a whole. After looking at their method of data collection and the baseline which with to compare the data I can state categorically that the study is completely bogus. The confidence level thus becomes meaningless.

As Sydney Smith noted in TCS two years ago, "The Lancet seems to have confused itself with a political organization. This is bad news for all of us. We already have newspapers, radio, and television to give us a biased view of the news. If we allow our scientific journals and professional associations to follow suit, then we lose the fundamental basis of freedom - the truth."

James at Outside the Beltway adds: ...contrary to the assertions of the researchers, of course people have an incentive to lie about civilian casualties. If nothing else, the Coalition will likely compensate them without much show of proof. And, of course, inflating the figures of civilian casualties obviously serves the cause of the insurgency. I also simply do not believe that the greatest cause of death to civilians has been Coalition air strikes, given their incredible precision and the indiscriminate violence of the terrorist elements.

Posted by: Rusty at 10:22 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
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...he's not a pansy.

PS-How did Bill and Jeff get production credits on this?

PPS-This is how much guys with pretty hair bug me: my head, it's shaved. Call it latent homophobia, but any dude who spends more than thirty seconds on their hair has crossed a line....(apologies to Kevin Smith)

Posted by: Rusty at 08:29 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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In case you missed it, Beldar has a pretty good rationale for arguing that the story about Kerry's recent exaggerations concerning his imaginary consultations with the UN Security Council will have some impact on the election. The thing is, I've seen nothing about this on major media. Not even Fox. Had I not heard of it on the blogosphere, I'd never have known. Is there a will to put some mass on this story?

(Simultaneously cross-posted by Demosophist to Demosophia, Anticipatory Retaliation and The Jawa Report)

Posted by: Demosophist at 10:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Christopher Hitchens' final article in The Nation: "Why I'm (Slightly) for Bush." Key passage:

In Kabul recently, I interviewed Dr. Masuda Jalal, a brave Afghan physician who was now able to run for the presidency. I asked her about her support for the intervention in Iraq. "For us," she said, "the battle against terrorism and against dictatorship are the same thing." I dare you to snicker at simple-mindedness like that.

Posted by: Demosophist at 04:14 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Scroll down to the end of the story. You can show a guy jacking off--that's art--but you can't show the Islamofascists doing what they do best. Oh, and notice that the artists are 'almost as inhuman as' the terrorists who beheaded Armstrong. Right. Cutting a hostages head off and showing images or video in a concerted efforted to show the terrorists for what they really are is pretty much the same thing. Oh, FYI-Information, images, and links to the Eugene Armstrong beheading video can be found here. Sorry, no images of guys jacking off. Jackson Sun News:

Outrage from the Michigan family of beheaded hostage Eugene ''Jack'' Armstrong prompted Watkins College of Art & Design to pull a controversial video installation Friday from the Nashville exhibit in which it won first prize.

''We're so angry right now that we're about ready to jump in a car and come down there,'' said Cyndi Armstrong, the slain engineer's cousin by marriage, from her office in Hillsdale, Mich....

The school's decision to pull the work came against the wishes of Watkins students Elvan Penny and Scott Phelps, whose ''Fearful Symmetry'' features a 40-minute video with audio that includes footage of Armstrong's beheading in Iraq late last month. Juxtaposed with images of American popular culture, including TV commercials, the footage is intended to jolt the viewer out of complacency and toward a greater awareness of violence in the world....

''We don't want to pull the video. We stand behind the work. But if the college pulls it, we're not going to fight their decision.''...

