Thursday, March 01, 2012
Our Corporate Masters
As an academic I interact with many groups of professionals on a daily basis. Students, colleagues from various disciplines, and administrators.
It's the latter I'd like to discuss right now, for I've come to call them "Our Corporate Masters".
What a bunch of self serving jackasses.
I'm sorry, that's probably a bit too blunt. It's true though.
If it doesn't enhance their resume, or put another bullet on their accomplishment list, it's not important. If it's not something they can take credit for, or their boss can take credit for, forget about it.
Education of the students? Secondary.
Morale of Faculty? Tertiary
Building their own "accomplishments" and resume? Primary
Giving credit to hard working individuals who actually do the work they take credit for? Get real.
Anyway, this was simply meant as a gripe without too many specifics. And though I can provide specifics now's not the time. I just felt like griping a bit about Our Corporate Masters, or to paraphrase Rumpole "They Who Must Be Obeyed".
As an academic I interact with many groups of professionals on a daily basis. Students, colleagues from various disciplines, and administrators.
It's the latter I'd like to discuss right now, for I've come to call them "Our Corporate Masters".
What a bunch of self serving jackasses.
I'm sorry, that's probably a bit too blunt. It's true though.
If it doesn't enhance their resume, or put another bullet on their accomplishment list, it's not important. If it's not something they can take credit for, or their boss can take credit for, forget about it.
Education of the students? Secondary.
Morale of Faculty? Tertiary
Building their own "accomplishments" and resume? Primary
Giving credit to hard working individuals who actually do the work they take credit for? Get real.
Anyway, this was simply meant as a gripe without too many specifics. And though I can provide specifics now's not the time. I just felt like griping a bit about Our Corporate Masters, or to paraphrase Rumpole "They Who Must Be Obeyed".
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
People Will Talk
This has to be one of my favorite movies of all times. Great humor, excellent acting, outstanding lines. And a quirky main character (Dr. Praetorius just to be clear), and the mysterious Mister Shunderson (who's so cute you just want to hug him*).
One of my favorite lines in the movie comes at about 9:50.
Text of Scene:
Elwell: "Dr. Praetorius, will you stipulate and agree to abide by the verdict of this committee?"
Praetorius: "I will do nothing of the kind"
Elwell: "Why not?"
Praetorius: "Because I don't know what the verdict will be"
Elwell: "The verdict will affect you seriously whether you agree to abide by it or not"
Praetorius: "Then why ask idiotic question to which you already know the answer?"
Text of Scene ends.
Absolutely priceless response.
*According to an individual with whom I watched the movie recently.
This has to be one of my favorite movies of all times. Great humor, excellent acting, outstanding lines. And a quirky main character (Dr. Praetorius just to be clear), and the mysterious Mister Shunderson (who's so cute you just want to hug him*).
One of my favorite lines in the movie comes at about 9:50.
Text of Scene:
Elwell: "Dr. Praetorius, will you stipulate and agree to abide by the verdict of this committee?"
Praetorius: "I will do nothing of the kind"
Elwell: "Why not?"
Praetorius: "Because I don't know what the verdict will be"
Elwell: "The verdict will affect you seriously whether you agree to abide by it or not"
Praetorius: "Then why ask idiotic question to which you already know the answer?"
Text of Scene ends.
Absolutely priceless response.
*According to an individual with whom I watched the movie recently.
Matt Damon is Awesome
It is nice to see someone defend teachers for a change, and he did it so incredibly well.
via Pharyngula
It is nice to see someone defend teachers for a change, and he did it so incredibly well.
via Pharyngula
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
"Religious people sure are touchy
Of course, anyone who pays attention knows that. The second you even consider that their 'God' or 'gods' are just myths, they get very defensive.
Anyway, Kevin Drum has a very good article up about this, in reaction to those billboards going up all over the U.S. by atheist groups (Go Atheists!).
Christians Against Religious Freedom
Of course, anyone who pays attention knows that. The second you even consider that their 'God' or 'gods' are just myths, they get very defensive.
Anyway, Kevin Drum has a very good article up about this, in reaction to those billboards going up all over the U.S. by atheist groups (Go Atheists!).
Christians Against Religious Freedom
Hey, Lookie,* a wee little quiz!
An engineering professor is treating her husband, a loan officer, to dinner for finally giving in to her pleas to shave off the scraggly beard he grew on vacation. His favorite restaurant is a casual place where they both feel comfortable in slacks and cotton/polyester-blend golf shirts. But, as always, she wears the gold and pearl pendant he gave her the day her divorce decree was final. They're laughing over their menus because they know he always ends up diving into a giant plate of ribs but she won't be talked into anything more fattening than shrimp.
