The Unofficial Stanford Blog

Denver, Obama and What to Expect

2008-08-25T21:38:43Z

With the run-up to the Democratic National Convention and Obama’s epic speech (we know it will be that), it’s useful to remind everyone that you should not pour all your hopes in him; he is a weak vessel, as he is human after all. Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com (if you aren’t reading that site yet, and you are a political junkie, I don’t know what to say to you besides read it) researched the Obama comparisons, which revealed that Obama had been compared to everyone from Thomas Dewey to JFK to Ronald Reagan. The problem doesn’t end there; the New York Times Magazine ran an article this week describing Obama as a “Free-market Loving, Big-Spending, Fiscally Conservative Wealth Redistributionist.” This makes him sound like the politico-economic equivalent of a Liger, plainly somewhat ridiculous and contrived. Some think of him as a squishy idealist; others, as a political animal. Awesome powers are ascribed to him: look anytime on Facebook and you can see that photo of him with “Hope” or “Change”; or, for a more journalistic view of the matter, look at the article “Is Obama the End of Black Politics?” Something has gone wrong here. Something has gone wrong because plainly, all these things can’t be right. If that were all that were wrong, we wouldn’t be in such bad shape—after all, there are still Republicans who believe Bill Clinton ran a drug ring out of Arkansas. But then again, that has the view of conspiracy theory: it’s not as widespread, nor does it rest on a mistaken view of what the moment represents. We have agreed that, if Barack Obama were to be elected, it would be a radical moment. But we have no idea what this means. Visually, this is an easy conclusion to make (hint: Barack doesn’t look like the rest of the guys on the money). And obviously it’d be excellent to have a black guy in the White House after all these years. But, on the issues, it is rather different; Obama is in many ways a conventional liberal. His views on foreign policy aren’t radical (he does not, for instance, publicly question the imperialistic aspects of American foreign policy. If you don’t see what I mean, ask yourself: why do we still have troops in Germany?), nor are his economic views that far out. No, on the issues he is a conventional liberal. Perhaps he will reform the process? He does speak of unity and bridging gaps and the like quite a bit. One hopes he doesn’t carry this too far, as with the execrable FISA compromise—it’s great to speak of compromises, but compromising the Fourth Amendment is more a surrender than anything else. So we are left with a considerably more blurry picture of what type of change Obama intends to bring to the table. And, even if the change is of the right kind, we should not expect it to be very far reaching. The history of liberalism in our country is one of bitter disappointment and half-done tasks. Go look at the Tilden election that ended Reconstruction, or redbaiting bringing down Truman’s ambitions, or the Vietnam War destroying LBJ’s career, or Al Gore being screwed by one of the worst decisions in Supreme Court decisions. If you have ambitions for change, know that the Constitutional system is set up to make this difficult. Just ask Dr. No, Tom Coburn. He’ll block every liberal bill he wants, because he doesn’t care about being unpopular among his Senatorial colleagues. Then there’s the economic situation. You might want health care and cap-and-trade and those kinds of things, but you know what? We’re back in the days of stagflation. Fortunately the deficit isn’t as terrible as some have lead you to believe—as a percentage of GDP, it’s less than the percentage beginning Clinton’s first term—but it is a factor that Obama will have to contend with when considering all the other ambitious proposals he says he wants to pursue. All this is a long way of explaining that you should expect to be disappointed by politics for a while. (But disappointment should not lead to apathy or giving up; this only cedes the field to those disappointing you). ]]>