Armstrong charged that Penny and Phelps are ''almost as inhuman as those people who did what they did to Jack.'' [nice comparison, and I guess Steven Spielburg is 'almost as inhuman as' the Nazis he portrays in Schindler's List]

The rest of the Watkins show is scheduled to reopen Monday. The other controversial work, Penny's photograph of a man masturbating, was originally to be draped in the main gallery, with a warning sign posted. The latest word is that it will not be draped. Instead it will be placed away from the show in an administrative area that's off limits to the public. Visitors will have to ask to see it. [story conitnues... ]

Posted by: Rusty at 12:03 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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Steve Sailer has an exhaustive analysis of standardized tests taken by the two candidates, including SATs and officer candidate aptitude tests, to conclude that, if anything, George Bush is probably a little smarter than John Kerry. The article wanders a great deal, and never quite gets down to claiming a direct comparison, but if I read it right the conclusion is that both men have IQs of 120 or higher, and that Bush's is probably in the range 125-130. In other words both are above the 90th percentile in IQ, but Kerry's is probably in the low 90s and Bush's in the mid 90s. Sailer also draws some conclusions about the differences between how the men are likely to use their gifts: " The subtle difference between Bush and Kerry in two words: Bush is competitive and Kerry is ambitious." Read the whole thing.

(Cross-posted to Anticipatory Retaliation and Demosophia.)

Note: This post submitted by Demosophist

Posted by: Demosophist at 01:35 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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...on a slow Friday afternoon. Yeah, I know it's not scientific. Maybe 30 or so cars

Kerry/Edwards=6, including one "Enron/Haliburton '04"
Nader/Camejo=1
Bush/Cheney=0

PS-This post dedicated to Professor Peter Von Nostrand, who apparently teaches at Johnsonrod U and who I hear has 'dreamy eyes' or something like that. Or maybe it was that he taught at IU and had a dreamy.....

Posted by: Rusty at 01:17 PM | Comments (16) | Add Comment
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1 I'll leave the answer to that important question regarding my dreamy so-and-so to the side and point out that your unscientific poll actually misses the point. Who cares whether most journalists are registered Democrats, or whether most professors are radical leftist Kerry/Edwards supporters. My point has been that the vast majority of journalists and professors - no matter their personal politics - perform their duties with professionalism and with the grown-up version of objectivity in mind. To suggest otherwise is just your own personal attempt at "working the refs" in your favor.

Posted by: Professor Peter Von Nostrand at October 22, 2004 02:07 PM (62QDG)

2 Next you're going to tell me that there is no home-team advantage? I have never suggested journalists or profs don't attempt objectivity or that they don't act professional--only that as human beings we cannot be objective. On purpose or not, we inject our biases into everything we do. We do it by the very nature of the questions we ask, let alone the answers we give.

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at October 22, 2004 02:10 PM (JQjhA)

3 True. And i Know this is your blog(b4 anyone comments). But why are you bashing or (injecting) your bias opinions as if they are the truth, the Fact is they are not. your taking qaute's that Kerry or any other demacrate makes and expanding them as if they are supporting terroist or giving them more fuel for the fire. There's no need Bush has already done that.

Posted by: IraQ at October 22, 2004 02:41 PM (22t5y)

4 Bush supporters are nobody's fools. They have a higher probability of vandalism with a Bush sticker on their car. Democrats or Bush Haters are very violent people. Kerry is scary and so are his supporters.

Posted by: Lisa at October 22, 2004 02:47 PM (hoo48)

5 Once again I think the Prof doth protest too much. My guess is that when you're in the thick of it, you can't see it. And if you see it the same way, you most certainly never see it. If you can't see in the world of academia, ask Prof. Chaos why he shut down blog #1.

Posted by: MOG at October 22, 2004 03:40 PM (t3DtN)

6 I think most Bush supporters don't like to get that gluey shit on their bumpers...only Kerry supporters are dumb enough to do that, for a loser, to boot.

Posted by: Mr. K at October 22, 2004 04:00 PM (8VpLY)

7 Oh Jesus Christ MOG. Don't start the "Ask Professor Chaos about Blog #1" conspiracy. It had nothing to do with liberal bias. I'll site Lisa as a typical Bush supporter. Not because it is true, but because it makes me snicker. No offense Lisa, but you're a little over-the-top on your comments. I'll site Mr. K's comments as the typical "guy in a cabin" viewpoint. Dude, breathe. Oh, and MOG, one more thing. I try to look myself in the mirror every day to make sure I'm not abusing my position. That's all anyone can ask, and by far most professors and journalists do this. Rusty, Perhaps there is something substantive to the fact that most professors are liberal. Hmmm... could we be RIGHT?! I'm sure you do not consider this possibility for one second. Out.

