Nobody looks good in this.
This is about 2 blocks from campus/my apartment.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
McCain and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week
McCain's had worse weeks, but I liked the sound of that title.
Here's McCain losing a few female voters (btw is it just me or does "women voters" sound wrong?) and unintentionally providing us all with a good laugh. The look on his face at the 51 seconds mark is priceless;
And just today the White House accidentally gave Obama a big assist on Iraq, just as he's visiting that country.
Update (07/27/08): This doesn't change the fact that McCain punted when confronted with a difficult "women's issue," but it turns out that the problem his own adviser was referring to is not widespread at all. Carly Fiorina, former HP CEO, current McCain economics adviser, brought up the potentially dangerous issue of birth control when she publicly complained that health insurance companies are covering Viagra, but not birth control. If true, that's a pretty clear cut case of a societal double standard. But it turns out that Fiorina's concerns have largely been addressed in recent years. (The rest of the interview is true though; McCain did vote against making coverage of contraceptives mandatory - though of course, as with all bills before the Senate, there were probably a whole slew of provisions in there.)
p.s. Thinking about this makes me want to listen to Loretta Lynn's great, pro-birth control song "The Pill."
p.p.s. The Chinese guy at my local beer+ store loves classic American music; Dylan, Elvis, Beach Boys, teenybopper songs from the 50s and 60s... his taste is impeccable. One time he was listening to some Conway Twitty. I said to him, "Conway Twitty, eh? I'm a fan too." And then he starts laughing, telling me that I'm too young to be listening to that kind of music.
McCain's had worse weeks, but I liked the sound of that title.
Here's McCain losing a few female voters (btw is it just me or does "women voters" sound wrong?) and unintentionally providing us all with a good laugh. The look on his face at the 51 seconds mark is priceless;
And just today the White House accidentally gave Obama a big assist on Iraq, just as he's visiting that country.
Update (07/27/08): This doesn't change the fact that McCain punted when confronted with a difficult "women's issue," but it turns out that the problem his own adviser was referring to is not widespread at all. Carly Fiorina, former HP CEO, current McCain economics adviser, brought up the potentially dangerous issue of birth control when she publicly complained that health insurance companies are covering Viagra, but not birth control. If true, that's a pretty clear cut case of a societal double standard. But it turns out that Fiorina's concerns have largely been addressed in recent years. (The rest of the interview is true though; McCain did vote against making coverage of contraceptives mandatory - though of course, as with all bills before the Senate, there were probably a whole slew of provisions in there.)
p.s. Thinking about this makes me want to listen to Loretta Lynn's great, pro-birth control song "The Pill."
p.p.s. The Chinese guy at my local beer+ store loves classic American music; Dylan, Elvis, Beach Boys, teenybopper songs from the 50s and 60s... his taste is impeccable. One time he was listening to some Conway Twitty. I said to him, "Conway Twitty, eh? I'm a fan too." And then he starts laughing, telling me that I'm too young to be listening to that kind of music.
Friday, July 18, 2008
"It was better than hurting myself"
That quote's pretty much the worst thing I've ever heard. It's the explanation Adam Peterson gave his mother for having committed murder.
A while back I posted about 3 then-unsolved Madison murders in-and-around the student part of town. One of those murders has now been solved, and the murderer turns out to have been a baby-faced college student. It's a sad story.
But first, to recap: a year ago Kelly Nolan disappeared after a night out on State Street (Madison's main bar area running from campus to the capitol). Her body was found 2 weeks later in a field a few miles south of Madison. This is still unsolved, and very few details have been released by the police.
In January, Joel Marino, a young-ish Madison resident was stabbed to death in his home at lunchtime. He lived slightly south of what I would call the area of predominantly student-focused housing. He also lived about a block from Brittingham Park, which is a frequent hangout for the homeless, and drug dealers (and others; frisbee and soccer games take place there most summer days). An eyewitness saw someone running from Marino's home, and another eyewitness saw the same person dump a backpack in a garbage bin. After a month or so, a sketch of the suspect was released. The person in the sketch was wearing a UW stocking cap, and didn't look particularly homeless; indeed it turns out to have been a college drop-out.