Guest Post: Getting the Best Out of Orientation-and Then Some

2008-08-25T17:18:32Z

hey (soon-to-be) freshman, here's a guest post by Anne Crossman, a Stanford-educated author with some tips about how to, uh, get the best out of orientation (and then some!) --darius So, you’ve got your dorm assignment for the year…your summer reading well underway (!)…and you’ve most likely been hitting the Back to School sales pretty hard in the hopes of making your new home at Stanford a bit, well, homier. Ah yes, I remember the nauseous excitement well. It was just a few years ago that I, too, had packed every crevice of my parents’ white minivan with what I thought I couldn’t live without for the year, pulling up to Stern Hall at 7:30am as my Twainie RA’s were getting set to unroll the red, uh, foil gift wrap. It took me by complete surprise when they welcomed me by name as if they had been waiting for me for the last four years; any qualms I had about moving away from home vanished. ]]> Getting the Best Out of College. (I co-wrote it with a Dean and prof from Duke University, so even if you think I’m totally out to lunch you should still check it out since there are tips inside I would have paid big money to know prior to paying big money to study at The Farm.) Anyway, in thinking back to orientation and the first few weeks of dorm life, I’ve come up with twelve “why didn’t someone tell me that earlier” tips to pass along—after all, within a matter of weeks we will be fellow alums. Don’t worry, you can thank me later. Insight #1: Make a list of everything you want to pack for college—then, take only 60% of that. No, I’m not some packing sadist. In fact, if pressured, I would be forced to admit that I packed crates of soymilk into my dorm room along with my personal library and more clothes than anyone needs in balmy Palo Alto. Sorry, Ontima. Take it from me, less junk in your room makes it easier to keep it clean—short of a toothbrush, sheets, a suitcase of clothes , and a couple posters, there’s not much else you’ll need that you can’t pick up at the student store. Tidbit #2: Don’t do what I did by arriving half an hour before move-in starts. (What can I say, I was a little eager and my dad was worried about parking…) If your RAs are anything like mine were, they have been up all night prepping your dorm with all sorts of cheery surprises, and you arriving early would not be one of them. It’s to everyone’s benefit (including yours) to arrive on time. Popular #3: Make it a goal to know the name of everyone in your dorm by the end of the first week. There was one student named Shelly who actually wore a nametag (and an infectious smile) everyday for the first week, asking lots of questions about folks to get to know them better. (If nametags aren’t your gig, you could always fire up your popcorn maker around midnight and sit in the hall until the hordes arrive.) She figured once the school year got going it would be tough to meet new dormmates. She was right. And, years later, I still remember her name. Moral #4: Get to know your RFs well—they know the system and can give pointers on everything from where to find the best brownies at 2am to which campus “personal development” programs you won’t want to miss. A-ha #5: As soon as you get your course schedule, chart out your ideal week with blocks of time set aside for work and play, and stick to it as best as you can for the rest of the term. (Bonus hint: you’re better off studying in the morning while campus is quiet rather than evening/night, since the dorm will be a hive of activity you won’t want to miss.) Brought to You by the #6: Strive for five, six or, heck, twelve servings of fresh fruits and veggies a day. Mom’s not here, and with the commons oh so convenient and the company oh so inviting, you’ll find yourself downing way more sweet rolls than you planned. So keep the kale handy. Hallmark Moment #7: Send your family a care package that includes a photo tour of your new life on campus. Guaranteed, your move away from home is more bitter than sweet for them, so do what you can to send them some love. Busy #8: Attend as many orientation activities as possible—your RAs aren’t exaggerating when they say your first week on campus provides you more time to explore and play at Stanford than you’ll ever have again. Bull’s Eye #9: Take a tour of the library. Don’t worry, you live on a campus full of nerds so no one will laugh (and if they do, they’re overcompensating). The Stanford University Library resources are vast. So, figure out what and who are there to help you prior to day one of classes (when you discover you have three research papers due in the next two months and panic sets in). Tasty #10: Make friends in other dorms and see if you can swap points to visit during mealtime. After a month or so, the offerings at your own commons will start to get…predictable, so why not do some exploring? No-duh #11: Pick up a copy of Getting the Best Out of College . Oh, come on…you didn’t really expect me to miss out on a plug, did ya? Seriously, though. If Duke liked it enough to give it to their entire incoming class, and Harvard passed it out to all their proctors, and George Washington U gave it to their counseling program, and LeMoyne College made it part of their required curriculum…there might just be something to it... Rockin #12: Have some fun. Really. You’ve worked hard to get here; congrats, and enjoy the ride. Anne Crossman is a co-author of Getting the Best Out of College: A Professor, a Dean, and a Student Tell You How to Maximize Your Experience, published by Ten Speed Press in 2008. After teaching English in public high schools and military barracks for five years, she is taking time off from her day job to publish a poetry memoir on Alzheimer’s (Trying to Remember) and a humorous educational series addressing life as a high school student. Anne studied at both Stanford and Duke Universities, earning a BA in English and a Certificate of Education, and currently lives with her husband and sons in Seattle, WA. For more information about the book or to contact Anne directly, visit http://www.annecrossman.com/

Are Oil Prices Rigged?

