Jenn: What do you think fashion majors do in class all day?

Jason: Fuck

….

*lifts head as the heavens open up and shine upon their chosen son*

I’m becoming a fashion major!

So there’s an informational meeting Thursday night for folks interested in playing around on WVCW, the student run radio station. I do believe I will have to be in attendance. I’ll keep the world posted on this, considering they’re webcasting so everyone can tune in to enjoy.

I just had to churn out 900 words on “My Reflections Of Religion” for a Global Ethics class and it feels so trite. It’s accurate, I guess, but the writing’s weak and I’m embarrassed to really call it a paper of any sort. Hell, to put my name on it. But I have to turn something in and this is the best of three attempts. Christ, I hope the rest of these papers come easier or it’s going to be a LONG semester…

Got a microwave handy? (from Boing Boing)

Does Social Security Really Face an $11 Trillion Deficit?

President Bush and Vice President Cheney have told audiences that Social Security faces an $11 trillion shortfall if nothing is done to fix the current system. But they fail to mention that this is over the course of the infinite future.” Over the next 75 years — still practically a lifetime — the shortfall is projected to be $3.7 trillion.

The “infinite” projection is one that the American Academy of Actuaries says is likely to mislead the public into thinking the system “is in far worse financial condition than is actually indicated,” and therefore should not be used to explain the long-term outlook.

Unsocial Insecurity

This is one of my charges, is to explain to Congress as clearly as I can: the crisis is now, Bush proclaimed at an economic summit a month ago. He does indeed have some splaining to do. This year, the Social Security systemthe payroll tax, which brings money in, and the pension program, which sends money outwill bring in about $180 billion more than it sends out. It will go on bringing in more than it sends out until 2028, at which point it will begin to draw on the $3.5 trillion surplus it will by then have accumulated. The surplus runs out in 2042, right around the time George W. Bush turns ninety-six. After that, even if nothing has changed, the systems income will continue to cover seventy-three per cent of its outgo.

Thats using the Social Security Administrations economic and demographic assumptions, which are habitually pessimistic. Using the assumptions of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the surplus runs out in 2052. And if one uses the economic growth assumptions that Bushs own budget office uses when it calculates the effects of his own tax cuts, the surplus runs out iner, maybe never.

Now Social Security reform is something I’d have to do more research into to form a full opinion, but at one time I favored investment options as an alternative. Back when the stock market was ruling. Now I’m not so sure, not unless there’s a safety net for those who opt for personal investments and face a bad market during their retirement. Or perhaps I’m just misunderstanding the plan the President is pushing.

Squashed Philosophers

Unfortunately, life is rather short, the little storeroom of the brain doesn’t have extensible walls and the greatest of thinkers seem to also be among the worst, and the lengthiest, of writers. So, most knowledge of Plato or Hume or Aristotle tends to come second-hand, unfortunately too often through masters more filled with pompous pleasure in their own mastery of complexity than with knowledge of their subject. Which is a pity, because your Prince, whether they call themselves President or King or Prime Minister, has almost certainly read Machiavelli. Your therapist is steeped in Freud, your divines in Augustine. Lawmakers take their cues still from Paine, Rousseau and Hobbes. Science looks yet to Bacon, Copernicus and Darwin.

So, here are the most used, most quoted, the most given, sources of the West. The books that have defined the way the West thinks now, in their author’s own words, but condensed and abridged into something readable.

Huh. Pretty good work, here. Must bookmark for future papers…

Oh dear Lord… Seems Senator Boxer’s actions to fight the Ohio Presidential elections results and grilling of soon to be Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (who is ANGRY) has won her a few fans.

But was the Boxer/Rice bout only the first of many to come?

Princeton cracks down on grade inflation And how are they doing this?

In a move students protested last year, Princeton became the first elite college to cap the number of A’s that can be awarded.

Previously, there was no official limit to the number of A’s handed out, and nearly half the grades in an average Princeton class have been A-pluses, A’s or A-minuses. Now, each department can give A’s to no more than 35 percent of its students each semester.

What exactly does this accomplish? Instead of really holding professors accountable for actually striving to teach and challenge the students you’re going to penalize the students by creating a system that does not reward hard work. You’re creating a grading curve for the negative. And if this is really a problem you’re now going to have a disproportionate number of Bs given out. Soon you’ll be requiring 20% in each category, just to balance the whole thing out. Smart move, Princeton.

I am currently enthralled by this site. And as Instapundit has pointed out, its author has been awarded a Silver Star.

One Hundred Albums You Should Remove from Your Collection Immediately

This project marks the first time Jaguaro.org is giving back to the community — something we intend to do a lot of. We would like to offer you and the rest of the world nothing more than the gift of good taste, which some people can feel threatened by. However, though many of us wear spectacles and look both ways before crossing the street, we at Jaguaro.org are a warlike bunch. We feel that it’s imperative to tell you that we are offended by your CD collection.

But we have no intention of recommending hot new CDs you should play — we trust you and know that you’ll make great decisions about which albums to buy in the future. No, we have our sights locked on the CDs that you already have. We understand that from time to time, people make mistakes and we sincerely want to help excise the guilt of a pretentious, over-hyped, and simply bad music collection from your life. More importantly, we’re going to help you turn your purchasing mistakes into cold, hard cash!

In the main, we have not selected easy targets for removal — we know that you know that the Milli Vanilli album you’ve got stashed away in a shoebox isn’t exactly kosher. Nope, we chose critical darlings and must-have releases from the past and present. Some will bristle at our audacity for questioning the worth of any Beatles release or blithely pissing on Jane’s Addiction’s “masterpiece.” Some will maintain that we’re not qualified or that we’ll never make an album as great as Dark Side of the Moon and accordingly should shut our traps. The approval an artist seeks by releasing an album is not guaranteed, even if music moguls, “tastemakers,” and critics agree that it is merited. As music listeners, we’ve taken on the very modest project of flipping through our collections, listening to them, and separating the good stuff from the bad. If the creators of the “greats,” the “classics,” and the “hits” want to ensure that their efforts get the praise they deserve forevermore, they should take care that they are only accessible to sympathetic critics and fans.