Posted by: Professor Peter Von Nostrand at October 22, 2004 08:12 PM (1miw1)

8 Hey Professor, Get over yourself! Who annointed you the grand psycho-analyzer of the comments section? There is nothing typical about me. It just happens to be the truth, lighten up...

Posted by: lisa at October 22, 2004 08:32 PM (s6c4t)

9 There is a popular coffee place around here. You can find their bumper stickers on a lot of cars. I get a kick out of seeing 5 or 6 of their bumper stickers on a car with a Kedwards sticker. If these people only knew they were helping to support President Bush every time they bought a cup of coffee from this joint. That makes me smile, a lot. )

Posted by: Ricky V at October 22, 2004 10:55 PM (9BReq)

10 Um to back up lisa, I have plenty of friends who choose not to have Bush stickers because of fear of damage to their cars. Whether you can bring yourseld to fathom that is you're own problem, but of my circle of friends it is certainly true. I'm a holder of a Master's Degree from a pretty decent J-School, which gives me little except insight into journalists and professors (and professors of journalism). I would suggest the left tilt of the latter tends to derive itself from a completely insular experience in academia. As a small business owner of a communications firm I can say that most of my profs would last about 30 seconds existing in my average day. There ain't a government mandated program for working 16 hour days without a break dealing with crazy clients. You actually have to be accountable for a product, which lends itself more towards a right-of-center capitalistic approach. As for the former, journalists, most learn very little of anything outside of the conventions of journalism itself. For example, as an undergrad I was one of two or three that actually spent significant time in a liberal arts minor (History) rather than the "easy" minor (Business) and I was the only one (out of a class of say 350) that studied any math beyond Calc I. Believe me nobody quits and becomes a pre-med because j-school is too "hard." As for Mr. K's comment on sticky stickers, it's really funny because my wife and I were commenting on the interstate the other day how many Kedwards stickers are actually put on bumpers. Bush stickers by 3:1 were on windows on this particular road trip. Unscientific? sure, but it made me "snicker."

Posted by: Lurking Around at October 22, 2004 11:16 PM (BKx5y)

11 Hey Professor: I don't think it's objectivity or professionalism. I have noticed most professors are liberals. Don't know why. I think they're just stuck in a certain enviroment. You know, like most people raised by cannibals become cannibals. Or Union members and black people vote democratic. I think its an enviromental issue. When I worked for the Government it seemed that most GS9s and under where democrats and most GS11s and up were republicans. Enviroment? We ate lunch at different places.The majority in poor neighborhoods vote democratic and conversely most in $1,000,000 houses are republican. Most in the academic world have liberal leanings. Most successful business men are on conservative side. Hmmmmm! Maybe you can get a $10,000,000 grant to study the effect of enviroment on liberals and conservatives. Why not? I understand that the government once gave a $450,000 grant to study the sex lives of polish frogs. Of course, a liberal was in office then.

Posted by: greyrooster at October 23, 2004 12:22 AM (CBNGy)

12 To Von Nerdstrum, the Pedantic Prof, I direct you one of Murphy's corollaries: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach, administrate." I suggest that most professor types are liberals because they can't do anything else. Liberals want to eliminate competition and responsibilty. For those who hide in the Ivory Tower, and harbor a secret fear that they may one day have to compete in the real world, it rare for them to be anything but liberals. Thank God (is that okay to write that...hope I didn't offend you) we have DSL here at the log cabin! Kirk.