2008-08-22T20:10:23Z

Presented in TIME Magazine under the title Are Oil Prices Rigged?, the controversial Officer-Hayes Hypothesis claims that oil producers have artificially boosted prices by speculating in the oil futures market. It relies on the fact that the futures market is smaller than the physical oil market, so it is in an oil supplier's interest to boost prices in the smaller, price-setting market. In light of the realization that one firm did, in fact, control 11% of the oil futures market, Officer-Hayes has proved plausible. Ari J. Officer studies financial mathematics Garrett J. Hayes studies materials science and engineering at Stanford.

Knitting - A Diversion from the Dissertation

2008-08-12T03:17:26Z

In between writing this summer I've been knitting. In particular, I've been knitting scarves. It's an activity which lets me be creative, yet gives me an "output" rather fast. I'm rather pleased with myself because after a bit of screwing around I've figured out how to embed beads in my scarf and using a variation on the "cheater's lace" pattern, I've created what I'm calling my "sea scarf." I chose the colors and beads to evoke the nets fishermen use.
I just need to finish the scarf by weaving the yarn tails back into the scarf before snipping them, and am still deciding what I'm going to do with the scarf (I give away the majority of the scarves I make to friends and family).

While it doesn't look that big, the scarf is 5 1/2 feet long. I like to make my scarves that way so that you can wind them around your throat and still have play.
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I'm now applying my new found ability to embed beads in a scarf by knitting a "web" scarf out of cotton yarn reclaimed from an old j crew sweater that I had. I'm hoping that the yarn's dark green color will by offset by the "sparkle" of the clear beads I'm attaching to the scarf.

Your Housing Assignment

2008-08-11T01:21:17Z

Friday, August eighth was a monumental day for the incoming freshman of the Class of 2012. Tears were shed in both glee and sorrow. Since the last mailing received on June 27th, the incoming frosh, including myself, have all been anticipating the day where yet another piece of information would be shared to bring us closer to New Student Orientation on September 16th. Rooming assignments haunted me since August began: would I be roomed near my Admit Weekend friends, in THE Branner, the dorm every incoming frosh seemed to be hoping for, near the library, or in the middle of nowhere? Nightmares seemed to occur each night, in which my roommate was incompatible with me and everyone in my dorm was rude, introverted, and unhygienic. Well, this message came rather rapidly, appearing in our stanford webmail inboxes. I immediately clicked on the link to see my future.]]>
Your Residence Assignment. You have been assigned to Paloma House in Florence Moore Hall (commonly called Flo Mo). Paloma is an all-freshman house in which men and women live on the same corridors. Approximately 60 students live in the house, including upperclass staff. Most freshmen occupy double rooms. Bathrooms are located on hall corridors.

Flo Mo consists of seven small houses: Alondra, Cardenal, Faisan, Gavilan, Loro, Mirlo, and Paloma. With 470 total students, the complex offers the best of small- and large-group living. The complex includes both all-freshman and four-class houses. Flo Mo is divided into two sides East Flo and West Flo with resident fellows (live-in faculty or senior staff members who guide the life of the house) serving each side. Paloma is in West Flo, along with Gavilan, Loro, and Mirlo. Each house in Flo Mo has its own lounge, dining room, and other common areas, providing popular gathering spaces for residents. The three houses in East Flo are home to the program in Structured Liberal Education. Each house in Flo Mo is named for the Spanish word for a type of bird. Paloma means dove or pigeon. Lore has it that Florence Moore, the buildings namesake, made her donation for the halls construction on the condition that ice cream be served in the dining hall each day.
What is FloMo?! What does all that mean, anyways? Nothing but confusion set in, and disappointment when I realized that out of the fifty people I've conversed with via telephone since Admit Weekend, only one other person was placed into Paloma with me. Facebook lit up the spotlight for all those whom received Branner, and all those that seemed to be lost in FloMo. I was perturbed because I didn't choose SLE, but thought all of FloMo was SLE!