And what sort of albums make the list?

2. U2 - The Joshua Tree

Oh, to be earnest, politically correct, Christian, and filthy rich. It’s been 15 years since the birth of this critical and popular favorite, and U2-worship still hasn’t been eradicated. When will it stop? When you do the right thing and retire this pompous collection of religious rock songs, that’s when.

7. The Police - Synchronicity

That this album is considered a classic is quite a feat for a collection of songs that Keith Richards deemed suitable for a dentist’s waiting room. Certainly, no album dealing with topics such as stalking, psychological abuse, betrayal and silent desperation has ever sounded so homogenized or made less thought-provoking pronouncements. To enjoy Synchronicity is to consider one’s self to be socially enlightened without having to dredge up any real empathy.

8. Beck - Midnite Vultures

Wow, he sounds like Rick James and Prince too — so cool! He really “wears his influences on his sleeve,” doesn’t he? Yeah! Great lyrics — very postmodern! He really “has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek” doesn’t he? You should know that Beck is the Christina Aguilera of the indie set — sell this piece of shit while you still can.

30. White Stripes - White Blood Cells

I know that they’re absolutely adorable, they may or may not be siblings (how mysterious!), and they turn down million-dollar Gap ads, but is anyone tired of The White Stripes yet? I guess indie rock hipsters are as starved for something seemingly new as the general public is, though I thought we already went through this bluesy punk thing in the early-90s with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Now that it’s 2002, you can safely close the books on The White Stripes (and The Strokes) without losing your indie cred.

51. Radiohead - I Might be Wrong: Live Recordings/Built To Spill - Live

Both of these bands are practically fellated by critics and fans alike, as if there’s something new and exciting happening in their studio work. One is a Neil Young retread, and the other is a Neil Young ripoff. People, people: classic rock is not dead, just getting plastic surgery. Meanwhile, both bands release live albums that are just chaff to fulfill their contract obligations cheaply. All live albums suck, and these are no exception.

58. Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever, Amen

You KNOW you own this. Again, he’s not deep just because he plays the piano, and bitterness doesn’t necessarily make good music.

64. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

Those who were raised on this album have put it in long term storage since it became a resurrected hit on campus and could be heard blaring from every goddamn dorm room in between “Fly Like an Eagle” and “Margaritaville,” which resulted in sickness, depression, and even academic failure for those who would rather remember Floyd as a childhood soundtrack, but were then no longer able.

69. U2 - War

“We do make, and we will continue to make, soul music. Soul music is when youbring what’s on the inside to the outside.” (Bono, 1983) –Actually, defecating is when you bring what’s on the inside to the outside, Mr. MacPhisto. Well done with 1983’s War.

74. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band

Nearly killing rock and roll in the name of ‘psychedelia’ by adding strings and excessive production. You pretentious Limeys, Sinatra had been doing the same thing for years!!

80. R.E.M. - Out of Time

It’s sad to see an old favorite finally cross over into Adult Contemporary territory. Long-time fans suspected something was awry with R.E.M.’s previous LP, the major label debut Green, but this sickly sweet follow up still dealt a major blow to college radio and discerning music fans everywhere. How can you manage to sit through the opening track, “Radio Song,” without dying from embarrassment? I guess Michael Stipe wanted to show he’s down with KRS-ONE since Sonic Youth got Chuck D. to guest on THEIR album the previous year. R.E.M. even manages to make KRS sound flat, and that’s no small feat.

81. The Presidents of the United States of America - Self-titled

Look, just because they’re not selling anything with these jingles doesn’t make them ARTISTS.

92. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes

This album that sounded so naughty and cool back when you were 17 now just sounds really embarrassing. Yeesh.

Sigh. You know, when you toss timeless albums on the list for shock value, you take away from any real point you may have. The only thing I’m taking from this list is that:

1) They hate Jazz

2) They are probably bigger fans of Rolling Stones and Elvis than the Beatles (you generally fall into one of two categories, and the lack of the former on this list makes me think they’re not in the latter)

3) Pretentiousness can be fun.

4) Taste? What’s that?

5) No, really, pretentiousness can be REALLY REALLY FUN!

Ah well. Here’s hoping some people follow this article and sell their collections so I can make a killing in used CD bins.

Well, both teams I was rooting for lost as Philly beat Atlanta 27-10 and New England was all over Pittsburg 41-27. And I missed both games on top of it. Sigh.

Ah well, I’ll probably root for Philly but I think New England’s gonna get its third title in the last four years.

Johnny Carson, late-night TV legend, dies at 79

Carson was host of the late-night talk show from October 1, 1962, to May 22, 1992, taking over from Jack Paar and handing off to Jay Leno after 4,531 episodes.

“It is a sad day for his family and for the country,” “Late Show” host David Letterman said in a statement Sunday. “He was the best — a star and a gentleman.”

Ouch. We’ll miss ya, Johnny.

Who wouldn’t want a portable rotary phone?

And who knew how much fun bunny suicides could be.

A week ago it was 70 degrees out. Today we’ve got snow. I think God’s trying to kill us all.

Just downloaded “The Happy Prince” over at Kiddie Records (“An Oscar Wilde Fairy Tale Adapted And Directed By Orson Wells”) and hope to enjoy it tonight. But, while downloading that I checked out the comments on the previous Kiddie Records and one linked to Radio Lovers, a website full of FREE old time radio shows. Sweet. More stuff to download and listen to later…