Another long week comes to a close here at Veritas Lux Mea, but there's no time to pause as we look forward to an equally busy and exciting week ahead.
This coming Saturday, the special lady friend and I will fire up the ol' Buick LeSabre and make the 5.5 hour long trek down to Chicago to catch Arcade Fire at the Chicago Theater. We may have an ugly car, but we've got stellar seats, four rows back from the orchestra pit, and couldn't be more excited for the venture.
Arcade Fire - "Broken Window"
Next weekend's pace will again be flurried since the next day we have to hightail it back to Central Wisconsin so that I can catch a flight to Boston for work. I'll be attending the ACCM Conference in Beantown, in case any of you are going, which is highly unlikely. Regardless, the many miles in store for next weekend will be well worth the effort.
POLITICS
Clinton promotes affordable tuition
ORANGEBURG, S.C. - Hillary Rodham Clinton used a commencement address Saturday at a historically black university to single out racial progress, from her rival Barack Obama's candidacy to the achievements of South Carolina's first black chief justice.She spoke of making college more affordable and gave a nod to Obama, her Senate colleague and Democratic primary opponent, while drawing on the university's 1960s-era demonstrations.
"Think about the students from this university who braved tear gas and water hoses and beatings and bullets to protest the injustice of segregation and usher in a new era of equality and never lived to see the day of an African-American man running for president," Clinton told the crowd of around 4,000 gathered for Claflin University's commencement.
Claflin students and those at neighboring South Carolina State University know well the civil rights history and battles in South Carolina. In 1968, three demonstrators were killed and 27 wounded when white South Carolina Highway Patrol officers fired into a crowd...
...During her speech, Clinton called the class of 320 graduating students a minority who are able to afford and complete the college degrees they began pursuing.
"But what I'm finding is that so many students and their hardworking parents and families are balking at the cost of higher education," Clinton said. "When they see the price tag their hearts sink."
With fewer than half of the nation's students completing the degrees their start, government must have a larger role to play, Clinton said.
"We need to begin by making college more affordable and accessible," she said. "I think we need to take on the student loan industry and send a clear message they will be held accountable for the way they treat and mistreat students and families."
She is pushing a "student borrower bill of rights" that locks payments at a percentage of income and keeps fees and interest rates reasonable. "I don't believe that you should be subjected to bait-and-switch programs where they tell you what it's going to be and then they change it on you," she said [Read full story].
What we say: Student borrower bill of rights...sounds interesting, but what about those who are already touting tens of thousands of dollars in student debt? Will there be a solution to those who have already had to suffer for the inequities of the student loan system? Will the pursuit of higher education ever not lead to debt? Now those are some questions I'd like to hear solutions for.
EDUCATION
Harvard Task Force Calls for New Focus on Teaching and Not Just Research
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 8 — Joshua Billings, 22, says he did not come to Harvard for the teaching.
“You’d be stupid if you came to Harvard for the teaching,” said Mr. Billings, who will graduate this spring and then go to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar. “You go to a liberal arts college for the teaching. You come to Harvard to be around some of the greatest minds on earth.”
And that is pretty much how the thinking has gone here at Harvard for several decades. As one of the world’s most renowned research universities, Harvard is where academic superstars are continually expected to revolutionize their fields of knowledge. Cutting-edge research is emphasized, and recognized with tangible rewards: tenure, money, prestige, prizes, fame.
But now, with strong support from the university’s interim president, Derek Bok, nine prominent professors are leading an effort to rethink the culture of undergraduate teaching and learning. Headed by Theda Skocpol, a social scientist, the group has issued a report calling for sweeping institutional change, including continuing evaluation and assessment of teaching and learning, and a proposal that teaching be weighed equally with contributions to research in annual salary adjustments.
“It’s about the pursuit of excellence in teaching,” said Professor Skocpol, the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. “We need to put our money where our mouth is. We can’t just mention excellent teachers occasionally. We have to notice and reward their efforts consistently.” [READ MORE]
New graduation skills
As business schools start to teach more ethics and practical skills, enrolments are climbing again
“TOYOTA would have been proud of our just-in-time implementation,” claims Joel Podolny, dean of the Yale School of Management—surely the first time the head of an academic institution has, without a hint of irony, used a factory-floor metaphor for speed and efficiency to describe his ivory tower. In March 2006 the faculty voted to change its MBA curriculum fundamentally. By September they were teaching it [READ MORE]
SCIENCE & SEX
Oral sex can cause throat cancer
People who have had more than five oral-sex partners in their lifetime are 250% more likely to have throat cancer than those who do not have oral sex, a new study suggests.The researchers believe this is because oral sex may transmit human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus implicated in the majority of cervical cancers.