Posted by: Mr. K at October 23, 2004 09:33 AM (7x3vz)

13 and proof that there are some sensible professor types out there in the blogosphere: http://normblog.typepad.com/normblog/2004/10/the_last_word_o.html

Posted by: Mr. K at October 23, 2004 04:03 PM (CeCjv)

14 Professor Peter von Nostril: Thank you. You are indeed a great inspiration. I never realized how many view the academic community as I do. I still believe there are some teachers worth their salt. You are not one of them. Do yourself and your students a favor and again read LURKING AROUND'S second paragraph above. Then go back to the mirror and take a good look. Again thanks. And please hang in there you can be saved.

Posted by: greyrooster at October 23, 2004 07:40 PM (CBNGy)

15 i live in the historically Democratic bastion of greater Chicagoland- the bumperstickers and yardsigns in the outer fringe are overwhelmingly Dubya. i'll be amazed if he does not win the election. by the way, somebody peeled part of my Kerry/Edwards bumpersticker off in a parking garage last week. parked next to my car that day was a Lincoln SUV with Bush stickers all over it. i initially thought about bashing in all his/her windows with my trusty bat for touching my car, but then i thankfully realized i'm a grownup...

Posted by: jack at October 24, 2004 10:52 PM (M7kiy)

16 You exercised restraint in not bashing out windows, good for you. You demonstrate a lack of judgement in supporting the fake JFK. Download and watch "Stolen Valor". Kirk

Posted by: Mr. K at October 25, 2004 09:25 PM (DQ41u)

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I don't know why I find this so fascinating. It might be the sheer raw power of a volcano or it might be my geeky obsession of all things National Geographic. Either way, the latest info is that lava has reached the surface of Mount St. Helens. To see the latest image from the USFS Mount St. Helens live cam just check below. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 08:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I have been saying for months that the election will not turn on Michael Moore's F-9/11 as the fat man has planned for so long. No, this election will be won by Bush because of another, much more important, film. Team America: World Police. This site basically says the same thing, only better. Bill at INDC has the DU reaction to the upcoming flick. It's funny because it's true.

The dating game question for Dr. Rusty Shackleford: Bachelor #2, if you were any character from Team America: World Police, which one would you be.

Rusty Shackleford's answer: Jawa Hunter.

On an semi-related note, Cameron asks this great question: If the fringe (I'm looking at you Michael Moore) becomes the norm, do we redefine the fringe? I told my upper division students that Michael Moore was, and I quote, "Full of shit and a purveyor of the kind of conspiracy theories that would normally get your ass kicked." They were shocked. They had never heard one of their Profs say anything bad about Michael Moore. Never.

Posted by: Rusty at 12:38 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Remember that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Dr. Jones is teaching and the one student has 'love' and 'you' on each of her eyelids? I had a similar experience today--only the 21st-century-post-MTV-way-dirtier version of that.

Querry: When a female student does something like that, what is the proper response? (keeping in mind that the Prof. is happily married and looking to stay that way)

UPDATE: Just to clarify, I am wondering how to handle the situation--NOT WONDERING HOW TO GET SOME ACTION W/O GETTING CAUGHT!!!!!! Yes, I'm sort of flattered. But I'm also embarassed, sickened, worried that when the chick forgets to take her lithium I'll find a dead rabbit on the stove, etc.

Posted by: Rusty at 05:09 PM | Comments (40) | Add Comment
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1 Pass her off to your single pal Professor Chaos -- he'll know what to do with her.

Posted by: Leopold Stotch at October 11, 2004 05:22 PM (23yc1)

2 Bless her - she'll be wonderful once she grows up, but don't go near her without a bargepole or gun! You may need to punch some sense into her in the meantime but I'm sure if she has the gall to do something like this she's probably extremely attractive and spoilt, in which case she's probably too high maintenance to bother with and after a free ride, probably likely to lose her looks in 10-15 years and be no good for cooking and cleaning, ie no good for anything. But what would I know...