In April, Brittany Zimmerman, a UW student was murdered in her home at around 1PM. She lived about 3-4 blocks north-northeast of Brittingham Park, in a neighbourhood that is mostly inhabited by students, but also has an assisted living facility, and more recently a bunch of new condo's for young professionals. This is also still unsolved. In the days following the murder police "rounded up" a lot of homeless/jobless people known to frequent or live in that neighbourhood. I think that all arrests were made, technically, because of outstanding warrants for other crimes.
(There was also a shooting death on State Street, in May of last year, literally right in front of my apartment building, but that case was "solved" right away, and wasn't really murder. It did however involve Madison's street people and/or homeless, which I'll come back to later.)
The Marino murder is now solved, and a 22 year old kid, Adam Peterson, has been arrested. The kid's story is pretty sad. By all published accounts he was a nice if somewhat quiet kid, and his family comes across as being fairly decent, honest people in the few interviews they've done. Court transcripts of recorded jailhouse phone conversations include this exchange:
He joined his twin brother at UW Madison after a year at UW Lacrosse, but he dropped out half way through his first semester. Then the news reports get a bit fuzzy. At some point in time he apparently got into some serious drug problems including cocaine use. But it's not clear if that was before or after the murder. Now it seems that Peterson will file an insanity plea. From interviews with his father, it seems that he was being treated for depression but, again, I'm not sure if any of that took place before the murder.
A lot of people were expecting that the Marino and Zimmerman murders would turn out to be connected since both stabbings occurred in the early afternoon, in the victim's home. Public speculation focused on the homeless, probably due to the growing number of homeless in those (residential) neighbourhoods, and the increasingly aggressive behaviour of panhandlers on State Street, and door-to-door soliciting in that neighbourhood. (Only something like 10% of the homeless are panhandlers, but they're also the only homeless most people are aware of.) At around the same time (on the same day) as the Zimmerman murder, a homeless man (and convicted sex offender) was arrested for home invasion a block north of the crime scene, adding to the speculation. And of course, Madison's professional activists were up in arms about the negative attention the homeless were getting.
My own feelings are somewhat mixed. Obviously, I'm relieved that Peterson's been caught. But he seems to have been out of town when the other murders took place, so those cases are still very much open. Also; if the murderer had turned out to be a homeless person I think the city's response would have been much more complicated. Students are easier to deal with: I think we'll see some increased emphasis on taking care of students' mental health, probably just by increasing awareness on campus of the resources available (freely, and readily). That won't be enough to calm people's nerves though, because the other two murders were closer to campus, and are still unsolved.
I should also add that there have been a few, still-unsolved murders in other parts of the city, including the horrific shooting of Marcus Hamilton in his home, while (his?) four children were also home. Update: A couple of days after I wrote this, news came out that the case had been (mostly) solved. It also appears to be drug related.
That quote's pretty much the worst thing I've ever heard. It's the explanation Adam Peterson gave his mother for having committed murder.
A while back I posted about 3 then-unsolved Madison murders in-and-around the student part of town. One of those murders has now been solved, and the murderer turns out to have been a baby-faced college student. It's a sad story.
But first, to recap: a year ago Kelly Nolan disappeared after a night out on State Street (Madison's main bar area running from campus to the capitol). Her body was found 2 weeks later in a field a few miles south of Madison. This is still unsolved, and very few details have been released by the police.
In January, Joel Marino, a young-ish Madison resident was stabbed to death in his home at lunchtime. He lived slightly south of what I would call the area of predominantly student-focused housing. He also lived about a block from Brittingham Park, which is a frequent hangout for the homeless, and drug dealers (and others; frisbee and soccer games take place there most summer days). An eyewitness saw someone running from Marino's home, and another eyewitness saw the same person dump a backpack in a garbage bin. After a month or so, a sketch of the suspect was released. The person in the sketch was wearing a UW stocking cap, and didn't look particularly homeless; indeed it turns out to have been a college drop-out.