The new findings should encourage people to consistently use condoms during oral sex as this could protect against HPV, the team says. Other experts say that the results provide more reason for men to receive the new HPV vaccine [READ MORE].
We we say: Talk about a blow to an oral tradition (cymbal crash).
JOURNALISM
Literary Battle Fatigue: The Army can regulate soldiers' blogs and letters—but it shouldn't.
In the name of "operations security,"* the Army established new regulations last month that sharply restrict the content of letters, e-mails, blogs, and articles written by military personnel, and require a security review before they can be published. (Ironically, the regulations were themselves restricted for security reasons; Wired got a copy and published them online.) To defend the new rules, the military cited reports that al-Qaida and other terror groups have been trolling the Internet for useful information about how American units fight on the battlefield. After a brief flurry of criticism, including some from Congress, the Army backed down somewhat, saying it would not enforce the new regulations strictly by reading every letter and e-mail home from soldiers in the field. [READ MORE]
We we say: We understand the national security issues involved with the soldier's blogs and writing being published online, but there's also the voice of the American soldier that's being censured by the regulations. Having never been overseas to fight terrorism, some of us only know about the experience from what we see on CNN or 60 Minutes. But by imposing these "Draconian regulations" you are cutting out important dialouge from the "other side" that may help foster ideas and an understanding of the conflicts truly occurring overseas, not only in the public realm, but in the minds and hearts of the soldiers as well.
MUSIC
Featured Artist: Sleeping in the Aviary
Sleeping In The Aviary formed in 2003 and quickly played its way to the top of the Madison, WI scene, garnering much praise from the local luminaries. Oh, This Old Thing? proves the buzz surrounding its live shows deserved and presents a band poised to emerge at the national level. The album's opening salvo dominates, suggesting early Thermals via mid-western garages and basements. From there its 20 minutes of kick-ass lo-fi power pop laced with strains of Buzzcocks crunch, Kinks hooks, and I swear, a dash of Ruins grandiose spazz. “Pop Song” is appropriately titled as it keeps you hooked with its pop-perfect lyrics, hand claps, and tambourine. “Another Girl” is a classic unapologetic rock song which you’ll be humming when you least expect it. You haven't had this much fun in a while and you deserve it. Sleeping in The Aviary is touring in support of Oh, This Old Thing? through May, 2007.
Sleeping in the Aviary - "Pop Song"
Sleeping in the Aviary - "Another Song"
Madisonites, catch SIA Jun 29 10:00P at King Club w/National Beekeepers Society, Sunshine for the Blind and Cribshitter
Sleeping in the Aviary at Myspace
Featured Artist: Black Moth Super Rainbow
Deep in the backwoods of Pennsylvania lives a five piece psyche-rock group called Black Moth Super Rainbow. It doesn't use 'high-tech' gadgets or computers. Members go by aliases like Tobacco (vocals) and Father Hummingbird (Rhodes and monosynth). Most folks refer to the band as being completely detached from the 'real world', while they're actually probably more connected to the 'real world' than anyone else. Its geographical and societal seclusion allows Black Moth to create pop songs uninfluenced by mainstream tunes. Songs are created with a fresh slate-- a complete naivety for 'what's hot' at the moment. Dandelion Gum completely affirms this notion by presenting a collection of fairy-tale psyche-pop that grabs listeners with obscure and unique hooks. Black Moth Super Rainbow gifts listeners with an equally addictive alternative to mainstream pop-- just as brilliant and much more creative
Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Forever Heavy"
Black Moth Super Rainbow - "The Afternoon Turns Pink"
Black Moth Super Rainbow website
Nirvana Rare Tracks
Nirvana - "Rape Me" [Live on Saturday Night Live]
Kurt Cobain - "Mrs. Robinson" [Kurt's high school recordings]
Nirvana - "Dive" [live Hollywood Rock Concert 1993]
Nirvana - "Breed" [MTV Live and Loud - Pier 48 Seattle]
Nirvana - "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" [Beavis and Butthead Soundtrack]
Nirvana - "Swap Meet" [Bleach]
Catch Part 2 of our Nirvana Rare Tracks tomorrow!