Quiz: How many biblical prohibitions are they violating? Well, wives are supposed to be 'submissive' to their husbands (I Peter 3:1). And all women are forbidden to teach men (I Timothy 2:12), wear gold or pearls (I Timothy 2:9) or dress in clothing that 'pertains to a man' (Deuteronomy 22:5). Shellfish and pork are definitely out (Leviticus 11:7, 10) as are usury (Deuteronomy 23:19), shaving (Leviticus 19:27) and clothes of more than one fabric (Leviticus 19:19). And since the Bible rarely recognizes divorce, they're committing adultery, which carries the rather harsh penalty of death by stoning (Deuteronomy 22:22).
So why are they having such a good time? Probably because they wouldn't think of worrying about rules that seem absurd, anachronistic or - at best - unrealistic. Yet this same modern-day couple could easily be among the millions of Americans who never hesitate to lean on the Bible to justify their own anti-gay attitudes.
~Deb Price, And Say Hi To Joyce
(*not normally a term this 'blogger' uses, but it is used by the person who sent me this quote. So what the heck)
An engineering professor is treating her husband, a loan officer, to dinner for finally giving in to her pleas to shave off the scraggly beard he grew on vacation. His favorite restaurant is a casual place where they both feel comfortable in slacks and cotton/polyester-blend golf shirts. But, as always, she wears the gold and pearl pendant he gave her the day her divorce decree was final. They're laughing over their menus because they know he always ends up diving into a giant plate of ribs but she won't be talked into anything more fattening than shrimp.
Quiz: How many biblical prohibitions are they violating? Well, wives are supposed to be 'submissive' to their husbands (I Peter 3:1). And all women are forbidden to teach men (I Timothy 2:12), wear gold or pearls (I Timothy 2:9) or dress in clothing that 'pertains to a man' (Deuteronomy 22:5). Shellfish and pork are definitely out (Leviticus 11:7, 10) as are usury (Deuteronomy 23:19), shaving (Leviticus 19:27) and clothes of more than one fabric (Leviticus 19:19). And since the Bible rarely recognizes divorce, they're committing adultery, which carries the rather harsh penalty of death by stoning (Deuteronomy 22:22).
So why are they having such a good time? Probably because they wouldn't think of worrying about rules that seem absurd, anachronistic or - at best - unrealistic. Yet this same modern-day couple could easily be among the millions of Americans who never hesitate to lean on the Bible to justify their own anti-gay attitudes.
~Deb Price, And Say Hi To Joyce
(*not normally a term this 'blogger' uses, but it is used by the person who sent me this quote. So what the heck)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Welcome to the Club
"Welcome to the club of states who don't turn their back on the sick and the poor....The very fact that there should have been such a violent debate simply on the fact that the poorest of Americans should not be left out in the streets without a cent to look after them ... is something astonishing to us." French President Nicolas Sarkozy, March 29 2010
"Welcome to the club of states who don't turn their back on the sick and the poor....The very fact that there should have been such a violent debate simply on the fact that the poorest of Americans should not be left out in the streets without a cent to look after them ... is something astonishing to us." French President Nicolas Sarkozy, March 29 2010
Monday, December 21, 2009
Prince of Peace
Granted, he was speaking in a parable, but you decide for yourself whether it's taken out of context or not when you read the entire passage...
"But as for these enemies of mine, who did ot want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me" Jesus, Luke 19:27, RSV
Granted, he was speaking in a parable, but you decide for yourself whether it's taken out of context or not when you read the entire passage...
Friday, November 27, 2009
Ingersoll
"All that is necessary, as it seems to me, to convince any reasonable person that the Bible is simply and purely of human invention - of barbarian invention - is to read it. Read it as you would any other book; think of it as you would of any other; get the bandage of reverence from your eyes; drive from your heart the phantom of fear; push from the throne of your brain the coiled form of superstition - then read the Holy Bible, and you will be amazed that you ever, for one moment, supposed a being of infinite wisdom, goodness and purity, to be the author of such ignorance and of such atrocity."
[Robert G. Ingersoll, The Gods, 1872]
"All that is necessary, as it seems to me, to convince any reasonable person that the Bible is simply and purely of human invention - of barbarian invention - is to read it. Read it as you would any other book; think of it as you would of any other; get the bandage of reverence from your eyes; drive from your heart the phantom of fear; push from the throne of your brain the coiled form of superstition - then read the Holy Bible, and you will be amazed that you ever, for one moment, supposed a being of infinite wisdom, goodness and purity, to be the author of such ignorance and of such atrocity."
[Robert G. Ingersoll, The Gods, 1872]
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Ingersoll
If the account given in Genesis is really true, ought we not, after all, to thank this serpent? He was the first schoolmaster, the first advocate of learning, the first enemy of ignorance, the first to whisper in human ears the sacred word liberty, the creator of ambition, the author of modesty, of inquiry, of doubt, of investigation, of progress and of civilization.
- Robert G. Ingersoll, "The Gods", 1872