In April, Brittany Zimmerman, a UW student was murdered in her home at around 1PM. She lived about 3-4 blocks north-northeast of Brittingham Park, in a neighbourhood that is mostly inhabited by students, but also has an assisted living facility, and more recently a bunch of new condo's for young professionals. This is also still unsolved. In the days following the murder police "rounded up" a lot of homeless/jobless people known to frequent or live in that neighbourhood. I think that all arrests were made, technically, because of outstanding warrants for other crimes.
(There was also a shooting death on State Street, in May of last year, literally right in front of my apartment building, but that case was "solved" right away, and wasn't really murder. It did however involve Madison's street people and/or homeless, which I'll come back to later.)
The Marino murder is now solved, and a 22 year old kid, Adam Peterson, has been arrested. The kid's story is pretty sad. By all published accounts he was a nice if somewhat quiet kid, and his family comes across as being fairly decent, honest people in the few interviews they've done. Court transcripts of recorded jailhouse phone conversations include this exchange:
"If I did (tell you), you'd like turn me in," Peterson said to his mom. Her response: "Oh probably."
He joined his twin brother at UW Madison after a year at UW Lacrosse, but he dropped out half way through his first semester. Then the news reports get a bit fuzzy. At some point in time he apparently got into some serious drug problems including cocaine use. But it's not clear if that was before or after the murder. Now it seems that Peterson will file an insanity plea. From interviews with his father, it seems that he was being treated for depression but, again, I'm not sure if any of that took place before the murder.
A lot of people were expecting that the Marino and Zimmerman murders would turn out to be connected since both stabbings occurred in the early afternoon, in the victim's home. Public speculation focused on the homeless, probably due to the growing number of homeless in those (residential) neighbourhoods, and the increasingly aggressive behaviour of panhandlers on State Street, and door-to-door soliciting in that neighbourhood. (Only something like 10% of the homeless are panhandlers, but they're also the only homeless most people are aware of.) At around the same time (on the same day) as the Zimmerman murder, a homeless man (and convicted sex offender) was arrested for home invasion a block north of the crime scene, adding to the speculation. And of course, Madison's professional activists were up in arms about the negative attention the homeless were getting.
My own feelings are somewhat mixed. Obviously, I'm relieved that Peterson's been caught. But he seems to have been out of town when the other murders took place, so those cases are still very much open. Also; if the murderer had turned out to be a homeless person I think the city's response would have been much more complicated. Students are easier to deal with: I think we'll see some increased emphasis on taking care of students' mental health, probably just by increasing awareness on campus of the resources available (freely, and readily). That won't be enough to calm people's nerves though, because the other two murders were closer to campus, and are still unsolved.
I should also add that there have been a few, still-unsolved murders in other parts of the city, including the horrific shooting of Marcus Hamilton in his home, while (his?) four children were also home. Update: A couple of days after I wrote this, news came out that the case had been (mostly) solved. It also appears to be drug related.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Innocent of what?
-from The Hunting of the Snark, by Lewis Carroll
"Just the place for a Snark!" the Bellman cried,
As he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide
By a finger entwined in his hair.
"Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice:
That alone should encourage the crew.
Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice:
What i tell you three times is true."
-from The Hunting of the Snark, by Lewis Carroll
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Saturday, June 07, 2008
More Hillary
Slate has a short piece by Bruce Reed that addresses the important issue of the media's anti-Hillary slant, and the societal sexism that it is a reflection of.
Everyone should read it.
Slate has a short piece by Bruce Reed that addresses the important issue of the media's anti-Hillary slant, and the societal sexism that it is a reflection of.
Everyone should read it.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Construction woke me up at 7, so I took advantage of the nice weather and went to Madison's Botanical Gardens.
Construction woke me up at 7, so I took advantage of the nice weather and went to Madison's Botanical Gardens.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
The gender card
Hillary Clinton's campaign is almost over. A year ago she was considered a shoo-in, but an incompetent campaign and enthusiastic grassroots support for Obama has done her in. Helping her downfall was an aggressively hostile press. When she was winning news stories focused on possible chinks in her armour, when losing the press crows that she was supposed to be the favourite and wonders aloud and in print if this setback marks the beginning of the end. In contrast, stories about Obama's setbacks focus on the glimmers of hope, the silver linings - or the cheapest ploy in the modern liberal's playbook: racism as a explanation for Obama's stumbles.