After careful contemplation, however, I've come to realize that it's not about the location of the dorm, but who's in it! In Paloma so far I've met a Varsity Crew member, an extreme Soccer player, two people trained in ballet since the age of three (one male, one female), and a lad from London! So this next year will be filled with complete ridiculousness and adventure, and I cannot say that I am displeased at ALL with the location of my dorm. New faces=new expeditions=fun for all! I'm just ready for September 16th and the start of a brand new life.

Alyssa Rapp, Founder and CEO of Bottlenotes

2008-07-16T06:39:55Z

MP3 File| Subscribe via iTunes | Add to del.icio.us Alyssa Rapp is the Founder and CEO of Bottlenotes, an online wine retail business that helps individuals discover and learn about wine. Alyssa started the company while at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she headed the school's 500-person wine club. In this interview, Alyssa gives key insights on starting and running a hybrid online retail business, talks about her personal and entrepreneurial story for Bottlenotes, and gives leads to the most amazing wine regions in the world. Her goal for Bottlenotes, she says, is to create the "Pandora of wine". Alyssa earned a B.A. in Political Science and the History of Art from Yale University in 2000 and an M.B.A. from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2005. In between her first and second years in business school, she spearheaded the sales and marketing efforts at RO Imports, an importer of boutique New Zealand wines in New York. Thanks to Julio, iinnovate emeritus, and Roger for contributing to this interview. - Min Liu of iinnovate

When Everyone Converts to Something Different - Why I Believe in the Necessity of the Separation of Church and State

2008-07-14T13:27:32Z

I’ve always been a firm believer in the separation of Church and state. Even as a young child, I intuitively understood then necessity of keeping religion out of public discourse, even though my parents were evangelical fundamentalists. I’m a believer in the firm separation of church and state because I’ve had the necessity modeled to me in both my parents family. You see, a couple years before I was born quiet a few of my aunts and uncles converted – to different religions and branches of Christianity. My parents converted to a Protestant Fundamentalist sect, another couple of uncle’s became a Jehovah’s Witnesses, other became just plain Protestant, a whole branch of my Mom’s family became Mormon, along with one of my Dad’s brothers, while other aunt became a practicing Pagan. On my father’s side his parents were nominally Mexican Catholic while my mother’s mother and stepfather were agnostics. Fired up with the zeal of their new found beliefs family members began immediately trying to save each other and those who took the live and let live approach. Protestant’s fought with each other and with the Catholics (some declared Catholics weren’t really Christians), then ganged up on the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons (whom they considered to be a different religion). Family gatherings became small religious wars in which each participant was determined to prove the others’ religions false. Individuals (such as my parents) began insisting on prayers over meals, which raised the question – whose prayer would be said. Relationships became strained. Independently, each set of grandparents arrived at the only set of rules which would keep the peace – there would be no discussion of religion at family gatherings, at all. Those who did so would be asked to stop or to leave. Surprisingly, my father’s parents, the Catholics, banned group prayers before meals. You could say your own private prayer, closing your eyes, over your own plate, but that was it. My mother’s parents, the agnostics, allowed prayers at holidays, but ruled they had to be generic “thank you for the food amen” types. Strained relations began to ease and, deprived their favorite topic, new discussions began to take place on neutral ground. Make no mistake, my parents, and religious aunts and uncles are each still firmly convinced that the others are in danger of going to hell and in their own houses may occasionally engage in debates and attempt to invite each other to Church, but the rules my grandparents established have slowly begun seeping into family gatherings where my grandparents aren't present. Allowances are made for different dietary requirements (such as setting aside a portion of food at a BBQ that is grilled separately from the pork products for the Muslim member of the family or making a vegan dish for fasting Orthodox members). At family gatherings people tiptoe around the subject of religion – “You went on a mission to Hawaii? How was Hawaii?” and the only occasions where it is brought up are weddings, and sadly, funerals. Even then, if the religion allows, people attempt to hold them outside of Churches so that others can attend or understand that for certain portions, other members of the family will be absent. As us kids have grown, religious diversity has only increased. As I think about my family’s experience, the one thing which allowed the “separation of church and family” was the buy-in and commitment that each member had to remaining a member of the family. At first, members of the family acceded to my grandparents’ wishes because they wanted to see them, and later, continued to practice this behavior because they wanted to see each other and were committed to being a family. As a scholar of religion, someone who reads and listens to a lot of religious media to try to get a handle on what’s happening in various religious groups (hello 1260AM Catholic Radio I saw your ad in front of the Stanford Mall), and as someone who grew up in (but is no longer) an evangelical fundamentalist setting, I worry that more and more various groups are no longer “buying-in” to the idea of America as a nation of diverse cultures and religions. The religious history of the founding of America is full of individuals fleeing religious persecution (the Quakers), people wanting to set up their own little theocracies (the Pilgrims), people just wanting to make a buck (Jamestown adventurers), and people whose religion the dominant culture attempt to erase (African slaves and Native Americans), it is a history filled with contention and warring ideologies which have been brought together into a common, more secular, culture. But the ideologies still continue to clash over cultural control. Increasingly, I believe, we face the danger of fragmentation. When I was a child, fundamentalists had their own subculture – my family and I patronized different bookstores, listened to different radio stations (we didn’t watch TV), went to different elementary and high schools, and even had the option of going to different colleges than our “secular” neighbors. If anything, the gap between this subculture and others has only grown, and other, smaller groups, have developed their own separate subcultures as well. When you don’t have contact with your “secular” (or whatever other division) neighbors, send your children to schools in which every subject is taught through the lens of your own theology and ideology (the history I learned literally began with the Garden of Eden and paralleled the Bible for early history), it becomes easy to demonize your cultural opponents as you literally share no common culture. It is hard for me to convey to someone who has not grown up in this kind of subculture the totality of it all and the ideological twisting of science and history that can go on in such environments. The ideologues that we listened to (such as James Dobson) told us we were at war. My concern is that this rhetoric and mentality of separation has only gotten worse – if you are at war, you cannot have common ground with the enemy. This recognition of common ground is crucial if we are to prevent the fragmentation of American society and form a civil society with shared civic virtue.