Posted by: steve39 at October 11, 2004 05:37 PM (kjYIz)

3 Well, you have to ask yourself - WWID (what would Indy do)? I say, get on the float plane and head for Mongolia, chap. No-one's found that Arch yet, that we know of, unless of course you're an Ethiopian Jew - they've got it hidden way, someplace. If that doesn't work. Ask yourself the next best question - WWHD (What would Han do)? He would probably share some advice he received from a friend of his and suggest you pretend she's your sister.

Posted by: Editor at October 11, 2004 05:47 PM (adpJH)

4 Let me sub.

Posted by: Joe R. the Unabrewer at October 11, 2004 06:20 PM (DHwcf)

5 Next time it happens, grab a fellow student to act as a witness, have the gal do it again so that student can see it, then sue her ass back to the stone age charging sexual harrassment.

Posted by: ccwbass at October 11, 2004 06:27 PM (zyEPb)

6 yeah - what the hell was the bitch thinking?

Posted by: steve39 at October 11, 2004 06:42 PM (kjYIz)

7 WWID... strangely, I once had a similar experience involving hotpants and Mayan pyramids.

Posted by: Ghost of a flea at October 11, 2004 06:52 PM (zKp0a)

8 I'd actually be super inclined to agree with some of the harder-line approaches. Not only is she engaging in behavior which, when all is said and done, could morph into something resulting in your censure or termination, but also damage your marriage. It's not necessary that you do anything at all to cause a bad outcome - she's crossed a line into territory in which her allegations and immaturity can result in accusations you'll have to defend yourself against. Furthermore, by allowing her to continue this kind of behavior by not putting a stop to it now, you're also teaching her (or at least allowing her to continue to think) that her vagtina is a weapon that she can use to manipulate people. Seriously, you don't need to sue her ass, but bring her up on charges and have her transferred to another section. Anything less exposes you to professional risks, and moreover you have an obligation to her as a professor to not allow her to continue this behavior. Or, on the other hand, you could just send her over my way.

Posted by: Bravo Romeo Delta at October 11, 2004 06:52 PM (hIdkY)

9 you're also teaching her (or at least allowing her to continue to think) that her vagtina is a weapon that she can use to manipulate people. He's not teaching her that. Women know it already.

Posted by: Joe R. the Unabrewer at October 11, 2004 07:17 PM (DHwcf)

10 Rusty, here's a sobering reminder of how important it is for you to be very, very careful and kill the issue before it even has a chance to get momentum. Be a hard ass if you have to.

Posted by: ccwbass at October 11, 2004 07:24 PM (mTeKZ)

11 Students have "advisors" correct? Usually Department Heads that help them with their schedules, achieving their goals, handle problems they might have? I would suggest speaking to her "advisor" or "counselor" or whatever and letting them know you are having a problem with her and have them talk to her. You could sit in on the session if you wanted to but to remain anon, go through her advisor and if that person can't straighten out the problem, see if she can be switched to another class. You could also be your smartass self, grab a kleenex, walk up to her in class and tell her you don't appreciate this kind of stuff in your classroom and will not tolerate it and make her wipe it off right there in front of everyone. End her or anyone else like her before they can take another step. ~Cindy

Posted by: firstbrokenangel at October 11, 2004 09:11 PM (D39Vm)

12 Degrading her seductivity in a non-sexual way works from what I've heard. I think Indy mentioned something to that girl about some dirt on her eyelids that she might want to wash off and she went running.

Posted by: Jeremy at October 11, 2004 09:42 PM (JYeBJ)

13 First of all...you tell a better version of the story.

Posted by: Christopher Cross at October 11, 2004 10:27 PM (0hh5k)

14 Make her yr llama-yipping luv-puppet, dump the wife & kids, trim yr chest hair, discover the world of alpha-hydroxy cosmetics for kewl-dudes-of-a-certain-age, drink yrself into an emotional Abu Ghraib, don't get invited to yr daughter's wedding, mainline Cialis You only live once.

Posted by: jeff at October 11, 2004 11:04 PM (2GS2C)

15 Take notice of her behavior, but don't respond to it in any significant way. See how far she is willing to go. If she asks for your help after class, then you just might have to play hide the sausage with her. But be prepaired to use a condome and take notes from Kobe Bryant's recent legal side show.

