“So far, neither Gergen nor Culp have publicly produced evidence of voter fraud in Washington. But they say they are collecting proof, including evidence of voting by noncitizens and dead people, and double registrations.”
1. Are We Trading Our Happiness for Modern Comforts? Yes.
2. The man who wants to help you out of debt – at any cost. My perspective on the man.
3. How Your Brain Tricks You Into Taking Risks During the Pandemic. Filled with interesting insights.
4. The Second Life of Princess Diana’s Most Notorious Sweater. What the hell has happened to me? I’ve gone from being one of the world’s leading anti-monarchists to reading about Princess Diana’s sweater. Netflix’s fault.
5. After Beating Cancer, This Syracuse Point Guard Is Coming For The Record Books. Her nearly bald head makes her beautiful smile pop.
As if there was ever any doubt.
This morning she texted the family, “Time magazine Person of the Year for 2020? I say it will be shared between Dr. Fauci and vaccine creators.”
I say Rudy Giuliani for his brilliant legal mind and tireless defense of free and fair elections.
I may get cancelled for writing this, but major props to Loretta J. Ross for asking, “What if instead of calling people out, we called them in?”
1. Colleges Have Shed a Tenth of Their Employees Since the Pandemic Began. The Great Contraction gathers steam. Yesterday, my uni announced the formation of a Joint Faculty Committee which will decide which programs and faculty to cut. When we did this four years ago, I knew we didn’t cut deeply enough. I regret being right.
2. Italian Police Use Lamborghini To Transport Donor Kidney 300 Miles In Two Hours. Should help with recruiting.
3. Have rogue orcas really been attacking boats in the Atlantic? This story has it all including a “rogue pod” and marauding “teenagers”.
4. Jason Reynolds: Honesty, Joy, and Anti-Racism. Great book, highly recommended.
5. The Secret to Deep Cleaning. Come on over if you’d like to practice.
This first year writer of mine is also a swimmer. He’s gonna kill in the water when he gets some self confidence. LOL.
It’s resolved one of teaching’s greatest challenges—making wise choices about things like requests for extensions on assignment due dates in light of individual student’s different life challenges. Or even making educated guesses about whether absences are legit or not.
Now, when a student asks for an extension, I always respond, “That’s fine. How long do you need?” When they explain why they weren’t in class, “No problem. We missed you. Hope you feel better soon.”
I’ve morphed into an easy grader too.
My policy is best summed up thusly, “Socially isolated, uber-anxious, overwhelmed young adults get the benefit of the doubt. Every time in every way.”
Because our politics is now a soulless, zero-sum game.
Before I decide, I’d like to know exactly how much time Trump and Biden spent in their respective labs.
The title of Steve Coll’s New Yorker piece.
“Typically, the best way to understand Trump’s actions is to ask what’s in it for him. Four more years in the White House would extend his immunity from New York prosecutors conducting active investigations into possible criminal activity, ease pressure from bank creditors, and further enrich his family businesses: a win-win-win. Assuming that the President fails to rig a second term, he is fashioning a story about how corrupt Democrats foiled his reëlection, which might galvanize followers and donors after he leaves office. According to the Post, the President told advisers last week, ‘I’m just going to run in 2024. I’m just going to run again.’ His campaign has formed a political-action committee, called Save America, which appears designed as a means for him to raise money to influence the Republican Party after his Presidency ends. The pac is eligible to receive funds now for Trump’s ‘election defense,’ but much of that money would likely be spent on other causes and candidates. Leave it to Trump to manufacture a constitutional crisis that also incorporates a fund-raising con.”
Plausible, but ultimately, just speculation. Why should anyone believe Coll has inside knowledge of Trump’s mindset? I suspect Trump’s mania is largely unexplainable.
Pressing Pause 