Examining the Disadvantages of Attending Stanford

2008-07-07T06:45:28Z

The American Scholar - The Disadvantages of an Elite Education - By William Deresiewicz I just finished this great essay by a professor at Yale who realizes that he has nothing to say to his plumber; he has no way to make small talk with a lower-middle class guy. Deresiewicz goes on to discuss the three disadvantages of students who graduate from elite universities: 1) You don't know how to talk to people who are not "smart" in the analytical sense (like you are) 2) You get a false sense of self-worth through the way the school bends over backwards for you 3) You lose the ability to accept less than prestigious lives - elite universities do not produce many elementary teachers, artists or poets 4) You don't get a chance to truly explore the intellectual life because you are too busy trying to jump through hoops It reminded me of Rick Perlstein's essay "What's the matter with College" which I responded to rather viciously. But this essay is either coming at the issue from a different angle (less aggressive, more humble and introspective) or I've just changed my mind over the past year. Maybe a little bit of both. Even though I've changed career paths from medicine to business (Applied to the Harvard 2+2 program last week), I still agree with the essay's ideas. One of my friend might make a great teacher, but even his parents told him: "If you wanted to be a teacher, you could have gone to San Jose State. If you go to Stanford, you'll have to do more". So he's applying to law school. I'm lucky that I've learned a lot about failure through sports - specifically gymnastics. When only one person/team can win, you learn that often, you are not good enough. You learn how to fail and smile and keep trying. There is no equivalent in most other collegiate endeavors. I daydream about traveling the world, but wonder what my parents and classmates would think. I'm eager to make an impact on the world, but also wish I could spend a whole summer just reading books and playing video games. But how stupid would that be? Anyway check out the essay and tell me what YOU think. The Disadvantages of an Elite Education

A new song for the new summer

2008-06-28T16:19:03Z

I've blogged about my friend and Stanford alum ('06) Jack Conte on here before, but I couldn't help but put this one up, too. It's a collaboration with Nataly Dawn (aka Natalie Knutsen '09) called "Pas Encore" and released under the collaboration name Pomplamoose. As if the awesome group name wasn't enough, the song is better. If I were cool enough to say the word bumpin', I would say this song is effortlessly bumpin'. I downloaded the mp3 from Jack's mySpace and have been playing it on my iPod all morning. It's my "new, awesome, hot" song for the summer. And, much like Jack's other YouTube videos, this one was first released in VideoSong format, so there's some fun stuff to watch. A particular delight for you CCRMA folks, I would think.