Posted by: xraymike79 at October 12, 2004 01:14 AM (UhA4c)

16 xraymike79, I cannot condon your mispelling of condome.

Posted by: ccwbass at October 12, 2004 01:30 AM (W0Vmg)

17 So what was your response Dr RS?

Posted by: qpr jon at October 12, 2004 06:36 AM (Mz9dT)

18 I like Cindy's answer about the advisor and just keep in mind that she probably grew up without a father.

Posted by: Jane at October 12, 2004 07:18 AM (hoo48)

19 I have to agree with Jeff and those on the FP* circuit. Its the simple facct that most women are attracted to rough on the edges FP's. You never see the hotties of the world hanging on to the arms of pre-sandwich Jarod's or the needle neck accountant behind the hornrimmed specticles ... we see them chasing the Indy's of the world. So I think you should follow your soul: It is content and doesnt require a "llama-yipping luv-puppet" and pimp her off to the TA's (poor soul's need to see some action!), or some other poor prof. who is suffering lack of FP action. Then revel in your office chair looking over your new domain of power pimping. *Fellow Pervet

Posted by: Salamander at October 12, 2004 07:28 AM (W2YA6)

20 No response yet. I will have her in class again tomorrow. I'm going to try the John Kerry GWOT 'plan' first. You know, ignore it in hopes that it will become less of a nuissance over time. If that doesn't work I'll follow the Kerry Iraq 'plan' and call a meeting or something with some organization or another. If that fails, I might follow the John Edwards 'plan' and sue her ass. If all that doesn't work--I'm leap-frogging the Bush doctrine and going right to Cheneyville: Nukular bombs!

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at October 12, 2004 08:32 AM (JQjhA)

21 Rusty!! Noooo!! That's the whole problem is that this can't be counted upon to go away the way you want it to. Strike first with formal action, simply to save your ass! If you go in now, then you've got the upper hand, and if you were heavy handed, well, so it goes. On the other hand, if this sits and festers, there's a real, real possibility you may find yourself up on harrassment charges. This is ABSOLUTELY not the time to cede the initative and let this loon dictate the agenda. Don't worry about making her feel bad, or creating a scene. Worry about the climate of guilty until proven innocent that goes along with much of the sexual harrassment arena. Bring it up to her advisor, and start creating a paper trail. God forbid this go anywhere stupid, but you want to start building your documentary defense. Right. This. Instant. If nothing lese, it will do wonders to shore up your stock with Mrs. Rusty if you clearly and vehemently take the high road on this one. BRD

Posted by: Bravo Romeo Delta at October 12, 2004 08:54 AM (9X/fX)

22 Hmm. So are you suggesting a tactical first strike, or maybe an Anticipatory Retaliation???? ;-)

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at October 12, 2004 08:56 AM (JQjhA)

23 Now you're reading me - preempt before there's an imminent threat.

Posted by: Bravo Romeo Delta at October 12, 2004 09:01 AM (9X/fX)

24 Talking about your concerns in the blog and being clear that you are not interested is a great first step and may be all that is necessary. Beyond that I wouldnÂ’t meet alone for office hours or something. Being alone with her at anytime would invite speculation. On some level this compromises your ability to teach her I imagine. It is an incredibly unfortunate reality that situations like this have to be taken so seriously these days and not treated like the silly crushes they are. I would think your school would have a stated policy and guidelines about how you handle this. But frankly from where I sit in almost any direction you have a potential mess. Confront her and she could get upset or angry and accuses you of not treating her professionally in class. Ignore her and you run the risk of her accusing you of something down the road. I wouldnÂ’t say anything to the girl but instead consult whoever counsel is for your school. (A lawyer who is a personal friend may be even better, lawyers are helpful at preventing stuff in situations like this) You arenÂ’t the first Prof to have this happen and you wonÂ’t be the last. I worry though when I watch stuff like thisÂ…. http://academicbias.com/bw101.html

Posted by: James at October 12, 2004 09:13 AM (rP4OC)

25 Yeah, I'm way in favor of the preemptive strike plan. I once dated a girl that only lasted for a week. It ended when she shared a story regarding her ability to manipulate men and her top trophy was the principal of her junior high, whom she had "seduced" and then manipulated the system to cause trouble for him. It was her plan all along. She thought it was funny and exciting. PREEMPTIVE STRIKE, DR.!

