Successful Education

4/25/24 New York Post:

"Two Columbia University students who rushed to join NYU’s violent anti-Israel rally are going viral after admitting they had no idea what the protest was about — and wished they were “more educated.”

"The unidentified students rattled off their clueless rationale on the steps of the NYU campus in downtown Manhattan as a slew of NYPD cops clad in riot gear stood in the background, as seen in footage viewed more than 3 million times since being shared by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani late Wednesday.

“I think the main goal is just showing our support for Palestine and demanding that NYU stop … I honestly don’t know all of what NYU is doing,” one admitted when asked about the protest’s purpose."

And what is Columbia teaching about critical thinking (or even uncritical thinking) 

Not Just the Marmots Taunting the Dogs

Just 30 feet from the do enclosure.  They soon walked to the north lawn where their movement caused great barking.

Work Cited in a Knife Self-Defense Case

CARLOS LORENZO GONZALEZ, Appellant,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, Appellee.

Case No. 6D23-509.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Sixth District.

The defendant argued successfully that the trial court erred in failing to give his claim of self-defense proper consideration.  The case cites DC v. Heller (2008) for the right to armed self-defense of one's home and a law review article by Dave Kopel, Joe Olson and myself about how arms are protected by the Second Amendment.

Reading the appellate court decision, I find it entirely plausible that the defendant was engaged in lawful defense of his home against a guy with a BAC of .335%.

Boise State University Must Be Moving Up in the World

A while back, BSU's president wanted BSU to be known as a metropolitan university of distinction or some similar rotgut.  I think I am seeing evidence they are moving up in the world.

I was picking up prescriptions at the pharmacy today and there was a car plastered with Israel genocide rhetoric. I was going to photograph it on my way out, but a pink-haired girl (and no, not a bad red dye) was getting in the passenger side and I did not think it wise.  The driver of course had green hair.

In the 1960s, my father was an opponent of the Vietnam War when most Americans were still saying, "Where?". We were watching an antiwar protest on TV and my father's reaction was that these people would get a lot further with their efforts if they were not dressed weirdly with long hair.  

That is the only good news of the Palestinian Rapist/Torturer Defense crowd.  They are effectively identifying themselves as lunatic fringe by their cultural baggage.

An Interesting Exchange Program

You are doubtless aware of student exchange programs that give foreigners a chance to live in America for a while.  I have watched several exchange students react to America and it has been interesting.  So this 4/31/24 Fox News article intrigued me:

"Shattering stereotypes with every swap, a groundbreaking exchange program is offering kids from red and blue states a free ticket to explore the diverse landscapes of America, and challenge any misconceptions they might have about places far from home.

"It's kind of hard to say no to a free trip, but I had this obsession with just seeing everywhere I can, especially parts of the country. It's amazing to see, especially the Midwest," Z.J. Schwartz, a program alum from California, told "Fox & Friends Weekend." 

"The American Exchange Program gives high school seniors from places like New York City and Los Angeles a taste of rural America and vice versa, dispelling misconceptions about the different ways of life and opening minds to new opportunities – all to bridge gaps within the divided nation."

This seems like a big win all the way around.  As I was growing up, I was startled at how many Angelenos had never been eàst of Yosemite.  Yes, the results were very much like the View of the world from Ninth Avenue cartoon.

Shortly after I moved to Boise to work for HP, a friend in California lost his job.  I called to tell him there were jobs open at HP.  "Boise?" I had to reassure him that we had flush toilets, no one I knew married their sister, and it had been a long time since we burned any Jews or heretics at the stake.

Identifying Separation Anxiety

Rosie and Lillie seemed not to be adjusting to the new house.  Rosie was not eating and was beginning to urinate on the carpet while we were away.  Both of them had accepted that they slept in the garage in the old house but here we needed to carry them out there.  Even bribes did not work. After a bit of googling, it appeared to be separation anxiety.  We no longer leave them alone for long and they sleep with us.  Problem solved 

 I rather like having two very loyal mini-wolves (or do you call them wolfettes?) near us at night.

When I Was Young, We Knew This Was a Darwin Award Winner

4/18/24 New York Post:

"An unsettling video shows a group of people carelessly ripping bear cubs out of a tree to snap some selfies in North Carolina.

"The group of about six people was caught on video Tuesday pulling three scared black bear cubs out of a tree over a fence at a Buncombe County apartment complex, ABC 13 News reported."

Black bears are seldom dangerous to humans except when you get between them and food or their cubs.  Human mothers are supposed to be similarly dangerous if you threaten their children.