CoHo reopens

2008-06-25T21:24:31Z

The CoHo reopened Monday morning, to some Stanford Facebook fanfare, after almost a year of absence. Was it worth the wait? A friend of mine and I stopped by for lunch to give the "new" old CoHo a try. She ordered a Portobello mushroom sandwich, which came in a clear plastic container and looked encased in two thin slices of Corporate Bread. My friend, a vegetarian for many years said the sandwich had "way too much cheese". I ordered a Pear and Goat Cheese salad for 7.04 USD with tax, and some minutes later received a small bowl of baby spinach, tiny pear slices, soft bits of goat cheese, and a mild but seemingly omnipresent glaze of oil-based dressing.

We noted the aged wood tables still present, the odd Stanford alum? caricatures on the wall, and a large wall-sized poster of a Spanish matador. It was a quiet, Stanford summer scene, but after that small salad, my stomach asked for more. I inquired about the provenance of the 1.75 USD Croissants on display, not the ones Satura-made, but the ones the cheery cashier claimed were made in-house by Guillermo, a trained pastry chef, she said. I asked about the flour -- organic and/or refined? She didn't know, just saw all-purpose flour, and Sysco Wholesome Farms butter. As an artisan baker myself, spoiled by the organic Giusto's flour and (American Humane association Certified) Clover Stornetta organic butter I use when preparing my own Viennoiserie from scratch, I gave the 1.75 USD CoHo-made croissant a try and was somewhat disappointed. Although the execution was good and the visual aesthetics pleasing, the quality of the ingredients, or shall I say the lack thereof, clearly shone through. I put the croissant back in the bag after two bites and left the new old CoHo. First impressions? Overall food rating: B+ Ambiance: A- Sustainability: B (no mention of organic ingredients, dairy sourced from large corporate farms (SYSCO), non-compostable utensils and plastic-heavy food containment) For a campus that prides itself on being at the vanguard of sustainable food and dining for a college campus, I for one hope we can and will do better.

Summertime!

2008-06-23T07:31:05Z

Finally, it's time for summer, which means eating ice cream, heading to the pool/beach and playing lots of video games. Well, I guess at Stanford that mean doing internships at big companies, working at start-ups, doing research, studying for a standardized test, training for an athletic team or some combination thereof. I'm taking it easy this summer - just working part-time at the Stanford Calling Program, doing gymnastics training and doing a little work for Gumball Capital. More about that next time. What are you up to this summer?