Posted by: Editor at October 12, 2004 09:19 AM (uurD1)

26 Just a bit of advice...unless she's crazy or has an unhealthy competitive streak, almost nothing will deflate that girl's sails like a mention of how crazy about your wife and how lovely your children are - in front of the entire class. Not to rub it in, but make sure she knows. That should nip it in the bud right there. That and maybe change your policy this semester if necessary to only answer emails or something, by way of meeting with students. On account of you're so busy. Make something up, and make your boundaries clear. You have that right. And I like the idea of talking to her advisor, leaving a paper trail, etc. Women that age can act horribly if they perceive they've been jilted.

Posted by: willow at October 12, 2004 10:17 AM (+vY9/)

27 You could also be your smartass self, grab a kleenex, walk up to her in class and tell her you don't appreciate this kind of stuff in your classroom and will not tolerate it and make her wipe it off right there in front of everyone. Now that's even better...

Posted by: willow at October 12, 2004 10:19 AM (+vY9/)

28 Just remember Homuth's Rule: "Never sleep with anyone crazier than you are." It has worked for me, when I've had the presence of mind to heed it. Unfortunately Homuth doesn't have a rule about how to say "no thanks" to such a person. I'm sure you'll work it out.

Posted by: Demosophist at October 12, 2004 10:30 AM (KVEF9)

29 Like I said, speak to her advisor, report it, and if she has anything anywhere, make her remove it in class, like I said above - it's the right way to handle the situation. Do Both. ~Cindy

Posted by: firstbrokenangel at October 12, 2004 12:11 PM (D39Vm)

30 Rusty.... Deal with it as though she were the North Koreans threatening to nuke you.... Preemptive First Strike. CYA, Rusty, CYA Just my $.02

Posted by: Reef Rockin at October 12, 2004 12:51 PM (HyUKo)

31 Oh, did I misspell condom. Guess I was thinking of that german website.....http://www.condome.de/condome/index.php

Posted by: xraymike79 at October 12, 2004 02:30 PM (UhA4c)

32 In the case of the Indiana Jones thing, I would have stopped the class and asked the girl, in front of the whole class, what she had written on her eyelids. I don't know exactly what this girl is doing but if it is something similar then embarrassing her to hell and showing that you don't give a damn should get the message across.

Posted by: Red Devil at October 12, 2004 04:21 PM (XZCCz)

33 I would make darn sure that someone of significance knew about this so that in case this girl kicked things up a few notches so that it is known that you were not instigating or participating. Some kind of paper trail/preemption is vital in these kind of situations.

Posted by: Steven Taylor at October 12, 2004 07:05 PM (eKc2g)

34 You are the teacher she is the student. Therefore your duty is to masterfully teach. Her action requires an appropriate reaction on your part. It means that the true nature of the offer must be appropriately determined. Joke? Honest crush? Malice?

Posted by: mathmantom at October 12, 2004 10:11 PM (SlnIr)

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Unless death is simply a social construction, Jacques Derrida is dead. Why am I glad? French and postmodern.

Kevin the Big Hominid talks about the time he met Derrida and says: Derrida the man isn't a problem; it's Derrida the movement that worries me. The money quote on Derrida goes to Brian Leiter: Alas, he is being referred to as a philosopher.

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Seattle's KIRO:

Scientists said the earthquakes and explosions at Mount St. Helens could lead to an eruption as powerful as the one in 1980, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported.

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Actual headline over at the LA Times. Amazing.

Bloggers with more to say than me: more...

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