Monthly Archives: March 2009

Mistakes Were Made

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Timothy Burke

There’s been two legal cases in the news lately involving officials and teenagers, and you’ve probably read about both of them. The first involves a young woman who was strip-searched because administrators suspected she had a double-strength ibuprofen concealed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 5 Comments

Following Up

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Timothy Burke

Some connected capstone thoughts about various debates on the AIG bonuses and related matters: 1. It’s fair to say that I’ve been a bit flip about the continuing market value of expertise within AIG and related businesses which have received … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 8 Comments

Dear Jake DeSantis

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Timothy Burke

Dear Mr. DeSantis: Thank you for your heartfelt resignation letter printed today in the New York Times. I would be remiss if I did not reply with a few comments. Since your company is now effectively owned by the government … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 52 Comments

Without Vision

Posted on March 23, 2009 by Timothy Burke

A lot of what I have to say in the following post echoes Paul Krugman’s column today. There has been a chorus of tut-tutting in the punditocracy about the furor over the AIG bonuses, with many Very Serious People saying … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 20 Comments

Kid Stuff

Posted on March 23, 2009 by Timothy Burke

1) At the Saturday 2nd grader soccer games, there were of course all manner of kids wandering around, exploring the woods and creek near the field while siblings played or waited for their game to start. At one point, my … Continue reading →

Posted in Domestic Life | 2 Comments

Building the Teaching University

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Timothy Burke

Say you’re an ambitious new university president who has just become the head of a large public university. Let’s say for the sake of argument that it is widely conceded in your state that this new university has been underfunded … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia | 16 Comments

Set Course For Reboot, Mr. Sulu

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Timothy Burke

Enough politics! Time for geekery! Yes, the new trailer for Star Trek makes me want to see it. Just the music does! Plus, come on, there’s a call-out to Vasquez Rocks about 3/4 of the way through. I’m with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular Culture | 9 Comments

Not Just Promises

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Timothy Burke

I get it. If I’m promised a pony and a rainbow by a politician when he or she is running for office, I shouldn’t expect much more than some horseshit and downpours after the election. I’m an adult. I don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 4 Comments

Practicalities

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Timothy Burke

I like Laura’s list of to-do and not-to-do for young women at 11D. In the comments, Western Dave follows from this list to argue that a class like home economics has big and often neglected payoffs for high school students … Continue reading →

Posted in Domestic Life, Food, Miscellany | 20 Comments

Totally Stupid Question

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Timothy Burke

I always tell my students to ask what seem like stupid or naive questions, since they’re often important or profound questions instead. So let me ask a series of dumb questions about subprime mortgages. I understand somewhat the problems that … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 27 Comments