| Saturday, September 21, 2002 |
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Guns on Campus
By Diana Hsieh @ 9:22 AM
Speaking of guns, it seems that some students are working to overturn university bans on firearms on campus. As someone who is suffering under the Boulder ban on firearms anywhere on campus (even in vehicles, even for concealed carry permit holders, despite state law), I only hope that some good precedents can be set elsewhere. (Thanks to Josh Zader for the link.)
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Wimpy Ammo
By Diana Hsieh @ 9:16 AM
Apparently, our troops in Afghanistan aren't so fond of the 9mm Berettas issued by the military. Many have opted instead to use their own 45s, mostly 1911s. (The US military switched to 9mm a while back in order to standardize with our obviously-wimpy NATO allies.)
The fact that our troops are issued 9mm handguns is absurd, as 9mm simply doesn't have the stopping power of .45acp. (So sure, your ammo is lighter, but you have to carry more of it.) Even I switched from a 9mm Glock 19 to .45acp Glock 30 and 36 for self-defense a while back, as I wanted something that would stop even a dedicated criminal in a single round, if need be.
I wonder if the European soldiers switch over to 45s too...
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| Friday, September 20, 2002 |
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Four New Reviews
By Diana Hsieh @ 10:08 PM
In addition to some site rearrangement, I've added a four new reviews, reprinted below:
The Prime Movers: Traits of the Great Wealth Creators by Edwin Locke
Ed Locke's The Prime Movers is a fairly detailed and empirical analysis of the traits common to great business leaders. Using businessmen (and women) of the past and present as both positive and negative examples throughout, Locke makes an excellent case that traits such as independent vision, a relentlessly active mind, egoistic passion for work, and love of ability in others are essential for great success in business. (Locke then breaks down each of these traits into subcomponent traits, discussing each in turn.) Despite some painfully Objectivist bits, this book was an inspiring and informative look into what makes the movers and shakers of the economy so successful.
God and Mankind: Comparative Religions by Robert Oden
In these eight lectures, Robert Oden tackled some of the more interesting questions of religion, such as the problem of evil and religious heroes. His lectures were clear, well-structured, well-grounded in the literature, and always-interesting, in spite of his somewhat aggravating habit of often foreshadowing the lecture. Lecture Seven on "Religious Rituals and Communities" should be of particular interest to Objectivists, as his discussions of churches versus sects, the Puritan idea of a "calling," and the American antipathy towards ritual all bear upon debates in the Objectivist community.
The Truth About Lying by Stan Walters
Stan Walters may not be the most polished writer, but he has written a clear and interesting practical manual for detecting deception. Walters persuasively argues that there are no simple indicators of deception (like looking down and to the left). Rather in order to detect deception, we must meticulously and repeatedly compare a person's normal behavior with their behavior in response to a given issue, looking for the stress responses that may signal deception. (He discusses the details of those stress responses at great length.) Reading this book almost made me wish for a habitual liar in my life so that I could test and practice the myriad of techniques for detecting deception myself!
The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty of America's Campuses by Alan Kors and Harvey Silvergate
While I frequently find myself engrossed in a good novel, rarely do I get so lost in a work of non-fiction. But I was delighted to find myself so entranced with The Shadow University that I read the hefty book cover to cover in a single day. The book went far beyond the usual horror stories to in-depth discussions of the philosophical, legal, institutional conflicts over free speech on campus. Perhaps even more disturbing than restrictions of free speech were the accounts of the (often-secret) kangaroo courts run by the universities in which students are too-often hung out to dry. A better book on the battle for free speech on campus could not be written. (Proving that sunlight is indeed the best disinfectant, Kors and Silvergate have continued to press for free speech on campus through their remarkably effective Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.)