Many years ago liberals sold out womankind by omitting women's suffrage from the 15th amendment. Now liberals have once again chosen black maleness over a pair of x chromosomes. Liberals in the media played no small part in this betrayal.
I recall Garrison Keiler, lamenting the loss of John Kerry (or was it Al Gore?), saying that liberals had had a good run, and had much to be proud of including the fact that it was no longer acceptable to use racist language in polite conversation. Women's oppression was never as violent as that of blacks, but the victory over that oppression has not been as complete. No national network, or major cable news outfit would tolerate the use of racist language: an N-bomb would almost certainly guarantee that a guest would never be invited back. But sexist language is acceptable. From Chris Matthews, do David Schuster (MSNBC has been especially egregious in it's anti-Hillary stance) making disgustingly offensive remarks, to subtler forms of disrespect such as debates over Clinton's wrinkles, cleavage, and pantsuits. Equivalent, racist comments on Obama would be condemned sans debate. But the media portrays sexism as a two-sided matter of opinion that's open to debate. The very fact that Wolf Blitzer thinks this is debatable betrays the inherent sexism of his (and many others') coverage.
Ok, I kind of got off track there... the reason I was making this post in the first place was actually to criticize Clinton supporters for taking their sexism complaints too far. A recent New York Times story features a myriad of complaints about perceived sexism. This one in particular stood out:
I get the feeling that this same woman would have been equally offended had Obama acted in the opposite way ("who is he to tell her to drop out! blah blah blah...").
There's much to be angry about, but it won't help women's rights to cry wolf when there are so many real threats.
I was going to write a bunch more stuff and was planning on tying this into some recent math department drama, but I'll do that later.
Hillary Clinton's campaign is almost over. A year ago she was considered a shoo-in, but an incompetent campaign and enthusiastic grassroots support for Obama has done her in. Helping her downfall was an aggressively hostile press. When she was winning news stories focused on possible chinks in her armour, when losing the press crows that she was supposed to be the favourite and wonders aloud and in print if this setback marks the beginning of the end. In contrast, stories about Obama's setbacks focus on the glimmers of hope, the silver linings - or the cheapest ploy in the modern liberal's playbook: racism as a explanation for Obama's stumbles.
Many years ago liberals sold out womankind by omitting women's suffrage from the 15th amendment. Now liberals have once again chosen black maleness over a pair of x chromosomes. Liberals in the media played no small part in this betrayal.
I recall Garrison Keiler, lamenting the loss of John Kerry (or was it Al Gore?), saying that liberals had had a good run, and had much to be proud of including the fact that it was no longer acceptable to use racist language in polite conversation. Women's oppression was never as violent as that of blacks, but the victory over that oppression has not been as complete. No national network, or major cable news outfit would tolerate the use of racist language: an N-bomb would almost certainly guarantee that a guest would never be invited back. But sexist language is acceptable. From Chris Matthews, do David Schuster (MSNBC has been especially egregious in it's anti-Hillary stance) making disgustingly offensive remarks, to subtler forms of disrespect such as debates over Clinton's wrinkles, cleavage, and pantsuits. Equivalent, racist comments on Obama would be condemned sans debate. But the media portrays sexism as a two-sided matter of opinion that's open to debate. The very fact that Wolf Blitzer thinks this is debatable betrays the inherent sexism of his (and many others') coverage.
Ok, I kind of got off track there... the reason I was making this post in the first place was actually to criticize Clinton supporters for taking their sexism complaints too far. A recent New York Times story features a myriad of complaints about perceived sexism. This one in particular stood out:
Nancy Wait, 55, a social worker in Columbia City, Ind., said Mr. Obama was far less qualified than Mrs. Clinton and described as condescending his recent assurances that Mrs. Clinton should stay in the race as long as she liked. Ms. Wait said she would “absolutely, positively not” vote for him come fall.