This could have been avoided for $39.99 + Tax

2008-06-07T08:45:35Z

Paleontology Scandals and Alleged Theft from Grad Students

2008-06-03T04:06:12Z

While perusing PZ Meyers’ blog I read an interesting entry about a brouhaha brewing up in the paleontological world over alleged theft of naming rights to specimens. In Summary A graduate student, Bill Parker, completed his master’s thesis using a New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science specimen He argued that the specimen was unique enough to warrant its own name and submitted a paper to the Journal of Systematic Paleontology in which he bestowed a new name on the specimen. The rules of paleontology apparently state that whoever publishes first gets naming rights. I’m not a paleontologist, but apparently naming a new specimen is very important and can make a Paleontologist’s career. Parker’s article to the Journal of Systematic Paleontology was reviewed by Spencer Lucas. Here comes the murky and alleged parts: Lucas then published a paper in an New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science’s in-house publication (which is not peer reviewed) two-weeks prior to the January 2007 publication date of Parker’s article. Parker is alleging that Lucas used his position in the Museum and as journal reviewer to steal the naming rights away from Parker. Given the timeline presented, Parker’s allegations have a lot of merit after the break - the allegations mount ]]> New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and at least one of Lucas’ co-authors heard Martz give a presentation on his thesis. The article in which the alleged theft took place also was published in the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science's in-house publication. Both Martz and Parker complained to the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, which is responsible for overseeing the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. When the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs convened the ethics review, it staffed the board with paleontologists who had co-authored papers with Lucas, the person being charged with the ethics violation. It is charged that one of these individuals announced his findings - that the allegations against Lucas were unfounded - before the review board met to make a decision. To an unbiased observer, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science’s ethics review looks hinkey. Furthermore, if these researchers are using the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science’s in-house publication to steal ideas from junior researchers, then the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science needs to place some review measures into the publication process and to penalize researchers who use the publication to advance their career in an unethical manner. Read more about this "Aetogate" scandle here and here. So What? The stealing of ideas by senior members of departments from junior members or the stealing of ideas from graduate students by professors is the dirty, not-so-little secret, of academia. The graduate students and junior members have little or no recourse: Complaints make them an outcast and perceived trouble maker. Because the professor or senior member of the department has usually garnered an impressive body of work, the student or junior member’s charges are viewed as unfounded or as attempts to garner the credit for the higher ranking individuals idea – after all, why would someone, particularly someone at a high ranking school or museum researcher have to steal ideas from a junior member or graduate student. Furthermore, the individuals stealing the ideas are often in positions of power over them, they are often the graduate student’s advisor or the junior member’s reviewer. Alienating the more prestigious individual not only ensure that you cannot work with that individual, but often, that you cannot work with that individual’s friends and colleagues. In the case of a graduate student, alienating an advisor can mean not completing your dissertation. And what is the remedy? Often the senior member gets a slap-on-the-wrist. A “don’t do that again” warning. The student or junior researcher's name is added to the paper as a second or third author as a “go-away-and-shut-up” concession. This also inhibits the sharing of ideas. Sometimes members of academia hoard ideas, projects, and data for fear of theft. Sometimes papers are only circulated to trusted individuals until right before submission. First authorship, naming rights, whatever the prize, is crucial to junior members of departments and graduate students. Theft should not be tolerated. In academia, we often say that theft is not tolerated, but the penalty and discipline for such actions do not always bear this out. Or, in the case of Lucas, the review of these allegations do not seem objective and the findings seem biased.

CA Supreme Court - Gay Marriage Ban Discriminatory

2008-05-15T19:32:09Z

I'm on my way to class, but read this and just had to post the article I read in the LA Times - The California Supreme Court overturned the ban on gay marriage ruling that the state marriage laws are discriminatory! The right to marry the person you love should be a basic human right.

First Ever Food Stamp Challenge on Campus

2008-05-08T04:37:56Z

STOP (Students Taking on Poverty) wrapped up its awareness campaigns for the year this week with Food Stamp Awareness Week. Today, the first ever Food Stamp Challenge to take place on a college campus happened here at Stanford. What is a Food Stamp Challenge? It's the agreement to spend only the amount of money that food stamp recipients receive per week on food - basically, to live off $21 for the week or $3.00 for the day. This movement engages in the Challenge in order to raise awareness of the inadequacy of the average food stamp budget, which has remained the same since the 1970s. According to a STOP member Debbie Warshawsky, over 200 people have registered online, pledging to spend no more than $3.00 on food today. STOP provided lunch and dinner to participants in the lobby Old Union today, taking the opportunity to raise awareness of the issue of hunger here in the U.S. ]]> Congressional Food Stamp Challenge (where members of Congress live off a food stamp budget to raise awareness of the inadequacy of the food stamp budget), had his jars of peanut butter and jelly confiscated by a TSA agent while flying due to regulations about liquid (Ryan had decided to live off sandwiches for the week). The jars represented the majority of his food stuff for the week and left him with .33 cents and a bag of cornmeal to last him for the remaining two days of the week-long challenge.
STOP is an official student group, which is 2 years old. They have participated in a number of awareness campaigns on campus this year, including the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. STOP's goals are to increase awareness of poverty and inequality in the U.S. on campus, and to work in local communities, empowering residents in the Bay Area. You can contact STOP by emailing stop.stanford@gmail.com.

With the price of gas rising food costs have escalated and more families on the edge are at risk and $3 doesn't buy a lot of food, and neither does $21. What are the experiences of those of you who have lived on $3 today?