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| Tuesday, September 17, 2002 |
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Ayn Rand on Kuro5hin
By Diana Hsieh @ 9:46 PM
The folks over at Kuro5hin are having a vigorous discussion of Ayn Rand. The article is summarized as:
Who was Ayn Rand? A Short Summary & Critique
By randinah
Tue Sep 17th, 2002 at 01:52:50 PM EST
Arguably one of the most notorious names in the philosophy community is that of Ayn Rand. Author of such well known books as Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead and the brains behind the Objectivist philosophy, Ayn Rand is an idol of individuality and freedom for the young and idealistic while being a scorned outcast of the philosophic community.
Who was Ayn Rand? What is objectivist philosophy? Does this philosophy hold water? In this article I will attempt to give an overview of the Objectivist philosophy and lay a starting ground with which one can base a balanced opinion on the thoughts of Ayn Rand.
Unfortunately the author's summaries of Rand's views aren't always accurate, so I hope my fellow Objectivists pop by to correct the errors. I'll probably post a comment or two tomorrow.
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| Monday, September 16, 2002 |
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Multi-Colored Boulders
By Diana Hsieh @ 4:01 PM
As an undergrad at WashU, I was dismayed by the fact that almost all of the student organizations were either religious or ethnic. But at least there wasn't much multiculturalism at the university per se. No so at Boulder, as this recent campus-wide e-mail indicates.
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 02:23:01 -0600 (MDT)
From: CU - General E-Memo
Subject: CACMA Letter of Invitation
TO: UCB Students
FROM: Office of Diversity and Equity
SENDER: mable.stewart@colorado.edu
DATE: September 12, 2002
SUBJECT: CACMA Letter of Invitation
LETTER OF INVITATION
The Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs (CACMA) is seeking to fill four open committee member positions.
BACKGROUND ON CACMA
The Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs (CACMA) was appointed in 1987 as an advisory body to the Chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder in matters relating to the recruitment and retention of faculty, staff, and students of color.
MISSION STATEMENT
CACMA is dedicated to enhancing the University's climate for diversity, multiculturalism and social justice. The Committee assesses the campus environment and advises the Chancellor. It is also a resource for all university departments and individuals seeking to improve CU-Boulder's climate for diversity.
To carry out this charge, CACMA seeks to:
- Influence policy that affects people of color.
- Enhance awareness of issues that affect people of color. This includes organizing and implementing an annual campus-wide summit on diversity.
- Advocate for interventions that improve the campus climate for people of color.
- Promote and work toward social justice for people of color on campus.
- Recognize efforts to promote diversity, multiculturalism and social justice within the campus community.
EXPECTATIONS
Interested candidates must:
a. Make a quality commitment to CACMA with a minimum of two-year service.
b. Attend CACMA monthly committee meetings currently held on the second Friday of each month from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
c. Actively participate in the Campus annual Diversity Summit planning and implementation.
d. Actively participate on an on-going basis on a subcommittee as needed.
QUESTIONS for CONSIDERATION:
- How familiar are you with CACMA?
- Why are you interested in becoming a CACMA committee member?
- How do you see CACMA making an impact within the community?
- What other committees have you participated on?
- What issues of concern regarding ethnic minority faculty, students, and staff would you like to see addressed?
- What do you feel will be your contribution?
- What is your race/ethnicity? (optional)
Please write a few short paragraphs taking into account the MISSION, EXPECTATIONS, and the QUESTIONS for CONSIDERATION. Selection will be based upon the best fit in keeping with CACMA's mission and by-laws for a diverse membership.
Email to mable.stewart@colorado.edu or send to the Office of Diversity and Equity at 018 UCB by October 20th.
Did you catch that loaded Mission Statement? It starts "CACMA is dedicated to enhancing the University's climate for diversity, multiculturalism and social justice." Wow.
What do you think the chances are of someone like me getting such a job? How would they react to an application from a person who thinks that calls for diversity of skin color are demeaning and racist, that multiculturalism is a fraud, and that social justice is an incoherent, destructive idea? Not well, I suppose.
If I wasn't on campus just two days per week, I'd actually send in an application. (I wouldn't want to risk being selected but unable to accept.) Oh, what fun that would be!
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