I get the feeling that this same woman would have been equally offended had Obama acted in the opposite way ("who is he to tell her to drop out! blah blah blah...").
There's much to be angry about, but it won't help women's rights to cry wolf when there are so many real threats.
I was going to write a bunch more stuff and was planning on tying this into some recent math department drama, but I'll do that later.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Graduation day.
Today, was graduation for most undergrads at UW-Madison. Five of my neighbours graduated (maybe more... I only know 7 of the 11 people in my building), and a whole bunch of my former students also finished. All day long I saw families all over the city; at the farmer's market, on campus, and in the various neighbourhoods where students reside. Since I'm finishing soon, this will be my last time seeing this until my own kids graduate from college - and to be honest, it felt strangely bittersweet. I'm of course really happy for these kids, but at the same time, I kind of envy them. Graduating from college was one of the greatest moments in my life, and I'm a bit jealous that these younger kids get to experience that today. It makes me realize that I'm not as young as I used to be.
It was especially nice to see one of my favourite students at the farmer's market today; this loud (almost obnoxiously loud) kid was probably the best student I ever had - he wasn't the smartest (although he was certainly quite bright), and he wasn't the hardest working... but he was always willing to ask questions and never took anything too seriously, which made teaching that class so much easier.
-diego.
Today, was graduation for most undergrads at UW-Madison. Five of my neighbours graduated (maybe more... I only know 7 of the 11 people in my building), and a whole bunch of my former students also finished. All day long I saw families all over the city; at the farmer's market, on campus, and in the various neighbourhoods where students reside. Since I'm finishing soon, this will be my last time seeing this until my own kids graduate from college - and to be honest, it felt strangely bittersweet. I'm of course really happy for these kids, but at the same time, I kind of envy them. Graduating from college was one of the greatest moments in my life, and I'm a bit jealous that these younger kids get to experience that today. It makes me realize that I'm not as young as I used to be.
It was especially nice to see one of my favourite students at the farmer's market today; this loud (almost obnoxiously loud) kid was probably the best student I ever had - he wasn't the smartest (although he was certainly quite bright), and he wasn't the hardest working... but he was always willing to ask questions and never took anything too seriously, which made teaching that class so much easier.
-diego.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Farmer's market + car show
Here's some photos from the yesterday.
State street was packed partly because it's the last farmer's market of the semester, and partly (mostly?) because there was a car show with lots of cool vehicles:
Here's a Delorean;
Here's 2 photos of a 1934 Brewster Town Car;
And here's a bunch of other cool cars;
This last photo shows two adjacent tables at the King Street corner of the farmer's market. This juxtaposition is classic Madison; on the left you have the Southern Wisconsin Butterfly Association, on the right you have a conspiracy theory pushing 9/11 Truth supporter. This is the most succinct description of Madison's non-student population that I can think of;
Here's some photos from the yesterday.
State street was packed partly because it's the last farmer's market of the semester, and partly (mostly?) because there was a car show with lots of cool vehicles:
Here's a Delorean;
Here's 2 photos of a 1934 Brewster Town Car;
And here's a bunch of other cool cars;
This last photo shows two adjacent tables at the King Street corner of the farmer's market. This juxtaposition is classic Madison; on the left you have the Southern Wisconsin Butterfly Association, on the right you have a conspiracy theory pushing 9/11 Truth supporter. This is the most succinct description of Madison's non-student population that I can think of;
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Friday, May 02, 2008
Police Competence
On a more positive police/911 note: it only took 4 minutes for a cop to show up when we called 9-11 an hour ago. Some drunks tossed a construction marker thing into the construction hole, and somehow a pipe has been spewing water out ever since... Presumably someone will eventually show up to turn that off.
On a more positive police/911 note: it only took 4 minutes for a cop to show up when we called 9-11 an hour ago. Some drunks tossed a construction marker thing into the construction hole, and somehow a pipe has been spewing water out ever since... Presumably someone will eventually show up to turn that off.
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