danajohnhill.org | Hard Times Come Again No More

Filed under: Cost of Living, Dana Heritage Project, Popular Music on January 17th, 2009 | Enter your password to view comments.

The crash of US Air flight 1549 into the Hudson River yesterday is one for the history books.  The stars were perfectly aligned.  Had the pilot not been as astonishingly capable, had the crash occurred at night, had the river been icy, had the crash occurred two miles north where there are fewer boats, had a million little things not occurred precisely as they did, it is inconceivable that every person on that airplane would have survived.  As it is, Captain Sullenberger, this Bud’s for you.

Filed under: Current Events, Transportation on January 16th, 2009 | No Comments »

Last year I wrote about one of my literature professors who was implicated in a plagiarism scandal.  Professor Twitchell, who has written many books about subjects like advertising and vampires, was accused of lifting passages from books by other authors without crediting them.  There is no doubt now that this is what occurred.  I heard from one of the authors whose works Twitchell failed to cite; I can understand how disturbing it must have been for her to find her words printed practically verbatim in his book.

In today’s Gainesville Sun I read that Professor Twitchell is stepping down now, after more than three decades at the University of Florida.  I took his English Romanticism course, and I can testify to the fact that he is a brilliant man, astonishingly knowledgeable and immensely capable.  The scandal that has brought him down is of Elliot Sptizer proportions.  I am certain this has been difficult for all parties involved, but the real losers in this scenario are the future English Literature students at UF.  There will be one less talented professor on the faculty.  With the budget situation being what it is, I doubt Twitchell will be replaced.  What a waste.

Filed under: Literature and Books, School on January 16th, 2009 | No Comments »

I have been a student for a long time (much too long, but that’s another story), and have attended three colleges.  So when I read an article like the one in today’s New York Times about post-secondary students paying more but getting less, I think, tell me something I don’t know.  The same can be said of nearly every aspect of life today.  Everything costs more, but we have less to show for it.  I don’t mind paying higher tuition, since I acknowledge that my course fees could not possible cover the cost of my professors’ salaries, maintenance of the buildings and grounds, electricity, and the free healthcare I receive as a student at the University of Florida.  But I am troubled at how cheap my school is becoming.  Teachers cannot make copies of their syllabi or assignments; class sizes in upper-division English literature courses regularly exceed 35 students; graduate students are teaching courses they are not qualified to teach; instructors are leaving and not being replaced.  It is a scandal.

Filed under: Cost of Living, School on January 15th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

First, Dick Cheney is human garbage.  He just told Jim Lehrer that he doesn’t believe that the public disapproves of his actions and performance as vice president.  When reminded of his historically low approval ratings, he said something to the effect that that’s not what he’s hearing from people.  No kidding!  Imagine that: Dick Cheney–the man who disappears from the public eye for long stretches; gives few interviews, especially to legitimate news organizations; spends a considerable amount of time in a bunker–doesn’t realize that an enormous majority of Americans think he bears considerable personal responsibility for much of the United States’ present difficulties.  Cheney, lest we forget, has been wrong about almost every single thing that has happened in the past eight years.  He would probably still tell you that there are weapons of mass destruction, and that Iraq really was in the last throes of the insurgency in 2005.

Second, what is wrong with this Timothy Geithner guy?  If you’re just some regular dude, I can understand being confused about what has and hasn’t been withheld from your paycheck.  But this guy is supposed to be running the Treasury Department?  I think an awareness of your personal tax liability should be among the minimum qualifications to hold that job.  Meanwhile, it seems the common denominator amongst all rich and powerful wankers is undocumented household employees.  Two tips:

1. If you’re rich enough to hire household help, you’re rich enough to hire a U.S. citizen.  Don’t be so cheap.
2. President-elect Obama should drop this guy.  There’re better people out there.

Filed under: Politics, Rantings on January 14th, 2009 | No Comments »